Store lambs, which are lambs reared on their mothers, now weaned and needing to grow on, typically start being sold up here around mid August, so they're maybe 4 months old. Depending on breed, they may fatten by Oct/Nov, or early in the New Year, or not till next spring.
It can be perplexing that teeny little rabbitty things are selling in the store ring for as much or more than their finished peers in the fat ring next door - but the thinking is that those little squibs will fatten on summer grass and be ready to cash in when prices are at their highest.
We usually calculate that a store lamb will cost us £10 to grow on, on top of his purchase price. So look back at your local mart reports for the time of year yours would be ready to send away, and see what prices were compared to now. It's no guarantee, but it's the best you'll be able to do! Alternatively, if the lambs are for you to eat and for meat to sell to your campers, then it doesn't much matter what you pay for them as stores, you would just set the ppk as appropriate when you come to sell. Budget around £25/head for slaughter and butchering. Carcase weight could be as low as 15kg for a primitive like a Castlemilk Moorit, up to 26kgs+ for a larger (but slow-growing) breed like a Cheviot.
Yes, you are far more likely to experience problems with cade lambs than with stores that have been reared to about 4 months on their mothers.
