These March-April drop White Suffolk cross lambs sold for $117 at Nyngan, NSW, on AuctionsPlus last week.

FIRST cross ewes with lambs sold to $258 and Merino ewe hoggets to $177 on AuctionsPlus last week.

Sheep and lamb numbers increased slightly as patchy rain fell across parts of New South Wales and Victoria.

Agents offered 41,000 sheep and lambs online, 2500 more than the previous week. Clearance was up 5 percent to 66pc.

There was a bigger online offering of first cross ewes and ewe lambs last week. First cross ewe lambs averaged $175, and the top price of $204 was paid for 580 Aug-Sept 2016-drop lambs at Forbes in NSW. The mid-June shorn ewes weighed 47.6kg lwt and were mostly score 3.

At Goolgowi in NSW, 300 scanned empty 12-13 month-old first cross hoggets sold for $204.50. The early May shorn hoggets weighed 52.3kg and were mostly score3.

First cross ewes with lambs averaged $218 and sold to $258 for 97 early November shorn three year-olds at Romsey, Victoria, with 103 1-2 month-old Poll Dorset and White Suffolk lambs. At Nevertire in NSW, 321 2-3 year-old 69kg Australian White/White Dorper ewes with 378 2-4 month-old Australian White lambs sold for $232.

Merino ewe hoggets sells to $177

Merino ewe lambs averaged $141, while mixed age and proved breeders averaged $104.50. The highlights included 450 10-11 month-old early July shorn Poll Merino ewe lambs at Linga in Victoria that sold for $177. The unjoined ewes weighed 51kg lwt and were mostly score 3.

At Charlton in Victoria 160 two year-old early March shorn Belbourie blood Merino ewes, scanned 100pc in lamb to Poll Dorset rams and weighing 56kg sold for $195.

Merino wethers sold to $105.50 for 378 mid-February shorn rising three year-olds at Dalton in New South Wales. The 55kg wethers were mostly score 2. A line of 950 mid-February shorn 15-16 month-old Severn Park blood Merino hoggets at Mangoplah, NSW, sold for $100. The 50kg hoggets were mostly score 2.

Store lambs sell to $120.50

There were 10,300 store lambs offered online last week, with an 88pc clearance.

At Spring Plains in NSW, 1680 April-May drop new season unshorn mixed sex first cross lambs, 13.1kg and mostly score 1, sold for $120.50. Another 1680 similar lambs from the same vendor were sold for $120.

At Nyngan in NSW, 740 March-April drop mixed sex White Suffolk/Merino lambs sold for $117. The unshorn lambs weighed 17.4kg and were mostly score 2.

Source: AuictionsPlus.