spin cycle
Member
- Location
- north norfolk
but if op is buying stores in sept....wanting to finish asap as 'security of tenure' means he's not confident of having ground to graze on
Finishing Sheep "Inside"
- Thread starter unlacedgecko
- Start date
but if op is buying stores in sept....wanting to finish asap as 'security of tenure' means he's not confident of having ground to graze on
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
only op can adjudicate this
Aye, IMO it's cast/cull ewes to be finished in this system
spin cycle
Member
- Location
- north norfolk
gone up the hill
Member
- Location
- Devon
Would work but he needs to buy them right and last Sept/ Oct there was only a tenner between most store and finished lambs so it would be a non starter.
Shepherd12
Member
- Location
- Shropshire
Don’t suppose anybody has ever heard of poly tunnels being kitted out with slats in some way?
Woolless
Member
- Location
- Berwickshire, Scottish Borders
What's your thoughts on ideal timing and weights for selling store lambs?
Sheep135
Member
There's a far better chance of making a margin out of cull ewes then there is out of store lambs.
- Location
- Fife
I don't have access to large areas of free draining land.
I don't produce any lambs so nothing to sell store.
I'd seek to mitigate the volatility of the lamb price by forward selling the finished lambs.
irish dom
Member
Why not just put up an ordinary shed. Surely the price difference is feck all once you start building walls putting in slats and putting down concrete. Priced new polytunnel lately and I would sooner spend a few quid extra and have the shed for calves fodder etc. Everyone I know who has one has told me to get finance and stick up a shed. At least it won't blow away and you can clean it out without worrying about the cover. Just a thought but I was shocked how similar they were in price with a simple steel building.
Wish I had a shed full of fat culls at the minute. They are flying here!
- Location
- Fife
no says 'sheep'....also he's 'currently' finishing ewes outdoors on 3 in 1....do keep up
no says 'sheep'....also he's 'currently' finishing ewes outdoors on 3 in 1....do keep up
only op can adjudicate this
I'm not fussy, I'll finishing anything with a margin.
- Location
- Fife
A poly tunnel doesn't require planning as it's a temp structure. Also it could be removed should I move. I'd look to buy a small parcel of land to do this on.
I'm hoping 18" wood chip would suffice for bedding and keep the feet in good order.
I know of a bloke that finishes big numbers of pellet fed lambs ...will have to do a taste test i think.
I was just answering a question whether it could be done. Suppose all depends on how good a finished product you get. Ranger put up a fine one a few years back. he got a write up in the FJ at the time. I’m the same side of the pond as yourself. Cashed in a trailer of lambs a week ago. Not everyday we see good prices.
Greythundercloudys
Member
Iv fattened hundreds of lambs inside, true feet is the biggest problem, we ran them threw foot bath every fortnight, l think 100 lamb will eat a ton a week, we bought lambs and fattened our tallenders, we put them in staggered . Did it for years but always had to have them away for ewes lambing in March, some years made nothing other you wished you had bought more in the Autumn. It's a gamble. I know of a guy who has an wet upland place, lambs in April, all beltex lambs, he runs them on till Christmas then put them inside, he never sells a lamb that hasn't been inside, he has done it for years , alway get 100+; for them.
irish dom
Member
Seen that one of rangers. Tidy job but it's the wind pulling it apart in a storm that would worry me so it would have to be seriously cheaper for me anyway. Isn't it great to have the feckers looking for them. It's a long time the other way. Would give you a bit of a lift in this shitty extended winter. Dunno where grass is gonna come from. As cold a night as I have ever been out. Thank God no lambs for 10 days yet. Looking like a tough one
Always finish all my lambs here. End up carrying a certain percentage over the winter and finished outside on nuts. I’m ok with this as the only cost I have is the meal bill for them and I put a notational value on them what I would have for if I sold as stores. Many years it’s hard to make anything on them. Don’t really know how lads would make a profit unless they had grown their own meal. You’d also need a fine ball of cash to buy in a sizable amount of stores in the first place to get the scale needed to make money on them.
spin cycle
Member
- Location
- north norfolk
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Poly tunnels would be blown flat here.
Sheds are the way forward. After this winter absolutely no doubt about it.
Compared to the price of a pissmire of a paddock they are cheap as chips.
Trying to fatten animals outdoors in this weather is like sitting on your front lawn in front of an electric fire. Similar amount of energy wasted.
It's a no brainer. Get the bedding right and incorporate a foot bath and race and I can't see how it's any worse than them paddling in slurry.
Sheds are the way forward. After this winter absolutely no doubt about it.
Compared to the price of a pissmire of a paddock they are cheap as chips.
Trying to fatten animals outdoors in this weather is like sitting on your front lawn in front of an electric fire. Similar amount of energy wasted.
It's a no brainer. Get the bedding right and incorporate a foot bath and race and I can't see how it's any worse than them paddling in slurry.
Same as yourself, not lambing till 1st April. All we need is for a few days of mild weather to get the grass growing. Not looking great at the moment though.