Surely not??
£350 was the biggest price for a Mule I've seen quoted - and they were Welshies.
Surely not??
£350 was the biggest price for a Mule I've seen quoted - and they were Welshies.
Some at Bentham made 900 last yearThat's mental.
Wonder what dirt the vendor had on the buyer to make him bid that much
Aren’t they @muleman?That's mental.
Wonder what dirt the vendor had on the buyer to make him bid that much
Just looked at the averages for Cheviot mules. Longtown £141
Bentham £143. Now I’ve heard Hexham had £149 but they are blackie bred not swale bred NoE. Others seem too be around the
£130-135 mark?
Iv been doing running lambs for myself and other people for 12 season and the only year they didn’t pay was 2018 when we had to keep a load. This year is exceptional but most years do fine if they run on hls ground and buy them right and have a reasonable reputation for selling sheep. One estate a shepherd for has 2500 of them, I do the big jobs (but not buying them sadly ) and the tractor drivers check and move them around, they are a better option than having a shepherd and assistant for 2000 ewes with the massive costs and hassle involved in that.I’m not too sure how the running men make it pay tbh apart from years like this obviously.
How much would you say the profit is? Without sub I would have thought they blowIv been doing running lambs for myself and other people for 12 season and the only year they didn’t pay was 2018 when we had to keep a load. This year is exceptional but most years do fine if they run on hls ground and buy them right and have a reasonable reputation for selling sheep. One estate a shepherd for has 2500 of them, I do the big jobs (but not buying them sadly ) and the tractor drivers check and move them around, they are a better option than having a shepherd and assistant for 2000 ewes with the massive costs and hassle involved in that.
Grandad reckoned that a good breeders first pen of 20 in Lazonby were the pens too buy. By then they are onto the twin lambs. Although on bad years we did end up with lots of first and second pens!Old vet many years ago, observations about Ewe Lamb sales….
This was in the time of Half Breds etc before Mules really took off…
His view was the Lambs at the First sales I.e. the Top Lambs….
The whole lot of them are “Singles bred out of Singles”….
His view being that the second sale or perhaps the second pen etc….were more likely to have been reared as a twin from a more prolific Mother.
Maybe not far off the mark.
Off course that was before the day of the universal use of creep feeders…..
I don’t pay rent or get bps on the land. But they cost £15 labour, £6 vet and med, £1 mortality, £5 feed (hay and minerals) and £3 for topping the ground. So cost £30 to keep, there is usually £40/£45 between selling yearlings and buy back the ewe lambs. So not massive profits but a good way to farm poor land and turn stock over.How much would you say the profit is? Without sub I would have thought they blow
Very smart man. Sadly I’m usually buying the pens of lambs that look like they might have been reared as quads or the ewe had a bad bag in the first 24 hours of lambing.Grandad reckoned that a good breeders first pen of 20 in Lazonby were the pens too buy. By then they are onto the twin lambs. Although on bad years we did end up with lots of first and second pens!
All ours had too tup though! we don’t give them time too grow out!Very smart man. Sadly I’m usually buying the pens of lambs that look like they might have been reared as quads or the ewe had a bad bag in the first 24 hours of lambing.
I do buy some good lambs really. But always buy some very cheap (last year £52) lambs to run on to sell late at a sale that don’t have to put your name on, when everyone panics and thinks they have to have some yearlings. 3 years ago I bought some £20 and everyone laughed, I sold them for £110 and the man who bought them was very happy.All ours had too tup though! we don’t give them time too grow out!
Whenever I buy those types they go on number 3. Always get some funny looks… little do they know that number 3’s rarely live past Easter!!!I do buy some good lambs really. But always buy some very cheap (last year £52) lambs to run on to sell late at a sale that don’t have to put your name on, when everyone panics and thinks they have to have some yearlings. 3 years ago I bought some £20 and everyone laughed, I sold them for £110 and the man who bought them was very happy.
You must just be better at running them through the winter. Those small lamb are pretty small and lean in may when I take the jackets off them, so I have no option than to shear, click extra and worm and forget them until this morning.@Electricfencer you're obviously a much nicer person than I am. soon as the spring lift hits every sheep here has too provide valid reasoning why it shouldn’t go on that lorry!
And yes I am a very nice person.@Electricfencer you're obviously a much nicer person than I am. soon as the spring lift hits every sheep here has too provide valid reasoning why it shouldn’t go on that lorry!