Judging Sheep 101
By Cindy A. Kinder and Denise Mavencamp
Animal Selection
Terms & Transitions
Note Taking
Oral Reasons Format
Sheep Animal Selection
The lamb you select should have the potential for meeting market industry standards for muscle, fat cover, structure and performance. The Sheep Industry’s ideal animal can be found in the box below. Besides these goals there are four main qualities when selecting lambs. Market Lamb Industry Goals Age at market: 6 – 10 months Live weight: 110‐150 lbs Hot carcass weight: 55‐80 lbs Fat thickness: .15‐.25 inches 1. Muscle Muscling is important to the meat animal industry. Heavy muscled animals produce more meat and less fat. Lambs are evaluated for muscle in two areas. Over the top in the rack and loin area (right) and in the leg and stifle area (below). Ribeye: 2.5‐ 3.5 sq. inches minimum Quality grade: Choice minus or higher Yield grade: 3.0 or less. ADG (national average) .68 lbs/day 2. Trimness, Condition The amount of trimness and condition (fat) an animal has relates to its performance. You want an animal that is not too fat. Ideal fat thickness is .2 inches. You can see indications of fat over the rack and loin, in the breast, over the ribs and in the flank. Can you see trimness differences in these two lambs? 3. Structure, Soundness Strong bone and correct skeletal structure is important and essential for any animal getting to feed and water. Structure can be observed in: the angle of the shoulder, the levelness of top line and hip, pastern angle, and movement.
Incorrect shoulder structure Slopes off in the hip area 4. Balance Balance is the overall attractiveness of the animal. Animals should be evenly balanced from the front to the rear. In lambs you look at straightness of lines (profile) and even proportions (front & rear). Can you see the difference in balance in these two lambs? Note Taking
Presenting oral reasons is the most valuable experience you will encounter in livestock judging. No matter what career you choose, to communicate effectively is a must to be successful. Success starts with note taking. In contests, several classes are judged in a short time, and oral reasons are given later; therefore it is necessary to take notes on what you see about the animals in each class. Study the notes before giving oral reasons to a judge. A good set of notes should help you remember the class in your mind. A 5”x8” steno notebook is suggested for use in taking notes. Only take notes on classes that have been assigned as a reasons class. Once animals are evaluated and placed, notes are to be taken. The format for notes is broken down into three sections: 1. Top Pair (of animals) 2. Middle Pair (of animals) 3. Bottom Pair (of animals) Each section can then be further broken down into three pieces:  Grant – is to list one good quality of the lower placed animal in a pair 
Criticize – is to list one or two bad qualities of the higher placed animal in the pair. 
Compare– is to list two or three good qualities of the higher placed animal in the pair. Below is what a blank note page should look like. Class Name
Class Placing
Number and Grant (Good)
Identification
Criticize (Bad)
Compare (Good)
Number and Grant
Identification
Criticize
Compare
Number and Grant
Identification
Criticize
Compare
Number and Grant
Identification
Criticize
XX
Notes should be readable and brief; this will prevent you from memorizing your notes. You should be able to remember the animals, not your notes. Below is what should be listed in your note page. Top Pair – yellow highlighted sections are to be said for the top pair. Middle Pair – underlined sections are to be said for the middle pair. Bottom Pair – blue highlighted sections are to be said for the bottom pair. # of Animal Grant (Good) Criticize (Bad) Compare (Good) and ID Opening statement say why Say any bad qualities Say why 1st place st
st
1 place animal wins the of the 1 place animal. animal beats 2nd place class. (optional) animal by stating the good qualities of 1st place animal. Say the good qualities of the 2nd place animal over the 1st place animal. List why the 2nd place animal does not win the class. (bad qualities) Say why 2nd place animal beats 3rd place animal by stating only the good qualities of the 2nd place animal. Say the good qualities of the 3rd place animal over the 2nd place animal. Say why the 3rd place animal is 3rd. (bad qualities) List why 3rd place animal beats 4th place animal by stating only the good qualities of the 3rd place animal. Say the good qualities of the 4th place animal over the 3rd place animal. Say why the 4th place animal is last. Tips for Effective Reasons Note taking and Reasons. 1.
