[Jacob-list] Locker Lamb Prices

[Carl Fredericks]

We charge by hanging weight and the buyer pays processing costs (currently $95 per animal).  Our target hanging weight is 35-40 lb on a 7-8 month old intact ram lamb born in February raised entirely on pasture.  This is easiest to do with big single lambs that get a good head start off the ewe.

Althugh your North Dakota conditions are much more extreme than ours in Wisconsin, lambing in winter works for us because the lambs are ready to start eating pasture in April when we start grazing.   In our all-grass system we find it is difficult to put weight on lambs once you get past October because the energy content of grass declines as daylength decreases, so an early start is desirable.

Keep in mind North American Jacobs are mostly a slow growing sheep and there is a lot of variablility within the breed.  As Jennifer Tucker points out heavier weights, especiallly on heavier framed animals, are certainly possible but I have also had yearling rams that seem to top out at 70-80 lb liveweight.  You can certainly supplement with grain or very high quality pasture to get higher rate of gain but we don't buy grain.  We charge a premium to customers who want a grass-finished lamb and always seem to be able to sell smaller animals to customers who don't want a lot of meat.

Carl Fredericks
www.coldvalleyfarm.com



Just curious how do you all charge for locker lamb prices - by the pound or by the head? And about how much can I expect (in general) for the lambs to weigh or at what age do I slaughter them? 

Have a great day. 

Tashia Lund 
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