20 Honest Difference between Lamb and Sheep with Table

What is the difference between lamb and sheep?

Many people tend to have a hard time distinguishing a ewe, lamb, and sheep. But these terms are typically used to classified sheep.

The main difference between a sheep and a lamb is that a sheep tend to be one year and above while a lamb tends to be less than one year old.

Difference between Lamb and Sheep

Comparison Table (Lamb vs Sheep)

Basic Terms	Lamb	Sheep
Meaning	A lamb is a young one of a sheep that is less than one year	A sheep is a ruminant mammal that is over one year of age
Age Range	Less than twelve months	More than twelve months
Food	Feed on the mother’s milk	Graze on grass
Type of Meat	Spring lamb meat	Mutton, Hogget or Lamb
Religious Value	Christianity	Islam
Meat Taste	Tender	Gemmy
Meat Demand	High	Low
Share in Livestock	Relatively Low	Relatively high
Group	Flock	Mobs or bands
Species	Sub-species	Main species
Wool production	Less	More
Length of tail	Comparatively small	Comparatively long
Slaughtering Age	Four to twelve months	Over one year
Meat Fat	Less fat	More fat
Cost of Meat	Quite expensive	Quite affordable
Teeth	Milk teeth	Strong teeth for grazing
Horns	Lack of horns	Have lateral spiral horns
Male	Ram lamb	Ram or buck
Female	Ewe lamb	Ewe or Yoe

What Is a Lamb?

A lamb is a young one of a sheep that is less than one year old of age. The animal tends to feed mostly on the mother’s milk due to less developed teeth.

The animal is normally slaughtered at the age of four to twelve months and the meat tends to be quite expensive. Besides that, the meat is less fatty and quite tender.

Lamb has a religious value among Christians. These animals are typical indicators of the follower of Christ.

Keep in mind that the demand for lamb is comparatively high. It is quite common in Arabs and Asian countries.

What Is a Sheep?

A sheep is a ruminant mammal that is over one year of age. The animal tends to have strong teeth and they feed on grass or legumes.

The animal is normally slaughtered at the age of more than twelve months. However, the meat is less in demand and quite affordable.

The most amazing thing with sheep is that they produce a large amount of wool and have a high share in livestock.

A sheep has a religious value in Islam. It normally represents Ismail the son of Abraham during the sacrifice before the arrival of the Angel.

Main Difference between Lamb and Sheep

Lamb is less than twelve months old whereas a sheep is more than twelve months old
The meat from the lamb is tender whereas that of sheep is gemmy
Lamb feed on mother’s milk while sheep feed on grass
The meat from the lamb is quite expensive while mutton is affordable
Lamb has milk teeth whereas sheep have strong teeth
Lamb has religious value in Christianity whereas sheep have religious value in Islam
Meat is for lamb whereas mutton or Hogget is for sheep
Sheep has more wool while lamb have little wool
Sheep have long tail whereas lamb have a short tail
A flock represent a group of lambs whereas a band or mob represent a group of sheep

Similarities between Lamb and Sheep

Both have religious value
Both can be domesticated
Both raised for meat production
Both are herbivores
Both are on-demand

Lamb vs Sheep FAQs

Is a Lamb a Baby Sheep?

Yes. A lamb is a young one of a sheep. The animals are less than one year and depend on the mother’s milk for survival.

What Is the Difference between Lamb and Sheep Meat?

The meat of a lamb is tender while that of a sheep is gemmy and need to be stewed to tenderize. Also, meat is for lamb and mutton is for sheep.

At What Age Does A Lamb Become A Sheep?

Lamb becomes a sheep at the age of twelve months and above. It is the period lamb starts to rely on grass for survival

Is Veal A Lamb?

No. Veal comes from calves, which are young cows. Lambs are young sheep, and mutton comes from older sheep.

Comparison Video

Summary

The main difference between lamb and sheep is based on age. A lamb is a baby of a sheep less than one year whereas a sheep is a mature ruminant mammal which is more than one year of age.

More Sources and References

Sheep Terminology. Sheep 101 Unit
Lamb and Mutton. Wikipedia