Ewe lambs….kill or keep?

[Jerry]

That age old question I guess….would love a crystal ball!!

Got about 100 Lleyn ewe lambs running dry. Most pedigree and all performance recorded. Mix of home bred and bought in.

They were averaging 40kg 6 weeks ago and been on good clover leys since. Handled a few today and far as butter now.

Not weighed them yet.

Bought in ones have cost an average of £95 a head, original intention was to run dry and sell as shearlings. Though I probably need 30 or 40 myself.

Did much the same last year and sold at £170 in June. With hind sight that was prob a tenner too cheap, maybe more. But decent money.

These could easily be 50kg in Feb if not before. Got the grass for them and no need to give them hard feed. Will need couple jabs of heptavac. Worms counts zero.

Fat trade where it is now and potentially in new year…….what price good shearlings come summer??

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

That age old question I guess….would love a crystal ball!!

Got about 100 Lleyn ewe lambs running dry. Most pedigree and all performance recorded. Mix of home bred and bought in.

They were averaging 40kg 6 weeks ago and been on good clover leys since. Handled a few today and far as butter now.

Not weighed them yet.

Bought in ones have cost an average of £95 a head, original intention was to run dry and sell as shearlings. Though I probably need 30 or 40 myself.

Did much the same last year and sold at £170 in June. With hind sight that was prob a tenner too cheap, maybe more. But decent money.

These could easily be 50kg in Feb if not before. Got the grass for them and no need to give them hard feed. Will need couple jabs of heptavac. Worms counts zero.

Fat trade where it is now and potentially in new year…….what price good shearlings come summer??

Surely you have answered your own question?
Two options are always better than one!!

 

[neilo]

I’m not sure I would be selling them yet, if you think you can get £170 for them in the summer.

They must surely be in danger of a thin out if the trade goes another ten or fifteen quid though? A bird in the hand and all that…

 

[It was already broken.]

The question as always is.... well do you feel lucky?

 

[Estate fencing.]

I depends really if you have the ground for them next summer, if that's got to be paid for anyway it doesn't cost must to get the yearling from April to August and if like last year they where worth £20 head more in august, I know because I killed half of mine for £147 (400 out of 800) because I didn't want a repeat of 2018.

 

[Gedd]

If this lamb trade carries on who knows the price breeding sheep will be come autumn rule of thumb 2 fat lambs to buy a shearling £300 plus ?

 

[Sid]

That age old question I guess….would love a crystal ball!!

Got about 100 Lleyn ewe lambs running dry. Most pedigree and all performance recorded. Mix of home bred and bought in.

They were averaging 40kg 6 weeks ago and been on good clover leys since. Handled a few today and far as butter now.

Not weighed them yet.

Bought in ones have cost an average of £95 a head, original intention was to run dry and sell as shearlings. Though I probably need 30 or 40 myself.

Did much the same last year and sold at £170 in June. With hind sight that was prob a tenner too cheap, maybe more. But decent money.

These could easily be 50kg in Feb if not before. Got the grass for them and no need to give them hard feed. Will need couple jabs of heptavac. Worms counts zero.

Fat trade where it is now and potentially in new year…….what price good shearlings come summer??

2 options
Hold until summer on the chance they could be £170

Or sell them now and put the acreage into spring wheat and sold forward at £200/t.

Risks, sheep price could collapse
Dry spring summer and yields suffer.

How does the extra arable fit in the rotation?

 

[Anymulewilldo]

If this lamb trade carries on who knows the price breeding sheep will be come autumn rule of thumb 2 fat lambs to buy a shearling £300 plus ?

