FAT LAMB BREEDING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18498, 7 September 1923, Page 10

FAT LAMB BREEDING.

HINTS FROM WAIRARAPA.

• Hints in breeding for", the fat lamb trade j are ; ottered by Mr, W. Rayner, ;"'Thc> '; £Hif?s]" Masterton, . wild writes "It gays : tie small farmer ' better *to sell His j I&mba ; fat, * than to keep them;; and sell , fchera "ati stores later son 'for less ; money. • There 'ia 'also a good* chance,. o£ - gettingi a ■ ' fair'lot of : ewes fat too ..b^Jd^eg'piaaibs early. " ; '' * <;■■■ S--1 ' ':My belief ; is.that the {Souilidavnv is; by. , far hist ram 'to breed .from, ' In; Select;s ing rams you, should look/ to . the carcase *. ' first. . '.The.. 1 ram 1 should not be too . . dumpy,—a fair length, , with ; well- sprung "" • ribs. and a good' leg of ; mutton, with < eyes •t. sticking out so,that you couid knock' them ;' ofl ■ with a stick, good dense ; . fine /wool, with as little wool on | the head as possible ~; is ,the ram to /breed fxom. - ' v , ' •;" Somo * people, like; to see wool - everywhere, but you are paid by the weight erf :9esh on yoar lambs, not by the weight of •* wool, and if the lamb is growing wool,' he is not : putting on fat. You will always:, nee that ; your; fattest lambs are the bare i lambs,, ; with 4 not too ' much < wool. If you / .'lore!': breeding ; for > early; lambs ; for / town V trade, you must hare . the rams out early,; hut ,for .• l'he" freezing trade, I*. think" it -is I have* experimented , and -haver had better results by later lambs.'- I put my rami, out on April "7, and the • ewes; . start- lambing on : September =L t • With later ... lambing, r the i ewes do better through the .-- Winter, : cfip more ; wool; and x the wool will i be in better order. Also - they . have more j , milk for the lambs, as there is more grass. •• They nearly all; lamb within a fortnight, j / and 1 you 'axe likely to have a 'much;better ! percentage- as you'; are not wasting your rains, especially"if you are. breeding from young'ranis. ■■" ' T ' - •;" I-have tho buyer .through , them .at the end 1 , of ,; November. You; do not get so , ; many lambs, away first ' cut,' .but in .. amonth's time you do better. , .Practically eyery lamb that is . hesiivy enough is . • fat as the ewes' have plenty of milk. '. You . . gee no Ions? legged lambs, as you do with .j;early;- breeding. ..Of course; if you . have food warm - country, where ■■■ the grass is . always "growing, • it, makes 9. difference."