RAM LAMB

Tomjim

I want to buy a ram lamb - I only have 30 ewes so something cheap and cheerful- don't necessary want a pure bred - preference is for a charolais ram

where could I buy one, hopefully for 150 / 200 euro, what marts could I go to.

I would be near Ballinasloe/Tullamore/ Roscommon

390kid

Tomjim wrote: »

I want to buy a ram lamb - I only have 30 ewes so something cheap and cheerful- don't necessary want a pure bred - preference is for a charolais ram

where could I buy one, hopefully for 150 / 200 euro, what marts could I go to.

I would be near Ballinasloe/Tullamore/ Roscommon

I'm sure you'd pick up a good ram lamb around roscommon mart or any of them. Think roscommons on a Wednesday so may not suit if your working

Themsn243

Tomjim wrote: »

I want to buy a ram lamb - I only have 30 ewes so something cheap and cheerful- don't necessary want a pure bred - preference is for a charolais ram

where could I buy one, hopefully for 150 / 200 euro, what marts could I go to.

I would be near Ballinasloe/Tullamore/ Roscommon

Hi you coud try done deal ot your local mart ram over 6 mounts would be great talk soon

J.O. Farmer

If you try any of the marts and you might see a suitable lamb in a pen destined for killing.
Now you won't want to buy a wholepen for one lamb however. Watch who buys the pen and approach them after and they will probably take €20 profit and you'll have your ram at well under €150.
Depending on what you think of him later in the year you can fatten him after he's tipped the ewes and factory him, You can sell him as a hogget next year or you can keep him on again.

Sami23

Similar situation here myself. Need to buy a ram this year for 30 ewes.
Would a Ram lamb be suitable for these numbers and what should I roughly expect to pay. Don't need anything fancy and would like to get a Charolais ?
TIA

Lambman

Buy an old charrlois ram for €100 least he will be proven and you'll have the money near back on him for killing the following year... buying 1 unproven ram lamb till tip 30 ewes is a big risk IMO

Sami23

Lambman wrote: »

Buy an old charrlois ram for €100 least he will be proven and you'll have the money near back on him for killing the following year... buying 1 unproven ram lamb till tip 30 ewes is a big risk IMO

Thanks for that advice. Wonder wud it b hard to come on one of those thou ?

Sheepman2

Where abouts are you

Sami23

Sheepman2 wrote: »

Where abouts are you

Galway

Sheep breeder

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

If you try any of the marts and you might see a suitable lamb in a pen destined for killing.
Now you won't want to buy a wholepen for one lamb however. Watch who buys the pen and approach them after and they will probably take €20 profit and you'll have your ram at well under €150.
Depending on what you think of him later in the year you can fatten him after he's tipped the ewes and factory him, You can sell him as a hogget next year or you can keep him on again.

Good way to buy a bit of quality and produce fast growing U grade lambs that will kill out top end and show us fools who buy good rams what we are doing wrong, always was thought that the ram is half the flock.

J.O. Farmer

Sheep breeder wrote: »

Good way to buy a bit of quality and produce fast growing U grade lambs that will kill out top end and show us fools who buy good rams what we are doing wrong, always was thought that the ram is half the flock.

OP asked about how to getting a ram lamb without paying a fortune. Can you recommend a breeder selling the sort of ram you'd use for a bit more than profit on a factory lamb.

I'd recommend in that situation looking for a good U grade lamb that looks pretty well bred but it depends on what your looking for. I've seen good rams come that way and some that wouldn't be kept. It's a good option with a small flock to reduce the risk with single sire mating.

Look at done deal and the number of crossbred rams for sale advertised as sufftex or chartex or something.

DJ98

What weight would a ram lamb want to be to be suitable for breeding?

wrangler

DJ98 wrote: »

What weight would a ram lamb want to be to be suitable for breeding?

60kg+, six mths old.

Can't understand why people only want a cheap ram for 30 ewes, most flocks will let out one ram per forty ewes yet you don't see everyone buying factory lambs to serve ewes.
You can get great looking ram lambs out of mule ewes, yet if you use one to serve your ewes the progeny will be more like his mothers side.....maybe going back to hill sheep.
There's a good chance that the ewe he's serving will have a maternal breed in her breeding too....could be some job to fatten the final progeny.
I had a neighbours black suffolk look alike break out to my ewes years ago, there was no black in his lambs and they grew up like the rams mother, a big Galway ewe.
Some job to finish those

Lambman

I agree people saying they only have a few sheep 20-40 etc when the reality is most farmers regardless off stock size have 1 ram till every 40-50 ewes...I'm a firm believer a rams half your flock and if I like a ram I'm not feard till dip the hand in the pocket.

grassroot1

Thank god for the last 2 posts A good quality ram will work for a minimum of 4 years. If he serves 40 ewes and produces 60 lambs a year that is 240 lambs.
480 to 500 euro would cost you 2 euro a lamb.
500 euro would buy a very good ram at the sheep Ireland sale.

