Learned about market sheep and how to raise a sheep

[Show Sebright]

Just re-read through this thread, and found a thing or two that I think is worth discussing.
I know how darn expensive the vets are, and while I understand luck, I would expect AT LEAST one trip to the vet for something. I know I was unlucky this past year and was on weekly (sometimes daily) vet calls for one lamb, but do expect to get to know your vet. Things happen with sheep, and unfortunately you do need to be close with your vet.
Leg wool I would say is a choice, I do believe in it, but depending on how competitive you want to be, you don't entirely NEED to worry about it.
When it comes to feeding, I would talk to the person you buy your lamb from, my breeder has the attitude of it all being the same thing in a different bag. Really feeding is a personal choice, and to be honest, I think that they all have pretty good reputations.

Yeh our fair has a fitting competition for the leg wool. You shave them slick to this knees and there fluff around horns. I was looking as the Purina show champ feed for lambs since I like Purina. Hay I was going with call Saul because it is the cheapest and it is a good grass like hay. Probably keep a small bail of alfalfa as a treat

 

[Ridgetop]

Where the leg hair and fluffing will really pay off is in the showmanship classes where the emphasis is in how the child fits (grooms) the animal and shows it to advantage. While a poor lamb will always be a poor quality animal, I have seen a good showman whose grooming was excellent place above the Grand Champion in showmanship classes. Showmanship is supposed to be only judging the child's grooming of the animal, him/herself, and how they present the animal to the judge. In that instance the leg fluff, and how it is brushed out, would make a difference in placement.

Winning the Showmanship in each species can put the child into the Round Robin or Master Showmanship classes where the showmanship winners of each species show all species and compete for a chance to go to State Fair to compete in Master Showmanship. In that case it would be important to at least know how to fit leg fluff.

 

[Poka_Doodle]

One other thing that I think helps with the leg fitting, is another weird thing, but I saw it with my own eyes. At State Fair, the judge was obviously very used to seeing good lambs with very fluffy legs. I think walking in knowing that my animals were not quite as nice as some in the ring, but had gotten all the work put in with leg fluff, really helped one of mine make the cut in a competitive class. And my other good one was one of the very few lambs with a lot of leg hair, who didn't make the cut. In his case, it was an abscess hole in his rear that I think cost him.