SHEEP RAISING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20977, 14 September 1931, Page 14

SHEEP RAISING.

THE LAMBING SEASON. AIDS TO QUICK FATTENING. IJY H.B.T. Lambing is now veil under way throughout most of the North Island lower country. As it is from this area that we expect to get away most of our carlv lambs, some discussion of the methods to employ to secure this end should prove helpful. Although during their time of pregnancy, ewes should ho forced to take exercise I<> prevent their becoming overfat, immediately prior to lambing they should be disturbed as little as possible. Like, all other animals, ewes are apparently aware of the nature of the coming event, and when they have opportunity, as in a fairly large paddock, appear to choose the locality where they wish the lamb to be born. Usually these are aholtcrcd find wavin spots nt tlio heads of gullies or in the lee of some, spur or hilltop where they have the advantage of all the' available, sunshine and escape, cold winds. Disturbing them can do nothing but harm at this time, so, although the shepherd must be among his cues from morning till night, ho should move quietly, keep his dogs under control, and mako'as little disturbance as possible. Attention to Young Sheep.

If in proper condition for lambing, the older ewes will give little trouble. It is among fbe two-tooths that ono will find the greatest number of cases requiring assistance, and these should be gone, through twice as often as the oldei sheep. Where a ewe is in appal ent trouble, she should be quietly worked to a position where she can be caught easily. Home dogs become very smart at this business of catching, and are invaluable in lightening the day's work. When aiding a ewe which is having difficulty with lambing, every precaution should be taken against blood-poisoning —which can readily be transferred from one sheep to another —by thoroughly disinfecting the hands and arms before and after each operation. If it is desired to get tho lambs away fat off their mothers, all those ewes which have lambs well " on their legs," should be quietly drafted out each day and worked into a paddock which has been saved for their reception. Hero tho grass should be short and sweet, and contain as much clover as possible. Topdressing with superphosphate over a couple of seasons will ensure this. Clovers, trefoil and any other of the legumes are very rich in proteins and encourage rapid fattening much more than does grass.

The Time to Dock. Lambs that are to go fat off tho mothers should be docked and earmarked early. If this is done when they arc a fortnight old, they suffer less check to their growth than if left until they are a month old or more. Given sufficient food of tho right kind, which is short, clean pasture containing a big proportion of cloved, the other essentials for quick fattening are warmth and absence of internal parasites. A paddock lying well to the sun and having shelter from the prevailing winds is ideal, but, in any case, lambs will not. grow or fatten quickly unless they have a dry camping ground. If forced to camp on wet, soggy ground, they will mope about half the day tucked up and miserable, waiting for the sun to warm them. Internal parasites, principally intestinal worms, can be guarded against first by spelling the paddock for some time before the ewes and their lambs are put on to it; then by grazing close with cattle immediately before the sheep are turned in, and also by providing a medicated salt lick for both lambs and ewes from before lambing until tho youngsters are sold. Avoiding Exercise When Fattening. Both sheep and lambs fatten more quickly if their exercise is limited, hence lambs destined for the works at tho earliest possible date should be disturbed as little as possible. Where lambs are being forced along rapidly, deaths of the fastest-growing are likely to occur from what is known as "pulpy kidney." This loss can bo reduced, if not entirely eliminated, by feeding iron in the form of oxide or sulphate through tho salt lick to both ewes and lambs. The preventive measure recommended by the Department of Agriculture is to yard the ewes with their lambs for a night once or twico a week. This has the effect of checking a too-rapid growth, and consequently tho lambs do not outgrow the stock of iron which their blood contains at birth. Feeding iron to the stock and maintaining the rate of growth appears, however, to be the more sound proposition.