The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: angusrr on June 12, 2017, 11:46:39 am
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I have not sold at a market before.I have 4 lambs which will soon be ready to go. they all have a single EID tag. do they need a second tag before they are sent or not? also, what do you think is the best way of finishing them?
Thanks
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Single Eid tag if their under 12 months, double tagged if their over. What do you mean by 'best way of finishing them'?
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If going in fat ring just a single eid tag. If selling as stores maybe double tags are better just in case it's not finished by 12mths of age.. Finishing systems vary from grass fed to indoors on creep, it depends on the timescale you want them finished in, your grass situation etc.
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The best way to to finish them is the one that turns the most profit for you. At this time of year if not already finished & not desperate then just grass. Do you bolus/drench? FEC? Make sure worm level & TE in bloods are right before throwing expensive (unnecessary) feed at them.
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Thank you.
they are currently around 30 kilos and would like to take them to market at around 35. roughly how long would this take on good quality pasture? they are charollais x and want to sell them before the lamb price drops too much. also what are the normal selling fees at market, is it that they are sold in guineas and then the auctioneer keeps the 5p?
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Fat lambs sold at pence per kilo normally. You will pay commission to the auctioneer normally %. Best to ring your local market and ask or look at market reports- just looking at our local market report for last week the top priced lambs per kilo were around 40-44kg- if that's the case with yours your 35kg lambs may be a bit light. Have you weighed them?
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Will you be selling at Newark Angus?
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Will you be selling at Newark Angus?
Yes
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Will post pic of my charge sheet from selling culls there last weekend.
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Will sell in £'s and they will charge you commission (and a levy I think) which are subject to VAT. All that knocked off the ring price. Guinea's are usually used for pedigree sales.
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For the price of that extra tag its worth putting in. Its alot easier for buyers and means they can decide if it goes straight to cull or to go and finish. IMO
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The prices are always fluctuating I wouldnt worry too much unless there is a serious drop.
Once you start creep feeding you are adding enormous overheads. Much better if you can take them straight off the grass.
You need to feel their tails and learn to rate them which I still struggle with. Anything slightly underscore will go in stores.
I am always disappointed. The price of lambs is utterly appalling full stop however, there is always a market for small to medium lambs and the overheads of small lambs over big means you can have a better margin so dont be fooled into thinking that bigger lambs sold for £80/£90 is pure profit cos it aint.
Only pedigrees are sold at guineas
There is Commission, Tolls and VAT charges to come off. Sadly, you wont be rich after selling
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Speak to your market auctioneer. Ours will only take double-tagged lambs. Don't forget you have to observe all withdrawal periods on meds. If you're keen to get them away sell them as stores and let someone else take them on to finishing weight.
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Once you start creep feeding you are adding enormous overheads. Much better if you can take them straight off the grass.
I am always disappointed.
You ever think there's cause and effect there? :innocent:
I agree, of course, that feeding adds costs. But let's do some sums. Let's say we feed a basic 16% feed, like Champion Tup & Lamb, at half a pound per head per day for a month. That's 30 x 0.25kgs = 7.5kgs. That'll cost about £3. It should give the lamb a bloom so the punters should pay at least an extra 10ppk. Assuming you're selling at around 40kgs, that extra 10ppk adds £4. That's without accounting for the extra weight it puts on - should be at least another kilo, and/or you get it away sooner, which may or may not translate into money on your farm, depending on how you use your land. Also, by getting it away earlier, you may be selling when prices are a bit higher, before everyone else's lambs are ready off grass, too.
I could go on... by feeding lightly, the lambs are kept in tip-top condition, more likely to withstand any setbacks, infections, etc. This may translate into more lambs away earlier (in addition to the effect of the feed on weight and condition) or could even mean less losses. The lambs' demands on their mothers will be a little less, so their mums are less likely to get mastitis, and will carry a bit more condition, which again would translate into greater resilience, less losses, less costs of feeding up for culls, possibly higher lambing percentages next year...
I don't diss grass-fed systems. But it is not correct to state that feeding erodes profit. Done intelligently, it can and should maximise profit.
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Agree with Sally- we have been creep feeding our lambs for about a month now and the change and bloom in them is quite astounding. The ewes are putting a bit of condition back on too. We get a premium price for our lamb not through market so can afford to creep for the last 6-8 weeks to get lambs gone quicker, reduce stress on the ewes and maximise the ewes kept to acre. I would rather creep my lambs now when feed conversion is higher than have the majority hanging round until November and have to feed them at the end when conversion rates are lower.