GOAT AND SHEEP MARKETS FOR 2012 - 2013

In general, lambs most appealing to the “ethnic market” – Bosnian, Chinese, Hispanic, Indian, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Pakistani and others - are uncastrated, well muscled, small framed, and have no ear tags. Animals for halal slaughter (“allowed” or “permitted” in Arabic) should not be given feed that contains animal derivatives. The lamb should be lively and in good health when slaughtered. Stunning prior to slaughter is usually unacceptable, and a Muslim is supposed to cut the jugular vein, the carotid artery, and windpipe in a single action. All flowing blood is immediately drained from the carcass.  Timing to achieve recommended weights by the dates listed is a matter of good record keeping, health maintenance, and fine tuning of feed and exercise for your particular breed, location and flock.
Use this formula for holiday market breeding:

17 Days - Rams in flock
147 Days - Gestation
50 – 200 Days - Growth
10 Days – Buyer pick-up Time
224-374 Total Days: Breeding to sale date (varies according to desired sizes & flock’s growth rates)
Be prepared to process or ship your lambs 1 to 2 weeks before the actual holiday.
Be prepared to process or ship your lambs 1 to 2 weeks before actual holiday.

April 6 - 14, 2012: Passover: The Jewish market typically is best after religious holidays come to a close.
Milk-fed lambs below 60 pounds are favored for the Passover market.

April 8, 2012: Roman Easter: Save your newly weaned, milk-fed lambs, weighing about 25 to 45 pounds and not older than three months, for this market. Light-colored meat is best, a sign of the suckling animal. Lambs weighing less than 20 pounds or more than 50 pounds may not bring the best price.

April 13 – 15, 2012: New Year’s Day for immigrants from Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.

April 15, 2012: Greek Orthodox Easter: Like Roman Easter lambs, Orthodox Easter lambs should also be milk fed. They can be a little bit bigger than the Roman Easter lambs (between 40 and 60 pounds), though, and should be nice and fat.

July 4, 2012: United States Independence Day And Puerto Rican Independence Day: Consider marketing lambs for cookouts, especially if your county fair is over.

August 6, 2012: Jamaican Independence Day: Demand may increase for older lambs, rams or ewes, up to 65 pounds at this time.

August 18, 2012: Id al Fitr (The Festival of the breaking of the Ramadan Fast): Sheep for this market should not be older than a year. Castrated or uncastrated males are acceptable, as are ewes. The best weight for Ramadan sheep is around 60 pounds, but weaned lambs between 45 and 115 pounds are often used. In reviewing your culling program, consider that older sheep often command higher prices during this period. Lambs born in the spring may be suitable for this market.

September 16 – 18, 2012: Rash Hashanah: Jewish New Year and first high holiday. Some sub-sects also celebrate the creation of man on this date. Originally called the Feast of Trumpets (ram's horn "shofar") in Hebrew Scriptures. Clean, polished ram's horns (or even finished ram's horn trumpets) may be salable to individuals and to Jewish seminaries (if from kosher-slaughtered sheep) prior to this holiday. Being the "head of the year,"  many Jewish communities use fish heads as a commemorative dish, while others wisely prefer sheep head recipes.

September 30, 2012: Harvest Moon Festival - Chuseok: Harvest Moon Festival of thanksgiving and veneration og Ancestors. Often observed by Korean Americans and others of Asian descent. One traditoinal dish is "bulgogi," thin-sliced prime cuts of meat grilled over coals (often pan cooked instead) after marinating in a mix of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, pepper, scallions or onions and ither white button muchrooms or shitake. Yang-bolgogi uses mutton or lamb for more tender eating thatn other meals.

October 16 - 24, 2012: Navaratri /Navadurgara: Navaratri /Navadurgara: This is a nine-day Hindu feast that honors the goddess Durga. Female animals are typically not used for this celebration. The size of the lamb can vary widely, depending on the number of people served. Slaughter usually takes place toward this end of the holiday period. The number of Hindus in and around urban areas of the United States is estimated to be over five million. Lambs born in the late winter and spring may be suitable for this market.

October 26, 2012: Eid Al-Adha: (Festival Of   Sacrifice): Lambs in the range of 55 to 80 pounds are favored for this market. Eid Al-Adha is a four-day feast.

November 7, 2012: Ecuadorian Independence Day: A perfect exude for roasting a whole lamb of 60 to 90 pounds in Andean style.

November 15 – December 13, 2012: Al Hijira: Islamic New Year: No religious significance, but like many    New Year celebrations, is a cultural event. Many Muslims, however, reflect on Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina, called the Hijra, at this season. A rise in helal sales could be expected during this period.

November 24, 2012: Ashura: This date commemorates the martyrdom of Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein. It also celebrates Noah’s survival from the Great Flood.

December 9 - 16, 2012 Hanukkah JEWISH FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS): Traditional lamb dishes for this feast are commonly “finger foods” such as ribs and kibbeh (torpedo-shaped dumplings made with spiced ground lamb and bulgur wheat). This festival is eight days long and offers many possibilities to market.

December 25, 2012: Christmas: Milk-fed lambs below 20 pounds are favored for this market. Plan to breed this spring for autumn lambs to meet demand in December.

January 12, 2013: Mardi Gras season begins around this time, lasting until the big celebration on February 21.

February 10, 2013: Chinese New Year (The Year of the Snake): The Chinese market is often strong throughout the winter, favoring sheep in the 60 to 80-pound live-weight range.

January 24, 2013: Muhammad’s Birthday (Mawlid Al-Nabi): Sunni Muslims celebrate  Muhammad’s birthday today.

January 29, 2013: Muhammad’s Birthday (Mawlid Al-Nabi): Shia Muslims celebrate  Muhammad’s birthday on this date.

February 12, 2013: Mardi Gras: Final day of the month-long Carnival season, ends with a big party and feast before Ash Wednesday and the start of the Lenten fast. This is a good time to sell meat for a whole-lamb barbecue bash, especially Mardi Gras fundraiser events.

February 27, 2013: Dominican Republic Independence Day: Areas that have a sizeable population of residents from the Dominican Republic may show an increase in sales of lambs that weigh between 20 to 35 pounds.

March 31, 2013: Roman Easter

May 5, 2013: Orthodox Easter