[Bramham Wiltshire Horns]

HI all

just wondered what people charge for Hogget Boxes, do you sell by the Kilo OR per Box

last year i sold half boxes for £75 the boxes where coming back at 12.5kg per half box

Do you think it is too cheap and sold myself a bit short last year.

i sell my lamb boxes for the same price for 10kg box which have sold already

i am on a grass based system and only the ewes get a bit of feed around lambing. been native breed and lambing usually mid April the Wilts are a steady grower and i dont push them to gain weight which i feel improves the flavour

whats your thoughts


And the fact lamb prices are going well this year for now it gives you food for thought.


TIA

[twizzel]

I can’t help on hogget prices but r.e the current lamb price- I have kept my lamb boxes at £80/half this year which is what we charged for the last few years- my reasoning is that my customers that return year on year will be there ready to pay a premium price when the lamb price inevitably falls again. So for one year I will absorb the costs. The lamb price has fallen in the last couple weeks as more spring lambs come forward. I’ve cut my costs this year by not creep feeding the lambs too.

[Womble]

The thing is, even though "fat" auction prices vary year on year or month on month, supermarket prices (i.e. what our customers are used to paying) don't fluctuate nearly as much.


I think it makes more sense to look at supermarket prices and local farm shops, and price from there (you might be surprised - I know I was!), than it does to look at the auctions.

[Bramham Wiltshire Horns]

thanks for the replys

[SallyintNorth]

At c. £6/kg you are definitely giving it away, I would say! 

We only sell any surplus - sometimes we have 2 or 3 and sometimes none - and have friends and locals who snap it up.  Those who like hogget *really* like it, some only want lamb.  We charge £8/kg for whole or half lamb or hogget, and we set that price so that we get responses quickly and people don't mess us around or quibble as they know it's a good deal.  If we produced an excess on purpose, we would do marketing and charge more.

[Bramham Wiltshire Horns]

thanks Sally

thats a big help, i usually let them know a ball park figure in terms of weight when they enquire i think i will start advertising at £8 per kilo and see how it goes i would still be able to sell at that price,

regards

Ryan

[Bramham Wiltshire Horns]

Hi
Quick follow up

i sent off the wethers 14 months old. pretty lean and not a too much fat (i love fat)

They came back 26kg dead weight pretty lean and not a too much fat (i love fat)

I asked the customers for a bit extra and sold them for £85per half box, and they where happy to pay that.
still cheap for 13kg of native breed quality grass fed Hogget 

[SallyintNorth]

Sounds great - a great deal for your customers and a decent return for you.  (Although I suspect you could get more, especially once folks know how good it is )

I hear you on the fat.  That's what the old ewes are for - mutton with plenty of (usually orange!) fat for your own freezer  

[Bramham Wiltshire Horns]

hi Sally

last year i made Tallow from the rendered fat the mutton produced and use a spoonful when making nice roast Potatoes 

[Buttermilk]

I sent a Zwartbles ram lamb to the butcher last week.  I forgot to weigh him first but he was exactly 16 weeks old.  Two neighbours then got half a lamb - 14.2kg of lean meat each.  It was meant to be a gift but one has put £120 into my bank!

[Bramham Wiltshire Horns]

That’s a huge lamb for that age

[SallyintNorth]

That’s a huge lamb for that age

It's insane!  Our good Zwartbles ewes did always produce good strong fat lambs which could go off at 4-5 months but we use a Shetland tup so don't get pure Z sizes.  I have assumed that the Z's do their lambs so well because as a dairy breed they are especially milky - but they do struggle to do it without cake, which is not how we want to do things.  Whatever, they can certainly produce fab lambs - and the meat is awesome too.

[Bramham Wiltshire Horns]

sounds great

i have crossed some of my Wilt ewes with a Hapmshire Down they are growing like weeds with the Milkyness of the Wiltshire ewes.

i reckon come weaning they wont be far off going in.