Parts of a Market Lamb

Market lambs produce meat. Sheep younger than one year of age produce meat called lamb; this includes leg of lamb, chops, riblets and roasts. Market lambs weigh approximately 100-140 pounds. With a ruminant digestive tract, lambs utilize pasture, range land and hay for food. There are numerous parts on a market lamb.

  1. Head, Neck and Shoulders

    • The lamb's face extends between the eyes and the nose or muzzle. The face is often covered in hair rather than wool. The poll is the area between the ears. The shape and size of the ears varies with the breed of market lamb. The neck attaches to the head and the shoulders. The shoulder produces shoulder chops and roasts.

    Back

    • The lamb's back is divided into three parts. The back or rack is the first section. The loin attaches to the rack and the rump attaches to the loin close to the tail. Meat from this area is cut into loin or rib chops or roasts. The tail area is called the dock.

    Rear Leg

    • The rear quarter of the lamb is the leg. Leg of lamb comes from this area. Immediately in front of the hind leg is the rear flank. The joint on the lower leg is the hock. Below the hock are the cannon bone and the pastern. The pastern is the joint above the toes.

    Middle

    • The ribs form part of the middle, or belly. The chest area with the ribs is known as the breast. Lamb riblets are a cut of meat from the breast.

    Front Leg

    • The front leg consists of the forearm or foreshank, knee, cannon bone and pastern. On the back of the pastern are projections called the dewclaws.

    Digestive Tract

    • The market lamb's ruminant digestive tract begins with the esophagus, the tube between the mouth and the stomach. The four-part stomach consists of the reticulum, rumen, omasum and abomasum. Digested food moves on to the small intestine. Waste forms in the large intestine.