The Road To The Show

This is my ninth year as a member of 4-H doing sheep projects. The 4-H program was really was what got me interested in showing my sheep because it was my favorite part of my 4-H year. The 4-H year for our club starts in September but for most members they do not actually get their lambs until May. Lambs used for the market projects are born from December-February and should be about 50 lbs. when the members go to pick them out in March (most kids in our club do not have a flock of their own so they buy them from someone that does). At the end of March our club meets and weighs, tags, deworms and vaccinates the lambs registered in the 4-H program. This is where the market lambs start their road to the show.

Riding in Style- For our lambs it is their first time away from home. Our lambs are transported by trailer to another 4-H families farm. We fill the trailer with lots of straw to keep the sheep clean and offer them some bedding. Most sheep will lay down for the trailer ride as it can get a little bumpy. Sheep don't mind riding in a trailer as long as they aren't too crowded and have some kind of bedding to lay in.

Tagging- Lambs are tagged for identification purposes. Their numbers are recorded along with their weight and which member they belong to. Members record their tag number in their record books and it is used on show and sale day so that anyone is able to identify the lamb. 

Deworming- The dose of dewormer is administered using a special type of gun that allows it to be ingested orally. The dose is determined my the weight of the animal (this is another time when weight comes in handy). This protects the sheep from internal parasites like roundworms and lungworms as well as nasal bots.

Vaccinating- Lambs will receive their first shot of vaccine. The vaccine is live meaning that is contains a weakened strain of a virus so that the lamb will build a natural immunity to it by creating antibodies to fight it. The vaccine is injected subcutaneously or under the skin on the area shown in the picture where the skin is loose enough to inject under. The vaccine we use on lambs is an '8 way' and it protects against 7-way blackleg and tetanus.

Weighing- Our club owns its own electric scale for weighing lambs. The electric monitor displays the weight without having to read a moving needle type scale. It was more expensive but it was a good investment because of the time it saves when reading weights. The initial weight of the lambs is important to know because one of the awards we give out is the best rate of gain.
Rate of Gain = the number of pounds gained / the number of days

A good lamb will gain over a pound/day and that is something we want all  of our lambs to have.

After a long day the lambs are always happy to be home again.