The Poultry Keeper

debcat · Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 10:04 pm Post subject: sheep sales

went to the local sheep sales on wednesday with Nonie
the only thing I can really say is DEPRESSING Evil or Very Mad

last year was bad but this year looks like it's going to be even worse
Nonie has the full list of prices but the top was £36.50 with some of them struggling to reach £1 Crying or Very sad

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7370 Location: isle of lewis

nonie's written it all out ,she'll post after work if anyone's intested

Teasal · Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 10:09 pm Post subject:

Oh, thats not good, is it. I was speaking to a local farmer only the other day, whose daughter has a sheep farm, and he said they were doing well pricewise at the moment? This spurred me on to go ahead with my idea of having a small flock of sheep, lambing the ewes and selling the lambs at market when fat ....but hearing this, I am not so sure now.

debcat · Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 10:11 pm Post subject:

it's worse up here than anywhere else because of the transport problem
the buyers all know one another, so it's really a closed market, it was only a couple of years ago that the good ones where going for around £60+

bronskibeat · Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 1724 Location: Clawddnewydd

Ooerr! thats not good debcat, I've got pedigree sales coming up this month (prays hard that they sell this year....) I've got around 30 suffolk cross lambs to sell and the bl***y things wont fatten, they are just growing tall and boney Sad

I hate suffolks!!!

debcat · Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 7:30 pm Post subject:

it's got to be loads better down there than it is here

I love suffolk X's Very Happy

bronskibeat · Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 1724 Location: Clawddnewydd

I've got about 30 to sell, you interested? Wink

debcat · Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 11:21 pm Post subject:

I wish,
promised the other half I'd cut down since I appear to have just about bought a pony Embarassed

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7370 Location: isle of lewis

i'm not sure if the fact scotland hasn't vac yet might be having an impact as well ,
mind you i tried to pay for a sheep yesterday for someone i'm rearing a ram for it was probably the most he'll be offered for a sheep this year 15 pounds ,he said thank you and he ripped up the cheque Rolling Eyes

manic nonie · Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:20 pm Post subject:

ok here are the sales averages and bits of info.

For blackies
Min = £3
Max = £28.50
Average for ewe lambs = £13.24
There were 509 lambs in the sales

For Blackie tup lambs
Min = £5
Max = £27.50
Average for ewe lambs = £16.50
There were 16 animals at the sales

Blackface gimmers
Min = £8
Max = £17
Average for gimmers= £11.63
There were 53 gimmers in the sales

Blackface ewes
Min = £1.00
Max = £6.50
Average for ewe lambs = £2.83
There were 82 in the sales

Texel
Min = £28
Max = £29
Average for ewe lambs = £29.25
There were 14 lambs were at the sales

Texel X Blackface
Min = £8.00
Max = £35.50
Average for ewe lambs = £20.54
There were 628 lambs were at sale

Cheviot Ewe lambs
Min = £2
Max = £32.50
Average for ewe lambs = £17.07
There were 187 lambs went up for sale

Cheviot tup lambs
Min = £23.00
Max = £27.00
Average for ewe lambs = £25.00
There were 3 lambs in the sales

Cheviot X Blackface ewe lambs
Min = £5
Max = £34.00
Average for ewe lambs = £18.64
There were 480 lambs at sale

Cheviot X blackface tup lambs
Min = £20.00
Max = £31.50
Average for ewe lambs = £26.67
There were 3 lambs at sale

Suffolk lambs
Min = £20.00
Max = £32.50
Average for ewe lambs = £27.00
There were 100 ewe lams at sale

Suffolk X Blackface
Min = £5
Max = £32.50
Average for ewe lambs = £21.13
There were 238 lambs went up sale sale

Charalais X blackface
Min = £7.50
Max = £36.50
Average for ewe lambs = £23.63
There were 107 lambs were for sale

Mixed Lambs
Min = £4.50
Max = £30.00
Average for ewe lambs = £15.57
There were 357 lambs went for sale in this section

A trio of Cheviot 2 gimmer and a sencond crop ewe = £7.50 each

A pair of whethers Suffolk crosses sold for £28.50 each

Rejected prices
Mixed (texel and cheviot cross blackie) top offer of £8.00
Cheviot top offer of £15.00
Blackface top offer of £15.50
Blackface top offer of £1.50

there was 3010 animals presnt at the sale

bronskibeat · Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 1724 Location: Clawddnewydd

Thats not good Nonie, hope things improve up there for you all, though with the rest of the UK now vaccinating, sales in Scotland and the Borders will be severely affected I think Sad

manic nonie · Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 11:04 pm Post subject:

The situation tends to be made worst by the fact there were only 6 buyers for the mainland, but without them nothing would go, I think the phrase is over a gate. How anybody breaks even here I don't know with bad lambing conditions more feed has to be given to commerals and blackies alike, debcat Was it -19 wind chill at lambing.a man down the road has just gone under and main are getting out. Bronskibeat your right but theres got to be a light at the end of the tunnel even if at the moment its no more then a pin head. Confused

debcat · Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 2:57 pm Post subject:

yep -19 that weekend and that was in the day,
thank goodness they managed to cross their legs