The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Backinwellies on January 06, 2014, 09:42:04 am
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Just back from dropping our first lamb to abattoir ..... will miss him calling me each morning when I go out.
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Backinwellies I sob when any of our animals go off to slaughter, it's a sad business but I always feel proud when the meat comes back and I know it will be valued and put to good use. I think the day I don't feel a tinge of sadness should be the day I don't keep them anymore. It's only right you should care :bouquet:
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I totally agree, wellies. I mostly don't actually sob, but I have a sadness all day when any of them go off.
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I don't sob any more, but have done in the past but I dread the day and am always glad when it goes off smoothly with minimal stress for the animals (and us to be fair).
OMG The sun has just come out - full out and blinding - and it's pouring rain ::)
Sorry, I digress. I agree that if I ever don't care, I'll stop.
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It's a sad day but it has to be done :(
How will you feel about eating yours? I am friendlier with mine (probably because I breed them) than I get with the pigs, so wondering how I will be.
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We live next to a large farm, which sends animals off all the time. The day our pigs went for slaughter, I was chatting to the farmer and he mentioned seeing the trailer going out, looked at my slightly damp eyes and said " it hurts doesn't it? I still worry when we send stock" . No matter how large or small your organisation, the day you stop caring, is the day to stop keeping any stock.
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I used to feel awful about taking ours to the abbatoir.
Now, when I watch them quietly walking into the trailer, I think they have had the best life I can provide, with a short drive and gentle end with their familiar companions.
But I feel sick when I see the huge lorries that have driven hundreds of miles loaded with tiers of sheep, or the lorries bound for the ferry crossings >:( .
So don't feel bad for your boy, he was one of the lucky ones :hug: .
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I go into automatic pilot when the day comes for anything to go and once they are in the pens I cant look back.
For the rest of the day we don't talk about it !
I don't think I will ever get used to it :-\
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I also go into automatic pilot. In the week leading up to them going I tend to not be involved with them- they still get checked twice a day but not as much interraction. They get brought in the day before and loaded in the morning all very quickly and matter of fact. I hand them over to the slaughterman at the abbatoir who is very good with them, and walk out and shut the door.
Feel a bit sad... but when the butcher rings me 2 days later and tells me what good lambs they are, the sadness goes and it's replaced with pride :) And being able to eat lamb, which is so expensive in the butchers also makes it worth it.
I also tell myself they have to go to make room for next year's lambs which makes things easier.