Traditional lamb markets (in the Eastern U.S.) use to favor a 95 to 125 lb. Desired market weights and condition vary.Mark your animals according to how you want them sorted and sold.If you have a big lamb or kid, make sure you mark it and it gets sold as a lamb or kid, not a mature animal (especially lambs). Overly fat and thin animals will bring less money. Consider body condition of cull animals.If you wean them, they will lose their “bloom.” When selling suckling lambs or kids, sell them directly off their dams.La Mancha) may sell at a discount because their lack of ears makes them appear blemished to ethnic buyers. Some breeds or types may sell at a discount until buyers learn more about them. There is as much difference among breeds as between breeds.A goat with a brown/dark head usually brings more money because it is presumed to be of Boer breeding. Colored goats are often preferred by ethnic buyers. Consider color when breeding meat goats.Consider shearing sheep/lambs that are neither too fat nor too thin.They will be considered unhealthy by the buyers, even if the soiled parts are dry. Do not sell animals with dirty butts or hocks.Tails sell for the same price as the rest of the lamb. They are preferred by many ethnic buyers. Intact males grow faster and more efficiently. Do not castrate males, especially bucks, unless you have to.When targeting a holiday, put your livestock into the marketplace at least one week before the holiday.

Mother’s Day, 4th of July, etc.) can also be a good time to sell sheep and goats. There is a usually a greater demand at Greek or Eastern Orthodox Easter as compared to Western or Roman Easter. Easter is obviously an important holiday for marketing lamb and goat. Eid ul-Fidr or the “Festival of Fast-breaking” follows the month of Ramadan and is another good time to sell sheep and goats. Eid ul-Adha or the “Festival of Sacrifice,” a Muslim holiday, is usually the best time to place sheep and goats in the marketplace. Consider the major Muslim, Christian, and Jewish holidays when marketing sheep and goats.Here are some tips for maximizing your returns when taking sheep and/or goats to a livestock auction/stockyard: Sale barns are usually not the best place to purchase breeding stock, due to the potential disease risks. This marketing option can be very stressful to the livestock. This is why farmers are often called “price-takers.” Sales commissions can be high, especially if you are selling light weight lambs or kids.ĭepending upon the location of the auction, shrink and transportation costs could be substantial. You are subject to wide fluctuations in the market. You do not know what price you are going to receive before-hand. There are also disadvantages for this marketing option. It needs to occur somewhere and is often what many direct sales are based upon Public auctions are an ideal place for “price discovery.” Price discovery is the process of determining the price level of a commodity based on supply and demand factors. When you sell at a stockyard, you get prompt payment and you are protected by the Packers and Stockyards Act. Sometimes, there are special graded sales or sales that cater to the increased demand for sheep and goats prior to various religious holidays. There are many advantages to marketing livestock through a public livestock auction, sale barn, or stockyard. The percentages of goats sold at livestock auctions is probably similar, though a higher percentage of goats may be slaughtered on-farm. For example, a 2003 study showed that 73.5 percent of West Virginia sheep producers market their lambs through livestock auctions.

This percentage is probably higher in the Eastern U.S., where direct sales to packers and feeders are less common. (Previously shared on the Maryland Small Ruminant Page)Īccording to a 2001 NAHMS study, 56.8 percent of sheep operators sell their lambs through auction markets/sale barns. Susan Schoenian, Sheep & Goat Specialist, University of Maryland Small Ruminant Extension Program

Running sheep kicks man in barn