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The marketing of surplus animals
Afrikaans | Xhosa
The age and condition of animals determine when they can be regarded as surplus, and become marketable. In stock farming surplus animals are mainly marketed for slaughtering.
In sheep and goat farming the following groups of animals are usually regarded as surplus:
Old ewes, rams, wethers and castrated goats
- The age of an animal is determined by looking at its teeth. The temporary teeth begin to be shed from 12 to 15 months. The first two permanent incisors appear at the age of 14 to 18 months (2-tooth sheep), the second pair of incisors at two years (4-tooth sheep), the third pair of incisors at three years (6-tooth sheep) and the fourth pair of incisors at four years (full-mouthed sheep). Depending on the type of grazing, the teeth can wear down or become loose. When the teeth have become short and loose or misshapen, the animal is no longer able to eat properly, and production will start decreasing. When the feeding conditions are poor, for example during droughts when the animals are forced to eat hard, ligneous plants, teeth can start wearing down even at an early age. It may then be necessary to remove animals from the flock even at the six-tooth stage. In areas where the feeding conditions are such that the teeth do not wear, it is important to ensure that the age of an animal can be determined by means of an earmark or tag. Under such conditions the teeth of the animals may become too long and loose.
- From the age of five to six years the production and reproduction abilities of sheep and goats start to decline, and they should then rather be replaced by young animals. By this time ewes should have had at least four lambing opportunities, and they could easily be brought a marketable condition.
- The reproductive prowess of ewes is another important consideration which determines culling. Ewes that do not fall pregnant after two lambing opportunities, or fail to raise their lambs due to poor mothering characteristics, must be removed from a flock. The sound management of culling requires that proper records be kept.
- The ability of rams to cover large flocks of ewes wanes with age, and rams must be replaced in good time. An even more important consideration is the danger of inbreeding and the retarding of the breeding programme. To prevent rams from mating with their own offspring, they should preferably be replaced after two years or switched to other flocks.
- Animals with above average performance may be kept longer, but then care should be taken to prevent their reduced feeding ability from adversely affecting their production.
- It is important to check the teeth of ewes after weaning and before the next mating. Ewes whose teeth are beginning to wear must be culled.
- The rounding out of older animals for marketing must be managed very judiciously. Due to the health consciousness of consumers there is an increasing demand for leaner meat, which also fetches higher prices. Older animals that are in a reasonably good condition can be marketed without exception. Feeding is not profitable since older animals do not gain mass quickly and soon put on fat.
- Determining whether sheep are in a suitable condition for slaughtering is usually done by feeling the loins. The extent to which the dorsal vertebrae can be felt, gives an indication of the condition of the animal. The thickness of fat over the loins also plays a part in the grading of the carcass.
The culling of young ewes, wethers and ram lambs
- For most sheep or goat farmers the sale of young animals or lambs is the main source of revenue. This underscores the importance of high lambing and weaning percentages. The greater the number of lambs that are weaned, the greater the number that can be sold; also the greater the number of older animals that can be replaced. Moreover, the meat of lambs and young animals up to the 2-tooth stage also fetches the highest market price per kilogram.
- Profitability demands that the animals be made ready for slaughter, and be marketed, as soon as possible and at the lowest possible cost.
- The ideal is to cull young animals upon weaning, or to market them off the veld as soon as possible thereafter. Here feeding conditions and breed selection play an important part. Lambs can be marketed at a live weight of from 35 to 40 kg.
- Since a young lamb is still growing and under good feeding conditions its body mass increases by the day, it is possible to round out lambs profitably in feed lots. However, it is necessary to calculate the economics of any feeding process most meticulously. The mass increase per lamb must be proportionate to the cost of feed. The time required to reach slaughtering weight must be as short as possible.
Marketing
The marketing of surplus animals can be done in a variety of ways. The farmer must come to a decision which will depend on the number of marketable stock, the distances to the markets, and the availability of transport. The animals may be:
- marketed to abattoirs by agents;
- supplied to local abattoirs;
- sold at stock auctions;
- sold to stock-dealers on the farm, or
- sold directly to the consumer, either slaughtered or alive.
Marketing to abattoirs results in the classifying of carcasses, and the prices are determined accordingly.
It is necessary to take cognisance of the system by which carcasses are classified at abattoirs, as well as the prices that are usually fetched by the various classes. Animals are divided into four classes according to age:
- Class A : lambs that have not shed any teeth
- Class A/B : 1 - 2 incisors
- Class B : 3 - 6 incisors
- Class C : more than 6 incisors
The carcasses are further classified according to fatness and physique. Beside age, fatness has the greatest effect on the prices fetched. The classes range from 0 to 6:
- 0 : no fat
- 1 : very lean
- 2 : lean
- 3 : medium
- 4 : fat
- 5 : too fat
- 6 : much too fat
Lambs in class A2 and A3 fetch the highest prices. Very lean animals fetch better prices than those that are too fat, while older animals also fetch lower prices.
As soon as ram lambs have started shedding their teeth, their carcasses are labelled as rams, and these fetch lower prices.
To sell stock on the farm can be advantageous, since it eliminates transport problems. To prevent tax complications, it is best to sell by weight, and to agents from reputable concerns.
It is sometimes possible to achieve a higher income by marketing live or slaughtered animals directly to the consumer, particularly where the volume of available stock is small. When animals are slaughtered by the farmer, the hygienic and slaughtering standards prescribed by law must be strictly adhered to.
In times of drought the selling to feed lots of animals that are not ready for slaughter may be considered, particularly if one does not have feed lot facilities or fodder available. During droughts only as much stock must be retained as will be required to enable the farm to survive, and with which farming can be resumed in better years. All fat stock, older ewes and wethers must be marketed to give the young ewes a good chance to survive.
TS Brand & B Aucamp
ELSENBURG / Research
