tips for lambs at mart

eorna

always finish stock and send direct to factory, have a few lambs left from march..since the good prices i decided to sell them in mart. bought stock in Mart before but never sold. 1/2 lambs are about 38kg and the other 1/2 are 32/33kg. Should i keep them in separate pens to get a better price??any other info welcome. also when and how you get paid?thanks

sea12

Yep I would separate them into different groups. although there is the case to be made for a pen of 35kgs as they are good store weights while 32 is light.

I think would separate them into ewe lambs and ram lambs. You should get a few euro a head extra for the ewe lambs.
Again make sure they look well and are dagged and marked nicely. It all makes a difference on how well they look.

In our local mar you get cheque sent out in a day or two.
Best of luck with them

johngalway

Yes separate them. Last lot I had I separated into the tallest and shortest to be honest. Done that as anyone bidding will always always see the smallest fella first, who will I promise you be right out in the front of the pen in full view One lamb can put the kibosh on a pen.

Our lambs are outdoors, so we always put them in the shed the afternoon before the day of the mart. In case it rains that night we will still have dry fluffy bigger looking lambs. It's very very important to have them clean. Saw a lad a few weeks ago too miserable to buy a few bales of straw for lambs he was feeding inside. He bought them dear, fed them, didn't bed them properly and got no where near the price of the his second trip to the mart with them! Tall fat lambs, but dirty, manky sh1t brown colour TBH.

So yep, presentation is important. I have my brand places so as to not give the animal a dip in the back, or make them look smaller in any way.