Mountain Ram Lambs, Weaned --> Factory

JJayoo

Hiya guys

So normally we would send nothing directly to the factory. Father and Uncle both have farms and they are set in their ways of selling everything at the mart with the philosophy of getting rid of the lambs as soon as possible to leave grass for the ewes when they come in off the mountain for breeding. So prices depend on whose is bidding on the day and if the jobbers are working together, which they usually are, your animals go for feeck all.

This year, due to reducing numbers and the mild winter, we have a lot of grass and a fair few of lambs at about the 40kg mark while still with the mother. I am trying to get father and uncle to by pass the middle man for these bigger lambs and actually get paid their worth.

I'm just wondering what are the rough weight guidelines with lambs. Mountain ram lambs and Crossbred ram lambs( Lynn ram x mountain).

If you had lambs at the 40kg mark at weaning would it be best to get them out the door or keep them on, since we have a lot of grass, for another mouth?

And with the smaller lambs 30Kg, would it take too long for these guys to gain weight?

Just looking for some opinions as to what you would do.

MayoAreMagic

JJayoo wrote: »

Hiya guys

So normally we would send nothing directly to the factory. Father and Uncle both have farms and they are set in their ways of selling everything at the mart with the philosophy of getting rid of the lambs as soon as possible to leave grass for the ewes when they come in off the mountain for breeding. So prices depend on whose is bidding on the day and if the jobbers are working together, which they usually are, your animals go for feeck all.

This year, due to reducing numbers and the mild winter, we have a lot of grass and a fair few of lambs at about the 40kg mark while still with the mother. I am trying to get father and uncle to by pass the middle man for these bigger lambs and actually get paid their worth.

I'm just wondering what are the rough weight guidelines with lambs. Mountain ram lambs and Crossbred ram lambs( Lynn ram x mountain).

If you had lambs at the 40kg mark at weaning would it be best to get them out the door or keep them on, since we have a lot of grass, for another mouth?

And with the smaller lambs 30Kg, would it take too long for these guys to gain weight?

Just looking for some opinions as to what you would do.

Not trying to be smart but it really depends on the price in a months time. It also depends on how long you could hold them with the grass that you have. It might be worth your while hedging your bets a bit, if you had the time... Maybe sell what is fit now. Pick out the next ones down as a gang of forward stores and advertise them or go to the mart. Then use the grass on the 30kg lads... That is still an decent lamb for that breed at this time of year and it is a smaller gang to be starting out on. In time they would make good lambs, and with the grass it isnt costing you a whole pile. If down the line you wanted to abort, you could still sell them as forward stores if the market improved and if it doesnt, they were still only eating excess grass so you are definitely no worse off.