Sheep – Leaders or Followers?

I pass a sheep farm on my morning commute to work each morning, and I noticed how the sheep would be in a single filed line, on their way to grass. I noticed this pattern each morning and thought it was a very powerful example of leadership or lack of.

Why do sheep stay together and follow each other?

Sheep have a strong instinct to follow the leader. When one sheep decides to go somewhere, the rest of the flock usually follows, even if it is not a good decision. For example, if the lead sheep jumps over a cliff, the others are likely to follow. Even from birth, lambs are conditioned to follow the older members of the flock. Read more…