# Better to buy feeders rather than raise breed and raise your own



## Fisch (Jan 6, 2010)

I am doing some assessment of my current operation and wondered if others out there find it more cost effective to buy feeder lambs, raise them on grass during the summer and fall and sell them as butcher lambs versus the practice that I am currently following of maintaining 10 ewes, a ram and still trying to graze and finish lambs to sell for processing in November. The way that hay prices are, I could probably sell the hay that I bale for my ewes and make more than I would on the lambs that they produce. I like having them around as they maintain the semi-wooded pastures that are otherwise unusable as cropland, but lambs would do the same thing. The only benefit I can see in keeping the ewes is a guarantee in supply of lambs; feeders are sort of hard to come by at a reasonable price. I appreciate any thoughts or insights.


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

Meat lamb are spendy here and you have to travel on average.. 2 1/2 hours to get them.
They are going for $150.00 to $250.00 for 1 and 2 month old wethers.

To get them to the size I would want to butcher them at, is 1 year to 1 1/2 years old.
They still taste good and tender.

For this area, would be cheaper to have the ewes and produce the lambs yourself.

You should check for sale ad's, see what lambs are going for in your area and how easy they are to get.


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## Bret4207 (May 31, 2008)

I don't think you can make money buying feeders, not in my area at least. Ewes are cheap to keep if you have pastures and hay and they do a better job raising lambs than any human.


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## ErikaMay (Feb 28, 2013)

say you *could* buy feeders for $50 each. When its basically free to feed the ewe since you have hay and she can have 1-3 lambs for "free"...why would you want to create added cost by buying feeders? Plus new born lambs are adorable. Why wouldn't you want the BABIES in your life?

(sorry. that just might have been my biological clock talking)


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## secuono (Sep 28, 2011)

Cheaper for me to breed sheep, but far cheaper to buy hogs.


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## Gabriel (Dec 2, 2008)

ErikaMay said:


> say you *could* buy feeders for $50 each. When its basically free to feed the ewe since you have hay and she can have 1-3 lambs for "free"...why would you want to create added cost by buying feeders?


Just because you have something, doesn't mean that the use of it is "free". He needs to compare enterprises and see what will best fit his operation and give the best return. It costs to make hay and as he said, he could sell it, so there is an opportunity cost to using it for your own animal's feed. Of course, he also has to consider that he's keeping the nutrients on his farm rather than shipping them away... Just pointing out that it's not as simple as many think.


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## ErikaMay (Feb 28, 2013)

Fine. What is the cost on making 10 bales per ewe? okay. fine...lets say it costs $2 to make a bale which is really high. 
So it costs you $20 to feed each of your ewes (I'm assuming you do have some pasture), then if we want to be nitpicky $5 for shearing once a year, and $5 for vaccines (i vaccinate light). So now your ewes cost you $30 and could make 1-3 lambs. 

oh, but what about gas to visit each ewe? Its not that simple, don't forget the gas! And if you are raising them in the barn, how much electricity does each ewe account for? Boy this IS really hard! And midnight lambing...what is the cost of waking up at 2 am to check on ewes? that "costs", like $100, right? WHEW! thats it, get rid of the ewes. and sell the hay. infact, just get rid of the farm and sell it to a housing developer. waaaaay easier.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

You have to run the numbers. One year I bought a yearling from a neighbor. Was not nearly as tasty as my own Black Welsh Mountain crosses. So, there is an issue. Where can you buy good sized lambs in your area? How much? They can be transported in a pick up or, in my case, the back of the Pontiac Vibe. 

Keeping sheep in the winter is more labor intensive than keeping them through the summer because you have to water them every day (water freezes), and bring them hay. Other than that, they are pretty easy keepers. I'd add a few chickens.


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## goodhors (Sep 6, 2011)

Sometimes it is a time savings, not having to handle the sheep over winter, sit up to do the lambing, possibly lose lambs you planned on selling.

Getting lambs lined up for purchase now, gives you lambs that are live when purchased, well started. You might get a better price, being a guaranteed purchaser of a specific quantity in the spring. This helps you and buyer, knowing you will get lambs, him having lambs sold early, not having to feed them for a long time. Then you raise them, keep your fields mowed for little feed expenses, and lambs sold when you decide to get rid of them. Maybe you could contract with a buyer, to produce grass fed lambs, get a niche market for yourself when they are ready to sell. Better than taking Auction prices, most times. 

When they are gone, no more sheep work until you purchase them again, so a time savings not handling, not winter feeding them, no shearing for lambing. You don't get to play with sheep over winter, no cute babies being born. Trade-offs.

I see advantages to both systems, but writing out the numbers and details is going to be your best tool for choosing one method over the other. 

