🐑Lambs: picking a good one

Picking your lamb is the most important decision of your whole project. You can feed and train a lamb perfectly, but you cannot add muscle or fix crooked legs that were not there on day one. Take your time, look at a lot of lambs, and bring a grown-up who is willing to say “let’s keep looking.”

Rule: For the 2027 fair you must own your lamb at least 95 days before tagging. That works out to about June 11, 2027. Most families buy in April or May so the lamb has time to settle in. Buying early is fine. Buying late is not allowed.

What kind of lamb are we talking about?

Market lambs at our fair are meat lambs. Most kids show:

• Suffolk – big, black-faced, long-bodied, grow fast.
• Hampshire – black-faced with a wool cap, thick and muscular.
• Crossbreds (“club lambs”) – a mix of Suffolk, Hampshire, and other breeds bred specifically for show. This is what you will see most often.

Any of these can win. The judge is looking at the lamb, not the breed name.

The fair rules your lamb must meet

Rule	What it means for you
95 lb minimum at weigh-in	Too light and your lamb moves to the prospect class and cannot sell.
180 lb maximum show weight	Very few club lambs get this heavy, but watch big lambs bought early.
12 months old or less	Buy a spring lamb (born January–March is ideal).
Milk teeth only	No permanent front teeth. A lamb that has lost its baby teeth is too old.
Wethers must be fully castrated	Check this yourself. Ask the breeder how and when it was done.
Scrapie tag	Every lamb must already have an official Scrapie ID tag (looks like AZ1234-0222) when you buy it.

The NCJL tag goes in at tagging day. Read more about tags and paperwork on the paperwork and legal page.

Aim for the sweet spot weight

Judges at our fair tend to like lambs that finish around 125 to 145 pounds. Lambs gain roughly 0.5 to 0.8 pounds a day on a good show feed. Use this to work backward from check-in on September 14, 2027.

If you buy in…	Days to fair	Expected gain	Buy a lamb around
Mid-April	~150	75–110 lb	40–55 lb
Mid-May	~120	60–95 lb	50–65 lb
Early June	~100	50–80 lb	60–75 lb

Tip: These are estimates. Every lamb is different. A lamb that is already 90 pounds in May will probably be too heavy and too fat by September, no matter how hard you try to hold it back.

Wether or ewe lamb?

• Wethers (castrated males) usually grow bigger and heavier muscled. Most winning market lambs are wethers.
• Ewe lambs can be very competitive, especially if they are thick and stylish. They are sometimes cheaper. A ewe lamb is a good choice for a first-year member.

Either can be shown and sold at our fair.

What a good market lamb looks like

Stand back about ten feet and look at the lamb from the side, the front, and the back before you ever touch it.

From the side

• Long body – long from the shoulder to the hip, with a long hindsaddle (the back half).
• Level top – the back should be flat from the shoulders to the hips, not sloping down toward the tail.
• Deep leg – the muscle in the back leg should be full and reach down toward the hock.
• Clean front end – neck that ties in smoothly to the shoulder, not a big lumpy brisket.
• Good balance – nothing looks out of place. The lamb looks like one smooth piece.

From the back

• Wide loin – the loin is the strip of muscle on either side of the spine, right in front of the hips. Wide is good.
• Wide, square hip – the lamb should look like a rectangle from behind, not a triangle.
• Legs set wide apart – wide-set back legs usually mean a wider, more muscular lamb.

From the front

• Wide chest floor – look between the front legs. You want width, which means room for heart and lungs and usually more muscle everywhere.
• Straight legs – the front legs should come straight down. Knees should not knock together or bow out.

Feet and legs

A market lamb has to walk into the ring and drive around it looking strong. Check that the lamb:

• Stands square on all four feet with big, sturdy bones.
• Has strong pasterns (the joint just above the hoof). Weak pasterns look like the lamb is walking on its heels.
• Moves freely with a long, easy stride.

How to handle a lamb and feel the muscle

Looks can fool you. Wool and a fluffy coat hide a lot. You have to put your hands on the lamb.

1. Loin – Put your hand flat on the lamb’s back just in front of the hips. Spread your fingers. A good loin is wide, and you should feel muscle bulging up on both sides of the spine, not just bone.
2. Leg – Grab the inside of the back leg (the “stifle” area). It should feel full and hard, like a thick muscle, all the way down.
3. Rack – Run your hand along the ribs behind the shoulder. You want to feel width and shape, not a flat, sharp-topped lamb.
4. Finish (fat) – Press over the ribs and the top of the shoulder. You should feel the ribs with light pressure. If you cannot find the ribs, the lamb is already carrying fat.
5. Chest – Feel between the front legs for a wide, firm chest floor.

Tip: Feel three or four lambs in a row before you decide. Muscle is easier to judge when you can compare.

Red flags: what to avoid

• Narrow, pinched lamb with legs close together from behind.
• Short body or a back that slopes toward the tail.
• Weak pasterns or legs that knock, bow, or toe out.
• Pot belly – a big, loose belly often means poor feed conversion.
• Bad bite – the lower teeth should meet the upper dental pad. If the jaw is under or over, walk away.
• Coughing, runny nose, watery eyes, or droopy ears. Sick lambs stay sick.
• Limping, swollen joints, or a lamb that lies down and will not get up.
• Scours (diarrhea) or a dirty backside.
• No Scrapie tag. You cannot show it. Do not let anyone tell you they will “send it later.”

How to shop at the breeder

1. Call ahead. Tell them you are a Navajo County 4-H member showing a market lamb in September, and how much you want to spend.
2. Ask to see the lambs move. Watch them walk toward you and away from you.
3. Handle every lamb you are considering. Use the checklist above.
4. Ask questions:
   • When was it born? (Needed for the age rule and your record book.)
   • Is it a wether or ewe? When was the wether castrated?
   • What has it been eating? How much?
   • Has it been vaccinated (CD&T) or dewormed? When?
   • Does it have its Scrapie tag? Can I see it?
   • Who is the sire? Have you sold lambs to 4-H kids before?
5. Get a receipt with the date, price, the breeder’s name, and the Scrapie tag number. You will need this for the record book and for proof of ownership.

A good breeder wants you to do well. They will be honest about which lamb is right for a beginner.

Bring-to-the-breeder checklist

• A grown-up who will help you decide
• Your budget (written down!)
• A notebook or phone to record birthdate, tag number, price, and feed
• A halter, if you want to see how the lamb leads
• A trailer or truck with a stock rack, plus straw or shavings for the ride home
• Cash or check as the breeder prefers

What does a lamb cost?

Prices change every year and depend on quality. Roughly, a solid 4-H club lamb in northern Arizona might cost a few hundred dollars, while proven show-winning genetics can cost quite a bit more. Do not forget that feed for the summer is usually a similar amount again. Your parents and club leader can help you set a realistic budget.

Where to look

Start with the where to buy page. Club families, the extension office, and the lamb superintendent can point you toward breeders who work with 4-H kids.

Once your lamb is home

Read Lambs: raising and housing next so the pen and feed are ready before the lamb arrives. Then start Lambs: learning to show within the first week. The sooner you start handling your lamb, the calmer it will be in the ring.