Making money in sheep farming

[Unknown12]

I am a young sheep farmer with a small flock of mules and Charolais but I’m wanting to know which aspect of sheep farming i should get into which would be the most profitable eg pedigree , prime stock , breeding sheep ext. thank you

 

[unlacedgecko]

I am a young sheep farmer with a small flock of mules and Charolais but I’m wanting to know which aspect of sheep farming i should get into which would be the most profitable eg pedigree , prime stock , breeding sheep ext. thank you

Depends what resources are available to you.

Selling performance recorded maternal sires will seems pretty lucrative and the potential to become more so in a post sub environment.

Personally, I'll be aiming to produce as many 18+kg R3L carcasses as possible as cheaply as possible.

 

[Unknown12]

Depends what resources are available to you.

Selling performance recorded maternal sires will seems pretty lucrative and the potential to become more so in a post sub environment.

Personally, I'll be aiming to produce as many 18+kg R3L carcasses as possible as cheaply as possible.

i have grass haylage avalible to me and cake if needed I was wondering if there was any particular breeds anyone could recommend or like buying ewes with lambs at foot every year and selling them before winter or if it’s more profitable to breed and sell fat lambs.

 

[DanM]

i have grass haylage avalible to me and cake if needed I was wondering if there was any particular breeds anyone could recommend or like buying ewes with lambs at foot every year and selling them before winter or if it’s more profitable to breed and sell fat lambs.

buying ewes with lambs at foot is probably 9/10 the least profitable way in sheep farming. If your wanting to trade/deal your way with flying flock would suggest buying inlamb ewes Is way to go; gives you options in autumn then.

 

[Highland Mule]

i have grass haylage avalible to me and cake if needed I was wondering if there was any particular breeds anyone could recommend or like buying ewes with lambs at foot every year and selling them before winter or if it’s more profitable to breed and sell fat lambs.

Buying ewes with lambs at foot (aka couples) is the most expensive way to add numbers, so can’t be advised.

 

[Unknown12]

buying ewes with lambs at foot is probably 9/10 the least profitable way in sheep farming. If your wanting to trade/deal your way with flying flock would suggest buying inlamb ewes Is way to go; gives you options in autumn then.

Thank you I’m looking for somone to point me in a good direction in sheep farming as I’m trying to get on my feet and open to suggestions

 

[Unknown12]

Buying ewes with lambs at foot (aka couples) is the most expensive way to add numbers, so can’t be advised.

won’t be doing that then , thank you

 

[spin cycle]

better to buy ewes in late summer...lamb them...sell ewes+lambs at foot....cast ewes...store lambs.....fat lambs.....yr round flexible cash flow ...dip in/out of mart if it moves

 

[Unknown12]

better to buy ewes in late summer...lamb them...sell ewes+lambs at foot....cast ewes...store lambs.....fat lambs.....yr round flexible cash flow ...dip in/out of mart if it moves

thank you this year I bought some mule hoggs to sell with lambs at foot but I think I’m gonna keep some to sell as shearlings and fat the lambs to see what my options are

 

[Al R]

Sheep breed change for outdoor lambing

Hi, Currently running around 450 mules and texel/mule ewes which I mostly put to beltex and Charollais/beltex rams in Northern Ireland. All lamb indoors in March. Thinking of trying a different breed to lamb outside in April and was wondering what I should try. Currently thinking of Romney or...

thefarmingforum.co.uk

Read this thread or most of it. A lot of us posting on it are running a lot of sheep on forage only diets etc.

 

[tr250]

I know someone that buys ewes and lambs cheaper the better and sells all fat but you’ve got to be pretty ruthless and not too worried what your sheep look like it wouldn’t be for me. The biggest opening in the next few years in my opinion is commercial rams people are getting fed up of pedegree breeders breeding the wrong traits and filling them with feed so they are unfit for purpose

 

[Unknown12]

I know someone that buys ewes and lambs cheaper the better and sells all fat but you’ve got to be pretty ruthless and not too worried what your sheep look like it wouldn’t be for me. The biggest opening in the next few years in my opinion is commercial rams people are getting fed up of pedegree breeders breeding the wrong traits and filling them with feed so they are unfit for purpose

Thank you I keep a few pure Charolais and I’ve bread a texel x tup out of them and it is been used and throwing good tight lambs

 

[Unknown12]

Sheep breed change for outdoor lambing

Hi, Currently running around 450 mules and texel/mule ewes which I mostly put to beltex and Charollais/beltex rams in Northern Ireland. All lamb indoors in March. Thinking of trying a different breed to lamb outside in April and was wondering what I should try. Currently thinking of Romney or...

thefarmingforum.co.uk

Read this thread or most of it. A lot of us posting on it are running a lot of sheep on forage only diets etc.

Thank you

 

[unlacedgecko]

i have grass haylage avalible to me and cake if needed I was wondering if there was any particular breeds anyone could recommend or like buying ewes with lambs at foot every year and selling them before winter or if it’s more profitable to breed and sell fat lambs.

I’ll be selling ewes with lambs at foot next month

 

[unlacedgecko]

I know someone that buys ewes and lambs cheaper the better and sells all fat but you’ve got to be pretty ruthless and not too worried what your sheep look like it wouldn’t be for me. The biggest opening in the next few years in my opinion is commercial rams people are getting fed up of pedegree breeders breeding the wrong traits and filling them with feed so they are unfit for purpose

I take the same attitude when buying draft ewes

 

[tr250]

Thank you I keep a few pure Charolais and I’ve bread a texel x tup out of them and it is been used and throwing good tight lambs

Yes that’s the sort of thing well bred for the commercial man that leaves good lambs with as little problems as possible at a reasonable price

 

[DanM]

Thank you I keep a few pure Charolais and I’ve bread a texel x tup out of them and it is been used and throwing good tight lambs

If that’s your bias, then start performance recording them and don’t feed any grain, once your proud of them, promote yourself via social media (die hair a colour of your choice; @unlacedgecko chose flesh) and you should pick up a ready following!

 

[unlacedgecko]

If that’s your bias, then start performance recording them and don’t feed any grain, once your proud of them, promote yourself via social media (die hair a colour of your choice; @unlacedgecko chose flesh) and you should pick up a ready following!

Just you wait till my book comes out - “Call me Slaphead”.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

I take the same attitude when buying draft ewes

Ditto for feeding stock!

 

[Estate fencing.]

My bit of advise for what is it worth is to try and produce as many healthy store lambs as you can. I think the future for any stock person is to do the work in lambing ewes and selling the lambs to the arable boys who increasingly want stock but not the work of running ewes. Also sell the old ewes with lambs at foot, helps the cash flow and get them away early.
I'm lambing brokers now inside to sell in April when the grass starts growing, my main group lamb outside mid April and sell all the lambs buy September.