Suffolk x ewes and .....?

[CopperBeech]

Err, no, dealers are there to make money. It's offloading any old crap dead which keeps the price back as they accept everything. Processors want a certain product consistently. They don't like things for a reason, lack of profitability, not religion. They will have seen many more brown faced top knot lambs killed than you.

No doubt you're right. That wooly head on the r3l-u3l 18-20 kg carcass must really ruin the taste.

We kill a lot of lambs and have very very few out of spec.

They do however often have a funny colour, wooly heads, long tails or various other 'crap' features.

We would aim to kill 8000-10000 lambs a year and our processor seems pretty happy to me. Sending 400 crap lambs off in the morning. If they are paying me over £80 a head, they must quite like the crap lambs.

 

[S J H]

No doubt you're right. That wooly head on the r3l-u3l 18-20 kg carcass must really ruin the taste.

We kill a lot of lambs and have very very few out of spec.

They do however often have a funny colour, wooly heads, long tails or various other 'crap' features.

We would aim to kill 8000-10000 lambs a year and our processor seems pretty happy to me. Sending 400 crap lambs off in the morning. If they are paying me over £80 a head, they must quite like the crap lambs.

But whens the last time you took the woolly headed lambs to a market?

 

[CopperBeech]

But whens the last time you took the woolly headed lambs to a market?

That's my point. Why would I bother?

Get paid crap money so they sell it to the processor for more...... Or cut out the middle man and sell it to the plant myself.

Why would I sell live?

 

[S J H]

That's my point. Why would I bother?

Get paid crap money so they sell it to the processor for more...... Or cut out the middle man and sell it to the plant myself.

Why would I sell live?

To try it, how do you know you won't get more at market. If I was selling the amount you do, I'd still send some live to support the live markets.

 

[CopperBeech]

To try it, how do you know you won't get more at market. If I was selling the amount you do, I'd still send some live to support the live markets.

Have sold live before. Used to only sell live and was at the mercy of the wierd cartel sh!t that goes on.

We don't draw anything till weaning and then kill anything that's fit and to weight. Used to send all the heavies live I.e those over 48 kilo. Was sending 52\54\56 kilo lambs and only getting paid for a 48/49 kilo lamb anyway, so what's the point.

Only time it's been worth selling live was sending them all up to rugby market, southern marts are a bit of a joke.

To be fair we produce some stunning lambs that they'd love live, but dunbia looks after us very very well so they get them all.

Every week someone or other things and wants our lambs. But I believe in loyalty.

 

[TL100]

Have sold live before. Used to only sell live and was at the mercy of the wierd cartel sh!t that goes on.

We don't draw anything till weaning and then kill anything that's fit and to weight. Used to send all the heavies live I.e those over 48 kilo. Was sending 52\54\56 kilo lambs and only getting paid for a 48/49 kilo lamb anyway, so what's the point.

Only time it's been worth selling live was sending them all up to rugby market, southern marts are a bit of a joke.

To be fair we produce some stunning lambs that they'd love live, but dunbia looks after us very very well so they get them all.

Every week someone or other things and wants our lambs. But I believe in loyalty.

You'd be giving away a lot of meat on those heavy lambs sending them dead if they only pay to 22kg though.
Do you ever have problems with ewe lambs going over fat later in the autumn? Only a few people have said dunbia seem to like lambs on the leaner side.

Fair play to what you do, I'm not knocking it at all.

 

[CopperBeech]

You'd be giving away a lot of meat on those heavy lambs sending them dead if they only pay to 22kg though.
Do you ever have problems with ewe lambs going over fat later in the autumn? Only a few people have said dunbia seem to like lambs on the leaner side.

Fair play to what you do, I'm not knocking it at all.

We worked out that i the end, with the market stealing a few kilos off us and the expense of taking them in. . . . we actually made the same or better money sending them on the hook. Only talking three or so kilos usually.

It does happen re ewe lambs - depends on breed and type, we were drawing some yesterday at weaning of a mob and killing some 38 kilo ewe lambs that just couldn't be taken higher or they'd be too fat. Most go 42-48 kilos though and give us a pretty consistent 20 kilo carcass average mostly r3l, some u3l etc.

To be fair, we let the fields man pick what he wants each week, he works the crate while I keep the lambs moving lol. Never had any issue with what he draws or what he leaves and we do well enough out of it all!

 

[Ysgythan]

No doubt you're right. That wooly head on the r3l-u3l 18-20 kg carcass must really ruin the taste.

We kill a lot of lambs and have very very few out of spec.

They do however often have a funny colour, wooly heads, long tails or various other 'crap' features.

