Retail Lamb Flock.

[Wink]

Hi guys. Looking for some advice as can't quite work how to go about this.

I only have a small flock as a sideline/hobby business I was hoping to grow on various bits of small fields but am not going to put any ewes to the tup this year for various reasons and don't think I can expand to the level I wanted to as the rest of the business I work in will regularly take up 70 hours of my time (mad I know - long term trying to sort it).

I have access too;

60ft x 20ft Dutch barn
16 acres of spring/summer grazing (4 seperate fields)
26 acres (2 sites) grazing after hay regrowth and through winter.

Rent works out @£21.50 acre including the barn but some needs electric.

All grass is pp and of dubious quality in places I guess.

All stock to be sold direct - I want more coming through quickly/regularly to develop this side quicker for our existing butchery/deliveries - shops & restaurants etc./catering/new farm shop (I have a lot too think about and run) whilst keeping ownership and involvement with the livestock as opposed to buying randoms on the hook. I haul to abattoir each week anyway. Heavy weights, hoggets and cull ewes for mutton not a problem.

I want to keep it as simple as possible running all sheep together and treating/moving as necessary as one group rather than having a few here and there and having to think about a small breeding flock (short term).

If that makes sense - how would you go about this or is it madness and best just forget it? Obviously I want to make money at it although livestock is partially lifestyle choice I guess as own no farm or land.

 

[neilo]

If you're not going to have the time to do it properly, maybe better not to do it at all just now? Can you not find a local sheep farmer that you can work with, sourcing lambs of known provenance and make a retail story out of that?

 

[Wink]

If you're not going to have the time to do it properly, maybe better not to do it at all just now? Can you not find a local sheep farmer that you can work with, sourcing lambs of known provenance and make a retail story out of that?

Yes probably nail on head @neilo. I have already put this in place for selling/swapping breeding ewes and running on the culls and lambs on the grass I already have in place at the moment.

This was one idea that yes I have thought about and can approach someone. I would feel that for them and myself I would need to buy in batches rather than collecting a few lambs rack week. Next question - if fat - is there a way of holding them for a few weeks without going over fat or worse backwards? Reason being they would be selling at market and not dead like me. I could just rent the holding barn which I need to store equipment anyway and the 2 fields either side which is on route to other stock. Would probably just over winter a few on another field close to home purely as a hobby to put my dog round and get better.

 

[Gulli]

If you're doing 70 hours a week elsewhere I can't see you'll have the time to make a success of a retail business unless you can find a small local slaughterhouse and buy carcasses from them. Selling online with courier delivery?

 

[Wink]

Sorry

If you're doing 70 hours a week elsewhere I can't see you'll have the time to make a success of a retail business unless you can find a small local slaughterhouse and buy carcasses from them. Selling online with courier delivery?

Sorry - difficult to get across on an open forum. What I mean is the rest of my hours are already within our own business already set up for retail eg I already have the butchery, shop, vans, chiller space, roasting machines, BBQ s etc. etc and then I already haul my own pigs we farm to abattoir anyway. One of those things I guess where the diversification has gone so far that the farming is that little bit on the side and have no home farm which we are holding onto.

What I was getting at was that if I didn't buy local finished lamb's for home kill, what ways would there be, which may or not be cost effective of buying stock at the correct time to finish and utilise the land and shed I have available? Keeping all stock together rather than a split up small flock etc. To allow me more time short term to develop the product range and continuity of supply before potentially putting a tup back in? Businesses changed dramatically overtime as has my role and time structure amongst other things.

 

[Gulli]

Sorry

Sorry - difficult to get across on an open forum. What I mean is the rest of my hours are already within our own business already set up for retail eg I already have the butchery, shop, vans, chiller space, roasting machines, BBQ s etc. etc and then I already haul my own pigs we farm to abattoir anyway. One of those things I guess where the diversification has gone so far that the farming is that little bit on the side and have no home farm which we are holding onto.

What I was getting at was that if I didn't buy local finished lamb's for home kill, what ways would there be, which may or not be cost effective of buying stock at the correct time to finish and utilise the land and shed I have available? Keeping all stock together rather than a split up small flock etc. To allow me more time short term to develop the product range and continuity of supply before potentially putting a tup back in? Businesses changed dramatically overtime as has my role and time structure amongst other things.

my fault for not reading your post properly!
Nearly finished stores would be the best bet I would think. Can be held or killed as and when. Lean light lambs always sell well direct in my experience.
Or buy small lambs and mince them for burgers once you've had the legs off

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

If you're not going to have the time to do it properly, maybe better not to do it at all just now? Can you not find a local sheep farmer that you can work with, sourcing lambs of known provenance and make a retail story out of that?

