Broken mouth ewes

OneMan37

Have broken mouth mayo and Perth type ewes. Not in great condition, but can keep on good grass for a month, or even feed them. Would there be a trade sending them as fats ? Not keen on selling broken ewes that I wouldn’t breed as breeders. What price are such fat ewes making.

sandman30

OneMan37 wrote: »

Have broken mouth mayo and Perth type ewes. Not in great condition, but can keep on good grass for a month, or even feed them. Would there be a trade sending them as fats ? Not keen on selling broken ewes that I wouldn’t breed as breeders. What price are such fat ewes making.

If you can get them fat at 20kg carcase, €2.80 price, worth €56 less levies and transport at slaughter. Of course some won't fatten, so will get boner price.

If they're on poor ground/heather amazing how well most will do, when put onto good ground and given cobalt. Some people get on very well buying and lambing broken mouthed ewes, so wouldn't be against selling them for breeding, so long as the buyer knew what they were buying.

J.O. Farmer

OneMan37 wrote: »

Have broken mouth mayo and Perth type ewes. Not in great condition, but can keep on good grass for a month, or even feed them. Would there be a trade sending them as fats ? Not keen on selling broken ewes that I wouldn’t breed as breeders. What price are such fat ewes making.

Probably best to leave on good grass for a month and maybe a small amount of meal to get some condition on them.

Sell then in the mart as broken mouth but otherwise correct (assuming they are). Let the buyers decide if they want to buy for breeding.

Jd310

I buy ewes out of marts and kill them but I find The horned ewe can throw you sometimes, could be thick fat and 50 odd kilos alive and die at 15-17kg, saying that one factory then in particular is notorious for cutting weights. I’d say your nearly better selling in mart especially if they can breed, any kind of breeder a great trade. Just announce them as they are and let the bidders do what they want

OneMan37

Jd310 wrote: »

I buy ewes out of marts and kill them but I find The horned ewe can throw you sometimes, could be thick fat and 50 odd kilos alive and die at 15-17kg, saying that one factory then in particular is notorious for cutting weights. I’d say your nearly better selling in mart especially if they can breed, any kind of breeder a great trade. Just announce them as they are and let the bidders do what they want

Was actually thinking of putting them to a ram and selling after scanning. Might be even a better idea ?

Jd310

OneMan37 wrote: »

Was actually thinking of putting them to a ram and selling after scanning. Might be even a better idea ?

Wouldn’t think you’ll get on any better, maybe €10 or something more than selling now, springing ewes are the best value for money for a buyer in any mart if your willing to take the chance of not knowing what your getting, but you could sell a batch now and tip a batch and sell

Farmer_3650

Jd310 wrote: »

I buy ewes out of marts and kill them but I find The horned ewe can throw you sometimes, could be thick fat and 50 odd kilos alive and die at 15-17kg, saying that one factory then in particular is notorious for cutting weights. I’d say your nearly better selling in mart especially if they can breed, any kind of breeder a great trade. Just announce them as they are and let the bidders do what they want

That factory wouldn't be athleague by any chance? Never happy with ewes there, have no problem with the lambs though

Jd310

Farmer_3650 wrote: »

That factory wouldn't be athleague by any chance? Never happy with ewes there, have no problem with the lambs though

It is, only thing I find good about them they kill the good bad and ugly for the one price, What I find about Kildare is anything underfleshed gets cut in price. Hard to win.

JJayoo

I sent best cull mountain sheep to athleague, well they were booked to kildare but somehow they ended up at athleague, all thick fat weighing between 62-68kg live.

Sent the second batch to Kildare, lower quality average weight was 49 kg live.

Got same price per sheep from both factories.

Brought 5 to a mart in sligo yesterday, healthy sheep but very thin, issues with sore feet....these made more than the other sheep.

Farmer_3650

JJayoo wrote: »

I sent best cull mountain sheep to athleague, well they were booked to kildare but somehow they ended up at athleague, all thick fat weighing between 62-68kg live.

Sent the second batch to Kildare, lower quality average weight was 49 kg live.

Got same price per sheep from both factories.

Brought 5 to a mart in sligo yesterday, healthy sheep but very thin, issues with sore feet....these made more than the other sheep.

What sort of weight would mountain ewes be killing out at?

JJayoo

Farmer_3650 wrote: »

What sort of weight would mountain ewes be killing out at?

In the second batch I sent there was one very good sheep, thick fat, and she was 68kg live weight and 27kg carcass in Kildare.

In the best batch, that unfortunately went to athleague, equally sized sheep had carcases of 21/22kg.

Our sheep were booked to go kildare, got on the lorry to kiladare, for some reason shipped to athleague, for this reason won't be sending anything to Kildare again.

No issues whatsoever with Kildare chilling but not using the same guy that hauls them up.

Another man buys heavy lambs in ballina, 2.20euro per kg live weight up to 45 kg. If a lamb is over 45kg it's 2.30 per kg. Pays up to 50kg.

So a 50kg fleshed lamb will get you 115euro, weighed in front of you and 5 mins later you have a cheque.

Green farmer

JJayoo wrote: »

In the second batch I sent there was one very good sheep, thick fat, and she was 68kg live weight and 27kg carcass in Kildare.

In the best batch, that unfortunately went to athleague, equally sized sheep had carcases of 21/22kg.

No issues whatsoever with Kildare chilling but not using the same guy that hauls them up.

.

Up to a year ago, when you used to be allowed, I used to always follow the sheep up the factory line, talking to the vet about any fluke issues and stand alongside the person weighting the carcass in kildare. Sort of gave you reassurance that all was above board and you were being paid accordingly. Only used athleague once. They cut me of lambs that killed poorly, so never darkened their door again.

JJayoo

I just don't like selling culls at the mart because on two occassions in the past I have sold sheep one week and seen them back as breeders the next, and they were clearly marked/sold as culls.

I hate the thought of bringing issues to another farm.

OneMan37

I have these ewes in the shed now with 2 rams. They were my weakest ewes, all but 1, I purchased with lambs at foot in June. But they are getting a kilo of meal each day now and got me thinking if I kept them on meal for a month and give them another year they could lamb down and do okay for me.

Broken mouths can still rear a lamb or 2 after all.