. Productive sheep husbandry . Sheep. 62 THE NATURE OF SHEEP development rather than the absolute age of the sheep in calendar months; hence, they are not infallible indications of age. « devel- opment is slow, the first permanent teeth may not appear until tHe sheep is fifteen or sixteen months old; if it is rapid, they may appear at ten months of age. A yearling sheep that has been forced by heavy feeding may have four broad teeth in front instead of two (Fig. 29). ^ ^ . The teeth of an old sheep are likely to Ise spread apart, missing, or worn down short. Other indications of advanced age a
. Productive sheep husbandry . Sheep. 62 THE NATURE OF SHEEP development rather than the absolute age of the sheep in calendar months; hence, they are not infallible indications of age. « devel- opment is slow, the first permanent teeth may not appear until tHe sheep is fifteen or sixteen months old; if it is rapid, they may appear at ten months of age. A yearling sheep that has been forced by heavy feeding may have four broad teeth in front instead of two (Fig. 29). ^ ^ . The teeth of an old sheep are likely to Ise spread apart, missing, or worn down short. Other indications of advanced age are a sunken appearance over the eyes, a comparatively short fleece with sunken places on the surface, and a general lack of fullness of body outlines (Fig. 30). , , , ^ • j (2) The Break Joint.—On our large livestock markets, an index often depended upon for ^ I- determining whether an ani- mal belongs in the sheep or lamb class is what is known as the "break ; This is the temporary, or epiphyseal cartilage located immedi- ately above the pastern joint. Without it bones could not elongate and hence it is pres- ent until the lamb is pretty well along in body develop- ment. It can be distin- guished best on the live ani- mal by rubbing up and down on the foreleg just above the pastern joint with the thumb and forefinger. If temporary cartilage has not disappeared, a great deal of prominence will be felt; if it has, the bone will be comparatively round and smooth (Fig. 31). Feeding and Drinking Habits.—Being ruminants, sheep are adapted not only to the consumption of grain, but also of bulky feeds, such as grass and hay. They eat all of the grasses except the very coarsest varieties and are very fond of the cultivated legum- inous plants. They eat most of the weeds common to farms, and in the West, weeds on sheep ranges are considered very valuable feed. Sheep feed on young tree growth more than any other of our domestic animals except Please note th
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectsheep, bookyear1918
