[waterbuffalofarmer]

http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/114168429/cade-orphan-lambs.html
http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/114226329/cade-lambs-orphan-lambs-charolais.html
Would be handy to buy them now as they will be very big by the end of next year. For anyone who wants to start a flock.

[Marches Farmer]

Trouble with cade lambs is .... why are they cade?  Ewe dead?  If so, why?  Ewe has no milk?  If so, why?  Have they had a hefty whack of colostrum?  What is the health status of the flock?  Why isn't the shepherd raising them himself?  And so on .....

[waterbuffalofarmer]

usually the shepherd, if he has a lot of sheep, cannot find time to rear them. I have a friend who at one time had a lot of sheep and got a lot of orphaned lambs, i took some off him and when they grew up they produced excellent lambs, had tons of milk and their lambs reached a bigger killing weight. When buying any orphan lambs you have to be careful anyway, I don't personally buy any more, they were just a one off from someone I knew well, who i was helping out. I agree with asking the Q's about them though. Maybe the ewe just produced too many.

[landroverroy]

Well both lots look pretty sound to me.
Obviously with anything you buy in you want to know as much about their history as possible. But neither lot are just born so would have most likely died of watery mouth or would just not look right if they hadn't had enough colostrum.
The first lot in particular look an excellent buy. They're 8 weeks old, so don't need milk, vaccinated, accredited etc. So short of a lifetime guarantee - I don't think you could ask for anymore
(However just might not be ideal for starting a flock as they're all male )

[Penninehillbilly]

Says 8 weeks but then says born 1st Dec?

[twizzel]

£25 each   from experience tame lambs don't make the best mothers so not ideal to breed from... So 25 quid for a meat lamb is expensive once you've added in milk powder creep vaccination wormer flystrike and killed it... Not to mention your time.  a tenner a head is more reasonable.

[crofterswife]

Have to say that any pet lambs we have had made excellent mothers but that may be the breed.

[SallyintNorth]

My neighbour had 6 female pet lambs off us to rear and keep on.  They all made decent breeders and mothers.  Mind, I knew what she wanted them for, so I only gave her ones I thought should be okay for breeding, of course.

[landroverroy]

£25 each from experience tame lambs don't make the best mothers so not ideal to breed from... So 25 quid for a meat lamb is expensive once you've added in milk powder creep vaccination wormer flystrike and killed it... Not to mention your time.  a tenner a head is more reasonable.

Hang on Twizzel - it's December!
These lambs will be ready for slaughter when spring lamb prices are at their highest, ie @ March.
The first lot are all males so will be destined for meat anyway and they're already vaccinated. So no need for vaccines, wormers or flystrike treatment. If you'd bred the lambs yourself you'd have had  the cost of feeding the ewes in the preceding months up to birth, and then feeding them inside after till the lambs were weaned, plus all the hassle of lambing etc.
Still looks pretty good value to me.