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The World's favorite cyber-based sheep judging activity with a predominately purple logo!

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Sheep judging is a learned art: you can't just decide you like or don't like a lamb. This activity is designed to help you develop an eye towards sheep that is in line with our industry.

It's best played by trying your hardest to apply sound judging principles as you know them. Then compare your answers with others. Really try to understand what the others are saying. Then apply what you've learned to the next lamb.

The 3 rating categories are:

• Confirmation - is the lamb structurally sound.
  1. Means that the lamb has something seriously wrong. Maybe there is a bad leg.
  2. Means that there is still something wrong but not serious: like parrot mouthed.
  3. Means that it is an average lamb, but not champion material. Maybe there is weak back or a sloped dock.
  4. Means that this is above average and quite a good lamb. Maybe is a tad shorter than you'd like.
  5. Means the lamb is absolutely perfect in form. Long backed, tall, straight, ...
• Muscling - does the animal have enough muscle in all the right places.
  1. Means that this is a skinny runt and you can't even see how it can stand.
  2. Means that this is a group 2 animal. It's heathly but you wouldn't keep it around or sell it to someone you knew.
  3. Means the lamb has an average amount of meat.
  4. Means the lamb is above average in muscling. Not the kind of lamb you see very often and would probably win the county fair.
  5. Means the lamb is absolutely perfect. Looks like Arnold on a good day.
• Style - eye appeal.

This is really a community teaching tool: there are multiple students and multiple teachers. The experts are here to help novices and experienced people learn the finer points of evaluating sheep. Experts can also challenge each other and fine tune their skills.

This activity can be a great basis for a 4-H meeting. Have the kids gather around the computer and then work as a team to judge these sheep. Then compare their answers.

Here's the guidelines:

1. These are pictures - pictures cannot substitute for actually handling a lamb. So, don't get too picky or opinionated, since we can't accurately judge these things off the WEB.
2. If you want to debate with someone else's evaluation, that's fine and very helpful. If they are a novice, then ask them why they thought that and help them learn what they should be looking at.
3. Abusive language, flames, or attacks are not tolerated. We're judging the sheep not the people playing the game. The whole point of this is to have novices try and make a point before they see what the expert has to say. So hopefully, people will actually change their minds after discussing the lamb.
4. Remember there is no right answer. Everyone sees sheep differently and there is no clear mathematical way to rate sheep.
5. Don't be afraid to try. This is a fun and friendly web site.

(If you don't play nice, I'll send a virus to your computer and the mouse will start leaving little brown things all over your desk!)