Sheep breeding sales are starting off trickier than anticipated with a mixed trade for hoggets at Blessington Mart’s show and sale for Suffolk Cheviot cross hoggets on Tuesday.

The trade for about 450 hoggets entered in the show and sale started off particularly shaky with only two or three of the first 10 pens of hoggets selling on the first attempt.

Prices for the lots that did sell ranged from €180 to €185 with lots not sold ranging in general from €160 to €170.

Improvements

The trade thankfully turned a corner on the 11th pen with the next 13 pens selling.

Prices for good-quality Suffolk Cheviot hoggets with a good size and frame ranged from €180 to €186 with the first prize-winning pen fetching the top price of €202 while another pen of top-quality lots sold for €190.

Lighter-framed hoggets sold from €170 to €180 with one pen of lighter Suffolk cross hoggets selling back to €166.

As can be seen in the photos, a good-quality mixed pen of white headed sheep attracted strong competition and sold for €197.

Hoggets entered in the general sheep sale ranged from €140 to €180 with quality having a big influence on price.

Ewes

Ewe lambs were a much sharper trade for good-quality lots with a more variable trade for slightly lesser quality types.

The general run of prices for the best-quality lots weighing 40kg upwards was €110 to €130, while the best-quality lighter lots weighing 35kg upwards sold from €95 to €105 with a standout price of €94 paid for a pen of good-quality ewe lambs weighing just 29kg.

The medium range of prices was €100 to €105 for lambs weighing 40kg to 50kg, while some lighter lots were bid to €90 to €100 but unsold.

Photos

There were a few buyers for whiter-faced sheep with this mixed-breed pen of hoggets selling well for €197.

These brown-headed Suffolk x Cheviot cross hoggets were bid to €160 but not sold.

This lighter but good-quality pen of Suffolk Cheviot hoggets were bid to €178 but not sold.

These Suffolk X Cheviot cross hoggets were second prizewinners in the show and were bid to €180 but not sold.

This pen of blacker-type Suffolk Cheviot cross hoggets sold for €180 each.

This pen of suffolk Cheviot cross hoggets were unsold at the first time of asking at €167 but sold on the second run at €185 each.

This pen of good-quality Suffolk Cheviot cross hoggets sold for €182 each.

These lighter-framed Suffolk Cheviot cross hoggets were bid to €165 but not sold.

These losser-wooled Suffolk Cheviot cross hoggets were bid to €174 but not sold.

This pen of good-quality strong Suffolk Cheviot cross hoggets sold for €180.

These lighter framed Suffolk Cheviot cross hoggets were bid to €165 but not sold.

The third prize-winning pen of suffolk Cheviot cross hoggets were strong, large-framed sheep and sold for €184.

This pen of good-quality suffolk Cheviot cross hoggets sold for €181 each.

This mixed pen of lighter Suffolk and Texel cross hoggets sold for €161 each.

This pen of strong Suffolk cross hoggets, some with whiter heads, sold for €180.

This pen of good-quality but lighter Suffolk x Cheviot cross hoggets sold for €174 each.

These smaller-framed Suffolk Cheviot cross hoggets sold for €172 each.

These sharp-headed Suffolk Cheviot cross hoggets sold for €187 each.

This mixed-type batch of suffolk Cheviot cross hoggets sold for €170 each.

These strong Suffolk Cheviot cross hoggets sold for €180.

These speckle-headed Suffolk x Cheviot cross hoggets were lighter in frame and were bid to €169 but not sold.

This pen of Suffolk Cheviot cross hoggets sold for €176 each.

These lighter Suffolk cross hoggets sold for €159 each.

These lighter and smaller-framed Suffolk Cheviot cross hoggets sold for €173.

The first prize-winning pen of top-quality Suffolk Cheviot cross hoggets topped the sale at €202 each.

These stronger suffolk Cheviot ewe lambs weighed 50kg and were bid to €105 but not sold.