MANAGEMENT OF BREEDING EWES,

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1493, 26 February 1887, Page 4

MANAGEMENT OF BREEDING EWES,

I would draw attention (says " A Practical Farmer " m I he Agricultural Gazette) to the important Buhj-ct of the treatment of breeding owes during the period of geatatioo. -Any abuse to the animal at this time means a very Berious los* to the owinr. Among the numerous modes of abuse we note : 1. Improper dieting. 2. Ir sufficient food. 3. Want of regular exercise. 4. Too much crowding and knocking about when cloae to lambing. 5. Over-feeding before lambing. 6 Dogging or startling ewes by a careless tliepherd. As lambing approaches you want carefully to avoid too high condition, and yet to goard against poverty. If I think my ewea too fleshy, I rather stint them than ' otherwise for about a week before lambing. To any which are undoubtedly too fat, I give a dese of opening medicine, may be three days before we < xpect them to lamb : it reduces the liability to inflammation and straining. After the ewe has quite recovered from the effects of lambing and is uut of danger, I believe the better you feed the better results you will have m the lamb. One great difficulty I had with my thepherd at fir 4 was to keep him from overfeeding the ewe from the time she had recovered frcm what 1 could call the labor No sooner had ehe satisfied herself with her lamb than he began to give her all manner of good things. This is a great error (and my herd saw It). Until six or seven d»y» are over I don't think danger is paßt. Yoa don't want a bursting udder for two ntwly-born lambs, muohlesa for cne ; you only canso uneasiness to the ewe, and If you don't hand milk m such a case the ewe may go m the wrong direction. Ewes treated on this system will drop the finest of lambs, big and strong and healthy, a good oolor full of firm fleeh, able to stand exposure aJmcßt at onoe — you will have no little white oripples and no nurßing to do, nor warmlcg at the fire ; thatiß, comparatively speaking, ycuc ewea will gtt over this trouble easily, and your skin buyer will not find hla presence required as much aa when he visited you m the four-course days.