Store lambs

farmers101

was thinking about buying 100 store lambs. What breed, weights price etc is the best to buy? Will it be profitable?
Thanks

Willfarman

It's always gamble. nice tight wool lowland lambs are woth the premium I think. How long can you keep them?

Siamsa Sessions

All depends on your situation - as said above for example, how long can you keep them?

What's your fencing like?
What other enterprises do you have?
How much grass/hay/silage do you have?
Can you keep ram & ewe lambs separate?
Etc.

Going on last Spring's prices, you might get €100-120, based on killout of 21kg-ish and €5.00-5.50 per kg.

So, maybe work back from there to see how much you can pay for a lamb now. To give you some idea, 35-40kg lambs have been making €85+ in New Ross mart the last few Saturdays.

arctictree

I'm starting to run out of grass. What gives a better return, feeding the lightest lambs or the heavier ones?

rangler1

arctictree wrote: »

I'm starting to run out of grass. What gives a better return, feeding the lightest lambs or the heavier ones?

I find that lambs thrive well for the first 4 -6 weeks on meal and after that the thrive slows up a lot so I tend to only feed lambs that are over 38 kgs if I'm feeding them

Username John

rangler1 wrote: »

I find that lambs thrive well for the first 4 -6 weeks on meal and after that the thrive slows up a lot so I tend to only feed lambs that are over 38 kgs if I'm feeding them

What weight would you factory em then Rangler? Around the 43-44kg? I assume with the high level fo feed, they'd kill out close to 50% would they?

rangler1

Username John wrote: »

What weight would you factory em then Rangler? Around the 43-44kg? I assume with the high level fo feed, they'd kill out close to 50% would they?

I'd introduce meal end September, yes the killout would go up 3 or 4 % and get more U grades which is another 10c/kg in our group

Green farmer

rangler1 wrote: »

I'd introduce meal end September, yes the killout would go up 3 or 4 % and get more U grades which is another 10c/kg in our group

Rangler,

I'm just looking in my field, and thinking about ewe lamb replacements. Would you meal any possible candidates to get them up to the weight in time for breeding ? Or are they best off left on grass ?

rangler1

Green farmer wrote: »

Rangler,

I'm just looking in my field, and thinking about ewe lamb replacements. Would you meal any possible candidates to get them up to the weight in time for breeding ? Or are they best off left on grass ?

I put them on ad lib feed with the fattening lambs one year and a lot had doubles, which I didn't want.
However if you're concerned they mightn't make the weight,( They'd need to be 45kg or 40 kg if they're Lleyns) it should be alright to give them a pound/day of a high energy ration, maybe 14% protein and stop feeding a couple weeks before introducing rams.
Some people would use oats in that situation

brownswiss

rangler1 wrote: »

I put them on ad lib feed with the fattening lambs one year and a lot had doubles, which I didn't want.
However if you're concerned they mightn't make the weight,( They'd need to be 45kg or 40 kg if they're Lleyns) it should be alright to give them a pound/day of a high energy ration, maybe 14% protein and stop feeding a couple weeks before introducing rams.
Some people would use oats in that situation

.....

If you are keeping your best ewe lambs as replacements wouldn't you expect them to be 50kg by now ? Have you noticed over the years whether or not the lighter ewe lamb at weaning produces the worst lambs ?

Green farmer

brownswiss wrote: »

.....

If you are keeping your best ewe lambs as replacements wouldn't you expect them to be 50kg by now ? Have you noticed over the years whether or not the lighter ewe lamb at weaning produces the worst lambs ?

This year many lambs haven't thrived as well as normal. A lot of rain on their backs and poor grass growth. The other way of looking at it is, even with abit of meal, the bottom half of lambs will still trail behind the better half when your feeding them together. Just know where to draw the line. I'd only really keep the top half of ewe lambs.
But you are right, that covering up bad genes with meal, is only fooling yourself when selecting breeding stock.

rangler1

brownswiss wrote: »

.....

If you are keeping your best ewe lambs as replacements wouldn't you expect them to be 50kg by now ? Have you noticed over the years whether or not the lighter ewe lamb at weaning produces the worst lambs ?

