Staggering lambs finishing

Man_in_black

Member
Livestock Farmer
We kill all our lambs & sell through our own shop & direct to pubs/restaurants.
First year we've used bolus & definitely seen a marked improvement in growth rates. Almost too good..... too many of them are fit to kill at same time, but only need X amount each week, so some are carrying over and over and getting too big (Have a 28kg carcass this week!)

Other than lambing twice, any other ideas on staggering growth rates time to finish?
 

Spartacus

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Lancaster
We kill all our lambs & sell through our own shop & direct to pubs/restaurants.
First year we've used bolus & definitely seen a marked improvement in growth rates. Almost too good..... too many of them are fit to kill at same time, but only need X amount each week, so some are carrying over and over and getting too big (Have a 28kg carcass this week!)

Other than lambing twice, any other ideas on staggering growth rates time to finish?
Stagger giving the bolus on weight of lambs ?
 
Sell them as 3 halves!! My heaviest last year was 30kg sent it to a family friend with 5 kids and they loved it. Joints do get too big for some people though so I have the leg chopped into 3/4 instead of 2, would that work?
 
Location
southwest
Split them into 3 groups on slightly different diets/stocking rates-growers, stores, finishing.

But you'll still be taking fat lambs out of each group.

It may also be an idea to target certain cuts to certain buyers, eg A Pub carvery would like large roasting joints whereas Joe Public buying for the freezer might be happy with packs of chops.
 

JD-Kid

Member
diffrent rams and. maybe. a bit. bigger gap in lambing dates may help. spread it out
holding. smaller guys bit tighter will slow them down
out side of the box. is it worth. just. buying in some smaller guys late in season. to fill in the gaps
maybe even do a deal. with. someone that. has. higher amount of. smalls to feed in to your system so know where lambs coming from and there health etc that can be the prob and buying in. can buy in a world of pain
 

yellowbelly

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
N.Lincs
As @ShooTa asks can we ask when you gave bolus, and also what weights were you getting the year before giving them, and at what age, compared to age and weights this year? Always interesting to see if gains elsewhere would suit at home!!
I agree those sorts of comparisons are interesting.

Year on year comparisons need to be treated a bit cautiously though as 2 years are very rarely the same.

We've clipped the ewe lambs that we are tupping this year. They are 4 to 5 kg heavier that the same types that we didn't clip last year - I'm wondering how much is due to the clipping and how much is due to the flush of grass we've had since it rained :confused:

:p
 

JD-Kid

Member
I agree those sorts of comparisons are interesting.

Year on year comparisons need to be treated a bit cautiously though as 2 years are very rarely the same.

We've clipped the ewe lambs that we are tupping this year. They are 4 to 5 kg heavier that the same types that we didn't clip last year - I'm wondering how much is due to the clipping and how much is due to the flush of grass we've had since it rained :confused:

:p
know guys that. were shearing 2 times a year on ewes. and went. back to once a yard. due to costs. but found ewes were poorer
maybe bit higher. feed intake or. just cos given. more feed and shelter
have. noticed early shearing has helped hoggets grow out. yet all the trials. don't. show any. gains if. stock give the same amount of feed
 
Ive clipped lambs for last 5 years, im normally buying 20 pound cheaper lambs than people im bettering on price at local sheep fair, I do have young leys, but rarely offer any feed other than licks pre lambing, im sure its down to clipping them, though do buy a well brd lamb, but so would the others. Sure you get more twins as effectively flushing them I guess, sadly havnt done it this year, sales were almost a week later, weather was so changeable even mid late sept from touching frosts as night to heatwaves over 20 that I dare not do ot for fear of encouraging pneumonia... rightly or wrongly time will tell
 

Man_in_black

Member
Livestock Farmer
As @ShooTa asks can we ask when you gave bolus, and also what weights were you getting the year before giving them, and at what age, compared to age and weights this year? Always interesting to see if gains elsewhere would suit at home!!

It was couple weeks after weaning.
It's my first year shepherding here & before I started recording was back of a fag packet at best! So basing on what the gaffer is seeing in terms of lots of fit lambs & very few poor doers. Will have figures next year!!
 

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

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