We see that Miguel also cares for the sheep's well-being. In order to keep track of which sheep families go together, they are branded with matching numbers. However, Miguel is quick to advise us that the branding is not similar to what is done to cattle, by burning, but with paint. As he portrays descriptions of branding, he often reminds the reading audience that none of this activity ever hurts the animal. I, along with most readers, was glad and relieved to know this.
Questions exist about grammar.
Originally, I wondered if this book had been translated from Spanish. I speculated on this not only because of the nature of the story, but also because of the idioms and the grammatical structure of the sentences. A translated text would explain this. It also appeared that the author made an effort to not end his sentences with a preposition. This is how Spanish sentences are structured.