Purchasing a lamb is a whole new ball game. By conformation, it can be hard to tell what to look for. But kids ALWAYS choose the cutest, littlest one. I'm not saying I didn't do that, of course I did, but I got more serious about purchasing a lamb because I want a champion. Do this by engaging in conversation with the seller of the lambs. Really develop a relationship with them. Then talk about genetics. Since sires most of the time determine the genetics, talk about the sire and ask if you can view the sires so they can say, "this is the sire of #25, and that one is sire of #89." Be serious with the seller and confess your interest in winning. All sellers want a good name to their breeding farm. And you are the ticket. It personally took two years for my buyer to get really engaged with me and tell me, "if you want a champion, this is the one that will do it for you." But don't go through papers and papers of genetics, keep it simple. To dumb it down for me to, ask to see the sire, talk about genetics, and ask where the other offsprings of this sire are going. For example, the sire of my lamb "Springsteen" is called Twenty-Five. His offspring are going to the state fair so I have a better chance at my county fair. Getting in gage with you seller really is essential and makes him or her say to themselves,"wow, this person really has a drive to win. I'm going to sell them my best lambs so their chances go up and I have a Grand Champion name to my farm." Communication is really something that gets you up on his list. Continue to do so throughout the whole process of building your champion lamb. Call and tell him what you accomplished at fair. Call in December and tell them I can't wait for this years lambs, and state all the things you want to accomplish or get better at the next year. Believe me, by doing all this, you will get to reaching the top of his or her priority list. I can't tell you enough. This isn't just for lambs of course, I encourage the rest of the people out there who do 4-H to talk like crazy to the seller.
Now back to conformation. Everybody that buys a lamb should always look for the "coke bottle" shape. (From an upper view.) The head pretty much being the opening of the bottle. Next, always look for a huge butt. Trust me, this is the only time you would ever want a big butt. The ribs and hindquarters are what butchers look for in a lamb. BIG is what is needed. Thats what sells. High quality lambs sell at about $300 to $400. So if the lambs you're getting are in this range, trust the seller and the price. But don't go for some expensive lamb for it to be a flabalanche. TALK TALK TALK about genetics like there's no tomorrow.
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