# feeding out lambs



## JK-Farms (Feb 17, 2009)

how is it possible to make money feeding out lambs on feed and hay? anyone do it, or no some one who does it. with the cost of feed it just does not seem possible, and does anyone know how many pounds of feed go into a pound of weight gain (i know it depends on breed, but as an average ). i read that for goats its { 7lbs feed = 1lb of weight gain } i dont know how true that is.


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## houndlover (Feb 20, 2009)

I honestly don't think there's any way you could make money on lambs if you have to give them all their feed. I breed my ewes so that the lambs will be out on new grass within a couple weeks - mid January to mid Feb lambing, and once they're on pasture, they stay on it until they are sold, home butchered, or sent to auction in October. This year's prices were $1.50 a lb at auction. If I had to feed them, I wouldn't have made any money with the price of feed. What money is spent goes toward feeding the ewes right now, but after a couple lambings, they pay for themselves. The 4h kids in my club will pick out lambs from my flock and raise them on lamb grower complete, which is hugely expensive feed, and at market time (July) their lambs will differ from my pasture lambs by about 10 lbs - 125 for a fed lamb vs 115 for a sibling pasture fed lamb. Their rate of gain is about 1 lb of gain per 3.5 lbs of complete feed. I can't compare price because 4H auction lambs command anywhere from 5 to 20$ a pound! By October my pasture lambs average 150 lbs. A sack of lamb feed here is $22 per 50 lbs. Pasture is free.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

houndlover said:


> I honestly don't think there's any way you could make money on lambs if you have to give them all their feed. I breed my ewes so that the lambs will be out on new grass within a couple weeks - mid January to mid Feb lambing, and once they're on pasture, they stay on it until they are sold, home butchered, or sent to auction in October. This year's prices were $1.50 a lb at auction. If I had to feed them, I wouldn't have made any money with the price of feed. What money is spent goes toward feeding the ewes right now, but after a couple lambings, they pay for themselves. The 4h kids in my club will pick out lambs from my flock and raise them on lamb grower complete, which is hugely expensive feed, and at market time (July) their lambs will differ from my pasture lambs by about 10 lbs - 125 for a fed lamb vs 115 for a sibling pasture fed lamb. Their rate of gain is about 1 lb of gain per 3.5 lbs of complete feed. I can't compare price because 4H auction lambs command anywhere from 5 to 20$ a pound! By October my pasture lambs average 150 lbs. A sack of lamb feed here is $22 per 50 lbs. Pasture is free.


I agree 100% with this post!


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## bruce2288 (Jul 10, 2009)

There are lots of variables involved. I feed my lambs out. I do not feed complete feed. It is hard to feed any class of livestock a complete pelleted feed and be in a positive profit situation. I can buy corn for about 10 cents/lb. At even 6:1 conversion that is 60 cents cost on 1.50/lb lambs. Feeder lambs are not bringing much of a premium in this area to fat price and I know I can put weight on for less than a $1/lb. Find out what feed in your area costs, do you have access to distiller grains.If your lambs have good frames the key is to push the corn and limit the hay to get good gain. This has to be done gradually. I actually gradually get my lambs to eating all the corn with a protein supplement they want and they have them on a self feeder. All the corn they want any time they want. I would suggest googleing; finishing lambs, feeding lambs ect. Good luck, these lamb prices are hard to believe.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I supplemented the ewe's winter hay with a bit of oats. That's it. The lambs were usually born when there was snow on the ground, or just after the melt. No more grain, pastured only. I do have thrifty sheep, though (Black Welsh Mountain and crosses). The ewes and lambs are/were on pasture all summer until snow (just put out the first bale of hay yesterday). If I was going to make money on lambs, I'd either breed them or buy January/February lambs at five months and put them right on pasture (or break them to pasture from hay, depending on what they are used to). I'd advertise in the summer for "pastured" and if you can, "organic", and take orders, then have them butchered between November and January. If you are buying lambs instead of breeding, This gives you five months of no worries and only a couple of months of hay.

If there were extra, I'd overwinter them and either advertise in the early summer or spring, or go to a farmer's market and take orders. At a farmer's market I could take smaller orders and charge more. Or, I could butcher them and bring as much as I could fit into a few coolers and sell them by the piece. 

My friend typically has 100 sheep for butcher. She has them shorn and sells the wool, keeping the best fleece for herself. The wool pays for the shearing and then some. She keeps the best ewes and ram(s) and sends the rest to a big facility. Is she getting rich- no. Does she make money- yes. She does not buy feeders, everyone is born on her farm.

Many people want pastured meat. They either prefer the taste, or they don't want all of the fat that comes with grain fed meat. There is a market for it and people will pay more per pound, so even though the lamb is a little smaller, you aren't necessarily loosing money. Check your options. If you raise pastured, advertise at Whole Foods, if there is one in your area.


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## houndlover (Feb 20, 2009)

Maura has a good point about breeds too. My black faced commercial type sheep are a mix of suffolk, hamp, shetland, and dorset. They are hardy and thrive where some other breeds might need more feed to keep condition.


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## sewtlm (Mar 22, 2006)

We get about 1/2 lb gain per day on 1lb all stock feed ($12 per 50 lb) per sheep with free choice hay. 

Kait has a suffolk/columbia cross flock. She has won the rate of gain but never places above 4th in the market lamb class at the fair. We were breeding for March lambs so this year we are trying Jan lambs so they are bigger at fair time.

She has a rambiolet(SP) ewe this year and I don't think she will have as great of lamb but this ewe was traded for her wool.

If you are going for meat I don't think the heritage breeds have as good market gain for as high of profit.

Alot of the ranchers here in MT are raising white face sheep on all grass and seem to be able to make the payments.


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## Lazy J (Jan 2, 2008)

The shepherds that I talk to in our area are ecstatic about the profits they are making on their market lambs this year. One producer averaged $1.42/lb liveweight on 147 lb lambs. That gave him an average revenue of $209 per lamb. 

Of course they isn't buyin "All stock" at TSC either which helps their profitablity.

Jim


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## sewtlm (Mar 22, 2006)

Hey JIM - we live over 200mi from a TSC which is less expensive than the local feed mill. We live in a very different area than you do it's a long way to everywhere from here.

But I would bet the shepherds are feeding hay, cake or feeder pellets all winter especially if the sheep can't graze. I know they do here because the winter loses would be extreme if they didn't. And yes they mostly can only graze from April at the earliest to October if they are lucky here in MT.

And our lambs are at market weight in 5-6 months vs 9-10 months. DD lambs this past year reached 100+ pounds in 4 months.


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