BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[Leahs Mom]

Thank you. Since I just want to try my hand at it, I need to find someone that would be willing to sell a couple to feed out the first time around. Do you think that the local 4H clubs would be a good place to find connections?

If

 

[Arielle]

Thank you. Since I just want to try my hand at it, I need to find someone that would be willing to sell a couple to feed out the first time around. Do you think that the local 4H clubs would be a good place to find connections?

If

Usually the 4Hers buy their lambs and sell after the show in the fall. At least that is what they do here. Most wont sell lambs but a few will if you keep reaching out for sources. Also post a sign at the feed store. One of my best sources was a large animal vet, sh was a vet that treated all kinds of sheep, lamas, horse, and goats and pigs. Maybe you have such a vet in your area.

Have you planned on how to manage the lambs?? I used electric netting for years with good luck. Used a solar panel to generate the power. Sheep went into a barn at night with high fencing all around. Just remember: keep the air flowing thru the barn. Sheep can take the cold, but not the high moisture air indicative of poor ventialtion.

I started with a couple lambs, too, so yes you can do this!!

 

[LindaB220]

I don't know if I've ever posted on this thread before but I do skim and read.

@RedRidge
If I wanted to get a couple lambs to raise for meat, what would be the best way to find a good source? Also, will sheep browse like goats or do they need just grass pasture?

I'd love to get a couple "feeders" for a season just to decide if I would want to continue raising them. If I decided I wanted to continue, then I'd buy better breeding stock. The numbers you are stating look very attractive to me.

We were still able to get grass fed beef at $2.69 hanging weight this summer, but I have a pasture that just goes to waste that I'd like to use around here. I always feel like I'm wasting food by just cutting it like a lawn. I've considered feeder beef but even for that the price seems prohibitive compared to what I can purchase the meat for here since I have a good source.

I'm going to have to do something. My DD was at the grocery store in NW La today and bought regular hamburger meat in the large economy pack for $4.99 a pound. Ungodly. I'm really thinking about muscovy white ducks. JM Hatchery has them. Low amount of fat and they get to 12 lbs at 12 weeks. BIG birds. More of a red meat and assumably tastes like veal. Really, really thinking about them. I sold 27 birds last month so I'll just have the 4 White Rocks, 2 Sapphire blue egg layers and a Coronation Sussex. The last 3 for eggs. And I have 2 little black bowling balls in the small pen. Cockerels of course. I ordered white rock and they are "supposed to be Barred by accident". Five weeks old mostly but. still black. Turk, I'm thinking about trying to caponize them. Just thinking.

 

[Arielle]

LInda-- I love beef, but will NOT NOT NOT pay $5 a pound for crap. Grass fed, yes. We rarely have beef anymore-- wonder who is eating our share--- oh right , someone mentioned the Japanese are importing much of our beef now. Probably because we dont have the mad cow issues like other countries. . . . Is there a mini beefer??


Cant say my ducks taste like veal because I have never had veal. My ducks taste . . . . like duck.

I like having chickens, turkeys and duck as they all taste a bit different.

THough none can truly replace beef as far as my tastebuds are concerned.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I was SO BLESSED to get my grass fed ground at $3.50/lb for the freezer the last time my source sold one. I bought 200 lbs.! (Which covered some family and friends too.)

 

[LindaB220]

I was SO BLESSED to get my grass fed ground at $3.50/lb for the freezer the last time my source sold one. I bought 200 lbs.! (Which covered some family and friends too.)

I'm saving my pennies to get a chest freezer this spring. Right now the freezer holds ice, some deer meat someone gave us and a couple of packs of sausage. Time to go to the store again. She buys a couple of packs of meat a week. They eat out so much and don't like my country cooking. But I'm bringing them around. I made BBQ chickens legs and thighs last week. So good. My gson had never had anything but skinless, boneless breast meat and it was an eye opener for him. It tasted so GOOD. Bwahhahahaha

 

[Turk Raphael]

I have to admit I did a double take when I saw the crazy white rabbit-- but when I read the post, knew you had borrowed the crazy rabbit from ROn. LOL But his advice is worth considering.

the ebola scare is making people crazy. Fortunately we have the capacity to stop it and it will never be even remotely close to the ridiculous outbreak in Africa. You have far greater risks from other contagions that are already here. I anticipate that our borders will be closed at some point--- as other smart countries have done.

Practice makes perfect---

I use an LG and that is what works for me, and a home made jobby. Otherwise I am planning to use a few broodies next year instead . . .though they are often late to the party and get rolling mid summer and not in the early spring. . . . What was your second choice??

Brinsea 40 EX looks like what we're going to get.

 

[RedRidge]

Originally Posted by RedRidge 

 

Compare cattle and sheep...

I can produce 2 meat lambs per ewe in 10 months time. That's conception to slaughter weight. That's should be easily 4 every 2 years. A cow will only produce 1 a year AND it takes almost 3 years for that steer to get from conception to slaughter. Now yes... The cow is pregnant again during that steers growth. But she still produces only 1 a year and it still takes 2 full years to raise a steer from birth and you can raise 4 lambs in that period of time. So... Bottom line... cattle well not bounce back and increase their breeding numbers near as quickly as smaller livestock will. When I sell a lamb off cheap at weaning I loose $200. Wean I sell a steer off cheap at weaning I loose almost $2000

I don't know if I've ever posted on this thread before but I do skim and read.

@RedRidge

If I wanted to get a couple lambs to raise for meat, what would be the best way to find a good source?  Also, will sheep browse like goats or do they need just grass pasture? 

I'd love to get a couple "feeders" for a season just to decide if I would want to continue raising them.  If I decided I wanted to continue, then I'd buy better breeding stock.  The numbers you are stating look very attractive to me. 

We were still able to get grass fed beef at $2.69 hanging weight this summer, but I have a pasture that just goes to waste that I'd like to use around here.  I always feel like I'm wasting food by just cutting it like a lawn.  I've considered feeder beef but even for that the price seems prohibitive compared to what I can purchase the meat for here since I have a good source.

@Leahs Mom
There is a great breeder very close to you who I purchased my current terminal sire from. PM me and I will send you his contact info.
For me, forage conversion is the key. For that reason "my" sheep are polypay and some old style commercial dorset. My daughter had some excellent 4-H sheep that turned out to be nationally ranked. I mention that because I'm a huge proponent of 4-H but... they require more feed and produce fewer twins and triplets than I want. As in... The only way to make them profitable is to show. If you want your profit from meat is go to someone who has an emphasis on forage conversion in their current stock.

 

[RedRidge]

Dress weights for dual purpose birds.
As far as production... We just finished our annual cockerel butchering. All cockerels were either standard bred RIR or my improved Rhodebar genetics. We had a LOT due to the genetic improvement program I am working on right now. All cockerels were 6-8 months, with the majority being right at 7 months. Dress weights ranged from 5 lb 11 oz to 7 lb 4 oz. I haven't calculated the average yet, but will have that figure once they are all entered in the computer.

 

[Arielle]

TR-- keep us posted how the Brinsea 40 EX works for you.