Prices are determined by the bartering system. There are no auctioneers. In fact, most prices in Egypt can be negotiated, a Middle Eastern custom that unfortunately many Americans are not comfortable with. Lambs are sold as feeder lambs, as fat lambs for the feast, or simply when the farmer needs to generate cash to pay for feed, medicine or other inputs. Lamb and goat meat can be purchased in village meat stores or along the roadways.
Some farmers butcher their stock along side the road and hang the carcasses for passers-by to see.
To buy meat, you tell the farmer how much meat and what part of the carcass you want. It may take twenty minutes to agree upon a price. Lamb prices average over a dollar a pound, so despite high feed prices, sheep raising can be profitable. As in the U.S., some farmers purchase feeder lambs and fatten them out for market. This seems to be a profitable activity for many farmers.