MARKET CLASSES A^'D GRADES OF LIVESTOl K 27 
2- Year-Olds are sheep between 24 and 36 months old or those that 
have cut their second pair of permanent teeth. 
Mature Sheep are those older than approximately 3 years. 
The three 1 weight groups generally observed in grouping market 
sheep by weights are: Lightweight, mediumweight, and heavyweight. 
The grades for Slaughter Sheep are : Prime, Choice, Good, Medium. 
Common, and Cull. (See Slaughter Sheep schedule. See also Cir- 
cular No. 383, Market Classes and Grades of Lambs and Sheep for a 
full discussion of the grades for Slaughter Sheep.) 
Market Glasses and Grades for Slaughter Lambs 
A Slaughter Lamb is a young ovine animal that has not acquired 
its first pair of permanent teeth and that is intended for immediate 
slaughter. 
The market classes of Slaughter Lambs are: Ewes, Wethers, and 
Earns. In actual market practice, however, slaughter ewe and wether 
lambs usually sell together. As a rule, rams sell as a class and usually 
at a price discount. The general age groups for Slaughter Lambs 
commonly used in market practice are : Hothouse Lambs, Spring 
Lambs, and Lambs. 
A Hothouse Lamb is a very young animal usually less than 3 
months of age that has received special care during the short period 
of its life. The ewe has been fed for heavy milk production in order 
to produce maximum growth and finish of the lamb which usually 
weighs from 30 to 60 pounds when marketed. 
Spring Lamb is the term applied to new-crop lambs. In some 
areas lambing occurs in the fall and early winter months and many 
of the lambs dropped during that period begin to arrive at some of 
the livestock markets in February or March. From then through 
April and into early May fed lambs from the previous year's lamb 
crop, also, are being marketed. Thus Spring Lamb (fig. 11) distin- 
guishes the new-crop lambs from the old-crop lambs which at that 
time are known as Lambs. The rule followed in market reporting 
Figuri: 11.— Choice grade Spring Lambs. 
