Re: [blackbelly] butchering our Ram
The $65-75 fee includes the kill cost plus the cutting wrapping. Really don't want to do our own slaughtering-- I don't have issues bringing them home in packages but have a hard time with the killing and the mess. We don't even do our own chickens/turkeys. My husband would probably seriously consider it if he didn't work so many darned hours at his job-- he is just too busy around here putting up fences, barns, landscaping and the like. We just built our house on this 5 1/2 acres about a year ago and he did much of the finishing himself-- so very much to do when you are starting from scratch. Talked to the butcher again, looks like we are going to have to wait a few weeks to get rid of that ram as fair just ended here and so they are swamped with everyone who is doing market animals--- but I can't complain too much as that includes us- my oldest daughters did swine, one in FFA and the other in 4H- sold 2 and we have 1 ourselves... whom we'll be picking up in those little white packages in another week ;-) Will let everyone know the details on our ram when we get him done, think we decided to do hamburger and stew meat only. Have a bit of more sheep drama here... We bought the new ram and two ewes from a member here who is relocating. Just picked them up Sunday. hey thought the ewes might be pregnant. We figure one is too young, they said she was 5 months but now I am thinking she is a few months older, the other ewe is her mother and that ewe was her first. Checked them out real good Sunday when we brought them home and they were fine-- last night was looking at them again and the older ewe has fulled bagged and uttered, wasn't on Sunday. I was afraid she may have lambed by the looks of her bag but checked the field and couldn't find anything. My ewe that lambed last month didn't bag up until the day before she lambed and then it wasn't as big. So am expecting another birth here VERY soon. The reason we were watching her so closely last night was because our meanie ram had singled her out and wouldn't leave her alone. Kept following her and sniffing her butt then growling(?) and being somewhat aggressive, at least in attitude. So we were trying to figure out what was going on. We ended up seperating and penning her up with our shunned 3 month old prior bottle fed bummer ram as a buddy... didn't want to do another lady cuz that ram could/would bust down the fences if he really wanted to. That ram has been fine with the other births/lambs but he was acting so strange with this one so we decided not to take any chances. Elizabeth ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] butchering our Ram
One of our herd sires exhibits the VERY same behavior right before (within 3 or 4 days) his ewes give birth. He even trys to mount them at times. We discussed this with the vet and he said that Jr. (the ram) has the keen ability to be able to detect hormone changes in the ewes. He's got it right when we said there's no way she's due!! I'm telling you if he is running around sniffing with that lip curled and we know good-and-well that she's bred..it's baby time!! Stephanie - Original Message - From: Elizabeth Willhite [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Sent: Friday, August 18, 2006 11:22 AM Subject: Re: [blackbelly] butchering our Ram The reason we were watching her so closely last night was because our meanie ram had singled her out and wouldn't leave her alone. Kept following her and sniffing her butt then growling. So we were trying to figure out what was going on. ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] butchering our Ram
Stephanie-- ahh, hormone changes, didn't dawn on me but makes perfect sense. No baby as of Friday evening but we are watching closely. Elizabeth ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] butchering our Ram
Hi Elizabeth, I have never eaten a 5 year old ram. The oldest I've eaten is a 3 year old ram. My 3 year old ram was 50% Polypay (wool sheep) 50% Dorper (hair sheep). I would think this 3 year old ram would taste stronger than a Blackbelly of similar age. We ground the meat up and it tasted fine! Consider grinding up the neck muscles on older rams as it tends to get tough. I would bet your 5 year old ram will be edible. People eat 5 year old deer all the time. Your ram would have to be quite large to get 50 pounds of ground meat. The amount of meat you get is totally dependant on the size of your lambs. It would not be unusual for Blackbelly lambs carcass weights to be 35-45 pounds. After processing the carcass the packaged meat could easily shrink to 25 pounds depending on the cuts. Your January ram lamb will taste just fine without castrating! The only reason to castrate would be if you wanted to guarantee he would leave the ewes alone. Personally I would rather butcher such a lamb early rather than risk infection and weight loss. I typically band the newborn lambs at three days of age. Prospective ram lambs are observed to around 3 months. If they have any flaws I will do a late castration then. Most ram lambs after this point I leave intact. I prefer to do late castrations more in the colder months (no flies). I castrate for ease of flock management not taste. Mark Wintermute butchering him even though he is about 5 years old. My concern is taste. with their experience on these sheep they don't think he'll be 50 lbs of meat. I hate to spend the money then not be able to eat it. On another note- they are charging $65-$75 here for kill fee and cutting/wrapping and say the lambs usually get 35-45 lbs of meat off of them. How does that price compair and does the weight sound right? We have a January ram lamb we were planning to butcher in Novemberish. With more ewes birthing soon am wondering if we should band for taste reasons??? Elizabeth ___ ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] butchering our Ram
Hi Elizabeth, I do my own slaughterting and butchering and the job is not to hard. I know you say you don't want to do it yourself but the kill cost seems high to me. Do you have any friends that are deer hunters? If so see if they might be willing to do the job for part of the meat. 22 bullets are cheap and a brain shot is a very quick kill. As for the taste I raise mine to 15 months for butcher as their is not enough meat on the carcass for my liking before that. So your young guy should be just fine. I don't band (no particular reason) but have friends that do. I have eaten meat from both and find no difference in the taste. Your old guy should make fine hamburger or slow cook the loin in a pot roast. Their is usually not enough fat to make good burgers but spaghetti or chili or chunks for stew would be great. I find no comparison with beef hamburger as I find the lamb so much more tasty. Have to go to town now, would be glad to answer any other questions you might have on the subject later. Garland in OR. ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] butchering our Ram
Hi Elizabeth, The butcher who told you a 5-year-old ram is too old to eat may not have any experience with blackbelly sheep. This could be a learning experience for both of you. If you do decide to butcher him, please let us know how it turns out--his hanging weight, the amount of packaged ground meat, the flavor, etc. The oldest ram I've butchered was 3 years, I think. He was tasty, although a little tough, and I wish I had had the meat ground instead of put into steaks. His toughness might have been due more to how he was processed. I used to transport rams to the slaughterhouse, which is 30 miles away. They were frightened and full of adrenaline. I believe this affects the taste and tenderness of the meat. Now I have a skilled butcher come to the farm and humanely slaughter my sheep. He skins them on site, so I can process the offal for my dogs and salt down the hide. He takes the carcass to his meat market for hanging, cutting, and wrapping. The slaughterhouse I used to use charges $60 kill fee. I took a 120-lb ram to them with instructions to grind all the meat. I got back 7 lb and a bag of bones. I will never use that company again. I personally processed the meat from another young ram, perhaps 100 lb, and because he had died mysteriously, I chose to use all the meat as dog food. I packaged about 40 lb of meat. Carol At 10:39 AM 8/17/2006 -0600, you wrote: SO, those of you who have done hamburger with older rams-- how does it compare with beef? I hate to spend the money then not be able to eat it. On another note- they are charging $65-$75 here for kill fee and cutting/wrapping and say the lambs usually get 35-45 lbs of meat off of them. How does that price compair and does the weight sound right? ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
