finishing lambs

jap gt

hi lads i have a small holding and im after buying 3 lambs ranging from 30-40 kilos, just wondering what ye find best for finishing them, i have plenty grass, iv heard barley for the last month but interested to in seeing what ye give

snowman707

grass alone should be fine especially if the weather picks up,

Username John

snowman707 wrote: »

grass alone should be fine especially if the weather picks up,

Just on this topic - whats the expected weight gain per week before and after weaning? Actually, no, let me ask it in a better, simplier way - how long on a grass diet should it take for a lamb to reach 45kgs?

(I know this info is readily avaialbel in the Farmers Journal, but would be interested in hearing peoples opinions)

Thanks.

Dunedin

jap gt wrote: »

hi lads i have a small holding and im after buying 3 lambs ranging from 30-40 kilos, just wondering what ye find best for finishing them, i have plenty grass, iv heard barley for the last month but interested to in seeing what ye give

not meaning to sound pedantic, but it's maybe for the next time but there is a huge difference in a lamb 30 kgs and 40kgs in terms of time finishing.

when you were only buying 3 lambs you should have bought them at the same weight -- it doesn't matter in bigger numbers 'cos you can sell in batches according to them being fit.

If the weather stays fine and you have good grass, you should finish them no bother. But remember that sheep don't really like grass to be too strong - actually a greater run with less grass is much preferrable to sheep than a small run with a lot of grass.

lastly if the weather does turn nasty, then it is important to dose for fluke as sheep suffer from fluke more than most animals.

jap gt

i wanted them that way, 2 are 40ish and will be killed together the smaller one will be pushed on for a bit longer, didnt want to kill them all together as wouldn't have storage,

i have worked with sheep a bit mostly pigs but i do know what type of grass the prefer etc, i was just wondring what more experienced people finish on

Dunedin

might be a bit hard to keep one lad fenced in on his own once his two buddies are in the freezer........

sea12

Hi

As mentioned already grass alone will finish off the lambs no problem. If you havnt sheep on the land before they will thrive better as they will be no worm build up in the grass.

There isnt much in a lamb so make sure they are big enough when you are killing them. The butcher will still charge you the same amount.
I would kill mine around the 50 kg mark.

Also are they ewe lambs or ram lambs, because if there ram lambs dont let them get too strong.

jap gt

Dunedin wrote: »

might be a bit hard to keep one lad fenced in on his own once his two buddies are in the freezer........

two will go in the freezer, i will the replace one, the plan is to keep two sheep all the time and keep replacing the fattest..

sea12 they are all rams

Dunedin

jap gt wrote: »

two will go in the freezer, i will the replace one, the plan is to keep two sheep all the time and keep replacing the fattest..



after you kill the first two, ask the butcher was there any fluke in the liver. that will tell you whether you need to dose the other ones.

50 -55kg is about right for killing lambs.

you cannot bate having your own lamb in the freezer...........