Feeding show sheep really comes down to two questions:

What kind of lamb did you buy?

And:

How far along is he in his growth and maturity?

Those two questions should follow you into the feed room every day.

In a lot of ways, I feed sheep similarly to pigs.

You can look at the animal in front of you, decide what he needs more or less of, make an adjustment, and watch him respond.

There's just one important difference:

Sheep tend to make you wait longer for the answer.

That's where people can get themselves into trouble.

Make a change.

Nothing happens.

Make another change.

Still nothing.

Push harder.

And then suddenly everything you asked for shows up at once and you're standing there wondering how you're going to undo it.

With sheep, patience belongs in the feed room just as much as the feed scoop does.

Make Sure He's Actually Eating the Ration:

Most of the show lamb feeds I've worked with are texured and contain a mixture of ingredients. Pay attention to what your lamb is actually consuming—not just what you're putting in the feeder.

If you're feeding something he can sort, make sure he isn't picking through it and eating all the “candy” while leaving the rest behind.

The ration only works as formulated if the lamb actually eats the ration.

Don't assume an empty-looking feeder automatically means he ate everything you intended him to eat. Look at what's left.

Start With the Lamb You Bought:

Before worrying about supplements, exercise programs, or tiny adjustments, look at the lamb.

Not the feed bag.

Not the picture of the champion somebody posted online.

Your lamb.

Assuming you've already selected a sound, appropriately built project, I like to think about young lambs in roughly three groups:

The green one that needs to come on.

The moderate one that's developing about where you want him.

And the heavy-muscled one that's already got plenty going on.

None of those is automatically better than the others.

But feeding all three the same way can create very different results.

The Green Lamb: Let Him Come

This is the lamb that looks like he needs groceries.

He's flatter over his top.

He needs more shape.

He may need more cover and body.

And overall, he just looks behind where you'd eventually like him to be.

This is where I'm comfortable pushing the nutritional program more aggressively.

A richer ration with enough protein and energy to support growth, muscle development, and condition can help this kind of lamb start catching up.

Then watch him.

Don't decide on day three that nothing happened.

Give the ration time to work and pay attention to how his body changes.

As he begins developing the muscle and condition you're after, you can reevaluate.

Maybe he still needs pushed.

Maybe he's caught up enough that it's time to settle him onto something more moderate.

The goal isn't to push forever.

The goal is to push until you have what you were pushing for.

Then quit asking for more just because it worked.

The Heavy-Muscled Lamb: Let Him Catch Up

Now we've got the opposite problem.

This lamb already has plenty going on.

He's muscular.

He's powerful.

He may look more “show ready” as a baby than everything standing around him.

That's exciting.

It's also where I want some restraint.

If he's already carrying more muscle than his maturity and frame really know what to do with, I don't necessarily want to keep hammering him with a ration designed to push even more lean growth.

Sometimes the best feeding decision is simply to let the rest of the lamb catch up with the muscle he already has.

That may mean backing away from an unnecessarily aggressive protein program while still supplying an appropriate, balanced diet for growth.

Then watch him mature.

Once everything starts coming back into balance, reevaluate.

Maybe he needs pushed again later.

Maybe he doesn't.

The lamb gets to answer that question.

The Moderate Lamb: Don't Fix What Isn't Broken

These are usually the easy ones.

They're growing.

They're developing muscle.

They're carrying an appropriate amount of condition.

Nothing is screaming for attention.

Great.

Leave him alone.

Find a balanced ration that works for him and let it work.

There may eventually be small adjustments through feed, supplements, exercise, or management, but don't create a problem because you feel like you should be doing something.

Sometimes a good feeding program is boring.

Boring is underrated.

If the lamb is progressing exactly the way you want him to, your job isn't to prove how clever you are in the feed room.

Your job is to keep the train on the tracks.

Fat Is Easier to Prevent Than Remove:

This is probably the warning I'd put in giant letters over the sheep feed room if I could.

Don't let them get too fat.

You need condition.

You need enough energy to support growth and development.

But there's a point where useful cover becomes excess fat, and once a lamb gets genuinely overconditioned, getting him back where you want him can become frustrating.

That's why I would rather catch the problem early.

Pay attention to how much he's eating.

Put your hands on him.

Don't rely exclusively on wool and your eyes to tell you what's happening underneath.

If he's beginning to carry more condition than you want, address it while it's still a small adjustment.

You can always reevaluate and push later if you need more.

It's much nicer to have that option than to look at a fat lamb and realize you've spent the last month creating your next problem.

If he's getting pudgy on you:

Whoa that horse up.

Your Hands Matter:

Sheep are one species where looking isn't enough.

You've got to touch them.

Feel over the rack.

Feel the loin.

Feel the shape and firmness of the muscle.

Pay attention to condition.

Learn what changes underneath your hands as the lamb develops.

When you're feeling over the top of your lamb, cup your hand with your fingers together—but keep them relaxed enough that you can use your fingertips to feel what's underneath.

Your hand should glide over the lamb's top with ease. Don't press too hard. If you do, you can push through the fat and lose your ability to judge how much cover is actually there.

Use just enough pressure to feel that extra layer of padding. As a lamb gets too fat, you'll begin to feel more of that padding along his side, and visually he'll often start looking overly round through his rib.

The goal isn't just to touch your lamb. It's to learn what you're feeling.

That becomes particularly important because wool can hide things your hands will find immediately.

And for a show lamb, we're not developing muscle just because it looks impressive.

That lamb eventually has a job to do.

Feed for the Job Too:

A show lamb has to brace.

And depending on the show and the judge, he may have to do it for quite a while.

That takes strength and endurance.

So as your lamb matures, don't evaluate the feeding program entirely from a photograph.

Ask whether he's developing enough muscle and physical capacity to actually do the job you're preparing him for.

And here's something I think beginners often overlook:

Practice after feeding sometimes.

If every practice session happens when the lamb is relatively empty, you may not know exactly how he's going to look or feel when he's standing in the ring with feed and water still in his system.

A full belly can change his appearance and how he braces.

You don't need every practice session to happen immediately after feeding, but you should know what your lamb looks and feels like under the conditions he's actually likely to encounter.

Don't let show day be the first time you find out.

Don't Forget the Rumen:

Just like the goat article, there's still a ruminant underneath the show project.

A concentrate feeding program doesn't eliminate the need to think about forage, water, minerals, gradual ration changes, digestive health, and species-appropriate feeding practices.

And because many show projects are wethers, urinary health deserves particular attention when building a concentrate-heavy feeding program.

The goal isn't simply to make the lamb change as quickly as possible.

It's to develop him without compromising the animal you're developing.

The Takeaway:

Feeding show sheep isn't necessarily complicated.

But it does require patience.

Look at the lamb you bought.

Look at where he is in his maturity.

Then decide what you're actually trying to change.

The green one may need pushed.

The heavy-muscled one may need time to catch up with himself.

The moderate one may need you to quit messing with him and let a good program work.

And through all of it, watch the condition.

You can always ask for more later.

It's much harder to take back something you pushed too far.

Feed the lamb in front of you.

Put your hands on him.

Give your changes time to work.

And perhaps most importantly:

Know when you've gotten what you asked for.

What's your biggest feed-room pet peeve? Open bins? Dirty buckets? Somebody putting the scoop back in the wrong bin? Let us know in the comments below.