Spring lamb prices

Bass Reeves

Albert Johnson wrote: »

What weight are they paying the spring lamb quote to? I'm assuming they'll only pay to 20kg compared to 23kg for the hoggets. That's pulling the piss tbh, you'd feel a bit of a tool having fed a ewe all year, lambed her and fed the lambs to only get 10c over the hogget quote and be paid for less kilos.

I saw horned hoggets ram's making €170 during the week that were bought at €85 in October. The man that had them looked after them well since but why would anyone bother lambing ewes out of season and try to compete with that for the same money.

Problem is the lambs would start carrying a lot of fat over 20kgs. Nobody wants fat neat any longer. Hoggets will have bigger frames and will need 23kgs to get a bit of fat on them.

Lambing out o season is similar to winterfinishing a mugs game unless you get a decent contracted price. Having said that 135-140 euro is about 40 euro over the price ten years ago. Beef is no better than ten years ago. Ya if you can pick up hoggets and manage them grand but there is a limited number of hoggets around as a lot of hill farmers changed over to sucklers 10+ years ago. They were the first boys to leave the sheep business

Albert Johnson

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Problem is the lambs would start carrying a lot of fat over 20kgs. Nobody wants fat neat any longer. Hoggets will have bigger frames and will need 23kgs to get a bit of fat on them.

Lambing out o season is similar to winterfinishing a mugs game unless you get a decent contracted price. Having said that 135-140 euro is about 40 euro over the price ten years ago. Beef is no better than ten years ago. Ya if you can pick up hoggets and manage them grand but there is a limited number of hoggets around as a lot of hill farmers changed over to sucklers 10+ years ago. They were the first boys to leave the sheep business

I agree about the fat level on the carcasses but only offering 10c extra which still fails to put the max "new season" lamb price above the hogget price is a bit of an insult imo. As for the sheep quote being ahead of where it was 10 year's ago compared to the beef quote it's akin to saying a kick in the arse is ahead of a poke in the eye.

There's no great shortage of hill type hoggets locally anyway, in poor price year's there's been a surplus if anything. Yes a lot of the poor hill's have been destocked, planted, abandoned ect and few are running the numbers of ewes they once did. However there's not that many men in the greater scheme of things to graze hoggets over winter as there not a good match with other livestock systems as they leave you with little grass in the spring time. Granted most of the hoggets atm would be finished out of the shed but I'd still have them over keeping a ewe, feeding her and the lambs and the associated workload and risk to end up with a fat sheep of similar value from either system.

Bass Reeves

Albert Johnson wrote: »

I agree about the fat level on the carcasses but only offering 10c extra which still fails to put the max "new season" lamb price above the hogget price is a bit of an insult imo. As for the sheep quote being ahead of where it was 10 year's ago compared to the beef quote it's akin to saying a kick in the arse is ahead of a poke in the eye.

There's no great shortage of hill type hoggets locally anyway, in poor price year's there's been a surplus if anything. Yes a lot of the poor hill's have been destocked, planted, abandoned ect and few are running the numbers of ewes they once did. However there's not that many men in the greater scheme of things to graze hoggets over winter as there not a good match with other livestock systems as they leave you with little grass in the spring time. Granted most of the hoggets atm would be finished out of the shed but I'd still have them over keeping a ewe, feeding her and the lambs and the associated workload and risk to end up with a fat sheep of similar value from either system.

I agree entirely. However it similar to lads finishing cattle in shed to early lamb. But if lads cannot se that so be it. Too many lads like hardship and being technically efficient even if there is a better return elsewhere. But if lads are willing to spong ewes and lamb them down in January wo are we to stop them

Kevhog1988

Bass Reeves wrote: »

I agree entirely. However it similar to lads finishing cattle in shed to early lamb. But if lads cannot se that so be it. Too many lads like hardship and being technically efficient even if there is a better return elsewhere. But if lads are willing to spong ewes and lamb them down in January wo are we to stop them

I personally think its madness. I had to drive down the country last week before I got that fecking close contact call and the amount of lambs cowering under hedges freezing. I rather lambs coming when I've grass and a bit of light in the evenings

kk.man

Kevhog1988 wrote: »

I personally think its madness. I had to drive down the country last week before I got that fecking close contact call and the amount of lambs cowering under hedges freezing. I rather lambs coming when I've grass and a bit of light in the evenings

Where I do see a method to the madness is where there is a large flock of sheep on the farm (mostly sheep only) and it splits the labour of lambing.

Dickie10

in that case i would go for mid februaury lambing and early april. april can be a lovely time to lamb. bright til almost 9pm , if you get decent weather its a dream 24 hrs in then out or even out al the time.

OneMan37

Dickie10 wrote: »

in that case i would go for mid februaury lambing and early april. april can be a lovely time to lamb. bright til almost 9pm , if you get decent weather its a dream 24 hrs in then out or even out al the time.

