Sheep : Lamb/Meat Tradeoff Question

[MorrisonCorner]

With the price of feed where it is, and our finances where they are, I don't have a lot of room for error anymore. I need to get my flock to a point where I'm getting the most meat out of the deal with the most efficiency. So I'm soliciting opinions from other meat people.

Here's the parameters:

I do sell the wool, but the cost of processing the wool into salable yarn, the cost of going to the shows, etc at best renders this into a break even. Yes, I "need" fresh wool for the shows, but at the same time.. I don't "need" it. So while I could get more wool if I had more lambs that isn't part of the equation.

I have 4 breedable ewes at this point, plus 4 ram lambs, and a very large ram.

The ewes will produce, with luck 2 lambs each next spring = 8, but let's be conservative and say "6" in case we lose one or one singles.

But that means I have to feed 4 ewes over the course of the winter, and the lambs they produce next summer.

The question is.. would I be better off slaughtering the least desirable of my ewes this fall and holding back a ram lamb to be grown to a larger size over the winter? With the ram lamb I'd have one, not two, slaughter fees, and if that ewe were to throw two ewe lambs next spring, they will be very small relative to ram lambs, next autumn.

Meanwhile, that ewe would throw a good sized carcass this fall.

I'm really stuck on this. I can't grow my flock any bigger, 6 is my limit based on feed storage and finances. And I need to maximize the meat production per dollar spent. If I come up short on lambs next year I'd have this ram to slaughter...

Opinions? Keep the ewe and breed her, slaughtering the ram lamb this fall, or slaughter the ewe and keep the ram lamb to grow him over the winter?

[bruce2288]

This seems to be a financial question. What are you doing with the 4 lambs, selling them? Acouple of ideas. The easiest way to save is to butcher the critter yourself. The butcher fee would probable pay for feed for a couple of head. A good knife a cleaver or saw is all that is needed. If your final product does not look exactly like what comes from the butcher, so what it is still meat.

Right now ewes going through the sale ring are bringing around 35 cents a pound. Neither one of us can raise lambs for that price. If cheap meat is your goal you may want to check this out. Granted it is mutton and not lamb.

You say nothing about your grazing capacity. I would match your flock size to match that. You are right about butchering at a larger size, maybe you can move your lambing earlier in the year so the lambs can utilize your grazing better and have more size by fall.
If your are buying all your feed and have no pasture, you can probably buy cheaper than raise.

[suzyhomemaker09]

I feel your pain...we are very young in our sheep raising venture and did a very hard cull after our Spring breeding season.
Are you planning on selling the processed lamb or keep for yourself...one has to look at hard numbers and in our unique situation we opted for a hard cull .
We started with a trio of ewes and a ram....we had one of those bizarre accidents where a ewe decided to commit harikiri rather than to come to be milked.
Another ewe was not productive and was a P.I.T.A. and that hastened her vacation to freezer camp. The ram was for an initial breeder animal...once established we had planned on moving to an upgraded sire.
So...of the 3 ewes and 1 ram we have 1 ewe...original stock...and 2 ewe lambs that are growing.
Plenty of meat in our freezer as well.

[||Downhome||]

Well I don't care for mutton to much.
Maybe in a good scotch broth.
Lamb, though a nice young lamb oh Boy!
Its really hard to find in the markets here.
Most is new Zealand import.

OK back to the question as I already made it clear I'm Biased.

any Neighbors or friends that have pasture? Still a few good months you could run them.
You could well strike a barter. is three months graze worth a lamb or even two?

Yes butcher yourself and save the fees. Its a good skill to have.
Though you do not need a saw save you really want bone in your cuts.
Just a couple sharp knifes and debone it.
Its how I do my deer and I have steaks,roasts,stew meat and grind.

I'd keep the ewes after breeding to the old ram and sell him off to someone looking for a breeder. unless he's really good stock. keep the best of the lambs maybe even two to
hedge the bet. keep the better next year and butcher the other. Or sooner.

[Maura]

I have the packing house slaughter the sheep. They kill it, gut it, hang it, cut it up small and freeze it for me. Instead of looking at the cost of slaughtering, which isn't much, versus feeding, I look at the cost of buying lamb in the grocery store versus having my own butchered.

[suzyhomemaker09]

Originally Posted by Maura

I have the packing house slaughter the sheep. They kill it, gut it, hang it, cut it up small and freeze it for me. Instead of looking at the cost of slaughtering, which isn't much, versus feeding, I look at the cost of buying lamb in the grocery store versus having my own butchered.

My local processor charges a mere $45 to process a sheep...it's hard to not pay that small an amount when all things are considered...

[jwal10]

I don't like mutton. Improve the flock and eat the lambs. If I do need to butcher an adult sheep it all goes into summer sausage. Buck lambs are banded, all lambs docked at 3 days. Once flock is stable, you can breed the ewes to the same ram until next generation lambs need breeding, then get new ram. 6 sheep total, 2 ewes, their lambs and the ram, or get friends together and 4-5 use the ram as needed. I don't keep males around any more than at breeding time, even a rooster, they make the rounds in the neighborhood....James