Author Topic: Who to keep, who to sell......? (Read 2620 times)

Jukes Mum · « **on:** August 21, 2017, 11:25:31 am »

I'm hoping you guys may be able to help me with my ponderings.
This year we have ended up with more boy lambs than we can fit in our freezer. As such we could do with moving some on. We usually home kill as we want our animals to have a happy life and don't like the thought of the end of their lives being a stressful trip in a trailer (I know, we are soft!). We have to move some on now though but I'm not sure how to go about it.
The last couple of years, a lovely guy has bought our girls from us, but last year, we had a complete nightmare with the registration so I'm rather embarrassed to contact him again!
We only had one ryeland ewe lamb (not eligible to register) this year. Should we keep her, or move her on. Initially we were hoping to eventually have only regitered ryelands, but keep keeping non registered ones.
For the boys, we can probably eat 2, but what to do with the other 2 ryeland wethers? I think ideally, I'd like to sell them privately and what happens to them after that, I will not think about.
We had a cracking coloured ryeland tup lamb this year and have kept him intact. Should we sell him on as a tup, or keep him, and sell his mum and dad (he's not related to any of the others).
We also ended up with a random mule x ewe lamb this year. She is pretty much ready to go now, but not sure how to go about moving her on. Perhaps we could just give her back to the farmer we go her from (we used her on one of our ewes who lambed prematurely and lost the lamb).
Another option could be to not breed this season, keep everything and munch our way through the lambs over the next year or so and breed again the following year.

I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #1 on:** August 21, 2017, 01:46:12 pm »

I'd advertise boxed lamb and see if you can send them all off at once, selling the surplus you don't want for your own freezer in boxes direct. Simple, if you can get enough takers. And I'd eat the unregistered female or you're exacerbating the problem for future years.

This tactic would also answer the question about subsequent years. If boxed lamb sells, then you can over-produce and deal with the surplus. Otherwise, don't breed more than you need for replacements plus the freezer, which might mean not breeding some years.

Presumeably the tup lamb's dad is also not related to any other of your sheep, and is also not related to the lamb's mum.

And clearly produces good progeny. So I'd keep him, not his son, and eat or sell the son. Sheep that look good don't always breed well, and vice versa, and the dad is already proven.

I would think the farmer you got the spare lamb from would be very happy to have her back. Or might take her to the Mart with his lambs and give you the dosh, less a consideration for his time and inconvenience. Otherwise private sale (she sounds like a decent commercial type?) or boxed?

Jukes Mum · « **Reply #2 on:** August 21, 2017, 01:57:40 pm »

Thank Sally. Good in theory, but as we home kill, we cannot sell the meat.
I think you are right about moving the son on and keeping the dad. He's a cracker and a nice boy too. I'll have to get a piccie of him and pop him on the marketplace here.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #3 on:** August 21, 2017, 02:14:14 pm »

Ah, yes that makes a difference. You could still enquire about sending lambs through the abattoir and butcher to sell them boxed, but I appreciate it makes it a much bigger thing to organise.

Foobar · « **Reply #4 on:** August 21, 2017, 04:34:10 pm »

Which is worse - selling them privately to who knows who, who'll do who's knows what to them, or taking them to market, or taking them to an abattoir yourself? Either way they are going in a trailer aren't they? (unless you are selling to your next door neighbour!) Boxed lamb via the abattior is the way to go IMHO.

crobertson · « **Reply #5 on:** August 21, 2017, 06:00:45 pm »

I've sold a couple of my lambs this year through preloved, we dropped them off and what a fab, spoilt home they have gone to !

Buttermilk · « **Reply #6 on:** August 21, 2017, 07:30:38 pm »

I have sold several sheep through Selby store market this year. The ram lambs went to a petting farm near Wakefield and are living the life of riley from all accounts.

Deere · « **Reply #7 on:** September 06, 2017, 08:31:59 am »

Hi Jukes mum,

Id just like to say I have no problems here with the minor issues with registering the lambs last year, water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned!

If you would like to sell any surplus sheep, drop me a message on here or on the text and we can discuss price etc.
I am coming up to the rare breed and native sale in October so if your able to hold on to them until then, I can sort the transport in one trip.

All the best,

Tim

Jukes Mum · « **Reply #8 on:** September 06, 2017, 10:25:26 am »

Quote from: Deere on September 06, 2017, 08:31:59 am

Hi Jukes mum,

Id just like to say I have no problems here with the minor issues with registering the lambs last year, water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned!

If you would like to sell any surplus sheep, drop me a message on here or on the text and we can discuss price etc.
I am coming up to the rare breed and native sale in October so if your able to hold on to them until then, I can sort the transport in one trip.

All the best,

Tim

PM'd you