Moving ewes and their lambs from one location to another often brings
considerable loss to the owner. Where he has long drives to get to his
summer range, he is not only likely to lose many lambs, but will lose
considerable in flesh. Lambs are parted too much from their mothers, and
cannot get enough sleep while on the trail. The shepherd should do his
utmost and use all the care possible to avoid dropping lambs behind,
under brush, in holes, or otherwise. The best of men lose lambs while
trailing from one part of the range to another; still this does not make
it a necessary evil. With due care this loss can be avoided. Try to do
your trailing in the cool of early morning and late evening hours. Move
them gently, so most of the ewes can tote their lambs along by their
side. You will get along quite well this way, for the ewes will then not
trouble you trying to run back to hunt lambs. Do not overheat or weaken
your lambs by continual dogging. If you must drive them rapidly, use
rattle cans. This noise will not only keep them on their feet, but will
scare them along much faster than a barking dog that always turns your
leaders back on you. Rattle cans will always startle young lambs out of
the brush much quicker than any dog when it is necessary to move them.
It sometimes takes two or three hours for all the ewes in a large band
to find their lambs after being trailed. Until these ewes have all found
their lambs there is danger of a "runback" should you leave them. Ewes
will invariably become excited and run back to where they saw their
lambs last whenever they miss them. Avoid this extra work, and the
hardship on the ewes and lambs, by watching them until all the ewes have
found their lambs whenever you have moved them. Losing lambs while
trailing will generally cause the ewe to become sick with spoiled udder
or "blue bag."