A study of the importance, overwinter survival, and geographical distribution of internal parasites of sheep in Manitoba

Abstract

A number of natural factors favor the production of sheep in Manitoba. Large tracts of cheap land, unsuited for more intensive types of agricultural endeavor, appear ideal for sheep-raising. These areas provide sufficient forage for large flocks of sheep that can be kept over winter at low cost. The usual practice is to provide low-cost, open-type sheds for shelter, as sheep do very well in such quarters. This type of shelter also requires little in the way of labor that would be necessary in a more elaborate system of housing. The prices of sheep and sheep products in recent years have been consistently higher than previously, and in view of the smaller amount of labor required for sheep raising than for other types of agriculture, one might reasonably have anticipated a substantial increase in the sheep population during the war. Also favoring an expansion of sheep population is the low provincial incidence or relative absence of bacterial, virus and protozoan diseases such as anthrax, foot-and-mouth disease, looping ill, scrapie and braxie