[Sudanpan]

We have been offered 2 bottle fed lambs to take on   
They are currently 10 days old and 2 weeks old and are being reared on the bottle because the first time mums haven't been able to cope with them. Had a good chat with the farmer's wife on the phone this morning, she knows we are complete novices and our intentions are to bring them on for our freezer. She is happy to keep them on for another month so that they are a bit bigger and ready to be out in the field with a shelter, as opposed to being kept indoors right now with this current weather.
I know that we will still need to be giving some bottle feed at that stage, plus creep feed while they are in the field, but is there anything else I need to sort out?
We have had pigs for fattening over the last 3 years but this will be our first foray into sheep - I will be swotting up on the different ID situation that they have in comparison to the simple pig herd setup!
Oh yes - we haven't talked money yet - any ball park figure I can work with?
Thanks for the help in advance 
Tish

[Hillview Farm]

Down here in the south orpahan lambs are making anywhere up to 45 quid for a lamb a couple of days old and I saw some the other day advertised for £70!!! I nearly Died!!!

Good luck, I know how you feel with my first lot of lambs on the way i'm bricking myself!

[MrsJ]

That sounds like expensive lamb to me!
Good luck to you both!

[twizzel]

As they are now I'd pay £10-£15, £20 max. 4 weeks down the line they will probably be double that as nearly ready to wean and will be a good size, probably £40-£45.

[Castle Farm]

It will cost you more to feed them than they are worth.

[ScotsGirl]

They will drink approx 1 20kg bag of milk powder each at £37 a bag and possibly a bag of creep between them over their life at approx £11. At a few days old I would say £10-20 each is fair but after 6 weeks I would be adding on some for feed and time put into them.


Once you add on £26 each for slaughter and butchering you are having them for the love of it and not cheap meat!  And that's assuming no vet bills.


Go for it though they will be adorable.

[Sudanpan]

We are very aware that this is not a cheap meat option - but as with the pork we are more about knowing how the animals have been cared for 
Also it means we don't need to cut quite so much of the field!