Sell or fatten.

[Kazak]

Few lambs left here, 37/38 to 44kg but needing a bit more flesh. Have been getting a pound of meal a day.. not really enough to flesh up with all that rain.they are not loosing weight but not going too far either. Grass is scarce here.
Option 1) sell as stores, less work, on paper less money but quick out of the way.
Option2) put inside and feed adlib, more work, on paper a few more pound at the end. With straw, meal and silage more expensive this year is debatable if its worth it.
Option 3) pile on the food outside. Slower to finish but no straw, no cleaning shed, no silage..
I am thinking option 1 or 3 but see what people here think is best. Thanks.

 

[tinsheet]

Option 1 stores are flying!

 

[toquark]

Dunno, I sold some light lambs a few weeks back fat for a lot more than they’d have made through the store ring. It’s a gamble really, here it largely depends on how many buyers are round the ring on the day.

 

[M-J-G]

Few lambs left here, 37/38 to 44kg but needing a bit more flesh. Have been getting a pound of meal a day.. not really enough to flesh up with all that rain.they are not loosing weight but not going too far either. Grass is scarce here.
Option 1) sell as stores, less work, on paper less money but quick out of the way.
Option2) put inside and feed adlib, more work, on paper a few more pound at the end. With straw, meal and silage more expensive this year is debatable if its worth it.
Option 3) pile on the food outside. Slower to finish but no straw, no cleaning shed, no silage..
I am thinking option 1 or 3 but see what people here think is best. Thanks.

If they're getting a pound and doing nothing with it I'd get rid of them.

 

[neilo]

If they're getting a pound and doing nothing with it I'd get rid of them.

Or find out why not, so as to know for another day?

I wormed another 135 of similar weights into a 3ac field with a hopper a few days ago, in readiness for housing them after a week or so. Give them a tenner’s worth of grub and they’ll be 46-48kg and well finished.
That’s well bred continental lambs mind, hill breeds wouldn’t convert as well.

 

[Jerry]

Sell store.

Less work.

reserve grass for in lamb ewes focusing in them

Give grass a break.

 

[Stewartry hill]

If you sell store there will be £5 commission and the buyer will be looking for £5 clear profit so that gives you £10+to spend on meal so shut them in the shed and feed

 

[Jerry]

If you sell store there will be £5 commission and the buyer will be looking for £5 clear profit so that gives you £10+to spend on meal so shut them in the shed and feed

£5 comm per head?

But no levy to pay…

 

[M-J-G]

Or find out why not, so as to know for another day?

I wormed another 135 of similar weights into a 3ac field with a hopper a few days ago, in readiness for housing them after a week or so. Give them a tenner’s worth of grub and they’ll be 46-48kg and well finished.
That’s well bred continental lambs mind, hill breeds wouldn’t convert as well.

I really don't like feeding concentrate to lambs so I might be too quick to want to see the back of them.

I suppose there is the option to collect half a dozen blood and dung samples before they go onto the trailer to the market.

 

[Stewartry hill]

£5 comm per head?

But no levy to pay…

Sorry £5 costs haulage .com luck ect

 

[AftonShepherd]

Sorry £5 costs haulage .com luck ect

Same costs plus levy for fat though?

 

[neilo]

I really don't like feeding concentrate to lambs so I might be too quick to want to see the back of them.

I suppose there is the option to collect half a dozen blood and dung samples before they go onto the trailer to the market.

I have an aversion to giving in and selling store, leaving a profit for someone else to take…

I am happy to feed concentrates if I think there is a profit to be made doing so, but obviously I’d rather not. This Autumn’s grass isn’t finishing anything round here though, so that option’s gone out of the window.

 

[M-J-G]

I have an aversion to giving in and selling store, leaving a profit for someone else to take…

I don't sell store for that reason

I am happy to feed concentrates if I think there is a profit to be made doing so, but obviously I’d rather not. This Autumn’s grass isn’t finishing anything round here though, so that option’s gone out of the window.

Which is why I like them gone fat before now.

 

[puppet]

If someone else can buy them and fatten them for a profit then so can you

 

[M-J-G]

If someone else can buy them and fatten them for a profit then so can you

But can they?
A lot of lambs were sold for little or no profit last year.

 

[Bob the beef]

I always clear my lamb crop out by end November either fat or store. Last year lastof lambs store were 35kg made £86 . Wouldn’t be any margin in them till march I’d reckon. Definitely the right decision for me.

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

I have an aversion to giving in and selling store, leaving a profit for someone else to take…

I am happy to feed concentrates if I think there is a profit to be made doing so, but obviously I’d rather not. This Autumn’s grass isn’t finishing anything round here though, so that option’s gone out of the window.

I think the same, but then wonder whether it’s worth it when some of these big finishers have access to cheaper feed. I only sell store cattle because I don’t think could finish them economically. However lambs sold recently definitely paid for feeding rather than going in the stores. They were outside on a hopper.

 

[Norfolk Hill Farmer]

I have an aversion to giving in and selling store, leaving a profit for someone else to take…

I am happy to feed concentrates if I think there is a profit to be made doing so, but obviously I’d rather not. This Autumn’s grass isn’t finishing anything round here though, so that option’s gone out of the window.

Will your Herbal leys not finish them ?

 

[neilo]

Will your Herbal leys not finish them ?

There are 20ac that have gone in this year (red clover, grass and plantain), so still getting going. There was a lot of fat hen in it at the first grazing, which may have bounced the protein a lot higher, but lambs have grown well on them, without finishing, to live market level anyway. A lot might have been fat class 2 if sent dw I suppose, but that would be giving away meat too ime.

I wormed what were the ‘smalls’ a few days ago, which had been grazing round those 20ac again until a week or so ago. They were all sub-30kg 6 weeks ago, and surprised how they’ve grown on (with a high worm burden again now, including nemo). Of the 180, I put 135 into a field with a hopper after, in preparation for housing, mostly weighing 36-42kg, but not finished.

I’ve been to a couple of farm meetings on herbal leys and RC in the last fortnight, and several people said the same. Lambs have grown well on them, shat a lot, but not finished. I would guess they’ve been very high protein, low DM feed this wet Autumn, but cheap to grow once established.

 

[neilo]

They certainly alter once they're in and eating...

Well, most of them. I've pulled out 7 that have just refused to eat the creep, and melted fast on the straw bedding and a nibble of 9 yr old hay.

Those sold so far have averaged about £125/hd.