FAT LAMB RAISING.

Southland Times, Issue 19395, 8 November 1924, Page 13 (Supplement)

FAT LAMB RAISING.

POINTS FOR BREEDERS. COLLEGE DIRECTOR’S ADDRESS. At Christchurc the other evening, Mr R. A. Alexander, Director of Lincoln College, gave a lecture on “Fat Lamb Raising.” CARE IN BREEDING Mr Alexander said the first essential in breeding the right class of lamb was to secure the right class of ram and ewe. Some farmers went solely by the wool clip, and gave no thought to the carcase, treating the latter as of quite secondary importance. He considered that there were too many breeds of sheep in New Zealand. They should get down to two or three of the best breeds for fat lamb production. After breeding, sheep must be properly fed. He did not agree that well-bred sheep must come out rightly. Feeding was a most important factor, and was often neglected. A lamb was 150 days old when it was born, and during those 150 days farmers should see that the lamb got proper feeding through its mother. Ewes must be well fed during the winter. There was only one way to fatten a sheep or a lamb and that was to feed it continuously on the right type of feed. Very few farmers took the trouble to keep . the same class of feed in their paddocks. The secret of success was to keep the stock thriving all the time. An attempt was always made to hold lambs until prices reached the peak. That was an exceedingly risky procedure, as the lamb was stuffed up until it became an unnatural product, and was very easily knocked out. NECESSITY FOR CARE The fat lamb, continued the speaker, was a perishable article, and was not in the same line as the fat steer, the fat bullock, or the fat sheep. Fat lambs lost weight a few hours after being taken off feed. Three days on the road would take a good deal of weight off lambs, and they also lost in quality and general attractiveness. The concentration of fat lambs at a centre for sale by auction involved difficulties that were hard to overcome. It was hardly possible to get lambs to the yards and to the freezing works in the space of 24 hours. Thus |lb per head went into thin air—a dead loss through “wasting.” No matter how well stock was handled it must get knocked about to a certain extent. Thus there were rejects through discoloration, etc. The farmer was the man who had to pay for these rejects. With better care in feeding and general treatment, this loss could be obviated. There were many drovers on the road, said Mr Alexander, who should not be allowed to handle sheep. They were anxious to get to the works and receive their pay. Fifteen years ago the bulk of the lambs reached the works by the railways. If the Government was fully alive to the interests of this important industry they would start an express service for the transport of fat lambs. It was only a matter of organisation. The railways were also responsible for lambs depreciating through the overcrowding of trucks and the imperfect methods of ! loading and unloading. If the railways were run by proprietary companies he had no doubt but that special trains would be organised.