I've seen big ewes that are rubbish at rearing lambs and small ewes that are great. teagasc maintain that your ewe lambs should be 60% of their mature weight at mating and that's a good target,
We use lleyn so wouldn't have big ewes..70 - 75 kg so once the ewe lambs are 42+ we're happy but they'd usually be more, the av weight was 48kg at mating last year on 1st nov

IH784man

rangler1 wrote: »

I've seen big ewes that are rubbish at rearing lambs and small ewes that are great. teagasc maintain that your ewe lambs should be 60% of their mature weight at mating and that's a good target,
We use lleyn so wouldn't have big ewes..70 - 75 kg so once the ewe lambs are 42+ we're happy but they'd usually be more, the av weight was 48kg at mating last year on 1st nov

There's a Jacob ewe about here bought on a whim for 40 euro,rears 2 near the best lambs in field every year and she has been tipped again,if you went to look at her you would think she was nothing special.

orm0nd

weighed a random sample of the ewe lambs last week , 42 to 62 kgs , only doubles, triplets & quads kept


have a bunch of lighter ones from 30 to 38 kgs , done a swap/deal with a neighbour for third crop ewes , giving me the option of buying them back as hoggetts next year d.v

the man is 81 and not up to lambing ewes any more

MayoAreMagic

Anyone have an idea what hill ram lamb stores are making per kg?

jfh

any one buy store lambs lately, got a field reseeded & want to get a few.
what price 30-35kg , 80 euro? havn't been at a mart in a couple of months

kk.man

Have bought store lambs for last 4 years.

Made a killing last year... The best enterprise in farming last year.
A few rules...
1. Buy them light
2. If anyone pays 75 plus for them don't bother! Fellas paying up to 85 in marts they are mad!
3. Lowland ones are best however don't touch contentials... One they not hardy for the winter.. Their feet are ****e.

Farrell

kk.man wrote: »

Have bought store lambs for last 4 years.

Made a killing last year... The best enterprise in farming last year.
A few rules...
1. Buy them light
2. If anyone pays 75 plus for them don't bother! Fellas paying up to 85 in marts they are mad!
3. Lowland ones are best however don't touch contentials... One they not hardy for the winter.. Their feet are ****e.

When you say contentials is that Charolais/ texel?
When would you buy & when to sell?
Would you give much meal?
Sorry for all the questions, tempted to get some too

Willfarman

No difference in their feet and a massive difference in feed efficiency and kill out percentage.

tomwaterford

kk.man wrote: »

Have bought store lambs for last 4 years.

Made a killing last year... The best enterprise in farming last year.
A few rules...
1. Buy them light
2. If anyone pays 75 plus for them don't bother! Fellas paying up to 85 in marts they are mad!
3. Lowland ones are best however don't touch contentials... One they not hardy for the winter.. Their feet are ****e.

If you don't go near continentals and are lowland....does this not leave you with a very small pick

Surly regular foot bathing is where it's at??


I agree with the rest of your point...and done right is very lucrative

AnFeirmeoir

In Mart yesterday . Store lambs are regularly hitting 85 and more

orm0nd

AnFeirmeoir wrote: »

In Mart yesterday . Store lambs are regularly hitting 85 and more

What weight would you need to get €85 have a few left along with some culls

grass disappearing fast & I don't want to start meal

Willfarman

orm0nd wrote: »

What weight would you need to get €85 have a few left along with some culls

grass disappearing fast & I don't want to start meal

38 40 kgs costing that in my part of world.

Green farmer

kk.man wrote: »

Have bought store lambs for last 4 years.

Made a killing last year... The best enterprise in farming last year.
A few rules...
1. Buy them light
2. If anyone pays 75 plus for them don't bother! Fellas paying up to 85 in marts they are mad!
3. Lowland ones are best however don't touch contentials... One they not hardy for the winter.. Their feet are ****e.

How do you finish them ?

kk.man

My lambs averaged 28kgs... Purchased weight.. My last lot I bought last week was 76 which I count as dear. I've stopped buying now...far too dear.
I leave them out till 1st of February then the rest finish inside. See how ur fancy texels etc take a cold January.. Then come back to me with kill outs etc!
U don't need to buy mountain ones they r plenty of Suffolk crosses around.. They will grade.. Kill out..hardy..and trive
Simple ration that's all..3 way mix

Green farmer

When you say outside, it that on grass or silage fed, and the simple mix of meal, do you grow your own or is it bought in ?

Willfarman

Serious demand for those weights at moment. 30 kg making 75eur when 80 would buy 36kg..and the 30 kg and less are the runts, the joint I'll cases, the pets and hoggets lambs.