[artscott]

 We moved to our croft about a year ago now, and have worked hard on getting both the house and land a bit sorted.  We managed to raise two tamworth pigs this year and were very happy with the result for 7 months keeping them.
Through constant mowing we have also managed to reduce the weeds and get a reasonable sward of grass and would like to have some lamb in our freezer next autumn.
So my question is can I raise lambs in the same way that I did the pigs, IE buy in weaners and fatten up to slaughter weight.  I don’t want to go the route of breeding yet and don’t want to keep a flock over winter.  What sort/breed of lambs should I be looking for and at what stage.

[Bumblebear]

Hi, we bought some lambs in July which were born in March and sent them off a week or so ago.  We bought ours from a local petting farm before they went to market.  I think you can buy store lambs now too, you just keep them over winter and then kll before they get their big teeth or something.  I am a complete beginner as these were my first (only kept poultry before now!) so I am sure an expert wll be along soon.  Ps the lamb was great, we got 32kg lamb from the 2, they were Llyens a commercial breed I think and apparently we could have sent them a bit heavier but we didn't want them over winter.  Hope this helps.

[Tudful Tamworths]

Congratulations on achieving what you have so far. I hope you're enjoying your new lifestyle.
I would wholeheartedly go down the route of buying in lambs to rear for meat rather than getting embroiled in breeding. A lot less hassle, less demand on your grassland/your pocket if you have to buy in supplementary feed, and you have fewer worries about nasties like flystrike, scald, and foot rot.
A lot depends on what lambs are available to you, of course. Talk to neighbouring farmers and see whether they may be able to pencil you in for a couple of unwanted/orphan lambs. However, if you agree to take on orphan/pet lambs which need bottle-feeding, be aware that they will pull at your heart strings, and you might end up keeping more than you planned forQ"
 
Feel free to contact me directly if I can help: tudfultamworths@hotmail.com

[Foobar]

I would get some 'couples', ewes with lambs at foot.  That way the ewe does all the hard work of looking after the lamb for you and you don't have the bother of having to bottle feed etc.  And come the autumn, you have the choice of selling the ewes or keeping them for breeding.
Having more stock on the land will also help it's continuing improvement.

[Victorian Farmer]

i think you are right foobar would be the way forward i ha vent sold eney lambs yet i have 320 .I will get some 1 in to pick the best 30 and the rest will go  in November i think you would pay 85 each for the ewes with the lambs cheap at the mo .

[Foobar]

As for breed, pick something that will thrive in your locality.  See what other farmers around you have.  You might be better off with the more hardy / primitive breeds, given your location.  All depends on what you can get really and what you like the look of.  Maybe a mountain/primitive ewe that has been crossed with a meatier breed, so that your lambs finish quicker (ie before next winter).

[Cheviot]

Hi,
I too agree with foobar.
I am assuming, as you say you have a croft, that you are in the northern half of Scotland, because of this I think you may struggle to find sheep to buy for fattening, during the summer months, as most lambs will not have been weaned then, unless you have some farmers who lamb really early, but I would think most of the lambs from them would have been sold as fat lambs in the spring or early summer. From september onwards is the traditional time for store lamb sales, which isn't much help to you if don't want them through winter.
As for breed, as foobar says, go with what is available local to you.
Regards,
Sue