THE SPRING MANAGEMENT OF SHEEP

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1680, 11 May 1904, Page 66

THE SPRING MANAGEMENT OF SHEEP

(By Dr J. Gillespie.)

■--Spring is always au important and, at times, even a critical season for the flockmaster and especially for the hill farmer. In breeding flocks this holds good m a marked degree. \\ T kat the crop of lambs for the year is is then determined, and this very much depends on the kind of weather which prevails, during the lambing season. lii a sense it is the liarvest time of the sheep-breeder, for which the management during many preceding months has been the preparation, and the grain-grower is not more dependent for the results of his year’s work on.the weather experienced during the time of harvest than is the flockmaster in the climatic conditions prevailing during the spring months. FATTENING SHEEP IN SPRING. As regards sheep not intended for breeding purposes, but being brought forward towards the fat market a great change has taken place within living memory, and even within the last twenty years. Early maturity lias been an outstanding watchword in the handling of all classes of live stock. The former system used to allow both .cattle and sheep ample time to develop their frames to full growth, and during this lengthened period they were kept on natural non-stimulating food. The idea seemed to be that there was -a time for .growth and a time for fattening, and that these should be kept distinct and separate. In other words* that the nromoting of the growth of the

frame and the process of fattening should not be attempted simultaneously. Ine idea: has long been departed from in regard to both sheep and cattle. Ihis change is even more marked of late in regard to the former than to the latter, m proof and illustration of which we may point to the immense number of mountain black-faced lambs nowadays made prime fat and sent to the shambles every season by the end of January or beginning of February. Of .course this is accomplished either before spring has set in or, at all events, before it is much.advanced. but it has to be reckoned with in considering and determining the management to be followed during the spring months. TUB,NIPS AS A FOOD The circumstances are exceptional where concentrated supplemental food ought not to be given to feeding sheep folded on turnips during the spring. As the days lengthen, live stock require general diet to keep them progressing at a desirable speed. The turnips are apt to become less juicy, nutritious and palatable than at the end of the year. And this supplies a reason for rich food being . given as a supplement. Besides it is at any and every season cf tlie year unwise and wasteful to make water bulbs the sole diet of any animal. A root which contains fully 90 per cent, of water and a large proportion of the remaining solid matter be it remembered being indigestible wo-idy fibre is on the very face of it unsuitable as tbe sole food fox* sheep. It involves the forcing of the poor brute to swallow far more water than it would need if left to the freedom of its own will. This is proved by the action of the beast -when living on its natural food — pasture." Unless at a time of excessive drought, when the grass has lost its living sap, sheep only occasionally g:> to a stream to quench their thirst. We need scarcely remind readers that at all times there is much less water in grass then in. turnips.. The water in the roots passing into the stomach in such an excessive quantity lowers the temperature of the body and as the animal heat is derived from food a portion;-.of the nourishing constituents of the food is used tip in lifting the temperature of the animal to its natural normal standard. What we are insisting on is further corroborated by bearing in mind that there is a far larger percentage of water in turnips than there is in the body of the sheep therefore a superfluity of moisture is partaken of turnips are the sole diet. CHAFFED HAY WITH ROOTS. . Chaffea hay is an excellent supplement to roots for sheep in spring or during the winter months. It not only has the recommendation of balancing the proportions of dry .and watery constituents in the food and of preventing the temperature of the body being unduly reduced hut it also ekes out the supply of turnips at the important transition period between winter and summer keep—when the former is getting scarce and the fatter is not quite-forward enough to afford a full bite. On this ground it has often appeared to the writer that the system of pulping roots has not been, sufficiently followed, especially in spring. At any season the plan of giving pulped roots mixed with chaffed hay or straw has very much to recommend it for reasons involved in the foregoing remarks, hut especially in seasons when roots are scarce in spring. The grounds for following it during the latter season are specially strong. It not infrequently happens that when the supply of turnips becomes prematurely exhausted during March or early April, sheep are put on the market at a sacrifice in price because summer keep is not ready and that of purchasers is in the same condition. If the farmer, foreseeing what was likely to happen, had in good time put his sheep on a diet of mixed pulp and chaff he might have tided over until a much brisker demaud had arisen or. if he wished to retain them for summering, until his own pasture fields were sufficiently advanced to supply keep for them. Sheep which left to their own free will would consume from 201bs. to 24lbs. of roots per day per head if. kept on turnips alone, might be sustained in a healthy progressing state if fed on say lOlbs., or even less, of pulped turnips mixed with chaff. One of the weak characteristics of too many farmers! s that they will persist in ' the same old beaten track of management to which they have, been accustomed and will not adapt their system to the special or exceptional circumstances. The suggestion we have made for tiding over sheep at a season when green food is scarce is a departure not by any means new, hut one which in particular seasons might he much more extensively followed with advantage and desirable pecuniary results. QUANTITY OF FEED. The quantity of real supplemental food which feeding sheep should get during spring depends a good deal on circumstances which should always be taken into account. It is easier and safer to lay down a hard and fast rule on this point earlier in the season than when the opening of the grazing season is. we hope, not far away. Regard should he had to the consideration when, in view of the state of the markets, it is desirable to have the animals ready for the fat market. If the I feeder has to purchase store or lean sheep to take their place the current prices of the latter may be so high as to afford little prospect of getting a remunerative return for their keep. Unfortunately there are fewer sheep and cattle bred in the country nowadays than are needed to consume the keep that is available. The inevitable result is that the lean animals are generally relatively dearer than the same beasts finished and ready for the shambles. At no season does this remark hold good' to the same extent' as in the late spring. -There being more summer keep in the country ihan winter keep, % lean store* stock —both cattl * and. sheep—are almost invariably decidedly dearer in spring than in the fall of the year. Consequently a farmer who looks before - him -will avoid forcing his sheep very rapidly in spring if, when he has sold them fat, he has no alternative but to replace them at a price po high as to leave little or no prospect of getting an adequate return for their keep. Indeed it is sometimes wise and profitable to under-

