How much should i ask for him?

[boykin2010]

I have just gotten into sheep. I have 5 ewes, one newborn ewe lamb and male ram lamb ( i am using this ram lamb for breeding next year.)

Recently, a guy told me he was interested in buying a ram from me for meat around november so his family can eat him around Christmas.
Since all 5 of my ewes are pregnant i am sure i will end up with ram lambs and i dont intend on using any of these for breeding since i already have my breeding lamb.

I really would prefer to not have to sell my ram lambs for meat but i know there is only a slim possibilty of anyone wanting any of my lambs for breeding since they arent purebred.

Anyway the guy asked me how much i would want for one of my ram lambs and i told him i would have to think about how much i wanted. He said he just paid 350$ for a ram lamb to eat and he would be really happy if he could get a cheaper one from me.

Also, all of my lambs are due this month and the beginning of March. So around november the lambs will be about 9 months old.

Is this a good age to sell them or do they need to be younger/ older?

 

[aggieterpkatie]

It really depends on how they're fed as to when they'll be ready for market. If you're feeding only grass, they'll probably be a good size in November. If you're feeding grain, they may be ready sooner.

As far as pricing goes, that's all dependent on how you're feeding/raising them. You could probably get more if you're doing grass fed, as that's a niche market. You could always check out the current market price for lambs of the same size in your area and charge something along those lines. Or, you can set the price higher if you think you have a better product.

 

[boykin2010]

I give every one of my sheep roughly one scoop of grain a day. They also have free choice alfalfa hay right now and they always have a free choice regular hay. They also have mineral block free choice and they are able to eat all the grass they want on the pasture. Right now the grasses arent growing so they are eating more hay.

 

[boykin2010]

Do you think that 150$ is a good price? I think that sounds fair. Especially since the guy is gonna pick him up and carry him to the butcher himself.
I need opinions from you guys.
There is a breeder in my area that sells her ram lambs for roughly 200$ i think and then charges 350$ if she has to carry it to the butcher and get it processed. Her sheep are raised organically and are purebred katahdins.

My ewes are mostly katahdin i think a couple may be purebred but i cant prove it. The father of the lambs is a purebred barbado ram.

What is the average age a ram lamb is sold for meat? Just wondering

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Figure out your feed costs and labor, then decide if $150 will make you a profit or lose you money. You definitely don't want to lose money.

If you're not going to sell him by about 6 months (I'd say that's the average), you may want to consider castrating him.

 

[elevan]

If you're not going to sell him by about 6 months (I'd say that's the average), you may want to consider castrating him.

Check with your customer before castrating as he may not want it done. Some people for either religious or person reasons will only eat them if they were intact...

 

[goodhors]

6 or 9 months, he will still be a lamb. Will he grow a bunch after he is 6 months so the buyer gets a larger carcass? I will say my Suffolk lamb gained a LOT from first part of Aug to first part of Nov, on grass, so waiting added a lot of meat to my freezer. He weighed about 120 in August at the Fair, but we couldn't sell him because they limit project sale animals to 2 each per kid there. He went well over 200 pounds when I finally got him in.

Kahtadins don't get that large sized when mature, so an earlier sale won't lose the buyer much meat gain. Some small breeds are mature at 100 pounds, any extra gain after that is just grease.

Figure your expenses, what will it cost you to get him to market weight. Mine gain fine on good grass. I really would not be graining them if ewes are not nursing or carrying lambs. Just an extra cost for me, cuts into the profit.

I would second castrating the ram lambs, they will gain better and faster. When hormones are moving inside, ewes or rams, you don't get the same gain as wethers will on the same feed.

Get a DEPOSIT on any lambs people want you to hold for them. I would ask for at least $50, so they are serious. Hand them a paper that says deposit is towards purchase price of xx per pound or flat rate price. Paper says you will call them when ready by age or pounds, your choice. After you call they have then got a couple weeks to get a opening at the process plant, pay up and remove lamb. GET THE MONEY first, then no issues afterwards. YOU can charge a rate to haul lamb to processor after getting full purchase price, THEY pay all expenses there. If they do not respond to your call within XX time, they forfeit the deposit and you will sell lamb elsewhere, according to the paper agreement.

With things written out clearly, you should be covered for the details, no whining from customers about "surprise costs". You have the deposit money for your work if customers' default on agreement. TOO MANY folks say they want an animal, then when time arrives they have bought elsewhere, don't want or can't afford it now. You are then stuck with animal and needing to find new buyers then. This deposit agreement is how the organic folks around us do things with selling their animals. I have bought turkeys and geese this way, worked fine for me.

Sounds a bit hardline, but you won't get stiffed after waiting and feeding the lambs up. Craigslist is a good sales tool, you could advertise market lambs for sale on there. I always put my phone number on, the computer will be dumb sometimes. With a phone number they can call right away. Good luck with your coming lamb crop and selling the excess at a profit.