Sheep Selection

For my 4-H project books, I needed to summarize a chapter of my project resource books. This is a summary of my breeding sheep topic- selection.

Selection: The First Step

Whether you show market or breeding sheep, your first step should be selecting a quality sheep. However, requirements can change based on what you want your sheep for. This is why it is important to understand conformation, capacity, balance, muscle, parts of a sheep, genetics, and traits for your sheep’s breed or sex. Understanding these will help you select a good sheep for yourself, and can help you if you are interested in livestock judging.

Understanding the parts of a sheep is essential to selecting a good market or breeding sheep, and can also be useful in competitions like skillathon. Knowing the correct terms for the anatomy and parts of a sheep can help you discuss your sheep’s traits with breeders, judges, and fellow 4-H members. Structural diagrams are a great way to quickly learn parts of a sheep and anatomy. It’s also useful to know what bones line up with each body part. You should know every part of the sheep, from the muzzle to the dock, or the mandible to the coccygeal vertebrae.

Market lambs are judged differently from breeding sheep. The main points considered are structure, muscling, type, and finish. They must have the correct ratio of finish, or fat, to muscle. Your lamb’s size is also a major factor. Most lambs start at 60-90 pounds at 10-14 weeks old. By fair time, around 5 months later, lambs should weigh a minimum of 100 pounds. Ideally, they should be between 115-140 pounds. You can calculate your necessary rate of gain, which is typically 0.60-0.80 pounds per day, by dividing the number of pounds your lamb needs to gain by the days you have for them to gain it.

You can decide your target weight by your lamb’s type. Small lambs don’t carry 140 pounds as well as a larger framed lamb. Although it seems like bigger is better, it’s most important to have a lamb that carries its weight well for its size. The large 140-pound lamb will have a much better ratio of finish to muscle than the small-framed 140-pound lamb.

Conformation refers to the structure of a lamb. A lamb with good conformation has no structural faults, is a good weight for its frame, is trim, and has natural muscling. Although muscling isn’t as necessary in a breeding sheep, a market lamb should have plenty of extra muscling in the hind legs, top, and hindsaddle. The most costly cuts of meat come from these sections, so extra muscling creates extra meat. Well-muscled lambs look like they stand wide naturally.

Capacity refers to the width and depth of the animal. Correct body capacity is very important in breeding and market sheep because it's essential for feed intake, reproductive volume, and maintaining health overall. A market lamb should be square, deep, and have the ribs out wide through the chest. Balance refers to a sheep’s body proportions. Lambs need to have straight, level backs, a strong topline, a long neck, uniform muscling that progresses as it reaches for the dock, and be clean and trim.

Structural soundness is necessary for the health of the market lamb, and to prevent future structural issues in breeding sheep. When evaluating structural soundness, work as a judge by evaluating from the ground up. Watch as the sheep moves naturally to ensure its movement isn't restricted or that it limps. If possible, have someone brace the sheep as well so that you can properly examine the legs.

Imagine a vertical line splitting the foreleg of your sheep in half from the point of shoulder to the ground. If each side of the leg is symmetrical, the foreleg is structurally sound. If it's not symmetrical, there could be multiple structural issues. Calf-kneed sheep have knees that bend backward. Weak patterns occur when the hoof splays forward. Buck-knees bend forward.

Pigeon-toed animals have hooves that point inward. Splayfooted hooves point out. Knock-kneed sheep have knees too close together. Bowlegged sheep are the opposite. Sometimes, multiple conditions occur together, often knock-knees and splayfeet.

If your sheep is structurally correct in the hind legs, you can imagine a straight vertical line from the dock to the hoof. The sheep should have around a 50° angle from the rump to the knee, but the section between the knee and the hoof should be vertical. Sickle-hocked sheep are not vertical from the knee to the hoof and instead have around a 60° angle. Post-legged sheep are the opposite and have even more severe complications. A post-legged sheep has no angle and is vertical from the rump to the hoof.

Correct jaw structure prevents eating and teeth issues. A parrot-mouth refers to a short lower jaw. Monkey-mouth refers to an overly long lower jaw. A correct, normal mouth, has both jaws in line with each other, with the incisors lining up with the upper jaw’s pads.

Finish refers to the amount of fat on a lamb. You can determine the amount of finish on a lamb by feeling the backbone or ribs. If they just out, the lamb has a lack of finish. Ideally, there should be 0.15-0.25 inches of backfat. Finish is typically evaluated at the ribs, backbone and loin, sternum, flank, and twist.

Breeding sheep are judged on the same major traits as market lambs, but with less emphasis on muscling and fat. Condition refers to the amount of fat, which should be minimal to prevent reproductive issues. However, they shouldn't be too thin, because this can cause its own issues to ewes raising lambs. Sheep should meet the correct size for their breed standards. They shouldn't be overly heavy, and need to fit the right frame for their age, sex, and breed. Breeding sheep should be structurally sound with all legs sitting square. A breeding ram needs to be rugged and masculine, while a ewe should have much more refined features.

Age can be determined through the sheep’s teeth. Lambs have even teeth that all line up almost flat. The two front incisors increase in size on a yearling. 2-4-year-olds grow larger teeth expanding away from the front incisors. As they get older, their teeth eventually grow narrower. Sheep in their teens often get broken mouths, with narrow, worn-down teeth.

Whether you're selecting a market lamb or a breeding sheep, you need to know what to judge and look for. Confirmation, finish, balance, and frame can help determine how a market lamb will grow. Structural soundness is essential to a healthy animal. Parts of the sheep and anatomy can help you talk about the animal. Lastly, it’s important to know breed and sex characteristics in order to have quality breeding animals.