FACTS ABOUT SHEEP.

Otago Witness, Volume 06, Issue 2899, 6 October 1909, Page 9

FACTS ABOUT SHEEP.

From records 'kept at tha Wisconsin experiment stat<on of 240 ewes, covering n period of five years, the following conclusions were drawn:— The normal period of gssration, or the time from which a normal ewe is bred to the time of lambing, ranges from 145 to 151 days, and the greatest percentage of ewes will lamb 147 dajs after service. The gestation pericd appears to be somewhat 'oagar for the male than fcr the female. The percentage of males born is practically the" sam-s as that of females. The larger percentage of lambs bom on or before tho one hundred and •orty-sevanth day of pregnancy is strong, and after this time the number of weak and dead lambs is increased. The number of days a lamb is carried in utero does not seem to have any effect on its size. The largest percentage of increase is due to twin lambs, and there is no appreciable difference in the percontageof twins of the diftorent breeds. Tha production of twin and triplet lambs is detrimental to t'.ie strength and vitality of lxmbs at birth. Shropshire ew-es appear to be mora prolific than any other breed. Ewes six years o!d produce the largest percentage of increase, while young ewes have the greater percentage of single lambs The percentage of ram lambs increases and the percentage of ewe lambs decreases as the age of the ewe advances. A ram is at his best at two or three yeare cf age. The age of the ram does not have any effect on the- sex of the -offspring. Ram lambs average about $lb heavier at birth* than ewe lambs.