[Declan]

I bought two ewes with ram lambs at foot at the end of June - bringing my flock count to 6!!!!!!! When should i get rid of the ram lambs- they are getting quite big and I don't want any carry on with mum.

I also was thinking could i keep one of the ram lambs and sell mum and use him for the 4 ewes that i've got. They are not pure bred ram lambs- one is a texel cross and the other is a charloiss cross ram lamb(wrong spelling)

[Padge]

at 40 - 45 kilos     or before end oct     we made mistake of keeping lambs into winter and they never really made the grade   small carcass etc. This year they will go in next 7/8 weeks. ...............this is of course just our experience and opinion

[Barcud]

You need to wean them off the ewes regardless. Try and get them on to some creep feed so that the don't lose condition, and put the ewes on poor pasture to dry off if you can. Charolais are good, laid back rams so might be worth keeping for this year. Check condition on the ram lambs at the top of the tail, should have some cover, and across the back, shouldn't feel ribby. The market will then decide whether they should be sold as stores or fat lambs. Worth getting the grader at the market to show you how he assesses them.
Mike

[Pony-n-trap]

If the market decides on whether they are stores or fat, what about their tags?  Ours are only tagged with a slaughter tag but feel they might not make the grade for fat.

[Daisys Mum]

As I can't make up my mind what to do with this years lambs I have double tagged them. I have 2 shetland ram lambs and 6 ewe lambs, I think

that we will eat the rams and sell the ewe lambs. Does anyone know what price unregistered shetland lambs are making this year? I have never

sent any to market before so don't have a clue.

[lachlanandmarcus]

theres a sale up here (aberdeenshire) next weekend with some shetlands entered so could tell you after that what they made. Not a lot is the probable answer.

Having just tasted our first 15 month old shetland wether hoggets, I can def recommend the taste. fantastic!

[shetlandpaul]

with all the costs of selling 6 i would do it via private ads. or eat them. funnily there is always a lot of folks who will help you eat them.

[Daisys Mum]

Probably best just to eat them, we always have up till now, I just find that as they are so small I can't get more than £50-£60 per lamb butchered ready for the freezer, so thought that maybe I would get the same net amount at sale.I don't really want to keep them as they are by an unregistered ram whereas all my ewes are registered.
Local farmer has offered to take them to Stirling market, we sent the Ram there in the spring and he made £25. he did look pretty awful though as he had rubbed half his fleece off on the fences, he was also quite unfriendly, I never turned my back on him.
Laclandmarcus I would appreciate it if you could tell me what they make next weekend.

[daddymatty82]

As I can't make up my mind what to do with this years lambs I have double tagged them. I have 2 shetland ram lambs and 6 ewe lambs, I think

that we will eat the rams and sell the ewe lambs. Does anyone know what price unregistered shetland lambs are making this year? I have never

sent any to market before so don't have a clue.

we sent a few shetlands off to market last year i think it was and they went for top doller at £1-£3 a head so either eat or keep on for  stud next season if they are good quality we have 1 we could poss use as tup for next year only due to him being shetland standard but others are just poor and small  and with square horns we just selling to slaughterhouse let them deal with it make some mince for the dogs might be an idea  also

[lachlanandmarcus]

OK heres the outcome of the rare breeds sale at Thainstone, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire last weekend

Sheep -
Ewes and lambs: Herd with twins 44gn; 38gn; Shetland with single 38gn; Jacob with twins 35gn.
Ewe lambs: Zwa - 220gn; 140gn; Rye - 120gn; 110gn; Jac - 110gn; 100gn.
Ewes: Rye - 120gn; Suff - 110gn; Jac - 75gn; Hamp - 75gn; Rye - 70gn; Wen - 70gn.
Gimmer: Wen - 150gn; Rye - 140gn; 130gn; Jac - 130gn; Oxf - 125gn. 
Rams: Zwa - 160gn; Rye - 160gn; Blk - 140gn; Jac - 90gn.

[andywalt]

sorry for my ignorance, can you explain gn ? guinea? is that £1.05p per kilo live weight? or am I not on the same wave lenght?

[lachlanandmarcus]

yep you are right I think, £1.05 and they were sold live in the ring.
Ive paid £35 for in lamb shetland ewes and £25 for shearling castrated boys, both pure but unregistered.

[andywalt]

wow £35 for in lamb ewes, thats very cheap, Ive just paid £75.00 per ewe from a shepard in ashford,

[Daisys Mum]

Thanks Lachlanandmarcus, still have not decided what to do with mine, I would consider keeping some to breed with as they are very nice but they are unregistered.

[Anke]

I sold my lambs (cross ewes and shetland tup) last year as a mix, some went as (just) fat ones, got 51 for them in October and the rest went as light ones on December just before the big snow came for 56. All here at St Boswells. The light ones had a pure shetland in there as well, as he had an ingrowing horn. But all of mine are ringed, so I am usually not in a hurry to sell. (ave weight was about 40kgs for the light bunch of 12)

Will probably do the same this year. I try and keep my pure Shetties until about 18 months and then eat/sell privately.

All mine (will be) fully EID-ed, its just easier.