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Competition for store lambs is starting very strong, with new customers adding extra bite to sales.
It is important when purchasing to complete a budget and assess what is the most suitable type of lamb to purchase and what system has the best potential to leave a margin.
Costs
Typical production costs, including a cost for marketing, transport and mortality, average in general from €7 to €8.
These will be influenced by the length of time lambs are on the farm and the health treatments administered.
A quarantine period is advised, with the optimum to keep purchased lambs away from any sheep already on the farm for a 21-day period.
Treatments
Recommended health treatments include a double dose for worms to guard against resistance, cobalt/mineral supplementation, regular footbathing, clostridial disease vaccine and treatment for ecto-parasites, with a focus on blowfly strike and sheep scab (dipping or injectable/pour-on combination).
Many farmers do not put a cost on grass consumed, with lambs purchased in some cases to eat surplus grass and clean off paddocks.
This is particularly the case this year, with surplus grass available and some beef farmers splitting their risk by replacing slaughtered stock with cattle and lambs.
Where a grass cost is being factored into the equation, a daily charge of 5c to 7c is usually used.
If lighter long-keep lambs are being purchased, a concentrate cost may need to be factored into the equation.
Performance targets
Realistic performance targets should be used when assessing the length of time it will take lambs to finish.
On well-managed grass, typical performance levels during August and early September range from 150g to 170g per day (1.0kg to 1.2kg per week).
This falls to 120g to 140g per day from mid-September onwards and, depending on weather (impacts on grass quality and utilisation), will be variable from early to mid-November onwards, with concentrates or forage crops required to generate significant live weight gain.
Cull ewes
Some farmers are opting to purchase cull ewes for feeding over store lambs.
Younger or full-mouth ewes with an average cover of flesh will perform best.
Freshly weaned aged ewes with broken mouths that are very short of flesh will take significantly longer to recover and start gaining live weight.
Avoid problem ewes with mastitis or chronic lameness, as these ewes will require greater attention.
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