Help...Buying Sheep

[Barmy]

We had 2 lambs last year and have only just finishedthe meat a year later.

My husband would like to get more but we cant find where you buy them, we got them fom a petting farm last time and they cost £75 each. We also dont know when is the right time of year to buy.

We are also trying to decide if we have a small permanant group of breeding ewes or wether we buys lambs to fatten each year. If we had breeding ewes when should we buy them, should we buy them already pregnant and how do we get them pregnant each year.

Are there any rules or people we have to register with in order to sell the meat to other people, mainly frieinds and family or their friends.

Sorry to ask so many questions!

[ina]

Well - this is the time of year to buy fat lambs, ready for slaughter... Did you pay £75 for lambs that you then had to fatten up yourself? That's very expensive! Bet our farmer would wish to get that for his lambs...

Can't really give you a lot of advice - you aren't saying whether you have land to keep sheep on, whether you have a holding number already, etc. Buying pregnant ewes would be easier, at least for a start - if you can get any; and I can tell you how to get a ewe pregnant - there's usually a male involved! Artificial insemination is possible, of course, but not very usual for sheep, so you might be better off borrowing a willing ram locally. Around here, preparations are underway for the annual mating season; but that depends a bit on where you are, too, and what breeds you find in your region.

So, in other words - you are more likely to get useful answers if you tell us a bit more about your circumstances first!

And btw - welcome to Ish.

[red]

what we did was - research what kind of sheep we would like, sutiable for our land etc. contacted a local breeder, who sold us three ewe hoggets (40 quid each, and were a breed) .
We got them in December, giving us about 9 months to decide how we like keeping sheep etc, without worrying about lambing etc.

I think.. if we replace any of our stock (and we might as there is one that is a right pain and did not lamb last year) i would be looking to buy a mum with lambs at foot. more expensive, but you know she can do the pregnancy bit, and you have lambs to eat later.

We borrow a ram, the owners are more than happy for us to look after and feed him for a few weeks, but we do have to fit in with their timings. Last year with F&M restrictions, we got him a bit late and only one out of the three had lambs.

Before you start, you need to make sure you have enough land, a CPH number (contact defra) a herd number (contact animal health), adequate fencing, registered with a vet that deals with large animals, and hav looked into the right sort of sheep for you area.

We really enjoy our sheep- although they are a commitment. surprising side line is the wool, didn't really think about it - wanted grazers/ meat - but we like processing our own wool too.

we were novices.. and managed!

[Barmy]

thanks for that

we already have a holding number etc and a vet and the land and shelters as we also breed alpacas.

I sem to remember the lambs going to the abbatoir at the end of the summer so they must have been born earlier than August.

Also what is the percentage of orphan lambs. our local farm seem to have them every year

Thanks

[red]

most orphan lambs are not orphan at all, but spare.. triplets.. or twins, and the farmer decided would be better for the ewe to raise less.

So I dont think you can have a percentage .. but if they are selling them at 75 quid a pop - I expect that percentage would go up!

traditionally lambs are concieved in autumn and born in spring, and if slaughtered as lamb, that would be about 5-6 months old.

you keep alpacas eh? well you already know all about fibre processing then. Can you run alpacas and sheep together? it is something we have considered.

[Barmy]

Hi

Yes alpacas and sheep are great together. Alpacas are actually kept as fox guards in australia as they will stand and attack them if they feel the sheep are part of the herd.

I have 3 young males for sale if anyone needed cheap to keep field guards with luxury fibre to boot. You need to have at least 2 alpacas as they are a herd animal, but 3 is better.

The only thing with sheep and alpacas is that alpacas have a very high copper content in their feed so I feed the greedy sheep first and shut them in then I feed the alpacas and let them all out again 10 mins later when they have all finished.

How much should I expect to pay for an in lamb ewe? (of the eating, non horned variety??)

Jo

[ina]

How much should I expect to pay for an in lamb ewe? (of the eating, non horned variety??)

Now that is a really difficult question... I've seen them go for as little as £5 here at the rare breeds sale - if nobody else wants them, they are cheap. Otherwise, it depends very much on breed, age, condition, local supply... I would ask around to see if anybody has any for sale for a start (too early for that now, anyway - but you could ask around if anybody would consider selling one, and how much they'd want for it).