White Clover

I only have a small flock here. I gave 600 last september for an 18 month old pb charollaois ram. He's a Miller and left smashing lambs after him. Best money ever spent. I'll be buying a ram lamb to join him this year, the criteria is quality, price is secondary.
Edit to say that I expect to only have 2 lambs out of 48 left by Sept 1st. Flock is 50% Ewes and 50% ewe lambs that lambed this year. Ewes started lambing on march 4th and ewe lambs march 21st.

wrangler

Some prices from todays Texel sale

Lot 226-€15,000 Owned by Neville Myles, Co.Donegal.
Lot 185 - €9200 Owned by Ronan Gallagher, Co.Sligo.
Lot 177-€6200 Owned by Daire & Enda Mcmanamon, Co.Mayo.
Lot 132 -€5000 Owned by Liam Dillon , Co.Wexford.
Lot 26 - €4000 Owned by Liam Dillon.
Lot 187 -€3700 Owned by Ronan Gallagher, Co.Sligo.
Lot 133-€2700 Owned by Liam Dillon.
Lot 178-€2600 Owned by Daire & Enda Mc manamon.
Lot 235-€2500 Owned by Patrick Joyce, Co Galway.
Lot 204-€2400 Owned by Liam Murtagh& Josephine Quinn, Co.Galwa

Ard_MC

wrangler wrote: »

Some prices from todays Texel sale

Lot 226-€15,000 Owned by Neville Myles, Co.Donegal.
Lot 185 - €9200 Owned by Ronan Gallagher, Co.Sligo.
Lot 177-€6200 Owned by Daire & Enda Mcmanamon, Co.Mayo.
Lot 132 -€5000 Owned by Liam Dillon , Co.Wexford.
Lot 26 - €4000 Owned by Liam Dillon.
Lot 187 -€3700 Owned by Ronan Gallagher, Co.Sligo.
Lot 133-€2700 Owned by Liam Dillon.
Lot 178-€2600 Owned by Daire & Enda Mc manamon.
Lot 235-€2500 Owned by Patrick Joyce, Co Galway.
Lot 204-€2400 Owned by Liam Murtagh& Josephine Quinn, Co.Galwa

Serious prices.. were you at the sale?

charolais0153

Ard_MC wrote: »

Serious prices.. were you at the sale?

Where was it. Fair few lots also. Dillon had a fair cheque going home

Ard_MC

charolais0153 wrote: »

Where was it. Fair few lots also. Dillon had a fair cheque going home

Yeah seemed great prices on facebook.

grassroot1

Serious prices for breeders rams there right enough. What was the average and clearance rate?
Dont think you would see those high prices at other premier sales

charolais0153

grassroot1 wrote: »

Serious prices for breeders rams there right enough. What was the average and clearance rate?
Dont think you would see those high prices at other premier sales

4k was max at suffolk. 3k was max at charollais

wrangler

Ard_MC wrote: »

Serious prices.. were you at the sale?

No, list just came in on facebook

razor8

Seems like a huge increase on other years. Anyone checked averages for last couple of years?

charolais0153

grassroot1 wrote: »

Serious prices for breeders rams there right enough. What was the average and clearance rate?
Dont think you would see those high prices at other premier sales

1341 avg price. 70%clearance

grassroot1

That is an unreal average if that's the case not doubting you mind
Not certain the charollais would not have been that high

J.O. Farmer

grassroot1 wrote: »

That is an unreal average if that's the case not doubting you mind
Not certain the charollais would not have been that high

The top 2 ram lambs making 15,000 and 9,500 guineas between them is going to seriously skew the average though.

Another 20 lambs at factory prices for example would leave a similar average with those 2 prices. In cases like this the median price should be reported which is the price half the lambs were above and half below.

Lano Lynn

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

The top 2 ram lambs making 15,000 and 9,500 guineas between them is going to seriously skew the average though.

Another 20 lambs at factory prices for example would leave a similar average with those 2 prices. In cases like this the median price should be reported which is the price half the lambs were above and half below.

saw a catalog after the sale there were plenty not sold and good lambs sold at 5-600. the report does not reflect reality i don't think there was a great commercial demand have seen this many times over the years.


strip out the top ten prices and it would read very different.