﻿THE MANAGEMENT OF SHEEP ON THE FABM. 11 



CARE OF THE FLOCK. 



SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS. 



Probably sheep are subject to more ills than any other class of 

 domestic animals. At any rate, they seem to be more helpless in 

 repelling the attacks made upon them. This need not discourage the 

 prospective shepherd, since good care and management will obviate 

 most of these troubles. Upon this care and management depends 

 the ''luck" of the shepherd. Flocks are known to exist upon weeds 

 and waste roughages with little or no attention, but the returns are 

 proportionately meager. 



DOGS. 



A well-trained sheep dog is one of the greatest friends of the indus- 

 try, while the cur dog is one of its worst enemies. The Scotch collie 

 is the sheep dog of America, and a well-trained one can not be appre- 

 ciated unless seen at work. Their tireless watching, even at night, 

 makes them invaluable to the sheep herder. By their barking they 

 warn him of any prowler that may be lurking about the flock. How- 

 ever, a poorly trained dog, as is found on many farms, is more of a 

 nuisance than a benefit in handling the flock. It is unfortunate that 

 the collie has not found a larger place in flock management on the 

 farm. On the average farm it is the other side of the dog problem that 

 concerns the shepherd. The cur dog has driven many a farmer out 

 of the sheep business and has prevented many more from entering 

 it. The loss to the sheep industry from this source can hardly be 

 estimated. A leading eastern paper on May 28, 1910, printed the 

 following: 



Seventy-five sheep have been killed and 152 have been bitten by dogs that came 

 into the neighborhood last week. Of the 35 flocks of sheep of this town, only 1 escaped 

 the ravages of the dogs. Damages are estimated at $500. 



There are thousands of such cases on record. However, the loss 

 in killed and injured is not all the damage. Once the flock has been 

 ravaged the sheep become restless and excitable, and weeks often 

 elapse before they are again making normal gains. Other flocks 

 never fully recover from such attacks and consequently must be dis- 

 posed of. The reimbursement the farmer receives rarely covers the 

 value of the sheep killed, disregarding the other damage altogether. 



There is no complete solution for the dog problem, but there are a 

 number of remedial measures. Among them are more sheep, better 

 dog laws, dog-proof wire fences, sheep bells, and the elimination of the 

 cur dog. 



In many sections of the country the raising of more sheep would 

 aid along this line, and this is especially true where only one or a few 

 farmers in a neighborhood are keeping sheep. If every farmer, or a 