stock during summer even though the fields may be left a little rough in autumn, rather than stock fully find sell the spring’s purchases at little or nothing more than was paid for them. It appears to us that this is a lesson which not a few have yet to learn. Besides, the grass left over in summer comes in very conveniently in autumn when the season s lambs 'or other feeding sheep fall to be bought. YOUNG SHEEP IN SPRING.

Young sheep wintered on grass should almost invariably get oats, Indian corn or other dry concentrated food all through the winter, and especially m spring. Such a dry supplement counteracts the soft watery character of the grass. It also lessens the death rate, which is an important matter, and it is specially advantageous for subsequent progress made by the sheep during the early portion of summer. MANGOLDS IN APRIL.

It would take more space than is at our disposal to set forth at length the advantage to he derived from having at least a limted supply of mangolds to give the sheep in April before the pasvure fields afford a full bite tor live stock. Even when a supply of turnips is available, by that time these roots fiave lost much of their fresh-juice character, and are not palatable to sheep. But mangolds are only then beginning to be in a desirable condition, and a limited allowance of them suffices to keep sheep thriving. Many farmers have formed the erroneous impression that they cannot grow mangolds. There are cold sunless seasons when it is. difficult to cultivate them successfully, and they are not suited for high-lying, exposed situations in our season. But most farmers can raise good crops of them if they will prepare and manure the land properly, and especially if they will he liberal in tlieir application of nitrogen. .AMONG THE LAMBS.

The management of lambing ewes in spring is a matter of supreme importance where breeding flocks are kept. It would be nothing short of presumption on the part of the writer to attempt to tell shepherds of this class of stock wherein their duties lie. Fortunately it is not needed, for of all the different employees on farms none are more satisfactory and thoroughly masters of their special line of business than these. Incessant personal attention and care are indispensable to success. In low-lying flocks it is an immense advantage to have had the ewes so keel-marked by the rams as to enable the earlier and later lambing ewes to he separated.' Obviously this limits, say by one half the number to which the man in charge has to pay the closest attention and which he has to place night by night under the best available cover. It is superfluous to say that a proper number of lambing pens should be made ready beforehand, so that the time and strength of the shepherd should not be unduly and indeed unnecessarily expended on providing them after the lambing has begun. We would add in this connection that on low-lying farms as distinguished from hill grazing some shelter, say in the form of a movable waggon on wheels, should be provided for the shepherd or shepherds, so that they might be protected from the elements on some of these winter-like days not infrequently experienced in spring. This might be advocated on grounds of humanity, hilt at present we are concerned in urging it in the interests of the flock, which would be constantly during the daylight under the watchful eye of the shepherd. ROOTS' TO' EWES. Opinions differ as to the extent to which ewes ought to be fed on roots before they are due to lamb. We wpuld rather favour a limited supply of roots supplemented by concentrated food, such as oats mixed with chaff. This is beneficial to the health both of the ewe and of the lamb she may be carrying. Such a diet also tends to bring the milk to the ewes, a point of supreme importance. In giving turnips to lambing ewes we favour them being in a cut form. This can be easily and inexpensively accomplished by the machines now available. Of course we need not add that the chief objection to trough food being given is that the ewes are in danger of crushing each other in pressing forward to the troughs, and that the utmost care should be taken that they have even a superfluous degree of room.—"Farmers' Field."