# how to pick a market lamb



## moday (Mar 28, 2008)

We have not done too good showing lambs for the breed at our fairs. The kids do fine in showmanship, but we struggle to get the good lambs. How do we learn to pick out a good quality show lamb. We have raised lambs for a couple years and know how to raise them, but don't get the right build for the judges. We are in Michigan and Suffolk seems to be the only lambs shown as market lambs. Any suggestions or addl websites is appreciated.


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## houndlover (Feb 20, 2009)

Are they suffolk or "club lambs"? A club lamb is a cross that results in a type, long body (loin), good leg bones (like a hampshire), and muscles out well in the hind end. It's not all in the breeding, it's also in the feeding and conditioning, especially conditioning. There's a delicate balance in getting enough feed into them to make the rate of gain vs. enough exercise to muscle them out. You carefully weigh every ounce of feed, so it's unlikely that pastured or hay fed animals are going to place as high. Our show lambs get complete feed only. We only raise a couple of show lambs a year. My kids were consistent winners by picking lambs that at weaning were longer and stronger looking than the other lambs, and then doing things like placing a step up to their feed pan so the animal has to stretch up to get his feed. They would walk them A LOT around the pasture, mixed with jogs of 5 of 10 minutes twice a day. A good piece of advice is to visit the livestock shows (not 4H), and talk to the winners.

www.mylamb.org/


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## lambs.are.cute (Aug 15, 2010)

I've shown for 7 years in 4H constantly in the top of my class and in championship round. That said I feed the 25 lbs/week/lamb for one year only. I hated it so switched to grass, hay and grain. They lambs ended up being the most beautifuly muscled lambs that you have ever seen because they were allowed to run around and play (they were also happier). 

To pick a good lamb depends on the judge. Some judges are looking for super long lambs some like the leg muscle. I'll just run over what we tell the new sheep members: (these are suffolks or suffolk cross) We buy the lambs 120 days before the fair. At this time we want the lambs to weigh 60-70 lbs. At fair the lambs will weigh between 115-160 lbs (most will end up being close to 140). If we are not sure what the judge wants we tell the members to pick a good overall lamb. Even if you are looking for just an overall lamb there are still things to watch out for. 

The most expencive cuts of the lamb are: the loin and the leg. At this age their leg still has room for development so you are looking for the leg that can have muscle put on. You want the muscle to carry down the leg instead of "shelving" off at the midpoint. Look at the width of the rear (but make sure that it carries through out the lamb). To put muscle on the leg you can either house them on a hill (or walk them up and down a hill) or build jumps.

Jumps are basically obsticalls that the lamb has to leap (we use fence posts put horizontally through the fence). Start small and work taller. Put the jumps between the food and water or the food and shelter so that the lambs will actually jump them. And make sure that they cannot go around them (lambs are lazy). 

The loin is between the last rib and the hip. The Loin is preferably long but width can sometimes substitute legnth. To measure witdth feel the bone along the top to the loin one side to the other.

Always measure the same places the same way (if you use your hands use the same hand shape as the last lamb, etc) for all the lambs. The best way to choose between lambs (after you have picked your top 5 say) is to start feeling the lambs like the judge does a fair. Go lamb A has a longer loin but is terribly narrow, lamb B has a slightly shorter loin but is really wide and carries that width, etc. 

What exactly does the judge say? That would help in knowing what he was wanting.


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## spinandslide (Jun 6, 2008)

HL, so its more about TYPE versus actual breed?

When I bought my ram, I was able to purchase him because he lacked that long "leggy" look that the breeder was after...versus his pen mate, who was taller and not as "Round" looking.

Granted, my sheep have good rears..but they arent terriably tall or long..could this potentally hurt their placings then? they are dorper..Im afraid this will hurt them too..


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## houndlover (Feb 20, 2009)

Like lambsRcute said, it depends on the what the judges are looking for in your area. Here it's all about type, and right now, it's the club lamb model. A good club lamb (we cross hamps and suffolks here, with a shropshire in the mix now and then) will beat a suffolk any day. However, I had the pleasure of attending a 4H sheep show in N. California, and saw beautiful dorper crosses competing against the club lambs and placing very high in the class. I think the day of the club lamb is going the way of the pin head quarterhorses with their noses trailing the ground. I'm personally buying some hair sheep this spring.


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## spinandslide (Jun 6, 2008)

houndlover said:


> Like lambsRcute said, it depends on the what the judges are looking for in your area. Here it's all about type, and right now, it's the club lamb model. A good club lamb (we cross hamps and suffolks here, with a shropshire in the mix now and then) will beat a suffolk any day. However, I had the pleasure of attending a 4H sheep show in N. California, and saw beautiful dorper crosses competing against the club lambs and placing very high in the class. I think the day of the club lamb is going the way of the pin head quarterhorses with their noses trailing the ground. I'm personally buying some hair sheep this spring.


makes me feel better..quality is quality no matter which way ya slice it..


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## RoyalValley (Apr 29, 2009)

We are getting some suffolk/hampshire crosses for our kid's first try at lambs at the fair, but we are getting a starter flock of Dorpers this spring, so next year we will be showing Dorpers and hoping to get some people giving 2nd looks at a new breed 

Good luck with yours.


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## YuccaFlatsRanch (May 3, 2004)

Wherever you are I hope your lambs cost less than here in Texas. I have a neighbor who raises club lambs for sale to show people. He bought a new super whiz bang breeding ram last year - cost him $25K. Yes - I said $25K. That's what it takes to compete in Texas and then they get to pay people to "FIT" their lambs on top of that. All of the "Cheating, I mean Fitting" of lambs has caused most lamb and cattle shows to be SLICK SHEAR shows in this part of Texas.


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## RoyalValley (Apr 29, 2009)

Around here a club lamb will go from $125 to $250. That's all local. Of course you pay more if you go all over the country to find one that will win without you having to do the work.

I'm hoping that if I help to make sure my kids put in the time they need to exercise their lambs and feed them right, then they should place well. **fingers crossed**


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