Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 237, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 October 1912 — FALL CARE OF THE FLOCK [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FALL CARE OF THE FLOCK

BY H. E. ALLEN,

Animal Husbandry Department, Purdue Experiment Station.

Purdue University Agricultural Extension.

Fall is a season of the year when too many farm flocks are neglected. Often the sheep are left to take care of themselves, grazing in a baek pasture on short, dried up grass and with warm stagnant water to drink. Experienced sheepmen have found such treatment to be unprofitable. Breeding ewes that are good mothers, heavy milkers and have raised one or two lambs must have a period of rest after weaning their lambs, if expected to uphold their vitality, thrift and produce a crop of strong lambs the following season. The lambs should be weaned by the middle of August if they were born in March or April, as is the case in most farm flocks. Naturally the ewes will be in rather thin condition after suckling thplr lambs all summer, but care must be taken not to feed them too nutritious and stimulating feeds at this time on account of the danger of the heavier’ 5 ' milking ewes getting spoiled udders. If the udders of these ewes seem to become congested, proper measures should be taken to prevent them from spoiling. Drying up may be induced by partially milking out the udders a few times at two or three day intervals.' Two or three milkings at most will usually suffice. Culling the Ewes. The flock ought to be closely culled before breeding begins in the fall. Those ewes that have not proved to be good producers and do not furnish enough milk to raise at least one good lamb should be culled out. Others that have broken mouths or whose udders have become spoiled in any way should be sold to the butcher as soon as they can be brought into good enough condition. At this time the owner should be well enough acquainted with the performance and record of the various ewep to know which ones to dispose' of and which ‘ ones to retain. Later, the lambs may be culled. Of course the best ewe lambs should

be reserved for the-further improvement of the flock and the inferior ones sorted out to be sold with the wethers. Uniformity in type and size should be observed at this time, as well as vitality, thrift,, capacity and a good fleece. / “Flushing.” The term "flushing” is applied to having the ewes rapidly gaining In flesh at the time the ram is turned 'jvith them for mating. This is a practice now in favor and is extensively used by the leading breeders in America and Great Britain. It is not only intended to encourage the ewe to take the ram early, but to bring the whole ■fiock to wean as near one time and as uniformly as possible. Then, too, it has been found that whenever ewes and rams are mated that are both in a strong, vigorous condition a higher percentage of twins may be expected. Rape will probably flush the flock better and more cheaply than any other known feed. However,’if this is not available an aftermath of clover is good, and some sort of grain, especially oats, will prove highly satisfactory, though expensive. Cabbage is also recognized as a sheep feed that will accomplish the same results.