Agree, my dad used to lamb in Feb/March, then one year a ram didn't work and he ended up with April lambs. Lambing was in nice pleasant weather and the lambs made as much as March lambs with less meal costs. I like April lambing.

k mac

How much do deductions per head usually come to (excluding transport) when killing in the factory. Debating whether to sell a few at home or bring to the factory

paddysdream

k mac wrote: »

How much do deductions per head usually come to (excluding transport) when killing in the factory. Debating whether to sell a few at home or bring to the factory

82 cent per lamb.

That's 50c Dept. Of Ag. levy ,25c Bord Bia levy and 7c Sheep Ireland levy .

Clipping charges seem to have gone out of vogue (well for me anyways as nothing about it this year).Think the first two are compulsory but the Sheep Ireland one is processor dependent .Go to one place a few times a year and its not on the deductions .To be fair its been most likely about 18 months ago since I was there so perhaps it may have changed since.

All above is for lambs.Ewes will have SRM and Scrapie charge .

k mac

paddysdream wrote: »

82 cent per lamb.

That's 50c Dept. Of Ag. levy ,25c Bord Bia levy and 7c Sheep Ireland levy .

Clipping charges seem to have gone out of vogue (well for me anyways as nothing about it this year).Think the first two are compulsory but the Sheep Ireland one is processor dependent .Go to one place a few times a year and its not on the deductions .To be fair its been most likely about 18 months ago since I was there so perhaps it may have changed since.

All above is for lambs.Ewes will have SRM and Scrapie charge .

Thanks so would be talking under a euro each for hoggets.

downtown3858

Anyone any deadweight prices for next week?

k mac

What would a fair price be for hoggets average 48kg selling to a friend so don't want to go too hard on him

Young95

k mac wrote: »

What would a fair price be for hoggets average 48kg selling to a friend so don't want to go too hard on him

145 ?

k mac

Young95 wrote: »

145 ?

Was thinking around that as well

Sami23

k mac wrote: »

What would a fair price be for hoggets average 48kg selling to a friend so don't want to go too hard on him

Are they ewe hoggots for breeding

k mac

Sami23 wrote: »

Are they ewe hoggots for breeding

I had thought about holding on to them to sell as hoggets for breeding but as the prices are so strong was going to kill them, they are being bought for killing

Duke92

k mac wrote: »

I had thought about holding on to them to sell as hoggets for breeding but as the prices are so strong was going to kill them, they are being bought for killing

Why don’t you kill them

k mac

Duke92 wrote: »

Why don’t you kill them

That was the plan to try and get them over 50kg and kill in about 2 weeks but this lad asked about buying them. There's around 3 over 50kg already that might go over the 23kg and be a bit of a waste feeding them for the extra few weeks, and I suppose there's a chance the price might be pulled

orm0nd

k mac wrote: »

That was the plan to try and get them over 50kg and kill in about 2 weeks but this lad asked about buying them. There's around 3 over 50kg already that might go over the 23kg and be a bit of a waste feeding them for the extra few weeks, and I suppose there's a chance the price might be pulled

Sample Mart price this week

47 kgs 170

42 kgs 150

55 kgs 181

Danzy

The first Lamb I have ever pulled.

Apologies to the Mods, I'm used to the beef price thread, it's more a philosophical thread, than having anything as vulgar as price rises.

Danzy

Danzy wrote: »

The first Lamb I have ever pulled.

Apologies to the Mods, I'm used to the beef price thread, it's more a philosophical thread, than having anything as vulgar as price rises.

and what a lamb!!

Did ya weigh?
(Theres a photo thread too!)

Danzy

Deleted User wrote: »

and what a lamb!!

Did ya weigh?
(Theres a photo thread too!)

No, must though.

Not used to the whole size of them but looking at him I thought we'll call you "thumper".

Kevhog1988

Danzy wrote: »

The first Lamb I have ever pulled.

Apologies to the Mods, I'm used to the beef price thread, it's more a philosophical thread, than having anything as vulgar as price rises.

I'd say you needed a calf jack 😂😂

downtown3858

Any factory prices this morn

Siamsa Sessions

Danzy wrote: »

The first Lamb I have ever pulled.

Apologies to the Mods, I'm used to the beef price thread, it's more a philosophical thread, than having anything as vulgar as price rises.

Welcome to the millionaire's club!

epfff

downtown3858 wrote: »

Any factory prices this morn

I don't have a price but they talking it down so I'd sey it a week for putting them through the mart.

Danzy

[Deleted User] wrote: »

and what a lamb!!

Did ya weigh?
(Theres a photo thread too!)

Just under 7kg.

wrangler

Danzy wrote: »

Just under 7kg.

We had a triplet here yesterday, all over 6kg and she lambed the second and third herself, first was breech

Danzy

wrangler wrote: »

We had a triplet here yesterday, all over 6kg and she lambed the second and third herself, first was breech

That's good going.

I was concerned about over feeding the ewe lest he get too big.

Duke92

epfff wrote: »

I don't have a price but they talking it down so I'd sey it a week for putting them through the mart.

€7:50 tomorrow icm