The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: wellies on June 14, 2012, 07:32:53 pm
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Hi everyone
I was just wondering at what age do you send your lambs for slaughter. Mine are pure ryelands and I was just wondering at the best age. They are growing well and will be weaned at the end of June. Thank you for your help :wave:
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I have Ryelands - we lamb the first two weeks in April, roughly and I have them away by mid November. TBH they could go end of October.
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That's interesting.... I always thought Rylands were slow growers like Shetlands so pretty meatless til a year or so old!
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That's interesting.... I always thought Rylands were slow growers like Shetlands so pretty meatless til a year or so old!
Lord, no. Average 21kg deadweight last year at 71/2 months off grass. Fabulous lamb, too.
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I know of some ryeland breeders who get their lambs finished in mid May from a January lambing.
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I know of some ryeland breeders who get their lambs finished in mid May from a January lambing.
Not off grass though. Even in Wales. :innocent:
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No, in fairness they are probably creep fed, but it was really to illustrate the point that Ryelands do grow.
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we have just put a Hampshire tup lamb away (he had only one descended testicle) born Xmas and 30 kilos deadweight no creep feeding we also weight record them as they grow :farmer:
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No, in fairness they are probably creep fed, but it was really to illustrate the point that Ryelands do grow.
When we put our first tup lambs away in 2010, I told the butcher who was doing them that they were Ryelands and a British rare breed. He called me once he'd received the carcases to say how good they were - he thought they were going to be like Shetlands (no disrespect intended here). I had just assumed that he would know what Ryelands were :)
I KNOW what they say about "assume" too.
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I go more by condition than age; my lambs are Ryeland crosses and are born beginning of April, and last year they went to market in September, average liveweight was 43k. They are grass fed only.
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Like Remy I agree it is about condition. Get someone at the market to show you how to judge thre meat on their backs.
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Ryelands will fatten easily on grass alone and on good pasture will soon get overfat.
If you are weaning them June, then I presume they were born Feb/March. You say they are growing well, so provided you keep them on good grass and worm them regularly (unless on completely clean/ungrazed by sheep pasture), then they should be ready July/August.
However, as previously mentioned, you go on condition rather than age. So you need to get someone to show you how to tell when a sheep's fat. As a rough guide - catch a lamb now and feel the vertebrae at the top of it's tail, just where it's attached to the main body. You should be able to easily feel the gap between each vertebra.
As the sheep fattens this gap fills up and if you cannot distinguish the individual vertebra by feel then the sheep is too fat.
You are aiming at the point where you can still feel the individual vertebrae, but the gap between is almost filled up.
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That's interesting.... I always thought Rylands were slow growers like Shetlands so pretty meatless til a year or so old!
Lord, no. Average 21kg deadweight last year at 71/2 months off grass. Fabulous lamb, too.
Rosemary.. that is good to hear... I have jus bought a Ryland x Poll Dorset...she is amazing... I hear Ryeland meat is absolutely fab tho I also think Shetland meat rocks.... my teeth sink through it like butter!