Learning to identify behaviours indicating positive emotions is important to improve animal welfare. The aim of this study was to identify how an appetitive motivational state (AMS) expresses itself behaviourally. We subjected lambs to a reward (food or opportunity to play) that was preceded by an anticipation phase. We predicted that the lambs during AMS would show more behavioural transitions and increased activity. Forty-two male lambs were allocated into three treatments, resulting in seven pairs of play (P), food (F) and control (C) lambs. Pairs were trained for five consecutive days to enter into a holding pen (2.7 m2 ) for three minutes before entering a ‘reward arena’ (19.5 m2 ) for ten minutes. The reward arena contained two volleyballs and a platform for P and concentrate for F. C only entered the holding pen. After the training period, each pair repeated the procedure twice/week for two weeks during which behaviour was video recorded. Videos were analysed for transitions and durations of behaviours. Data were statistically analysed with mixed generalized model. In the reward arena, P played 31.0% of the time (88.6% of play behaviours was social play), and F spent 85.3% of the time consuming concentrate. In the holding pen, F (46.7±3.5) showed more behavioural transitions than C (37.1±2.2, PFC <0.05) whereas P (40.3± 3.1) did not differ from C. Both P (12.8±1.0 (percentage of time±SE)) and F (14.9±0.9) walked more in the holding pen than C (8.1±0.7, PPC<0.001, P FC <0.001). Exploring did not differ between P (26.6±2.3) and C (29.4±2.0), but F (20.6±2.2) explored less than C (PFC <0.01). P (44.6±1.3) were standing still less than C (50.8±1.8, P PC <0.001), while F (58.5±4.0) were standing still more than C (P FC <0.1). In conclusion, AMS seems to affect the behavioural time budgets prior to receiving a reward and time budgets may differ depending on the type of reward