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no. 1.623
Market Lamb Terminology
S.E. Myers 1 |
Quick Facts...
- Market lamb judging involves making decisions based on both visual
observation and handling quality.
- The priorities for judging market lambs are: degree of muscling, degree
of finish (trimness), growth (performance), structural correctness,
and balance.
- If you are uncertain about a term, ask your coach, parent, 4-H leader,
volunteer or Colorado State University Extension county
agent.
Market lamb judging involves making decisions based on both visual observation
and handling quality. These decisions are essentially an estimate of the
traits that reflect carcass value. The following terminology will help
youth develop their livestock vocabulary. As you look over the terms,
try to picture an animal with the characteristics described by the terminology.
When you have an understanding of these terms, you will be able to completely
describe all of the important points of a class of market lambs. If you
are uncertain about the exact meaning of a term or phrase, ask your coach,
parent, 4-H leader, volunteer or Colorado State University Cooperatiive
Extension agent.
Priorities for Judging Market Lambs
- Degree of Muscling
- Degree of Finish (Trimness)
- Growth (Performance)
- Structural Correctness
- Balance
|
Muscling Terminology
|
| Advantages |
Criticisms |
| Heavier muscled |
Lighter muscled |
| More muscular (forearm, top, leg) |
Narrow topped |
| Naturally thicker |
Shallow loined |
| Expressively muscled |
Short hindsaddled |
| Wider based |
Narrows at his rump |
| Meatier rack |
Flat stifle |
| Wider (deeper, longer) loin |
Narrow (shallow) leg |
| Fuller, squarer rump (hindsaddle) |
|
| Wraps the larger leg |
|
| More inner bulge and outside shape of leg |
|
| More total volume of leg |
|
| Deeper twist |
|
Finish (Trimness) Terminology
|
| Advantages |
Criticisms |
| Trimmer (fresher) handling |
Soft handling |
| More correctly finished |
Heavy conditioned |
| Trimmer (tighter) middled |
Over (excessive) finish |
| Cleaner breast |
Uneven finish |
| Harder (firmer) handling |
Wasty breasted |
| Handles the firmer leg and trimmer top |
Heavy middled |
| Freer of excess waste |
Thin (under) finished |
| Handles trimmer over the upper and lower rib |
Harsh handling |
Carcass Terminology
|
| Advantages |
Criticisms |
Carcass oriented
|
Least pounds of product |
| Meatier, trimmer carcass |
Lower leg conf. score |
| Hang a shapelier, more muscular carcass |
Light muscled carcass |
| Will have more rack, loin, and leg |
Fat, low cutability carcass |
| Rail a carcass with less retail fat trim |
|
Hang a carcass with a more desirable yield
grade |
|
| Rail a higher cutability carcass |
|
Growth (Performance) Terminology
|
| Advantages |
Criticisms |
Growthier appearing
|
Appeared to be pounds light |
| More productive appearing |
Lower W.D.A. in class |
| Appears to have a higher W.D.A. in class |
Smaller framed |
| Taller fronted |
Low set |
| Larger framed |
Short bodied (topped, fronted) |
| Longer patterned (bodied, topped, hipped) |
Early maturing |
| Wide chested |
Narrow chested |
| Deeper bodied (ribbed) |
Shallow bodied |
| Bold sprung |
Flat ribbed |
| More spring (arch) of rib |
Pinched in fore rib |
Structural Correctness Terminology
|
| Advantages |
Criticisms |
More structurally correct
|
Stands close at the hocks |
| Stood squarer and more correct on feet and legs |
Stands narrow based |
| More correct in the set of his rear legs |
Sickle hocked |
| Stands wider in the rack |
Excessive set to the hock |
| Stronger pasterns |
Straight hocked |
| Stood sounder and stronger on his pasterns |
Weak pasterns |
| Straighter and stronger on both front and rear legs |
Toes out |
| Heavy boned |
Buck kneed |
| |
Light (fine) boned |
| |
Straight shouldered |
Balance Terminology
|
| Advantages |
Criticisms |
More stylish (eye appealing)
|
Plain (unattractive) |
| More balance (symmetry) |
Breaks behind the shoulder |
| Straight lined |
Easy (weak) topped |
| Cleaner patterned |
Ewe necked |
| Longer necked |
Short fronted |
| Trimmer fronted |
Heavy (wasty) fronted |
| Smoother shouldered |
Coarse shouldered |
| Neck blends smoother into shoulder |
Steep docked (rumped) |
| Lays neater and tighter in the shoulder |
Thick (loose) hide |
| Stronger topped |
Pelty |
| Leveler, squarer hip |
Thin (tight) hide |
| 1 S.E. Myers, Colorado State University Extension youth livestock specialist, animal sciences.
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