[Hillview Farm]

I know its a long way off BUT I'm not exactly sure what to do with my lambs. I have a friend who has offered to buy my lambs at the local market price, use girls for breeding and boy for meat.

Am I better off keeping the girls and selling them as shearlings under breeding stock, I know i'll get more money than selling them as lambs.

Also I'd like to keep a few ewe lambs for breeding but I was warned off this as the mothers are suffolk mules and have been put to a suffolk ram, will they be too suffolky?

I was always put off by putting ewe lambs into lamb as they seem too young but after buying a 9 month old ewe lamb and her being almost the same size of my ewes and seeing so many people selling ewe lambs in lamb. What do you lot think?

Last one, what age do you wean commerial lambs?

Thanks 

[Marches Farmer]

One of those things where there's no "right" answer, I think.  All depends on the amount of grazing you have, what condition the ewe and lambs are in.  This year is going to be challenging in many ways and I think for most of the UK, grazing is going to be the key to lots of decisions.

[Cosmo]

When you wean all depends on your system, when do you lamb, are you going to feed the lambs ad-lib cake through creeps in which case you maybe sending lambs off from their mothers at 10 weeks+ and what are your grass leys made up of as lots of chicory or clover will finish lambs quickly.

Hope this helps.

[ScotsGirl]

I have a couple of Suffolk mules who go to Suffolk ram and yes lambs are black when they come out and look more suffolks but no problem. Produce good meat and look soooo cute. I sell my boys in a box to friends and neighbours and girls I sell on farming ads for breeding if good enough.


Make sure you have castrated your boys unless loads if grazing as a pain in butt when sexually mature at 4-5 months and you have nowhere to separate them to.

[ZaktheLad]

I personally like the Suffolk breed and Suffolk cross bred lambs appear to sell very well at commercial markets both in store sales for your boys or in ewe lamb breeding sales.  Try and sell your ewe lambs privately if you can to avoid the stress of market.   Shearling ewes do not always achieve a good price at market and particularly anything in-lamb has been very hard to place.  Again though, you could try and sell privately to see what response you get.  I personally believe the best way to build up a flock is to keep your best ewe lambs back, choosing ones that are out of good mothers.  A closed flock is the best flock as your ewes will be resistant to many infections on your land as they will have built up a good level of immunity.  Buying in increases the chances of bringing in disease from other flocks such as orf etc. Definitely keep some of your ewe lamb if you like them come weaning - the Suffolk is a nice breed and you could always cross with a charollais to get some superb commercial lambs.   I have never bred from my ewe lambs before, but this year I have a Suffolk x charollais who is a huge ewe lamb and so I ran her with my Hampshire down ram.  I will let you know how she gets on as she is due shortly. 

[Hillview Farm]

Thank you everyone, been very interesting! I wanted to go along the pure suffolk lines at one point but I love my suffolk mules to much! I may buy a few mules in the coming years put to a suffolk and have my own muffolks as I like to call them I may well keep a few lambs for my own breeding and if they grow well put them to the ram this year also.

Please do Zak let me know how you get on!