Prices for the Shetlands were in fact very good. Tup lambs sold by the penload will always be cheap as they are bought up by the meat buyers - and there were several there, mainly halal - or by those intending to rear them on for another year for hogget. A pen of ancient ewes which should have been left at home went for £5 each . The top price I am aware of was £150 for a white Shetland gimmer, and another for £145 . The champion tup went for £130 I think, and many females fetched £50-60. Buyers knew just what they wanted, and there seemed to be plenty of buyers.
I didn't see the end of the Shetlands, or any of the other breeds going through.
Actually the prices for the Shetlands were down on last year, quite a lot ofyoun ger ewes and gimmer sold for bewteen 70 and 80 last year, not so this year, although I didn't stay for the later ones.
As I was first in the ring and hardly any buyers there at the beginning mine didn't reach the reserve I had set, but managed to sell the privately later on
. So all in all fairly happy. But I still think this sale is too early for ewes, maybe ok for gimmers and tups. And the catalogue is just shambles.... no indication of colour, often the ages are wrong etc etc...
I will definitely try and get to Carlisle, to see if that is any better, although no sheep in the sale there. Maybe get a tup there....