Fattening Hoggets.

richie123

Any comments on fattening Hoggets over the winter period ? Does it pay.
I'm thinking on grass till 40 kgs then finish out of shed 48/50 kg.also would shearing help growth rates upon housing? Thoughts please and thanks.

orm0nd

Paid well last couple of years. Yes shearing helps thrive especially if housing.

richie123

orm0nd wrote: »

Paid well last couple of years. Yes shearing helps thrive especially if housing.

Any idea how much a month to allow for meal..
And how long to go from 40 to 50 kilos ?

kk.man

richie123 wrote: »

Any idea how much a month to allow for meal..
And how long to go from 40 to 50 kilos ?

I would allow for all costs without getting into the nitty gritty at 30e per head if finished inside.

Remember this, no two years in sheep are the same. Supply lines won't be as tight this year IMO.

Dinzee Conlee

kk.man wrote: »

I would allow for all costs without getting into the nitty gritty at 30e per head if finished inside.

Remember this, no two years in sheep are the same. Supply lines won't be as tight this year IMO.

What’s your feeling on breeding hog this year KK?
I think if factory hog prices stay high for a few weeks, it might be good for breeding prices later in the year...

Albert Johnson

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

What’s your feeling on breeding hog this year KK?
I think if factory hog prices stay high for a few weeks, it might be good for breeding prices later in the year...

It think it was 2018 that saw strong prices for fat hogget's in spring and early summer. I thought that some of the poorer breeding stock would be slaughtered due to the good factory trade and that breeding hogget's would be scarce in the back end.

If anything there seemed to be more hogget's about in the autumn than other years and the price collapsed as the season went on. The general run of average breeding hogget's seemed to be €100-140 with only exceptional lots crossing €150 a piece. The bottom third were a very poor trade and I saw small hogget's sold for killing back as far as €70, they would have nearly made it as lambs the previous autumn. As KK man said above no 2 year's are the same but it's important to remember some of histories lesson's.

richie123

kk.man wrote: »

I would allow for all costs without getting into the nitty gritty at 30e per head if finished inside.

Remember this, no two years in sheep are the same. Supply lines won't be as tight this year IMO.

Hmm 30 euro costs it's a little bit tight ..when the margin is practically 30 euro to begin with

kk.man

Albert Johnson wrote: »

It think it was 2018 that saw strong prices for fat hogget's in spring and early summer. I thought that some of the poorer breeding stock would be slaughtered due to the good factory trade and that breeding hogget's would be scarce in the back end.

If anything there seemed to be more hogget's about in the autumn than other years and the price collapsed as the season went on. The general run of average breeding hogget's seemed to be €100-140 with only exceptional lots crossing €150 a piece. The bottom third were a very poor trade and I saw small hogget's sold for killing back as far as €70, they would have nearly made it as lambs the previous autumn. As KK man said above no 2 year's are the same but it's important to remember some of histories lesson's.

Very true.. I sold lovely black suffock at a show for 150e. They would have made 170 last year easy. A dealer bought them and thought he had a bargain... He had them for several weeks after and dout he had a margin.

kk.man

richie123 wrote: »

Hmm 30 euro costs it's a little bit tight ..when the margin is practically 30 euro to begin with

Add lib feeding of meal... Forage and straw?... That's the inside game.

Outside is very different.

kk.man

kk.man wrote: »

Add lib feeding of meal... Forage and straw?... That's the inside game.

Outside is very different.

Fellas are buying hill lambs at sub 70e..with the intensive finish putting 30 é into them that's meds included. This year finished hoggets easily reached 130e plus.

Outside i often bought more forward lowland lambs and had a good run of grass costs would be 10 to 15 é paying 80 é for them. But fats peaking at 120e in a normal year. Same profit less expense.

They are many variables
Weather
Grass
Meal fed
Hassle
Fencing
Grass for cattle at turnout

There are no right size fits all.

Kevhog1988

What time of year would the lads be selling lambs off the mountain?. I presume they are only starting to lamb now?.

richie123

kk.man wrote: »

Fellas are buying hill lambs at sub 70e..with the intensive finish putting 30 é into them that's meds included. This year finished hoggets easily reached 130e plus.

Outside i often bought more forward lowland lambs and had a good run of grass costs would be 10 to 15 é paying 80 é for them. But fats peaking at 120e in a normal year. Same profit less expense.

They are many variables
Weather
Grass
Meal fed
Hassle
Fencing
Grass for cattle at turnout

There are no right size fits all.

I hope he diddnt sell around the time MacDonald's closed true in my case all big cattle gone by September and I'm not pushed for grass in the spring save it all for Hoggets.
When the weather took bad in early February this year I was under pressure..and wondered should I have put a few in the shed to finish..take pressure off grass while conditions were atrocious.

kk.man

richie123 wrote: »

I hope he diddnt sell around the time MacDonald's closed true in my case all big cattle gone by September and I'm not pushed for grass in the spring save it all for Hoggets.
When the weather took bad in early February this year I was under pressure..and wondered should I have put a few in the shed to finish..take pressure off grass while conditions were atrocious.

I had some in the shed and the took ages to finish. I introduced a creep feeder.. I should have done it from the start.

Ad lib is the only way to go in the shed... I did twice a day

wrangler

kk.man wrote: »

I had some in the shed and the took ages to finish. I introduced a creep feeder.. I should have done it from the start.

Ad lib is the only way to go in the shed... I did twice a day

Get them used to the creep feeder before you put them in,
All changes in feeding have to be gradual.

Ard_MC

theemigrant wrote: »

What time of year would the lads be selling lambs off the mountain?. I presume they are only starting to lamb now?.

Late August and throughout September be the busiest time in NW for sales.

richie123

kk.man wrote: »

I had some in the shed and the took ages to finish. I introduced a creep feeder.. I should have done it from the start.

Ad lib is the only way to go in the shed... I did twice a day

Have u any idea wat weights u had going into shed and then final kill out?
And roughly what meal fed per head.

wrangler

richie123 wrote: »

Have u any idea wat weights u had going into shed and then final kill out?
And roughly what meal fed per head.

There's a huge variation in lambs, a good growthy lamb eating a kilo/day will put on 2kg/week , a butty one mightn't put on half that, thrive reduces a lot after six weeks adlib.
I've seen lambs go from 44% ko off grass to 50%+ ko after 6wks adlib so they'd be nearly putting on a kilo DW for every kilo live weight

Kevhog1988

Say buying horny lambs in off a mountain, what sort of dosing would ye give them on arrival day?. Also squeeze them or leave them entire?

downtown3858

I wouldn’t squeeze them. Dose them 1m ivomec super per 50kg live weight. Few weeks later mineral drench. Clip any lame sheep and 5ml tylan. Ya won’t no them in a month