We would aim to kill 8000-10000 lambs a year and our processor seems pretty happy to me. Sending 400 crap lambs off in the morning. If they are paying me over £80 a head, they must quite like the crap lambs.

Calm down dear...

It's quite easy. The live buyers pay most for the lambs they want most. The grid price on the dead factors in all the crap they have to get rid of. There's no conspiracies or prejudices, this is the market in action.

 

[Old Tip]

I used to work in several marts and helped load wagons after the sale and sometimes took lambs to the slaughterhouse for the local buthchers. I asked all of them the same question over the years and all came back with the same answer.
I would ask them why they paid more for tight skinned lambs than fluffy ones or ones with woolly faces. We don't get many up here but a few folk used to keep dorsets, hampshires etc for the early lamb job. Anyway all the butchers and dealers would say a fluffy lamb will always kill fatter than you think but if they were lean were very lean and killed Blue. So it was had to judge what they would hang up like, a good tight skinned lamb even when fit would have less fat cover and it was much easier to tell if they were on the lean side. Therefore the dealers saw it as a gamble buying fluffy lambs and the butchers never touched them.

OT

 

[CharcoalWally]

Did you use them on SuffolkX ewes?

Even a Char breeder is admitting selling them live isn't the best idea...

Yes , I have on occasion in the past used the Charollais over small numbers of Suffolk X ewes. Never many admittedly , but I don't remember them looking too different from other types of Charollais X lambs , and they always sold well in the live ring.

 

[harperfarmer]

Had the cheque and the report through from rugby today. I think this report might settle things regarding charollais not selling well live.....

 

[Lovegoodstock]

We worked out that i the end, with the market stealing a few kilos off us and the expense of taking them in. . . . we actually made the same or better money sending them on the hook. Only talking three or so kilos usually.

It does happen re ewe lambs - depends on breed and type, we were drawing some yesterday at weaning of a mob and killing some 38 kilo ewe lambs that just couldn't be taken higher or they'd be too fat. Most go 42-48 kilos though and give us a pretty consistent 20 kilo carcass average mostly r3l, some u3l etc.

To be fair, we let the fields man pick what he wants each week, he works the crate while I keep the lambs moving lol. Never had any issue with what he draws or what he leaves and we do well enough out of it all!

I personally prefer live as I believe strongly with no bidding around the ring we will be screwed on price on dw, as they always base dw price following the previous weeks lw auctions. But 42-48 kilo lambs if they are half decently bred and decent meat will return average of 95 plus on live, you will do well to get near that on dw surely? And in reference to char on suff mule producing wooly headed brown headed lambs???? Surely that's the breeder admitting he has used a poor quality tup or more likely bred lambs from a suff mule bred out of a very poor quality mule???

 

[Danvd]

Just a note on the charolais on suffolk mules. I weaned my lambs 2 weeks ago, I pulled off some fitter texel lambs at around 43 kilo and sent them straight off. I didn't think of weighing any char crosses at the time as they were smaller and just concentrated on drafting. So today, sorting lambs, my "smaller" chars were coming in at 47kilo plus, and solid. I won't overlook them next time!

 

[neilo]

Just a note on the charolais on suffolk mules. I weaned my lambs 2 weeks ago, I pulled off some fitter texel lambs at around 43 kilo and sent them straight off. I didn't think of weighing any char crosses at the time as they were smaller and just concentrated on drafting. So today, sorting lambs, my "smaller" chars were coming in at 47kilo plus, and solid. I won't overlook them next time!

We have been telling you.....

 

[Lovegoodstock]

You will have probably done better overlooking them anyway, so a bonus I would have thought

 

[chris elk]

Calm down dear...

It's quite easy. The live buyers pay most for the lambs they want most. The grid price on the dead factors in all the crap they have to get rid of. There's no conspiracies or prejudices, this is the market in action.

I disagree there is absolutely a case for if your face fits , how come the guys who work at my local mart can take there lambs in and achieve 3/4£ a head more then.

 

[Old Tip]

I disagree there is absolutely a case for if your face fits , how come the guys who work at my local mart can take there lambs in and achieve 3/4£ a head more then.

Because they help load the wagons and sort all the sheep after the sale, been there and done it. You look after them they will look after you

 

[S J H]

I disagree there is absolutely a case for if your face fits , how come the guys who work at my local mart can take there lambs in and achieve 3/4£ a head more then.

How do you know, unless you're selling the same sheep?

 

[chris elk]

I shan't be playing the game next year dead weight for me I think . What costs come off selling deadweight?

 

[Ysgythan]

I disagree there is absolutely a case for if your face fits , how come the guys who work at my local mart can take there lambs in and achieve 3/4£ a head more then.

Are you sure you're an entirely objective observer of this phenomenon?