Just a point of clarification on this otherwise very nice article. The paint "splotches" on the back of the sheep was not a type of brand put there by the farmer to claim ownership in case the sheep wandered off. That splotch told the farmer that the sheep had been mated by the ram. The color tells him when. In Ireland the sheep farmers, during breeding season, put a device on the rams. It’s basically a paint container that release paint on contact. The device is put on the ram so that the paint can is on the belly of the ram, when he mounts the ewe and mates, his movements cause paint to "splotch" onto the ewe’s back. This tells the farmer which ewes have mated. He changes the color of paint used (I don’t know how frequently) so he will know when each ewe mated and when to expect lambs.