Bruce
Herd Master
Same here.
Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal
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Mike CHS
Herd Master
We have been in our place going on seven years and usually get no snow or it might snow once. This is the 4th time this winter but still not a lot on the ground. The sheep always know what time it is in regards to feeding time and they are heading toward the barn. We are going to work them again this afternoon and sort out a load of ram lambs to take to the sale tomorrow along with three of the senior ewes that are being culled.
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Baymule
Herd Master
That is a beautiful scene. We've had snow once, may get more Thursday.
What do cull ewes bring at auction? Is there a good market for them or does everyone want the lambs?
What do cull ewes bring at auction? Is there a good market for them or does everyone want the lambs?
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Mike CHS
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They are usually the bottom rung of the price ladder but we haven't ever sold this early and when the market was so high. During the peak last year when lambs were going for up to $3+ a pound, the older ewes were not much over a dollar. They are the oldest of our sheep though and price doesn't matter much at this point as it's their time.
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Mike CHS
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We brought the sheep in and sorted and those that are staying moved out to a different paddock and it is NOISY out there. The ram lambs are all Prime with weights running from 54 -64 pounds with all of this group being right at two months old.
Baymule
Herd Master
All the auctions around here sell by the head. To go to an auction that sells by the pound would be quite a trip, near 5-6 hours away.
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Mike CHS
Herd Master
But don't they still have them in groups in the similar weight class?
Baymule
Herd Master
We only took lambs one time, last year. Typically we sold them as meat, but with no slaughter date available, we took them to the sale, a ram lamb and 3 ewe lambs. They ran the ram in by himself and the ewes together. I think they group them by seller.
farmerjan
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It is standard practice to run the different sexes in separately as they have a different buyer market if they get bought by commercial type buyers. After that sales are very different. Most here get sold by the lb. But if there is a "state grader" of some sort at the sale... as there are here for many of the sales, calves will get graded as to frame and condition, and then according to weight. Sheep get graded in a couple different ways. The top slaughter size is 95-120 and the best are called "blue -O" the somewhat lighter ones are usually "reds" 75-90 lbs.... Often they will go to someone who will feed them out to "blue-O" grade. With the ethnic markets, many in the 40-70 lb range are preferred to go directly to slaughter.... many are done "halal"..... If there are very many and there are "commercial buyers" there, they will usually group all the ones in similar size. Yours got weighed going in, so you will get paid for yours directly, but if they go with a group, they will often bring more.
If your 3 went into the ring together it could be that they were the only ones in that weight/size range. And sometimes they will sell by "seller". When we take in a bunch of calves, and they are similar but not "well matched" often they will group them all in one sale pen... and they will get run in and if there are say 2 or 3 that match... might be a 100 lb range in weight... but all the ones in that pen are ours. But they try to keep the ones closer in size so that they buyers there looking for certain sizes do not have to stay for the whole sale but just for the sex, size, weight range they are looking for.
One of our sales has a lot of sheep and goats, and those buyers will be there, and then after say all the sheep and goats are sold, they leave because they don't buy calves. I have seen these buyers buy all different sizes, and ages of sheep, and they pay according to the age,sex and condition. Many of them have a "market" for any of the grades and ages.
If your 3 went into the ring together it could be that they were the only ones in that weight/size range. And sometimes they will sell by "seller". When we take in a bunch of calves, and they are similar but not "well matched" often they will group them all in one sale pen... and they will get run in and if there are say 2 or 3 that match... might be a 100 lb range in weight... but all the ones in that pen are ours. But they try to keep the ones closer in size so that they buyers there looking for certain sizes do not have to stay for the whole sale but just for the sex, size, weight range they are looking for.
One of our sales has a lot of sheep and goats, and those buyers will be there, and then after say all the sheep and goats are sold, they leave because they don't buy calves. I have seen these buyers buy all different sizes, and ages of sheep, and they pay according to the age,sex and condition. Many of them have a "market" for any of the grades and ages.
Mini Horses
Herd Master
The auction I use sells by head. Buyers definately look and pay for condition. If you work with the animals you can come pretty close to a good weight guess. Some buy and keep until they have a trailer load to sell, etc. Others for own use or herd. It's fun and prices are usually pretty good. Nothing is weighed at ours. Primarily goat, sheep; some chickens, rabbits and the occasional calf, hog.
