Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 February 1879 — Handling Sheep. [ARTICLE]

Handling Sheep.

Not even the cow should receive gentler handling than the sheep. Kindness is always well repaid by any of our domestic animals, but the sheep being so shy an animal, it requires special exhibition of kindness. It should be so handled and treated as it will never become frightened at the approach of a person. Their treatment should be such as that they will actually learn to entertain an affection for their keeper, and if they do, they will naturally be tame and docile. A flock of wild sheep is about the most unprofitable investment that afarmer can make. They are continually getting themselves into some trouble, and causing great annoyance, if Sot loss, to their owner. We have seen some flockmen jump into a flock and pull and haul the sheep by the wool until the animals were not only half frightened to death, but suffered great fnjury.otherwise. A sheep should never be caught or lifted by the wool. Some one has said that if anyone doubts the impropriety of lifting a sheep by the wool, just let him permit himself to be lifted by the hair, and it is a good suggestion. When sheop are thus caught or lifted, the skin in some instances is actually torn from tho flesh, and if the injury is not to that extent it cannot but affect the flesh to some degree.

A sheep should be lifted by placing the arms around the body and near the forelegs. This is the easiest way to do, especially with large sheop. To catch the animal, the hands should be thrown about the neck, or else the sheep should be caught by the hind leg immediately above the hock. This latter may be done with the lmnd or the crook, and when this way is adopted tho utmost gentleness should be observed, and the sheep gently drawn back until the other hand can reach the neck. It is scarcely oecessaxyAa- jramind-the keeper thatwhen the crook is used upon a sheep which is closely surrounded by other sheep, that great care mu9t be exercised lest the other sheep jump against the one caught or against the crook, in which case severe damage may be done. —Western Rural. ;.J ...—rr-v . .