First time selling lambs

Robin2020

Member
Livestock Farmer
So I'm very small scale and have just 16 to sell (mules x charolais). A very spread out lambing so all sorts of weights. Some close to 45kg and others 20+.
Looking to sell at Citencester market. What's acceptable in terms of pen numbers and mix of weights?
Maybe take 4 or 5 over 40kg? Just no idea of what's the done thing. Bit late on this as the trailer was being built!!
I have emailed the market but no response yet....
 

andybk

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Mendips Somerset
Have a word with Bob Clark at kings abbatoir ,(they will prob buy them ) you might meet him in ciren , very knowledgeable chap, you can sell any number try and get as close to 45 as you can untill your more confident , dont know if they still have a grader at ciren , ask a few people to help you grade them otherwise and learn from them .
 

Estate fencing.

Member
Livestock Farmer
They will grade them at Cirencester, they want to look similar size lambs even if the weight isn’t the same. Are they fit or just weigh the right weight? If you are not sure they are fit better off in the stores at Cirencester. Where are you based?
 

Robin2020

Member
Livestock Farmer
They will grade them at Cirencester, they want to look similar size lambs even if the weight isn’t the same. Are they fit or just weigh the right weight? If you are not sure they are fit better off in the stores at Cirencester. Where are you based?
Based in Stroud. They look great and the Shearer was impressed. Lots of singles so they got all the milk. What is the stores?? Sorry...novice here!
 

Estate fencing.

Member
Livestock Farmer
Based in Stroud. They look great and the Shearer was impressed. Lots of singles so they got all the milk. What is the stores?? Sorry...novice here!
They have a store lamb section at Cirencester. Sometimes they make more than the finished lambs because different buyers. Lambs out of mules usually sell better as stores imo. We sell beltex and texel as finish at Cirencester but Suffolk cross mules as stores even if they pretty much finished. I doubt they will respond to an email.
 

wrenbird

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
HR2
Store lambs are not ‘finished’, not ready to kill for meat straight away. People will buy them and keep them on until they are ready to go fat.
If you have lambs that are reasonably similar looking, but perhaps vary in weight, or haven’t yet reached their optimum slaughter weight and finish, it may be easier to sell them store. They should sell well at the moment, many people have surplus grass and will be looking for lambs to run on.
As @serf says, you could load all your lambs up, take them to the store lamb sale at the market and the market staff will help lot them for you.
 
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Robin2020

Member
Livestock Farmer
Thanks for the input guys. I am not desperate to get rid of the lambs so I will keep them until 45kg then. It is useful to know they take any number, but I will try and take 5 at a time. It seems a bit wrong for me to sell as stores when I have grass up to my waist!! In future years when I have a larger flock the stores idea sounds very useful.
 

Robin2020

Member
Livestock Farmer
It is far from ideal (the grass length) but too steep for normal machinery. I would need to invest in compact tractor etc to top it. Cows would help but it is clay and they destroy it... So yes, much of the year they are in very long grass. Footvax seems to help.
 

Estate fencing.

Member
Livestock Farmer
Thanks for the input guys. I am not desperate to get rid of the lambs so I will keep them until 45kg then. It is useful to know they take any number, but I will try and take 5 at a time. It seems a bit wrong for me to sell as stores when I have grass up to my waist!! In future years when I have a larger flock the stores idea sounds very useful.
Grass up to your waste won’t get lambs fat though. They will probably go lame and lean then struggle to get them fat at 45kg. No fat buyer is going to thank you for footvaxing lambs.
 

Robin2020

Member
Livestock Farmer
Sorry - lambs not footvaxed - just ewes. Fair point on the grass and growth rates.... I guess I will need to decide on a cut-off time for selling
 

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