A Few Sheep For The Small Place

CITY people who take up country living are generally amazed at the bounty of the land and are always giv ing something to friends. I guess that's why Carolyn's aunt, who'd recently bought a farm in Alabama, sent us one of her home-grown lambs. And that's how we learned a little about sheep.

A single lamb, like a single goat, is a lonesome creature. We tried using him as a "lawn-mower" on the front lawn but he bleated half the time. Finally, although we knew it wasn't the best practice we turned him out to pasture with our goats.

The goats had never before seen a lamb - and I guess the lamb had never seen goats. Goats and lamb eyed each other suspiciously. The ridges of the goats' backs bristled. Then the lonesome lamb, in a friendly fashion, ran toward the goats. Frightened, the goats scampered away and it was a couple of hours before they would let the lamb get near them. Finally, they sniffed him over and philosophically accepted this "ugly duckling". Our lamb was no longer lonesome.

This lamb proved so little trouble that the following year we bought two, fattened them, and had them butchered just as with our first. In many parts of the country I'm told the sheep's skin pays the cost of the butchering, but our butcher didn't seem to want the skin. For $3.50 we had it made into a rug - they sell for $7.50 to $20.00. Buying one or two lambs, fattening them for 30 to 60 days, and then having them slaughtered is not the most economical way to produce your own lamb, however.

Often times, a weaned lamb when moved will lose weight for awhile and consequently require more grass and grain before they "make" 90 to 100 pounds, the customary weight at which they a re slaughtered. Then again a young lamb is apt to cost $7.00 to $20.00. The one point in favor of buying and fattening a lamb is that this is an easy way to gain experience.

Before we discuss a better way to get started, lets take a look at what is necessary in the way of pasture, grain, equipment, time, and money to economically produce your own lamb.

Good Pasture Essential

The first thing you should be able to supply is good grass. You don't need much grass pasture - it takes about a quarter-acre of grass, 750 pounds of hay, and 100 pounds of grain yearly to support one sheep. Remember, though, you should have at least two sheep.

As for the hay, alfalfa is best. In fact, you can raise and fatten your lambs solely on good grass and good alfalfa. Clover and soybean are good hays also.

Many different grain combinations are suitable for feeding sheep. The easiest plan for the homesteader with goats is to buy "sheep and goat" ration. In Starting Right With Sheep a mixture of two parts oats to one part bran is recommended as the best all-around sheep feed. For fattening use five parts wheat, two parts corn, two parts oats, one part linseed-oil meal. Sheep must have plenty of water.