Keeping lambs for meat

Latest Articles

Keeping lambs for meat
Page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Next

Downsizer Forum Index -> Livestock and Pets

Author

Message

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 06 5:56 pm Post subject:
Lambing No way mate.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 06 6:02 pm Post subject:
It might be a cheaper option buying inlamb full mouths. I would have said 20 is to many for 3 acres. I wouldn't go more than 4 to the acre.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 06 6:06 pm Post subject:
Also if you use electric netting & fold them they utilise the grazing better/ have fewer worming issues. What do organic farmers use to worm?

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 06 6:06 pm Post subject:

TAVASCAROW wrote:

It might be a cheaper option buying inlamb full mouths.

Wossat mean?

I've no intention of keeping 20, might start with 4 or summat.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 06 6:08 pm Post subject:
An old ewe that is reaching the end of her commercial value. Hill farmers sell them off cheao in lamb. Would get around your organic problem as the lambs would be born on your holding.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 06 6:15 pm Post subject:

TAVASCAROW wrote:

An old ewe that is reaching the end of her commercial value. Hill farmers sell them off cheao in lamb. Would get around your organic problem as the lambs would be born on your holding.

TC I need to come into this gentle like, never had pets or livestock. I don't want to be responsible for lambing and suchlike

Maybe in a few years, right now I want the absolute easiest path into this.

Gervase

Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 8655

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 06 8:11 pm Post subject:
Absolute easiest path is going to be store wethers - they're blokes, so there's no worries about the odd one being pregnant, they've got no nadgers so they're not (as) stroppy and you'll be slaughtering 'em (probably) before it's time to shear them. Only snag is, if you want organic, you've got to source 'em from organic holdings, and may have to travel.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

Posted: Mon Aug 21, 06 9:34 pm Post subject:

Gervase wrote:

Absolute easiest path is going to be store wethers - they're blokes, so there's no worries about the odd one being pregnant, they've got no nadgers so they're not (as) stroppy and you'll be slaughtering 'em (probably) before it's time to shear them.
Only snag is, if you want organic, you've got to source 'em from organic holdings, and may have to travel.

Which is, I think, where my first post on this thread was heading, option 2. As I PMd, 'store' is likely to mean hill or hill-cross sheep that the farmer can't fatten cos the grazing ain't good enough, so he/she sells them on part-fattened to lowland farmers (like yerself) to finish off to eating size. Sales in the summer/early autumn.

Some store hill options might be Cheviot or Black Welsh mountain, also possibly Shetland (small, not hill, but hardy).

Scottish Blackface purebred or anything Swaledale : just don't go there

. They have horns, and they're not afraid to use them. And they can jump.

Other advantages are they're no longer cute at that age, so your kids won;t get so attached to them; and they probably won't need fox-proof fencing cos they'll be big enough to fend for themselves.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 06 12:13 pm Post subject:

gil wrote:

RobR would probably recommend Kerry Hill, but can you get them organic ?

No I wouldn't, they may be the best available, but there just aren't the numbers available yet to supply the current demand. There is one certified organic farm near Carlisle just starting with Kerry Hills, and that is going to be a big flock, but they will be finishing their own stock.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 06 12:28 pm Post subject:

Rob R wrote:

There is one certified organic farm near Carlisle just starting with Kerry Hills, and that is going to be a big flock, but they will be finishing their own stock.

Who's that, and where ? Wonder of I know of them.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 06 12:47 pm Post subject:

gil wrote:

Rob R wrote:

There is one certified organic farm near Carlisle just starting with Kerry Hills, and that is going to be a big flock, but they will be finishing their own stock.

Who's that, and where ? Wonder of I know of them.

I would think so: https://www.askertoncastle.co.uk/

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

Posted: Tue Aug 22, 06 12:51 pm Post subject:
Yeh, they're part of the Hadrian Organics crew.

Vic

Joined: 16 Feb 2005
Posts: 387
Location: Sherborne, Dorset

Posted: Wed Aug 23, 06 1:13 pm Post subject:

Quote:

I would think so: https://www.askertoncastle.co.uk/

I can highly recommend their beef and lamb - well worth checking out, and good people too. Shall be interested to learn about the Kerry Hills...

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Wed Aug 23, 06 3:39 pm Post subject:

You've got me thinking now. Would you say that sheep give the least expensively produced meat? As opposed to pigs which I already have. I'm thinking 2 or 3 bought in at, say, 6 months and grown on until slaughter. I have a spare half acre (is there really such a thing?) and I'm sure I could buy animals from the neighbours.

You realise, the old chap is going to ban me from this site soon if I go on acquiring more stock, don't you?

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Wed Aug 23, 06 3:42 pm Post subject:

mochyn wrote:

Would you say that sheep give the least expensively produced meat?

Not really, the costs are less up front, if that's what you mean.

	Downsizer Forum Index -> Livestock and Pets	All times are GMT Page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Next
Page 3 of 5

View Latest Posts