# Sheep or Goat Option Part of the Animal Science Merit Badge Digital Resource Guide: [Introduction & Overview](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/animal-science/guide/index.md) *6. Specialty Options* > **6.** Complete ONE of the following options: **Sheep or Goat Option** First, choose whether you want to focus on sheep or goats — then complete all five sub-requirements (a–e) below using your chosen animal. ## Requirement 6a — Wholesale and Retail Cuts > **6.sheep-or-goat.a.** Make a sketch of a live lamb or goat. Show the location of the various wholesale and retail cuts. Your sketch should show a side view of a lamb or goat with the primal (wholesale) cuts marked. ### Lamb Primal Cuts - **Shoulder** — Shoulder roasts, blade chops, ground lamb - **Rack** — Rib chops, rack of lamb (the premium cut, often "Frenched" for presentation) - **Loin** — Loin chops, saddle of lamb - **Leg** — Leg of lamb (roasted whole or butterflied), leg steaks - **Breast/Foreshank** — Riblets, stew meat, ground lamb - **Hind shank** — Braised shanks ### Goat Primal Cuts Goat cuts are similar to lamb but goat meat (called **chevon** or **cabrito** when from a young kid) tends to be leaner: - **Shoulder** — Roasts, stew meat - **Rack** — Rib chops - **Loin** — Loin chops - **Leg** — Roasts, steaks - **Breast** — Ribs, stew meat > **Did You Know?** > > Goat is the most widely consumed red meat in the world. More people eat goat than beef. In the United States, demand for goat meat has grown significantly in recent decades, driven by immigrant communities from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia. ## Requirement 6b — Wool Sorting and Grading > **6.sheep-or-goat.b.** Discuss how wools are sorted and graded. After a sheep is shorn, the entire fleece is removed in one piece and must be sorted and graded before it can be processed into yarn and fabric. ### Sorting Sorting is the process of separating different quality sections of the same fleece. A single fleece contains wool of varying quality depending on where it grew on the sheep's body: - **Shoulder and sides** — The finest, most uniform wool - **Back** — Good quality but may be weathered or sun-bleached - **Belly and legs** — Coarser, often dirty or matted — this wool is separated out - **Britch (rear end)** — The coarsest wool on the sheep Skilled wool sorters can separate a fleece into 10–15 different grades by hand. ### Grading Wool is graded primarily by **fiber diameter** (measured in microns — one micron is one-thousandth of a millimeter). Finer wool is more valuable because it makes softer, more comfortable fabrics. **Common grading systems:** - **Blood system** — An older American system that grades wool as Fine, 1/2 Blood, 3/8 Blood, 1/4 Blood, Low 1/4 Blood, Braid, and Common. These names originally referred to the percentage of Merino blood in the sheep, but today they simply describe fiber diameter ranges. - **Spinning count system** — A numerical system (e.g., 64s, 58s, 50s) indicating how many hanks of yarn can be spun from one pound of clean wool. Higher numbers mean finer wool. - **Micron system** — The modern, scientific standard. Merino wool can be as fine as 11.5 microns. For comparison, a human hair is about 70 microns. Other factors that affect wool grade include: - **Staple length** — The length of the wool fiber - **Yield** — The percentage of clean wool remaining after grease, dirt, and vegetable matter are washed out - **Strength** — How resistant the fiber is to breaking - **Color** — White wool commands the highest price because it can be dyed any color > **Tip** > > If you choose sheep for this option, try to find a local sheep farm during shearing season (usually spring). Watching a shearer work and handling raw fleece is a memorable experience. Many county fairs also have fleece competitions where you can see graded wool up close. ## Requirement 6c — Milk Products > **6.sheep-or-goat.c.** List products that can be made from the milk. Both sheep and goat milk are used to make a wide range of products: **From goat's milk:** - Fluid drinking milk (fresh, pasteurized) - Chèvre (soft, fresh goat cheese) - Feta cheese (traditionally made from sheep or goat milk) - Yogurt - Butter - Ice cream - Soap and skin care products - Cajeta (caramelized goat milk, popular in Mexican cuisine) **From sheep's milk:** - Roquefort cheese (France) - Pecorino Romano (Italy) - Manchego (Spain) - Feta (Greece — traditionally sheep's milk or a sheep/goat blend) - Ricotta (can be made from sheep's milk whey) - Yogurt > **Did You Know?** > > Sheep's milk contains about twice the fat and 40% more protein than cow's milk, which is why it makes such rich, flavorful cheese. It takes about 5 pounds of sheep's milk to make one pound of cheese, compared to about 10 pounds of cow's milk. ## Requirement 6d — Raise or Visit > **6.sheep-or-goat.d.** Based on your choice, do ONE of the following: **Option 1:** Raise a lamb or goat from weaning to market weight. Keep records of feed intake, weight gains, medication, vaccination, and mortality. **Option 2:** Visit a farm or ranch where sheep or goats are raised. Describe what you saw and explain what you learned. If you cannot visit, view a video or research online (with parent/guardian permission). If you are raising an animal, keeping good records is essential: **Record-Keeping Essentials** — Track these items weekly or as events occur - [ ] Date and weight at each weigh-in - [ ] Type and amount of feed consumed - [ ] Any medications or treatments given (with dates and dosages) - [ ] Vaccination dates and types - [ ] Health observations (appetite, energy, body condition) - [ ] Any deaths and their causes If you are visiting a farm, ask about: **Farm Visit Questions** — Topics to explore - [ ] What breed is raised and why was it chosen? - [ ] Is the operation focused on meat, milk, fiber, or a combination? - [ ] How are the animals housed and what do they eat? - [ ] How is the flock or herd managed for health and reproduction? - [ ] What are the biggest challenges of raising sheep or goats? ## Requirement 6e — Terminology > **6.sheep-or-goat.e.** Define the following terms for a sheep (wether, ewe, ram, and lamb) OR a goat (doe, nanny, kid, buck, and billy). **Sheep terms:** - **Wether** — A castrated male sheep. Wethers are raised for meat and are often used as show animals in 4-H and FFA. - **Ewe** (pronounced "you") — A female sheep of any age. - **Ram** — An intact male sheep used for breeding. Also called a "tup" in some regions. - **Lamb** — A young sheep under one year of age, of either sex. **Goat terms:** - **Doe** — A female goat. - **Nanny** — Another common term for a female goat (though "doe" is preferred in the goat industry). - **Kid** — A young goat of either sex. - **Buck** — An intact male goat used for breeding. - **Billy** — Another common term for a male goat (though "buck" is preferred in the industry). > **Tip** > > Notice that the word "wether" (for a castrated sheep) is spelled differently from "weather" (the climate). This is a common spelling mistake — make sure you get it right for your counselor. ![A mixed scene showing a small flock of sheep and a few goats grazing on a green hillside pasture with a simple shelter and board fencing in the background](https://ik.imagekit.io/doulacoop/tr:w-800/mbu-assets/merit-badges/animal-science/guide/sheep-goat-pasture?v=5ba23e90) [American Sheep Industry Association](https://www.sheepusa.org/): The national organization for sheep producers, with resources on breeds, production practices, and wool marketing. --- --- - Previous: [Horse Option](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/animal-science/guide/req6-horse/index.md) - Next: [Hog Option](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/animal-science/guide/req6-hog/index.md)