[Maesgwyn]

I know this is the wrong time of year but I am looking for 6 lambs to raise for the freezer. My questions are, what age do I buy them in and what age are they taken to slaughter. Also which is the best time of year to start looking, sometime from spring onwards. I am in west Wales

[mart2671]

id look now go local market c if you can find 6 store lambs to fatten cheaper now than in the spring

[twizzel]

We had 6 orphans at the end of March ranging from 12hrs to 3 days and slaughtered them Tuesday bang on 27 weeks after we took them on.

[sokel]

I got my 5 free from a local farmer free of charge they where born the first week in april
when would be the best time to send them off ?

[SallyintNorth]

I got my 5 free from a local farmer free of charge they where born the first week in april
when would be the best time to send them off ?

It depends on breeding and feeding; you want to send them off when they're ready, not at a particular age.

They're ready when they're fit - not fat - when you measure them on the tailbones, the loins and across the shoulders. You should be able to feel the tips of the vertebrae but not easily.  If you can feel knobbly bony bits easily, they're not ready yet.  If you can feel more than the tips of the bony processes, they're not ready yet.  If you have to press really hard to feel any bone at all, they're too fat.

Few lambs will be ready in less than 14 weeks, most will take 5-6 months, some (most hill breeds and primitives) need a winter and second spring under their belts.

HTH.  Do you know what breed yours are?

[sokel]

Thanks Sally
Mine are Blue faced mules 

[Nickie]

If you are interested in primitives (eg Shetlands) then now may be a good time to buy a few of this years lambs. They are reasonably easy to keep through the winter, may need some hay depending on your grass & we give them a few handfuls of course mix, but that's to keep them tame. They should be ready to put in the freezer next spring/summer.

[SallyintNorth]

Thanks Sally
Mine are Blue faced mules

Ah, ok.  Well they won't ever get as fit as 'white lambs' (Texel types), so you're just looking for a reasonable covering of flesh on the bones.  The tailbone is a good indicator - if there's a good covering of flesh on the sides of the tail, chances are a mule is ready or nearly so.