222 Western Live-stock Management 



HANDLING SHEEP 



In handling or working over the flock, care and gentle- 

 ness must always be exercised. Hired help of the rough 

 cursing sort should never be tolerated on a sheep farm. 

 They are worse than useless. One man understanding 

 the nature of sheep with care and g^tleness can accom- 

 plish more than a dozen men of the other sort. Some of 

 the better ways of performing the commonest operations 

 of a sheep farm are described in the following paragraphs. 



Driving. 



In driving a flock of sheep, one must always be careful 

 not to drive too fast, particularly on a warm, sultry day. 

 Sheep are so heavily covered with wool that they are very 

 easUy over-heated. The sheep-man can save not only the 

 sheep but himself a large amount of work and worry by 

 taking things easier. In turning corners at cross-roads, 

 a lump of dirt or a pebble or two, thrown so as to fall in 

 the road which the sheep are not to take, will usually 

 guide them into the right road, thereby saving many 

 steps. The lump of dirt or a stone should be thrown 

 so as to drop in the road just at the time the head sheep 

 are at the turning point. A shout or whistle accompany- 

 ing the fall of the stone very often will help. After the 

 first two or three sheep have turned, there need be no 

 worry about the remainder of the flock. Sheep naturally 

 follow their leader, even when it leads over dangerous 

 routes and possibly to death. 



In driving sheep into cars and dipping vats or difficult 

 corrals, a considerable amount of work can be saved by 

 merely holding a sheep in the place where it is desired to 

 drive the entire flock. When the sheep see one of their 

 number ahead of them, they drive much more easily. 



