My calculator mustn't be working.  I don't see that bottle lambs are the losers everyone else thinks they are.  It costs what, $25 to get a lamb to weaning, and surely with fats bringing $205 CWT last summer, there is still enough profit left to make bottle lambs pay.  Probably have to add in a little more feed to get from weaning to fat, but not much.

I highly doubt the guys buying these lambs are losing money on them, so why would the seller not be in the same position to make money?