MORTALITY AMONGST EWES

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10713, 5 September 1912, Page 6

MORTALITY AMONGST EWES

A FARMER'S IDEAS.

A well-known Wairarapa sheepbreeder writes as follows to the Dominion :

"I read in last Wednesday's farm notes an articb on mortality < mrmgst ewes. . It may bo right, but my experience is diit'orent. in tho first place I don't believe in putting ewes on short commons, especially when near lambing. I think it would make the complaint worse. Some years ago I lost some owes on turnips. I believe tlrey got sick of them. This year I had seven hundred ewes 011 swedes almost continuously, and I have not lost one, although we have had a very wet winter. I now let them have a grass paddock to run on at will, and I believe the change of feed keeps their appetites good. My ewes are almost all fat now, and. lambing splendidly. I once had a ewe getting down often, so I bobbled her on the front legs. She was the first ewe I ever saw with the diseaso on grass. Of course she fell away in condition. I am quite satisfied starvation is the main cause of the trouble. I believe if we started lambing, say, on September Ist/ wo would miss most of it; the ewes would have more milk and would stick to their lambs better and the wool would bo in better form. "I wonder if a stud breeder ever had a ewe that he was feeding up for the show get the complaint if 011 good green feed. If there is a case, I wish he would publish it in your paper. I will think then, perhaps, I am'wrong.' My experience may be wrong, but I expect other sheep farmers are experimenting, and I hope they will give us the benefit of their experience."