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Author Topic: Rare breed = expensive  (Read 23182 times)

thenovice

  • Joined Oct 2011
Rare breed = expensive
« on: February 01, 2013, 03:05:29 pm »
It always amazes me the value people put on their animals, and particularly the rare/trendy breeds. Speaking to some breeders lately, and they are still trying to charge what they were asking in the summer, which is ridiculous when you consider the considerable fall in prices lately at the local market ( full mouthed scanned in lamb ewes for £40!), and the lack of dry grazing. Perhaps rare breeds remain rare because people are unrealistic about their worth, and price them way above the working class smallholders budget, love a bit of exclusivity, or there are plenty of people out there with more money than sense, and acres of ride on mower kept pasture. Fair price for fair stock. Rant over  :innocent:

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: Rare breed = expensive
« Reply #1 on: February 01, 2013, 03:22:57 pm »
Not been my experience with my Coloured Ryelands.

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Rare breed = expensive
« Reply #2 on: February 01, 2013, 03:47:27 pm »

Not sure where you're heading with this one.  If you're after a breeding animal then most of the registered, pedigree flocks I know of will be offering, as I do, top quality animals that are the culmination of years of hard culling, rigorous care and regular infusions of often very expensive quality ram bloodlines.  I would never offer for breeding an animal I wouldn't keep myself if I had the room.  Anything else goes to our freezer or to market as lamb or store lambs.  Sometimes a breed just falls from fashion - think of the way the Border Leicester and Suffolk have waxed then waned over the last few decades. Continentals such as the Charollais, Texel, Rouge and Vendeen are presently popular but for how long?  The Southdown was the sire of choice for over a century, fell from fashion, became rare, now I have a waiting list for both ram hire and ewe lambs ....

kanisha

  • Joined Dec 2007
    • Spered Breizh Ouessants
    • Facebook
Re: Rare breed = expensive
« Reply #3 on: February 01, 2013, 04:03:42 pm »
people will pay ridiculous prices for a puggle as they think they are getting something special in reality they are buying an expensive cross breed. I don't think rareity is necessarily the reason
Ravelry Group: - Ouessants & Company

moony

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Dent
Re: Rare breed = expensive
« Reply #4 on: February 01, 2013, 04:38:37 pm »
I think the reason is rare breeds tend to be bred by smallholders. They are under less pressure to sell than a farmer who has to spread his income throughout the year. Therefore they can ask higher prices. Buyers are after something specific with a rare breed, appearance, characteristic etc which again aids the seller.
Rare breeds are rare as they are less economically viable to produce on a large scale.

Yeoman

  • Joined Oct 2010
  • South Northamptonshire
Re: Rare breed = expensive
« Reply #5 on: February 01, 2013, 04:44:59 pm »
If you know of anyone who can afford to produce and sell a good quality, registered ewe who has been tupped by a good quality registerd ram for £40 please let me know!
 
Perhaps we can form an orderly queue at your gate this time next year?

twizzel

  • Joined Apr 2012
Re: Rare breed = expensive
« Reply #6 on: February 01, 2013, 05:19:38 pm »
I think the low price for in-lamb ewes currently is due to schmallenberg, seems to be rife amongst early lambers and nobody wants to take the risk.
 

Pasture Farm

  • Joined Aug 2011
  • East Lincolnshire
  • Trusty Traca
    • Pasture Poultry
    • Facebook
Re: Rare breed = expensive
« Reply #7 on: February 01, 2013, 06:22:38 pm »
I remember something of a 'debate' on this some time ago where i believe my wife posted about the asking price of some pedigree but unregistered Hampshire ewe lambs that actually were not of show quality but commanding top dollar..........the subject being strongly defended by similar keepers on this very forum....i still haven't gotten my head around the issue ::)

Raine

  • Joined May 2011
  • Lincoln
Re: Rare breed = expensive
« Reply #8 on: February 01, 2013, 06:56:52 pm »
 :wave:


The old adage "you get what you pay for" seems to have run straight for me.


We bought cheap, unregistered Balwen Welsh Mountain sheep as our first flock in October.  One went down with fly strike in less than two weeks, one died and one seems to have quite bad feet (and impossible to catch) and now she is in lamb, looks to have quite crooked legs too. None were bucket trained (as claimed by the seller) and I doubt they had been vaccinated or wormed!


We then bought two registered Badger Faced Welsh Mountain.  Not so cheap (but not ridiculous) and not in lamb.  They are bucket trained, eat out of your hand, got all the paperwork and appropriate tags.


