Priorities for Judging Sheep

Transcription

1 Priorities for Judging Sheep Rams 1. Structure 2. Muscle 3. Length 4. Condition 5. Testicular Size Ewes 1. Structure 2. Volume 3. Length 4. Femininity 5. Condition Market Lambs 1. Muscle 2. Condition 3. Length 4. Balance

2 Sheep Terminology Frame: Larger framed Larger outlines Larger patterned More upstanding Taller fronted More skeletally extended Longer topped Longer bodied Longer hipped Longer loined Longer necked More ruggedly designed More extended form hip to dock, dock to hock, and hock to ground More extended from the point of the shoulder to the dock Short framed Smaller outlined Shorter bodied Short topped Short hipped Short loined Shorter necked Coarser appearing Slack framed More conventional Short coupled Earlier maturing Volume: Deeper ribbed Broodier appearing Bolder sprung Thicker made Wider tracking Deeper bodied Deeper ribbed Deeper sided More internal volume More arch and spring to their rib

3 More dimensional to the center portion of their rib More width and dimension from behind More capaciously designed Shallower ribbed Narrower made Narrower chested Flatter ribbed Tighter ribbed Least capacious Pinched or constricted in their fore rib Muscle / Carcass: More expressively muscled More expressive stifle Exhibits more muscle when viewed from behind Expresses more muscle through their hip and leg More width and dimension down their top Handles firmer down their top Has more spread to their rack and loin Possess more meat animal shape More natural thickness Would yield a heavier muscled carcass More pound of eatable lamb product More shapely carcass Yield a carcass with more leg and loin A pounds heavier carcass A higher cutability carcass with less trimmable waste. Meatier rack Would hang a heavier muscled carcass Bolder racked More expressive in their forearm More volume of muscle in their rack and shoulder Fuller leg Possessed more total muscle volume to their leg More muscle expression in their inner leg Is more product oriented Plumper and fuller leg Highest degree of muscle over the rack and to the hind-saddle which leads into a fuller and plumper leg.

4 Lighter muscled Narrower topped Narrower loined Lighter leg Low fat content Low cutability carcass A carcass with a low percentage of leg and loin Least dimensional in the muscle Weak racked Least pounds of product Shorter loined Shorter hind-saddled Harder doing Structural Correctness: Structurally more correct Sounder moving Squarer tracking Longer striding Sounder traveling Freer and easier in their movement from both front and rear More upstanding on their pasterns Stronger topped Stronger loined Squarer docked Squarer hipped Leveler rumped and docked More correct in their hip and hind legs More correct in their knee and hock placement More function in their movement More correct in their angulations from stifle to hock and from hock to ground Takes a longer ground consuming stride Heavier boned More mobile More fluid moving Farther reaching stride Smoother shouldered Neater fronted Smoother made

5 Weak on their pasterns Toes in or out Stiffer Stride Restricted in their movement Straight legged Sickle hocked Cow hocked Narrow standing A low set sheep that stands down close together Fine boned Incorrect on their feet and legs Splay footed Pigeon toed Posty-legged Droopier appearing Dropped on the move Ill structured Opened shouldered Coarse fronted U- necked Lower set at the dock Condition: Trimmer Cleaner patterned Harder handling Firmer handle Cleaner conditioned More ideal in their condition Easier fleshing Uniform in their condition More optimal in their degree of finish Wastier fronted Wastier made Over finished Softer handling Harder fleshing Harder doing Over conditioned Thin or under conditioned Heavy middled

6 Excessively finished Spongy handling Unevenly conditioned Too much condition over their ribs Would require more fat trim when hung and harvested Head, Neck, and Shoulder: Fresher appearing More extended up through the front end Laid in nicer about the shoulder Tied in nicer about the shoulder Smoother tighter shoulder More desirable slope to the shoulder Blends in nicer at the neck and shoulder top junction Upstanding Taller fronted Showed more breed character in the head More feminine headed More masculine headed More open faced Longer cleaner head Long with more clip to the ears Black about the head and ears Staler appearing Shorter fronted More pelty in their neck Open in the shoulder Coarser fronted Coarser at the neck shoulder junction Straighter shouldered Plain low quality head Lacks breed character to the head Coarse headed Weak headed Wool blind Shorter thicker ears Short and plain headed Brown about the head and ears Balance / Growth:

7 More future potential growth Nicer balanced lamb Straighter in their lines More correct about their feet and legs Better balanced from a profile More proportion from head, neck, top, and rump A more attractive profiling lamb Very attractive, smooth shoulders, clean fronted lamb Trimmer through the middle Growthier appearing Better in their feed conversion Later maturing Less potential for future growth Poorly balanced Rough topped Steep rumped Weak topped that breaks at the neck shoulder junction Heavy fronted Coarse shouldered Unattractive and wasty middled lamb Hard doing Harsher to feed Femininity: More feminine appearing Ties in nicer to her shoulder More feminine fronted being longer fronted, longer faced, and longer necked Cleaner fronted Longer and more extended in her front 1/3 Deeper ribbed Longer faced Higher headed More alert about her head Smoother shouldered Shorter necked Coarser fronted Deeper sided Shallower ribbed

8 Short faced Coarser headed

9 Structure Structure should be evaluated on all breeding stock which includes rams and ewes. Show lambs should also be evaluated for proper structure and flow while on the move. A structurally correct sheep will maintain balance on the move, uphold a level top, and keep a head held high. Front Leg or Foreleg The ideal front leg or foreleg can be described as ideal when a line can be drawn from the top of the shoulder down to the ground. This line should ideally split the knee and front foot proportionally in half. Any other placement to the knee and foot is considered to be a structural abnormality. Variations of the lines and angles are considered structurally incorrect and should be penalized lower in placing. Ideal Foreleg- an imaginary line can be drawn from the top of the shoulder and would split the knee and front foot in equal halves.

10 Bow Legged- the front knees are arched or bowed outwards causing the front toes to be more uneven in size. Knocked Knee- the front knees are bowed inward and nearly or almost touch. Splay Fronted- the front toes are pointing outward and causes uneven toes size. Pigeon Toed- the front toes are pointing inward and causes uneven toes size. Buck or Benched Kneed- the knee is bent slightly forward. Calf Kneed- the knee is bent slightly backwards. Weak Pasterns- is when the pastern is considered weak and the front dewclaws touch the ground. Hind Leg The correct rear leg placement depends on the gaskin and cannon bone location. A straight line from the pin bone to the ground can be visualized. The line should be touching the rear edge of the cannon bone on the ideal rear leg structure. Any variations of the cannon bone or gaskin from the imaginary line are considered structurally incorrect.

11 Sickle Hocked- has too much angle to the rear legs and the hocks are tucked underneath the sheep. Straight or Post Legged- when the rear leg has hardly any angle to the hip and hocks. This abnormality causes the stifle muscle to be placed in the wrong location which allows the sheep to take a shorter choppier stride in motion.

12 Balance is defined as being proportional in all parts of the body. The ideal balance on a market lamb is long in the head and neck, strong and level in the top, and full with proportionality in the hip and leg. From a profile the lamb should appear proportional in all dimensions. Balanced Non Balanced Volume- Yearling breeding sheep require more volume and body capacity in comparison to market lambs. A breeding ram or ewe needs to be wide sprung through out their ribs. The depth of body should be proportional and uniform from fore flank to rear flank. Meanwhile in a market lamb the amount of volume is not as important as would be muscle, condition, and pattern. Market lambs tend to be tubier in appearance with less depth of body and side. Breeding Sheep Market Lamb