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Don’t start taking your notes until you have placed the class and written down your placing. Try to be general in the terms that you use to describe the animal in each box, but write as much as possible to describe the animal. You will have time to be descriptive with the terms that you use when you prepare to deliver your oral reasons. Don’t forget to write down an ID point and sex, if needed, for each animal. Be sure to use the correct sex of the animal in classes that are of mixed sex and use your ID points when describing the animals. Use the time during non reasons classes to look back at your notes and prepare your reasons or complete your notes. Example set of notes. Class: Hampshire Ewes Placing: 2‐1‐3‐4 # of Animal and ID Grant (Good) 2 Criticize (Bad) Neck ties low into her shoulder U Necked. Drops her pins on the move Compare (Good) Big, High Performing, wide chested, heavy structured, boldest sprung, most weight per day of age. 1 Most attractive in class., Neatest fronted and most parallel in her lines Narrow Chested, Shallow ribbed Balance, Longer and Thinner necked, flatter shouldered, Longer boned and Bodied, Later Maturing Wider Chested Deeper Ribbed and Bolder Sprung 3 Open at the top of her Quality, Wider Chested, shoulder, shortest Heavier Muscled, More bodied of the initial Elevated in her chest three floor, leveler docked and longer fronted 4 No obvious grants Lowest Qualtiy, deep chested, off in her dock, short boned Barest Headed Using these notes, here is an example set of reasons. I place the Hampshire Ewe Lambs 2134. I easily began with the big, high performing ewe. Her neck ties low into her shoulder and when on the move she drops her pins, However, when compared to 1 she is a heavier structured, wider chested, bolder sprung ewe that offers more weight per day of age. The most attractive sheep in class is 1, she is the neatest fronted and the most parallel in her lines. But she is the narrowest chested, shallowest ribbed sheep in class, she is 2nd. However in a closer middle pair I used the balance of the more extended 1 over 3. She is longer and thinner necked and ties in flatter and neater at the top of her shoulder. She is longer boned and longer bodied. She is later maturing. 3 is wider chested, deeper ribbed and bolder sprung. But, she is open at the top of her shoulder and is the shortest bodied of the initial three. She is third. Still, quality places 3 over 4. She is wider chested and heavier muscled. She is more elevated through her chest floor, longer fronted and leveler out her dock. The barest headed ewe is simply the lowest quality ewe in class, she’s deep in her chest, the shortest boned and off in her dock. So I left her last. The words that are highlighted in green are transition phrases that are to be used in every set of reasons. These transition phrases help you move from box to box in your notes. Terms and Transitions Muscle – Market Lambs
Grant/Good
Most massive Rack
Widest, flattest loined
More dimension to his/her leg
Longer hindsaddled
Measures longest from his/her last rib back
Criticize/Bad
Narrow, sharp topped
Narrow, round loined
flattest leg
Least top shape
handles with the least muscle shape
Leaness/Fat/Freshness
Grant/Good
Freshest handling
Firmest handling
Most correct in his/her handle
Handles with more touch and tone to his rack
Criticize/Bad
Stalest handling
Softest handling
Washed out in rack and loin
and loin
Structure/Balance
Grant/Good
Strong topped
Leveler to her dock
Leveler hipped
More correct set to her hock
Stands squarer up front
More correct angle to her shoulder
Long fronted
Longest and thinnest, necked
Most attractive
Most parallel in his/her lines
Neck ties high into the top of the shoulder
Criticize/Bad
Weak topped
Off in her hip
Round made
Too much set to her hock
Toes in/out
Straight shouldered
Short fronted
Short, thick neck
Poorest balanced
Quickest patterned
U-necked
Cow hocked
Carcass
Grant/Good
Higher percentage hind saddle
More shapely carcass
Should have a longer shelf life
Less cooler shrink
More pounds of higher priced cuts
Criticize/Bad
Least shapely, lightest muscled
Least shelf Life
Most cooler shrink
Performance/Volume
Grant/Good
Broody Made Ewe
Higher Volumed
Bold Sprung
Big Ribbed
Wide Chested
Criticize/Bad
Shallow Bodied
Tight Ribbed
Flat Ribbed
Least Rib Shape
Narrow Chested
Connective Terms
Grants
I realize
I admit
I agree
I saw
Transitional terms
Plus
Besides
Also
Action words
Exhibited
Displayed
Showed
Presented
Opening pairs
Coming to the bottom pair
Moving to
In closing I preferred to
In the top pair
Oral Reasons Livestock Judging
I placed the (Identify class) No and ID Grant I started with a(n) (Top pair) (Outstanding individual) There is no question is the (what is the second place animals class advantage) I realize that is I admit is a (placing) Criticism (est) I realize (Optional: only if class winner has obvious disadvantage) Compare (er) But in the top pair I placed over because But when compared to Still in the middle pair I used his/her advantage the class winner in to place over (3rd) He/She is second. But I placed him third In the bottom pair it is a because difficult/easy decision to place over . However is the lightest smallest, poorest etc…. so he/she is 4th. 4-H Livestock Judging
Teaching Youth Life Skills
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Leadership
Teamwork
Self-motivation
Marketable skills
Critical thinking
Problem solving
Decision Making
Communication
Self Esteem
Character
Self responsibility
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