First Place:  4

Entry number: 736

Exhibitor: StarShowLambs

State: TX

Sheep name/number: #0115 "Mercedes"

Breed: Hampshire X

Website: www.starshowlambs.com

4 is simply the largest framed, latest maturing ewe lamb that is extremely neat in her rib design.  Ideally, I would like to see her slightly squarer out of her dock, and she appears to hock in ever so slightly in the rear photo.  Nevertheless, in comparison to the smaller framed 2, she is much longer necked, lays in smoother at the point of her shoulder, measures longer from her 12th rib back and is simply a better designed female.  As a bonus, she is extremely neat in her fore-rib and gets progressively wider and deeper as she comes back to her dock.  I predict her to produce faster growing offspring that would excel in the show ring or feedlot alike.

Second Place:  2

Entry number: 698

Exhibitor: EmsoffLambs

State: CA

Sheep name/number: 212

Breed: Hampshire X Suffolk

Website: www.emsofflivestockcompany.com

Sure 2 is bigger racked & loined and leveler hipped, unfortunately she is coarser fronted, quicker patterned and does not tie her neck as neatly into the top of her shoulder.  Still, I like her bolder rib design, heavier muscled top and leg and rear leg posture better than 3 in the middle pair.  2 is thicker topped, fuller loined and has more circumference of leg, and should produce heavier muscled offspring than 3 if comparably mated.

Third Place:  3

Entry number: 699

There is no doubt that 3 is flatter at the point of her shoulder, longer necked and deep twisted, unfortunately, she is narrower topped, flatter ribbed and not as full in the lower third of her leg.  Additionally, she is bowed out in her hocks and I would question her longevity in a pasture flock.  Hide is the main feature that places her over 1 in our concluding pair as she is much tighter and thinner hided, in addition to being longer sided and later maturing than the extremely thick 1 ewe.

Fourth Place:  1

Entry number: 687

1 is thick and expressive in her top and leg, however this is where her advantages end as she is not only short necked and round in her shoulder, but also the shortest and roundest out of her dock, short cannoned and all of this allows me to question her long term ability to convert feed and grow into a large broody type of female.  In addition she needs to be smoother and tighter hided so she is last. Thank you.