Selecting prime lambs for market
It is important to know when your lambs are ready for sale so that you can maximise returns from your flock.鈥疻ith many of the earlier lambing flocks now considering their first draw, it is essential to ensure lambs are the correct specification to get the best returns as new season lambs start coming through the live ring. Here is a reminder of some of the key things to consider when selecting finished lambs for market.听
Weight 鈥撎�Regularly weighing lambs and splitting them into groups based on their weight can help you predict when your lambs will be ready for sale as well as avoiding overfat lambs. Aim for lambs to be in a liveweight range of 42kg to 48kg which will then roughly equate to a deadweight of 16kg to 22kg. Heavy lambs which are over 48kg tend to be best sold through the live ring, to avoid payment caps. Lambs should be weighed empty, to exclude belly-fill as a factor affecting weights.听
Fat听cover 鈥撎�Alongside the weight of the lamb听it鈥檚听important to access the fat cover.听A听lamb may weigh 45kg but听may not be well fleshed.听The three听main areas听to feel to gauge if the lamb is carrying the correct amount of fat are the loin,听ribs听and dock/tail. When feeling the loin听area,听the lamb is not听finished if you can feel the spinous processes prominently when putting a hand over the back of the lambs. If the ribs feel like they only have a little fat cover, it is likely the lamb is not fat enough for slaughter and likewise if the tail bone can be felt easily then it is not sufficient fat cover for slaughter.听听听
Presentation听鈥撎�Once听the lambs have been selected听based on fat cover and weight it is important to visually access the lambs looking for signs of lameness and ill health. Ensure that lambs are clean before marketing. Presentation of lambs will help to maximise returns.
It is important to consider听the market in which lambs are destined for,听each market has different requirements and farmers should target those that are looking for the type of听lamb听they can produce consistently. It may be tempting to produce a batch of lambs and then try to find a market for them, when it is better to identify the potential market and or customer and then produce the type of lamb that they are looking for that suits their needs.听When drawing and selecting听lambs it is important to听identify听the different requirements and send the lambs to the desired end user. The supermarkets tend to want a consistent product which will fit their standard packaging, so听they'll听be looking for the mid-range of carcass weights which offer greater uniformity. Butchers would tend to go a little bit heavier and lambs for exporting tend to be a bit lighter.听
When to听sell fat lambs听
Like most听products sold off the farm, timing can be key to realising the best price possible for the听product.听The first听notable spike in prices for lambs is听usually听in mid-May;听this is when the first new season lambs start to come听available through markets and slaughterhouses. Early lambing January flocks are aiming to hit this peak in the market.听
As prices fluctuate throughout the season, it is important to听plan ahead. Target an ideal time for selling, based on expected feed, labour听availability听and market prices. If considering selling prime lambs in the coming weeks it is advisable to talk to auctioneers and buyers to decide the听optimum听time to market your lambs.听
Jamie Houstoun Agricultural Consultant,听Jamie.Houston@sac.co.uk
Posted by SAC Consulting on 18/05/2026