Not sure what lambs cost in your area, or if you can get a quantity discount, contracting ahead. Let someone else do the lambing, tails, chance of losing some, get them up to weaning age. I would get all males, they grow better for meat sales over ewes, and you can wether the rams yourself.


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## cfuhrer (Jun 11, 2013)

I would buy the lambs. But that's just me and I come from a place where lambs are about half as expensive as hay.

Also, my sister ran a 4-H herd of about fifty ewes and two rams and I've handled about all the sheep I care to for the entirety of my life, lol. But I do still love lamb!


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## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

A couple points not previously made:

Consistency of product. Can you buy the same breeds every time? Get them in similar condition?

Disease control. If you breed your own lambs, you can maintain a closed flock and at least know what you're dealing with for health issues. If you're bringing in lambs every year, especially if you're bringing them in from different sources, you don't know what you could be putting into your flock and or land.

Given those reasons, the numbers would have to look considerably better for me to go with buying feeders. I'm still new at this, so I'm just doing feeders for now, but my goal is my own breeders, and as few outside introductions as possible for my breeding program, and QT of any new blood.


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## Rectifier (Jun 12, 2011)

cfuhrer, how are you from a place where lambs are "half as expensive as hay"?
Last I checked a feeder lamb (if you can get one) was more than a (heavy) round bale! And that round bale is well over a year's feed for a ewe, in full confinement with no pasture. And if you cut your own hay, then you are so far ahead with the ewes it's not even funny. Oh yeah, and if you put in heated bowls you don't have to water every day in the winter, or ever for that matter.
I'll admit hay is cheaper around here, and that USA hay prices are pretty insane.

To the OP, if you say feeders are hard to come by, they will only get harder to come by once you start buying too. Having your own ewes will let you run a breeding program that will put you far ahead of buying unknown feeders. But if you focus on hay, take good cuts, bale square and sell to horse owners, it's true that you may end up ahead with the hay with less work, considering you only have 10 ewes.


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## Bret4207 (May 31, 2008)

I don't know what prices are like anywhere else, but if someone came to me in spring and wanted feeders, he'd be paying at least $100.00 a head. I know I'll get at least that in fall at the auctions, maybe twice that. OTOH, if you can pick them up for $20.00 then the profit margin is there.


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## goodhors (Sep 6, 2011)

I have never seen lambs for $20, even years ago, unless it was a bottle baby with that work to keep it surviving. Small lambs from small breeds, still were costing $75, because they are popular for lamb roast with the Hispanics, Muslims, if fed up some. Just a right size for a family gathering, and they process the lamb themselves. 

I was looking at $75-$100 each, feeder lambs of good size breeds, which will be over 120 pounds, to go to market. Maybe way over that weight. Then if buyer didn't have to put anything else ($$) into them beyond doing banding, maybe some shots and keeping the water tank full over summer and fall, he might be able to double his money at sale time feeding grass. He can still turn a profit that way when he sells them off, and a second profit in selling the hay he doesn't need to feed them over winter.


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## Bret4207 (May 31, 2008)

$75.00 you might make some bucks. $100.00 you're going to be cutting it really close unless you can find buyers willing to pay you your "double" price. Right now at auction you'd be just clearing your initial cost $100.00 when you figure in sales commission. If the market is flooded you may well lose money buying at $100.00 a head. So I'd say you really need to research your market. I simply don't have a large Muslim population, or any ethnic population, willing to pay a premium for lamb. We have to ship to New Holland and take the costs associated with trucking, feed and water, commission, etc. Going through local auctions has given me huge losses, averaging $45.00 a head! 

If you have the market, fine. Otherwise it's iffy.


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## goodhors (Sep 6, 2011)

YIKES, $45 for a $100 lamb is terrible!! 

You are totally correct, the OP needs to have a market that will pay for his lambs in the fall. I was giving information for my location, which does have a fairly large ethnic population, all thru Michigan. He is located in Michigan as well.

Going to Farmer's Markets, taking DEPOSITS for a lamb at finish time. Advertise, getting yourself VISIBLE to local buyers, might find you new buyers. Craigslist is free. My friend sold her Katahdin lambs, live at a Farmer's Market, had no problem getting rid of them at young ages. Most went for those Family Gatherings, ethnic folks purchasing them. Small size was fine, didn't need the big, meat breed lambs for a dinner animal. My mom used to buy a lamb in fall, but it would be a big one, because all us kids ate a LOT. She shopped the local farmers, sheep breeders, to find her lambs.

Develop a market! Call local eating places, to see if they would be interested in purchasing an animal, picking up the meat from the processor. Appeals to the seasonal nature of food on the tables of many local eateries.

But you are right Bret, the OP needs to have a market, make a market, for those lambs to sell for decent money and not lose on having them.


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