Breeders won’t be dear. We thought they would be this time. Nothing like as dear as expected. Too many people too old/don’t want to lamb sheep

 

[Woolless]

Breeders won’t be dear. We thought they would be this time. Nothing like as dear as expected. Too many people too old/don’t want to lamb sheep

I agree with your comment regarding regarding folk too old/don't want to lamb sheep. But there is a movement towards bringing stock back to arable areas and the current prices might speed that up? How the tractor men will get on lambing ewes is another question of course. In an ideal world they would just be looking for store lambs! Of course, you don't want to hear that

 

[Anymulewilldo]

I agree with your comment regarding regarding folk too old/don't want to lamb sheep. But there is a movement towards bringing stock back to arable areas and the current prices might speed that up? How the tractor men will get on lambing ewes is another question of course. In an ideal world they would just be looking for store lambs! Of course, you don't want to hear that

I really don’t think the arable units will start lambing sheep. Far too much skilled work involved! Electric fencing stores can be bad enough!
Won’t bother me too much, if the plans in the pipeline all happen (which look very likely now) the increase in the breeding flock should reduce my store lamb requirements!

 

[Cecil snear]

That age old question I guess….would love a crystal ball!!

Got about 100 Lleyn ewe lambs running dry. Most pedigree and all performance recorded. Mix of home bred and bought in.

They were averaging 40kg 6 weeks ago and been on good clover leys since. Handled a few today and far as butter now.

Not weighed them yet.

Bought in ones have cost an average of £95 a head, original intention was to run dry and sell as shearlings. Though I probably need 30 or 40 myself.

Did much the same last year and sold at £170 in June. With hind sight that was prob a tenner too cheap, maybe more. But decent money.

These could easily be 50kg in Feb if not before. Got the grass for them and no need to give them hard feed. Will need couple jabs of heptavac. Worms counts zero.

Fat trade where it is now and potentially in new year…….what price good shearlings come summer??

Kill or keep, why didn't you chuck out a couple of charollais rams a month ago for 4 weeks, done properly a extra crop of lambs and shearlings to sell next summer, winner all round

 

[Jerry]

Kill or keep, why didn't you chuck out a couple of charollais rams a month ago for 4 weeks, done properly a extra crop of lambs and shearlings to sell next summer, winner all round

They weren’t big enough to tup to be fair. Anything over 45kg did go see the rams though so plenty of ewe lambs tupped for me.

 

[Guiggs]

Chances are whatever you do you will wish you'd chosen the other option when looking back on it!
Hedge your bets? Kill a percentage you consider less favourable as breeders at this stage, run on the rest and sell as shearlings the ones you don't want as replacements for yourself?

 

[Castle Farm]

Kept all my Lleyn ewe lambs. Grass still available here. Running on till next year as breeders.

 

[Pan mixer]

Keeping all my easycare ewe lambs too, trade was good this year for last years as yearlings.

 

[Al R]

Set a target. Last year I said to myself if they go over £6/kg the empties will be killed except for the Exlana X ewe lambs that I need the numbers of. This year the target will be £7/kg and their gone.

 

[cattleman123]

If high prices carry on the uk flock will be very small in a couple of years...hence higher prices will mean a shortage and higher prices again...unless the bubble pops....sell half keep half

 

[M-J-G]

I agree with your comment regarding regarding folk too old/don't want to lamb sheep. But there is a movement towards bringing stock back to arable areas and the current prices might speed that up? How the tractor men will get on lambing ewes is another question of course. In an ideal world they would just be looking for store lambs! Of course, you don't want to hear that

With cereal prices where they are I can't imagine very many arable farmers venturing into keeping sheep

 

[neilo]

Set a target. Last year I said to myself if they go over £6/kg the empties will be killed except for the Exlana X ewe lambs that I need the numbers of. This year the target will be £7/kg and their gone.

I will be looking very closely at any ewe lambs scanned empty this year, unless the trade drops significantly. Any pure Exlanas have lost their novelty value, and will be at the top of the list tbh.
There’s also an Exlana X in my ‘April’ stores that might get pulled in to go earlier, being the first ‘leccy fence jumper’ I’ve had in years.

 

[Woolless]

With cereal prices where they are I can imagine very many arable farmers venturing into keeping sheep

Can or can't?