Poor kill out %

Farmer Keith

Member
Location
North Cumbria
Has anyone else had low kill percentages with lambs this year? Put a batch of lambs in last week at 44kgs liveweight and they came back at just over 17kgs DW or 38% some hill lambs but plenty of continentals in there to. Graded well with all either 3Ls or 3hs so not as if they were lean. Buyer tells me they’re having lots killing out poorly but just interested if this is the case with other farmers. I’ve checked my weigh scales and they’re bang on.
 

hally

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
cumbria
I wonder if that’s why they are wanting them fitter through auctions at the moment. Last year 40to 42 kg was adequate for my lambs this year they need to be a couple of kg more
 

cull cows

Member
Has anyone else had low kill percentages with lambs this year? Put a batch of lambs in last week at 44kgs liveweight and they came back at just over 17kgs DW or 38% some hill lambs but plenty of continentals in there to. Graded well with all either 3Ls or 3hs so not as if they were lean. Buyer tells me they’re having lots killing out poorly but just interested if this is the case with other farmers. I’ve checked my weigh scales and they’re bang on.
A b p ?
 

hally

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
cumbria
Think I’d be better off in the store right now, they seem to be worth more than the fat.
There seems to be a lot of confidence out there. Don’t usually sell many in the store as the last time a few years ago they looked good when I sold them but within a couple of months the trade had hardened and we would have been better fattening them…..but that’s crystal ball territory.
 

Farmer Keith

Member
Location
North Cumbria
There seems to be a lot of confidence out there. Don’t usually sell many in the store as the last time a few years ago they looked good when I sold them but within a couple of months the trade had hardened and we would have been better fattening them…..but that’s crystal ball territory.
Alright thinking like that in June but once you get to this time of year they fast eat though £20.
 

hally

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
cumbria
Alright thinking like that in June but once you get to this time of year they fast eat though £20.
We reckon on £2/ week but they can put on 2kg this time of year on good grub but this year with the store price high who knows. However a lot of money was made feeding lambs last year…..more than the breeder.
 

Bob the beef

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Scot Borders
Has anyone else had low kill percentages with lambs this year? Put a batch of lambs in last week at 44kgs liveweight and they came back at just over 17kgs DW or 38% some hill lambs but plenty of continentals in there to. Graded well with all either 3Ls or 3hs so not as if they were lean. Buyer tells me they’re having lots killing out poorly but just interested if this is the case with other farmers. I’ve checked my weigh scales and they’re bang on.
Had exact the same this week. 70 away nothing less than 43.5 kg weighed empty, handled really well. Avg 18.3 dead. As you say all 3l and 3h. Was very disappointed, normally would be up nearer 20kg.
Lambs here have had a rough old season. Cold/ dry to start, then very hot/ dry till September, now wading in lush very wet grass
 

Frank-the-Wool

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
East Sussex
I have seen this all the summer as we draw lambs from June onwards for local butchers. They have been complaining that the lambs have been just too lean as well.
The last 3 weeks have been better and lambs around 44kg live are doing 19.5 plus.
Ours are grass only.
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
Has anyone else had low kill percentages with lambs this year? Put a batch of lambs in last week at 44kgs liveweight and they came back at just over 17kgs DW or 38% some hill lambs but plenty of continentals in there to. Graded well with all either 3Ls or 3hs so not as if they were lean. Buyer tells me they’re having lots killing out poorly but just interested if this is the case with other farmers. I’ve checked my weigh scales and they’re bang on.
Taking the pee
 
I posted this in the price tracker thread earlier in the week

"Conversation with a lamb buyer on Friday. Asked about current lamb prices to which he showed a video on his phone of a row of lambs hung up. They were what's known as blue i.e. the very thin fat cover made the meat look blue. He said these lambs coming off grass are no good as they do not have enough finish and that has depressed the price. He said if you're selling lambs now they need to have been fed and get the auctioneer to say so. He expects the lamb price to go up once these lean lambs have gone through the system."
 

Farmer Keith

Member
Location
North Cumbria
I posted this in the price tracker thread earlier in the week

"Conversation with a lamb buyer on Friday. Asked about current lamb prices to which he showed a video on his phone of a row of lambs hung up. They were what's known as blue i.e. the very thin fat cover made the meat look blue. He said these lambs coming off grass are no good as they do not have enough finish and that has depressed the price. He said if you're selling lambs now they need to have been fed and get the auctioneer to say so. He expects the lamb price to go up once these lean lambs have gone through the system."
Half of them were a fat grade too fat and deducted 5ppkg, all off grass, fair enough if they were all 1s and 2s. Yes the time for a little feed is here now but 10 days ago it was absolutely not. It’s not 5 minutes since I sat in a room and watched a butcher trim excess fat off of carcasses they were getting sent in and told as a room of farmers not to over do it.
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
Half of them were a fat grade too fat and deducted 5ppkg, all off grass, fair enough if they were all 1s and 2s. Yes the time for a little feed is here now but 10 days ago it was absolutely not. It’s not 5 minutes since I sat in a room and watched a butcher trim excess fat off of carcasses they were getting sent in and told as a room of farmers not to over do it.
Put them through the ring
 

hally

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
cumbria
Half of them were a fat grade too fat and deducted 5ppkg, all off grass, fair enough if they were all 1s and 2s. Yes the time for a little feed is here now but 10 days ago it was absolutely not. It’s not 5 minutes since I sat in a room and watched a butcher trim excess fat off of carcasses they were getting sent in and told as a room of farmers not to over do it.
That’s the problem they are never happy, too fat not fat enough and very poor feedback to farmers what they want. How many abattoirs actually contact farmers to inform them what they are seeing and how farmers can hit the top grades as the season progresses. They would rather penalise and get cheap lambs which just alienates loyalty from their suppliers. Been there got the tee shirt and that’s why I am back in the live ring.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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