This has to be the best way for you, then you can hopefully find a supply 52 weeks of the year at a relatively stable price. The problem with finishing stores is that they never seem to do when you want them and when they are ready they all come at once.

 

[Gulli]

This has to be the best way for you, then you can hopefully find a supply 52 weeks of the year at a relatively stable price. The problem with finishing stores is that they never seem to do when you want them and when they are ready they all come at once.

How many sheep farmers can supply consistent lambs in consistent batches all year round?

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

How many sheep farmers can supply consistent lambs in consistent batches all year round?

This is always the problem for most people who want to sell direct. It is a lot of work and pre planning to do it and you need relatively large numbers to draw from.
We sell at least 48 weeks of the year to butchers, but they have to be treated as a priority and any surplus sold through the market. You also have to try to sell at a stable price to be competitive in this type of market place where your outlet is retailing. They don't want to be changing their price every week.

 

[Gulli]

This is always the problem for most people who want to sell direct. It is a lot of work and pre planning to do it and you need relatively large numbers to draw from.
We sell at least 48 weeks of the year to butchers, but they have to be treated as a priority and any surplus sold through the market. You also have to try to sell at a stable price to be competitive in this type of market place where your outlet is retailing. They don't want to be changing their price every week.

How many are you drawing from? 1500+?

 

[Ysgythan]

Small flock of pure Hampshire Downs, use Hampshire tups on some cross ewes, Suffolk or Texel x Mule.

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

How many are you drawing from? 1500+?

Need 20 to 60 a week so draw from about 4,000 to get 1500 a year for retail customers!!
You really need a mix of customers to make this work, some who only want 18 kg and others who will take any weight. It needs quite a lot of forward planning.
I am not sure it is always worth it though.

 

[Coximus]

Personally I've found offering a simple selection for direct sales works best, a 1, 3 5kg packs, and quater, half and full lamb.

Consistentcy = Texel + X's

Quality cuts and feedback = Hampshire, Suffolk and then texels.

Customers seem to prefer big cuts for steaks, grilling, quick cooking time.... feedback on hampshires was always the chops where huge with little bone so excellent value, plus they can be taken to 50kg+ easy in the summer from birth so a 25kg of meat to sell of high demand cuts.

Suffolk a lean one and popular for joints, and texels nothing different from the supermarket so hard to upsell them on.

 

[Gulli]

Need 20 to 60 a week so draw from about 4,000 to get 1500 a year for retail customers!!
You really need a mix of customers to make this work, some who only want 18 kg and others who will take any weight. It needs quite a lot of forward planning.
I am not sure it is always worth it though.

There's not many round here turning out 4000 lambs a year!
Not always worth it in what way? I've been approached to supply a farm shop/cafe but I can't see how I can supply every fortnight for more than 4 or 5 months

 

[Wink]

Was just having a think and a search and came across my own thread I had forgotten I started. For time being I put no ewes to tup, sold some, sold another load but the chap never picked them up or payed for them . Did a deal on some home kill and store lambs and am currently thinking I will specialise in hoggett and mutton and really push sales on that whilst building trade in my new shop. I have dropped the retail as a separate enterprise and now sell to our business as I get paid for the hours butchering etc anyway so it's easier to manage. Lambs I will largely buy off farm or order through other farmers I know that use the same abattoir as me - this has worked well so far.

So specialising in mutton as a sideline - what's your input/experiences?

Products and tips? (I have made one batch of merguez so far and will do more, spicy mutton meatballs were a hit also). Strip loin cooked pink is as nice as any beef steak in my opinion.

I have found good uptake so far on a small scale. Customers in the shop saying they can't find it anywhere and some coming back for more after ordering mutton packs saying how good it was. Got it in one local pub for curries and on a London street food vendors stall numerous times. Came across Scotch pies on here so have teamed up with a pie maker to get that started and doing cooking video promo with a nutritionist on the benefits and what can be done with mutton.

Any breeds/age you have particular experiences with? Cull ewes, wethers grown on especially? Have a good mutton book so will dip back into that.

One idea I have is to buy castrated shedding wethers at weaning. Some will finish as lambs end of summer/autumn, then cheap over winter on all grass (not great but free), finish a load at Easter for that trade either off grass or a bit of hard feed if need be in my shed and a few after off grass and the rest as mutton the following year and Keep rolling like that. Keep it simple with the no shearing, though the wife is a keen knitter so could utilise that maybe one day.

Obviously this is not a main £££ enterprise and is just a bit of a sideline, keeps me farming in a small way and is personal interest as well as the important aspect of the direct sales/countryside presence for the business and to keep the land I have built up and maybe lamb a few again soon. The plan initially was to build to 200 ewes but with the travelling, small field sizes etc and busy on other businesses it wasn't going to happen as not enough time to focus enough energy into it. It is an important aspect to the business none the less, so any input appreciated as always