I know what I'm going to pay for next time!  :innocent:




thenovice

  • Joined Oct 2011
Re: Rare breed = expensive
« Reply #9 on: February 01, 2013, 07:17:07 pm »
I would imagine the fall in price is partly to do with SBD, the unrealistic high price recently, and the fact that sheep are coming off keep, and if they arnt going indoors they will be destroying the sopping wet pasture. These are real prices, maybe not 1st class registered pedigree ewes, but proven in lamb ewes none the least. These fashionable "rare breeds" are being bought and kept by smallholders yes, but they are willing to pay £150 for a ewe, and thus keep prices artificially high. Supply and demand! For hundreds of years sheep have been kept for their meat and wool, and gave this country a lot of wealth. Now they seem to be kept as pets, and lawnmowers, something lovely to look at and stroke. If that floats your boat fine, but i for one am becoming worried about wasted grazing, the way people are becoming detached from where meat comes from, why the countryside looks and works the way it does,, and the fact that britain cannot feed itself!  :innocent:

SteveHants

  • Joined Aug 2011
Re: Rare breed = expensive
« Reply #10 on: February 01, 2013, 08:37:45 pm »
It never ceases to amaze me what people will pay for animals.


All the market reports are published - so you should know what the ewes are worth as meat, baseline. You then decide how much extra on top you are willing to pay. A 'pedigree' sheep is just as likely to be dead tomorrow than a non-ped one. I tend to go on the breeders reputation and ethos. I only buy off-farm and I get a good look at the stock in the fields and the system they run.


Some of my best ewes bought as two-tooths from a breeder with a solid rep I felt were worth parting with up to £150 each for. I doubt Id pay any more than that.


The world of pedigree stock is high-risk (potentially) high-reward. Your breed will command good money whilst it is in vogue, but when it isn't, it'll be worth less. I also feel that the world of sheep is moving away from merit based on bloodline and moving towards merit based on performance, which is something to bear in mind.

ScotsGirl

  • Joined Dec 2009
  • Wiltshire
Re: Rare breed = expensive
« Reply #11 on: February 01, 2013, 08:48:17 pm »
I have to say I find this discussion quite offensive. Whilst I mainly keep my sheep as a hobby and they are my pets, the aim is to produce quality lamb for the freezer and any good ewe lambs either keep or sell for breeding.  They are a decent type and a lot of time dedication and money has gone into producing them.


You only have to look at the cost of feed and vet bills to know that being offered £40 is an insult.  I'm not talking about primitive types which don't produce much meat but larger breeds which do. Schmallenberg is an issue and would explain low prices but otherwise I would rather slaughter a sheep and sell the meat than let someone have it at that price. A decent ewe is going to give you years of lambs if looked after well and she will pay for herself several times over.




thenovice

  • Joined Oct 2011
Re: Rare breed = expensive
« Reply #12 on: February 01, 2013, 08:58:36 pm »
I feel sorry for the farmers. If the ewes are in lamb you cannot slaughter, and if there is nowhere for them to go, what is the poor bloke going to do? I have no wish to offend anyone, but feel frustrated as i am surrounded by pony paddocks, and have no way to rent more land.

SteveHants

  • Joined Aug 2011
Re: Rare breed = expensive
« Reply #13 on: February 01, 2013, 09:02:17 pm »
I have to say I find this discussion quite offensive. Whilst I mainly keep my sheep as a hobby and they are my pets, the aim is to produce quality lamb for the freezer and any good ewe lambs either keep or sell for breeding.  They are a decent type and a lot of time dedication and money has gone into producing them.


You only have to look at the cost of feed and vet bills to know that being offered £40 is an insult.  I'm not talking about primitive types which don't produce much meat but larger breeds which do. Schmallenberg is an issue and would explain low prices but otherwise I would rather slaughter a sheep and sell the meat than let someone have it at that price. A decent ewe is going to give you years of lambs if looked after well and she will pay for herself several times over.


£40 is what in-lamb ewes are fetching at mart - It's depressing, but thats the way auctions work. The reason is that people are worried about SBD - I imagine ewes with lambs at foot will fetch decent money later on, its just that nobody is going to risk lambing ewes this year if they dont have to.


On the other hand, those that are willing to risk it will be getting ewes/lambs at next to nothing.


I wouldn't buy in-lamb ewes this year myself, but then again, neither will I be selling any.

thenovice

  • Joined Oct 2011
Re: Rare breed = expensive
« Reply #14 on: February 01, 2013, 09:12:46 pm »
Im hoping to pick up a few in lamb ewes :o . Unfortunately this may be an opportunity for me to build a small flock. It may be a risk i know  :fc:

 

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