Would you eat him??

Farrell

Generally we keep a lamp for the freezer, it's the farms offering to the home.
Was intended on keeping a single ewe lamb, until a friend advised she's worth breeding.
Have this March born Ram lamb left, he was a twin of a Tex cross ewe with little milk, only started giving him nuts lately.
All that's putting me off, some say there can be a taste to Ram lamb late in the year.. I'm not sure if he's gone too strong.
Any advice

Icelandicseige

Hi Farrell,
I can not give you an answer but thought it's a great idea to keep one for the freezer.
I am wondering how long does it last you?
Where would you get him butchered?
Would you get him back in all different cuts or?

arctictree

I would say fire away. Dont a lot of farmers sell intact ram lambs to the marts/factories very late in the year anyway?

roosky

no dont kill him for the freezer......if you are only killing one lamb and then he turns out to be poor quality and near inedible its an awful waste

Buford T. Justice XIX

Farrell wrote: »

Generally we keep a lamp for the freezer, it's the farms offering to the home.
Was intended on keeping a single ewe lamb, until a friend advised she's worth breeding.
Have this March born Ram lamb left, he was a twin of a Tex cross ewe with little milk, only started giving him nuts lately.
All that's putting me off, some say there can be a taste to Ram lamb late in the year.. I'm not sure if he's gone too strong.
Any advice

I'd say work away if he is not starting to show rammish behaviour. We generally kill ram lambs for the freezer but I prefer a stronger flavour in my lamb and not the bland tasteless stuff you get from young butchered lambs which need some sauce to give it a flavour.

If he has started showing up with a bit of rammish behaviour, though, I'd pick a later ewe lamb instead.

148multi

Am guessing he's about, 30-35kg if so castrate him, you'll have ram taint from now on, most people that eat lamb with taint will never eat any lamb again. Considering lamb is such a great meat it would be a terrible waste.

Willfarman

No.. Sheep ain't that scarce. Kill A nice heavy well conformed ewe lamb. Stress the well conformed.. Meat not fat.

J.O. Farmer

I'd be agreeing with 148 multi and will. I'd prefer to kill a ewe lamb but if you're going to kill that boy castrate him. He looks underfininished and you don't need to worry about the chops being too big or weight limits when killing for the house.
We've killed older weathers and the meat is fine but I don't know about older rams.

Smondie

Icelandicseige wrote: »

Hi Farrell,
I can not give you an answer but thought it's a great idea to keep one for the freezer.
I am wondering how long does it last you?
Where would you get him butchered?
Would you get him back in all different cuts or?

A lot of butchers will kill and portion then for you. I know 2 in my locality. You get back all the different cuts. They'll last a while depending on how often you eat lamb.

ganmo

Willfarman wrote: »

No.. Sheep ain't that scarce. Kill A nice heavy well conformed ewe lamb. Stress the well conformed.. Meat not fat.

the best way to cook a fatty chop is on the bbq, yum

never ate meat from a ram lamb but it wouldn't put me off trying it. if you have enough space in the freezer get 2 killed and keep them separate till you taste him and then you can either treat your dog or not kill a lamb next year

rangler1

I hate ram taint, I even don't buy lamb anymore after september. I'd imagine we'd lose a lot of potential lamb customers due to ram lambs.

Willfarman

rangler1 wrote: »

I hate ram taint, I even don't buy lamb anymore after september. I'd imagine we'd lose a lot of potential lamb customers due to ram lambs.

Buy from your local butcher.. Which is the likely to be the bones of 20 miles away now for most people.. But come August they wouldn't kill a ram lamb.

Buy in the supermarket and roll the roulette wheel.

Farrell

Icelandicseige wrote: »

Hi Farrell,
I can not give you an answer but thought it's a great idea to keep one for the freezer.
I am wondering how long does it last you?
Where would you get him butchered?
Would you get him back in all different cuts or?

There's a local abattoir who kill & cut for €25.
Lots of different cuts from cutlets, rack, leg, neck, shank etc, can even get the liver if you want.
Generally lasts us about 7/8 months, but we'd not have everyday

Bass Reeves

I have killed ram mountain lambs at nearly a year old. However they have to be kept ion a different bunch and well away from ewe's. Access to ewe's will bring on ramish behaviour and taint. You can also get butcher to double skin. After the hide is taken off there is a second thin membrane film over the carcase. It seems that this is what carries the taint. When this is removedany taint from meat.

Like BT I find a lot of the lame we get for the summer tastless. My own preference is to get a few mountain cross wethers (20-30Kg) in Sept/Oct and carry over the winter feed 200-400 grams/head of maize/barley mix and whengrass starts to grow in Feb/March they will finish fast. I slaughter around St Patrick day they be 55-70kgs LW and you would have rakes of meat.

Farrell

148multi wrote: »

Am guessing he's about, 30-35kg if so castrate him, you'll have ram taint from now on, most people that eat lamb with taint will never eat any lamb again. Considering lamb is such a great meat it would be a terrible waste.

That's exactly my point, don't want to waste & put kids off.
he doesn't look that big, but is heavy to lift( thinking 40kg).
Maybe best sell & cheat by buying someone else's ewe lamb

Willfarman

Bass Reeves wrote: »

I have killed ram mountain lambs at nearly a year old. However they have to be kept ion a different bunch and well away from ewe's. Access to ewe's will bring on ramish behaviour and taint. You can also get butcher to double skin. After the hide is taken off there is a second thin membrane film over the carcase. It seems that this is what carries the taint. When this is removedany taint from meat.

Like BT I find a lot of the lame we get for the summer tastless. My own preference is to get a few mountain cross wethers (20-30Kg) in Sept/Oct and carry over the winter feed 200-400 grams/head of maize/barley mix and whengrass starts to grow in Feb/March they will finish fast. I slaughter around St Patrick day they be 55-70kgs LW and you would have rakes of meat.

A big vendeen ewe lamb killed mi April @ 12 months of age is my preference. No comparison in ko compared to a horny.

Bass Reeves

Willfarman wrote: »

A big vendeen ewe lamb killed mi April @ 12 months of age is my preference. No comparison in ko compared to a horny.

A Texel/Suffock or even blackface cross is your man 6-7 months on the mountain eating heather and scrub. Then finish as I suggested earler. No comparrison to a horney blackface or straight suffock

Bscan86

Better to castrate him, I've heard whether meat is nicer Dan ewe lamb, we often put 2 year old hogget in d freezer dat wud never hav lambed couldn't eat better.

Green farmer

If castrated now, would you use a buzado ? and how long after would it be before they dry up ?