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SHEEP-fed-barely-sprouting-fodders, page : 23
When it comes to breeding, the dominance of rams is easily detectable. They fight for the top position in the "pecking order". When a ram is about to fight you will find it backing up, then charging with head downward at full pelt to butt his victim on his head. The good news is that this type of fight usually ends when one ram back downs, but rams can be seriously injured or even killed during such encounters.
Leader-follower relationship is also strong among sheep. Strange as it may seem, there are times when the most dominant member of the flock is a follower. This is because of the stronger relationship among family members where the oldest ewe with the largest number of offspring becomes the leader of the flock.
Emotions and senses:
Sheep react to their environment, they use there senses as tools to investigate their surroundings and their reaction is indicative of their inner emotion.
As with other species, sheep are capable of displaying various emotions including those of happiness, fear and anger. If a sheep has had a bad experience such as being frightened when it entered a barn, that animal will always be fearful when the time comes to enter it again. One must remember that such reactions are genetically programmed in sheep as part of their survival program. The reaction of fear is part of their defense against predators, and remember, when they see you, they see you as a predator, so be patient with them, train them and over time they will trust you.
Sight:
A sheep's sight is its defense against predators, they rely heavily upon it. They have a wide field of vision and this allows them to see predators from far away, however, they do have a blind spot and that is from behind. When you approach them from behind they cannot see you, make sure to let them know you are there by talking to them.
Hearing:
Hearing is the second most important sense a sheep has. Their hearing is more acute than that of humans. Low pitched rumbling sounds do not disturb them, whereas if they hear a human yell or any high pitched, loud sound it will make them stressful. However, sheep can be trained to learn that certain loud sounds are not to be feared, i.e. the whistle one might use to call them for food. A sheep's hearing is so sensitive that it is able to pinpoint where subtle sounds come from.
Smell:
Smell is extremely important to sheep and is more sensitive than that of a human. When a ewe lambs, the first thing she does is to smell her newborn and this serves to identify her lamb from other newlyborns. The ewe recognizes her own scent from the amniotic fluid that coats her lamb, and later on from the smell of milk. As with cows when a calf is orphaned, the newly orphaned calf can be fostered
Leader-follower relationship is also strong among sheep. Strange as it may seem, there are times when the most dominant member of the flock is a follower. This is because of the stronger relationship among family members where the oldest ewe with the largest number of offspring becomes the leader of the flock.
Emotions and senses:
Sheep react to their environment, they use there senses as tools to investigate their surroundings and their reaction is indicative of their inner emotion.
As with other species, sheep are capable of displaying various emotions including those of happiness, fear and anger. If a sheep has had a bad experience such as being frightened when it entered a barn, that animal will always be fearful when the time comes to enter it again. One must remember that such reactions are genetically programmed in sheep as part of their survival program. The reaction of fear is part of their defense against predators, and remember, when they see you, they see you as a predator, so be patient with them, train them and over time they will trust you.
Sight:
A sheep's sight is its defense against predators, they rely heavily upon it. They have a wide field of vision and this allows them to see predators from far away, however, they do have a blind spot and that is from behind. When you approach them from behind they cannot see you, make sure to let them know you are there by talking to them.
Hearing:
Hearing is the second most important sense a sheep has. Their hearing is more acute than that of humans. Low pitched rumbling sounds do not disturb them, whereas if they hear a human yell or any high pitched, loud sound it will make them stressful. However, sheep can be trained to learn that certain loud sounds are not to be feared, i.e. the whistle one might use to call them for food. A sheep's hearing is so sensitive that it is able to pinpoint where subtle sounds come from.
Smell:
Smell is extremely important to sheep and is more sensitive than that of a human. When a ewe lambs, the first thing she does is to smell her newborn and this serves to identify her lamb from other newlyborns. The ewe recognizes her own scent from the amniotic fluid that coats her lamb, and later on from the smell of milk. As with cows when a calf is orphaned, the newly orphaned calf can be fostered