[funkyfish]

I have 2 last years lambs. They are commercial types. One is a rig. He was a very sweet bottle fed lamb, but he is being a pushy sod now and he is huge! He is quite over weight so do I send him off for the freezer or just put him to sleep and take him down to the body place?

Am quite attached to him and he is well bonded to my other whether so would rather he was usefull (as In  eaten) than wasted. Also my other boy has 2girls to be with will he buddy up with them ok?  Being a bit wet about it but he will  be a nightmare in the autumn I think.

[Sbom]

Eat gets my vote every time  no point wasting him 

[ScotsGirl]

Eat him he will be scrummy! I sent one off last year 18 mths killed out 32kg deadweight and you couldn't tell difference in look or taste from younger lambs.

[Fleecewife]

If he's fatty then cook the meat under a hot grill or finish roasting by browning the outside,  to crispify the fat, rather than stews where the fat can be a bit globby.   The meat itself will be extra flavourful

[Big Light]

EAT!

[Pedwardine]

Eat eat eat! Don't waste him, ESPECIALLY if you're fond of him. Others will settle down without him.

[funkyfish]

Thanks for the comments.  Will send him off with my skitty ewe who is not in lamb-will have to sort freezer space!

[darkbrowneggs]

I think it would be worse to kill a meat animal and not eat it than to eat it, unless you are a vegetarian of course.  If not its just someone else's animal has been killed for you to eat. 


The first "big" animals I had slaughtered to eat were pigs, and I had let myself get very attached to them.  It was difficult, but once I got past the first few hurdles, and they were in polythene bags in the freezer - and tasted delicious - it was not so bad.


Maybe leave it for a while before eating "him" so it is not too recent in your mind.  And as others say he will be pretty fatty so will need careful trimming and cooking.

[funkyfish]

I'm not veggie-just fussy about where my meat comes from. Would hate to waste him! I don't like lamb/mutton but my family and friends do. So he may be a gift to people!

We eat our Cockerells so don't have a problem with it. Usually don't get attached to them. But its hard when the sheepies think your mum and I didn't think he would get this annoying! Not had boys before only girls, even the whether is more pushy for attention  but he is  not as bossy as Simon single bolly (they are Will the whether and Simon single bolly).

[OhLaLa]

It's difficult sometimes not to get a bit attached. But freezer gets the vote from me too.

[Marches Farmer]

More mature animals are great in a slow cooker - let the meal cool then skim off the fat.  Much better flavour than lamb.

[FiB]

Eat!  But I know I'm going to struggle similarly...  I have not yet eaten anything that I've bottle fed and thinks I'm mum!  Got a lovely pet ram lamb at the momnet and trying to keep it clear in my mind that we WILL be eating him.  Managed the love and affection ----> eat thing with the pigs so fingers crossed.   Think it might help if he goes off with another if you have - then you wont be able to tell who is who - or if not - presents sounds a great way around it.  Good luck Fi xx

[Anke]

Another option....
Last week I took a 2 year old wether to the mart together with my tup lamb/hogget, whose services were not longer required (entropion   in his lambs), and got 70 quid for the wether friend! Now he was not overly big, too fat for our liking and actually a (suffolk x txl) x shetland... so not your usual fare at the mart...
But otherwise eat him... (You can always use the fat to make soap...).

[lachlanandmarcus]

I would just worry with the mart whether they were going for halal type slaughter? Might not be true in all cases but I don't like the thought/possibility
We eat the older boys - well, we eat some and the too tough ones the dogs eat, definitely don't waste him!

[JMB]

We haven't eaten ours yet, but that's the plan.
Last year I made the mistake of taking a wether to auction, hoping someone would give him a home as a woolly lawn mower.
They didn't. They bought him to slaughter.
So after all the stress of going to the auction mart , he then had the stress of going somewhere else and then eventually the slaughterhouse with someone he didn't know. I cried for ages.
I won't put my sheep though that again. Rather have one trip and eat them myself.
J xxxxx