Have you thought whether you'd be wanting a particular breed? In that case it might help to go to the appropriate breed association's website.

[VSS]

they cost £75 each.

I think they saw you coming - the only lambs worth that sort of money are pedigree stock with breeding potential or new season fat lambs at Easter time.

We also dont know when is the right time of year to buy.

It depends what you are looking for and where you are based. ROund here store lambs (lambs being sold off the farm for further fattening) are virtually 2 a penny at the moment. If you are in East Anglia or the home COunties you will find it harder to source lambs and consequently have to pay more for them.

We are also trying to decide if we have a small permanant group of breeding ewes or wether we buys lambs to fatten each year. If we had breeding ewes when should we buy them, should we buy them already pregnant and how do we get them pregnant each year.

Think very carefully before you go for breeding ewes - it is a different kettle of fish from fattening lambs, and requires a higher level of commitment to your sheep and more knowledge. Do some research and read whatever you can. Talk to any local sheep farmers. If you decide to buy ewes, buying in lamb ewes will have tha advantage that you won't have to worry about getting them in lamb this time round. The drawback is that you take a chance of whether thay really did run with a ram, and remember you had no control over what breed of ram. You could wait until later in the year and try to get ewes that are scanned in lamb ( which have had an ultrasound scan to confirm number of lambs expected). You would have to pay a bit more for them, but at least then you will know how many lambs to expect - adefinate advantage to a sheep novice.

how do we get them pregnant each year.

With a ram. For a few sheep it may not be worth while having your own - see if a neighbour or fellow shepherd will let you run your ewes with their ram.

Are there any rules or people we have to register with in order to sell the meat to other people, mainly frieinds and family or their friends.

Lots. You must have them killed and cut a fully licensed premises. If i were you i would get the sheep bit sorted out before you worry about this too much.

[Barmy]

Ok thanks

Store lambs it is then...

We take them to a licensed abbatoir and then my butcher does the rest. I just turn up and get handed the carrier bags full of meat.

VSS - whereabouts are you. I dont mind travelling to get them if I dont have to pay too much.
The ones I got were surplas from a petting farm and yes they saw me coming but unless you know where to look its really hard to find anyone selling lambs. I am in surrey- horse country. not many sheep around here.

[VSS]

Too far. North Wales

[Barmy]

Oh well.

exactly when should I be planning on buying my stock lambs?? and I will try and find someone who is selling some.
How old will the lambs be, if they arent to be bottle fed by me

[ina]

Oh well.

exactly when should I be planning on buying my stock lambs?? and I will try and find someone who is selling some.
How old will the lambs be, if they arent to be bottle fed by me

Some folks wean their pet lambs (orphans) at 6 weeks, I would bottle them a few weeks longer... So say a couple of months at least. Most lambs get born between February and April (again, dependent on region and breed). Around here, you can often get orphan lambs for free, or a fiver, but then you have the job of bottling them. However, if there aren't a lot of sheep in your area, you'd pay more for them.

[Barmy]

Thanks

That would work perfectly for me as we are getting a stables with 10 acres in March.
How often do orphans need feeding, can I buy a lamb feeder which you fill with milk with teats on and they take it when they want it like calves?

How much milk do they get through, is it a false economy buying orphans?

[guyandzoe]

We were at the sheep sales this week and good lambs were making £30ish.

We normally buy lambs at this time of year (after the last lot are in the freezer). We have always bought direct from local breeders. This is the time of year that fat lamb and stores go on the market this far north. We keep them a year and kill them at around 18 months when the weather is colder and the flies have gone.

I would normally pay £25ish per lamb.

At rare breed sales they can go for nothing at all at Dingwall mart. Last year good pedigree hebrideans were making a fiver but good breeding kerries went for £80 - £100.

If they are going in the freezer you need good meat breeds and not tiny little rare breeds - unless thats your bag.

[Barmy]

ok now youve confused me. an earlier reply said buy them at two months old having been born between February and April. and then killed at the end of the summer.

also can anyone advise on which breeds are meat breeds and where I can find information about sheep sales.