[AT] different types of planters questions

[Robinson]

	Hi Ricky:

	Looks like you are getting some good answers. I'm afraid I 
can't do you much good on this question. I have no 
experience with lister planting nor with the climate where 
you are. Lister planting just isn't done here and I have 
only seen pictures of the equipment.
	They generally just call it "grain sorghum" around here. I 
grew a small batch for bird seed and sheep feed a few years 
ago. I just planted it with my corn planter and cultivated 
it as I would corn. Grew like crazy and produced well. As I 
recall I just had the combine set like I would for wheat.
	I never ground anything to feed to the sheep, even corn was 
fed just shelled. Most of their diet was fairly mediocre 
hay. Sheep are very good at digesting rough feeds (they are 
not smart enough to do anything else). Mine would eat old 
dry corn stalks like it was great stuff. About the only time 
mine got grain was I would put out a few ounces per sheep 
(usually shelled corn) just to keep them trained to coming 
when I would whistle for them. I did give them a dab of dry 
molasses when they were close to lambing. The molasses helps 
them avoid build up of toxins which is common in the last weeks.
	The best single thing I did for them was to make them walk 
a lot. Doctors often recommend the same thing for pregnant 
ladies. For the sheep I fed them their hay 1/4 mile from the 
barn they slept in.
	I haven't had time to build fence but when I do we are 
going back to sheep in a smaller scale. We are talking about 
raising some purebred breeding stock. I didn't think I would 
miss the silly things when I quit...   :-)

-- 



"farmer"

Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.


Francis Robinson
Central Indiana USA
robinson at svs.net