[waterbuffalofarmer]

I wish lambs were fetching £60/80 this time of year !

Absolutely! 

Prices are down £20-£30 a head on last year, almost entirely due to the strength of the pound against the euro; prices in euros are much the same.

I heard today on my local radio that someone sold 46 kilo lambs for £82 per head and 36 kilo for £75 per head.

[SallyintNorth]

Scottish Blackface store lambs (destined for slaughter) shouldn't be so expensive; good breeding stock, if that's what you want, would be at least that, yes.

I wouldn't keep Blackies on a smallholding - their preferred grazing is measured in acres per sheep not sheep per acre.

Well said.

The only reason I might say yes, go for these, is if they are from your nearest neighbour and you will want his/her help and advice .  With 2.5 acres you would only be buying a very few, and the few quid overprice could come back in help and support many times over . 

Otherwise, spend a bit of time looking at breeds of sheep, and researching what would suit your spot and what you like.  Personally, I would start with store lambs, to get used to handling sheep before taking on the added stress of tupping, gestation and lambing.  (It's a joy, of course, but the responsibility can be daunting, especially if you are inexperienced.)

[SallyintNorth]

The only reason I might say yes, go for these, is if they are from your nearest neighbour and you will want his/her help and advice .  With 2.5 acres you would only be buying a very few, and the few quid overprice could come back in help and support many times over . 

Having said which, you also don't want your new neighbour to think you are completely wet behind the ears .

Dumfries Mart primestock report this week had ppk average 153.4.  That's £61.36 for a 40kg lamb, and that's the average - good Texels will have been generally higher than the average price, Blackie types would have been quite a bit less.  (Not that there are likely to be any finished Blackies selling fat just yet.)  Top price for any lamb was £72.

(Same week last year, average ppk was 185, that's £74 for a 40kg lamb.  Top priced lamb was £87.)

Store sales haven't started this far north yet.  At the opening store sale last year , Blackies were £45 per head.  In subsequent weeks, the top prices for Blackie stores were £52 and £50. 

So £40 is probably plenty this year

If it were me, and they are from your neighbour, and you do want him/her on side, I'd say something along the lines of,

I've checked the mart reports.  £50 seems fair on last year's prices, but prices are down by around 20% this year all round.  However, it's just a few, they seem like excellent sheep, and I would prefer to buy from my neighbour, of course.   .  They'll be wormed and dipped for scab, ticks and flies, I assume?  And would you be able to bring them across for me?

I think you'll find your neighbour gives them all relevant treatments before bringing them across - which will save you a few pounds, and any immediate worry about any problems they may have   You might even get a few coins 'for luck'.  (Or you may be told they're treated and delivered 'for luck'.)

[SallyintNorth]

I wish lambs were fetching £60/80 this time of year !

Absolutely! 

Prices are down £20-£30 a head on last year, almost entirely due to the strength of the pound against the euro; prices in euros are much the same.

I heard today on my local radio that someone sold 46 kilo lambs for £82 per head and 36 kilo for £75 per head.

Just because one person gets a good price (which for this year, those are) for one lamb or a few lambs does not mean that every lamb fetches those prices.  Most won't. 

You'll see from my posts above that the average in the OP's local area is just a smidge over £60 for a 40kg lamb at the moment - and Blackies would fetch less than that average, as they don't have the conformation of the better breeds.

[ewesaidit]

  Hi - I'm in Ayrshire - have pm'd you

[Keepers]

"That is quite cheap for a lamb, lambs ideally go for about 60-80 £ each depending on the market"

Depends on the lambs if they are little scrappy things they could be worth £30 really all depends on the beast - the top priced spring lambs finished for the prime market are only making just over £80 average price this week for prime lamb in scotland is about £1.60 a kilo so a 37.5  kilo lamb is £60

Yikes, would be very very lucky to make £80 average around here right now, good solid 40kgs lambs are making £60  pity I have another load ready to go but I cant keep them any longer as they are getting too big

[Keepers]

Scottish Blackface store lambs (destined for slaughter) shouldn't be so expensive; good breeding stock, if that's what you want, would be at least that, yes.

I wouldn't keep Blackies on a smallholding - their preferred grazing is measured in acres per sheep not sheep per acre.

Well said.

The only reason I might say yes, go for these, is if they are from your nearest neighbour and you will want his/her help and advice .  With 2.5 acres you would only be buying a very few, and the few quid overprice could come back in help and support many times over . 

Otherwise, spend a bit of time looking at breeds of sheep, and researching what would suit your spot and what you like.  Personally, I would start with store lambs, to get used to handling sheep before taking on the added stress of tupping, gestation and lambing.  (It's a joy, of course, but the responsibility can be daunting, especially if you are inexperienced.)

Very true 

[Big Light]

Keepers just my bad grammar
 top price is £80
Average is 1.60 per kilo

[Keepers]

Keepers just my bad grammar
 top price is £80
Average is 1.60 per kilo

Ahh I see, was almost ready to ship the next lot to wherever that market was 

[Anke]

I am not sure if I would want to breed sheep (plural) on 2.5 acres (how to keep the tup away from the ewes etc etc))... That's not much land - maybe just fatten up some lambs over summer, or if you prefer your meat a bit more mature, get some traditional (smaller, thriftier) breed in and run on until 18 months old, then get in next batch. Cheaper, less hassle and good meat at the end...

[Womble]

It can be done though surely, especially if you went for the tup lamb and then eat him ('coming and going'  ) style of man-management? 

[Kimbo]

But, Womble, doesn't "coming and going" mean the meat would have Ram taint? I was given very stern warnings about that here a couple of weeks back , even though my ram lambs weren't "coming" but were "going" 

[Womble]

I'll defer to the experts on this one, but if he waits a few months between his coming and going, the meat should be ok surely? 

[Kimbo]

Gosh, my brain hurts!

[SallyintNorth]

We are told that hormones = taint.  A tup or tup lamb that is working has hormones flowing about his system, therefore risk of taint.

What we don't have a definitive answer on is how long after working the taint is gone.  Some months, some seem to say. 

And I presume the tup would need to be not with ewes in order for the hormones to begin to die down.  There's probably a seasonal component too.