What is a "fancy" lamb?

[Looking4ewes]

I'm unfamiliar with this term.

[cjhiemke]

I have heard this term before, but never took the time to learn what is truly meant by "Fancy Lamb".

In response to your post I emailed a former boss of mine, Dave Johnson at Equity Livestock Sales.

Dave's answer: "Clean, bright eyed, healthy, docked and castrated with no defects having been wormed and had shots. Top feeders ready to go on feed."

[Muleflock]

Age,weight? Shorn?

[cjhiemke]

Nothing too specific, but generally it's a new crop, butterball-type lamb. Weights would range 80lb, +/-20lbs. No specific requirements on shearing, but generally they are unshorn. Lambs with evidence of worminess (poopy bums) wouldn’t qualify. The term has morphed over the past ten years from defining a good ready-to-go feeder into a good ethnic lamb. The term isn’t very specific.

[Bill Fosher]

Lots can be tagged as Fancy in the New Holland market report at any weight. My understanding is that they are the butterballs with tight clean hides, not necessarily shorn, but not in long wool either. A good bloom on them. Usually they get this tag when their prices lies considerably outside the range of others in their weight class. For instance, last Monday 207 lambs in the 90 to 110 range, average weight of 100 lbs., selling for an average price of $174.66 with a range of $166 to $180. There was a separate line for 54 fancy lambs in the same weight range, averaging 103 lbs. selling for an average of $193.23 with a range from $190 to $196.

I used to occasionally get "fancy" prices on lambs that I sent to New Holland, and they had no way of knowing if they were wormed or vaccinated.

[Looking4ewes]

Butterballs in terms of fat or muscle? Grain-fed?

[Bill Fosher]

Well-muscled with a good fat covering. Pretty hard to achieve without grain feeding, although based on the photos on other parts of the boards it looks like some of the members are doing on grass.

Most weeks, this would be a fancy group at New Holland. They were grass fed.

[Looking4ewes]

With that much wool, how old would those lambs be? Any idea as to weight?

Thanks for your patience with these naive questions.

[Bill Fosher]

That draw was six months old. Average weight was 90 pounds with a range of 87 to 95. Hot hanging weights were 42 to 51 pounds, average of 46.

I think this might have been the last batch of lambs I made money on That's why I keep the picture around.

[Muleflock]

I'll presume face color isn't an issue? Seems around here, blackface bring better prices. Nice mob a lambs Bill.

[Janet McNally]

All of the above. Lamb buyers have described a fancy lamb to me as a young lamb with lots of bloom. Basically a lamb who has had a good life and grown well.

Janet

[Bill Fosher]

HI Mark,

At these weights, blackfaced lambs would be discounted. Bear in mind that 99 percent of the lambs bought at New Holland are going directly to slaughter. There is very little trade in feeder lambs.

[Justin-PA]

Did anyone take lambs to New Holland this week or last? Prices are amazing. "fancy lambs" selling for over $2/lb. I sold all my lambs privately this year and now sorta wish I hadn't...

http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/ln_ls322.txt

[Kathy Lewis]

Did anyone take lambs to New Holland this week or last? Prices are amazing. "fancy lambs" selling for over $2/lb. I sold all my lambs privately this year and now sorta wish I hadn't...

http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/ln_ls322.txt

Hi Justin,
What are the commissions, yardage and other fees charged on sale lambs at New Holland?

Kathy Lewis

[K Bar K Farm]

Commission is $5/head.

I forget what yardage is, but despite what they say, it doesn't include feed/water (very few pens have feeders or waterers). They often say it does, but those few pens are often taken up by the animals coming long-distance from TX/KY, etc. If we take animals down the night before the sale, we just take some 5-gallon buckets that we fill with water and leave there (water is available in hydrants) and throw some hay in with them for the night.

They will also deduct the lamb checkoff fees.

Kathy Soder