Author Topic: What do you do with your ‘done with’ rams? (Read 1694 times)

cambee · « **on:** July 26, 2019, 06:16:18 am »

So we bought our Coloured Ryeland ram as a prize winner from a County show but as we are no longer keeping CRs I have tried to sell him on but despite drastic price reductions there have been no takers. I’m not surprised really as we have never shown our sheep despite that being our original intention and the market is flooded with young tups from prize winning stock. So what do I do with him? I’ve never sold at market, would a 3 year old CR tup sell at market? What I really mean is would someone buy him for meat? I’m not sure that we want to eat him just because we have been so close to him in the 2 years that we have had him though I’m not at all squeamish about eating the lambs. Advice please if you’ve dealt with this situation. Thank you.

Tim W · « **Reply #1 on:** July 26, 2019, 07:17:15 am »

Everything has a price, he will sell in the cull pen at mart

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #2 on:** July 26, 2019, 08:14:49 am »

We minced our four year old Shetland tup after his third working season. Absolutely delicious.

There will be buyers at your local mart will buy older sheep for kebabs. One told me once they’d get £1,000 in kebab sales off a big old Mule ewe. So I’d have thought a CR would sell absolutely fine in the cull ring.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #3 on:** July 26, 2019, 08:16:46 am »

But if you can bring yourselves to put the mince in your freezer, it’s much kinder to him to take him to the abattoir yourselves.

twizzel · « **Reply #4 on:** July 26, 2019, 08:58:27 am »

If there’s nothing wrong with him your market should have breeding sales coming up that you could always enter him in.

Anke · « **Reply #5 on:** July 26, 2019, 09:24:10 am »

I would have thought an older Ryeland tup may well be on the fatty side, compared to a Shetland. We have eaten our older Shetland tups (at the end of breeding season mind), but I also do not see anything wrong with sending older ewes and tups to the cull market.

It is always easier to keep a ewe as a lawnmower (I still have one of my now 10yo homebred ewe - Shetland with a full mouth!), but tups are just too difficult. Unless you show I would have thought meat is the best way to go - if you sell him too cheap the new owner may get more for it in the cull market.... just saying.

cambee · « **Reply #6 on:** July 26, 2019, 10:25:28 am »

Thanks for all your replies. I don’t have the freezer space to mince him as a couple of our wethers will be filling that later in the year. I really can’t be bothered with the breed sales as they’re so far away from us it’s not worth it for the price we would get for him. I know it’s so much kinder to abattoir him ourselves. I think I was looking for a unicorn answer to avoid the cull market as I dread what sort of death he might have. I’d almost thought about just getting him culled here and taken away to incinerate but we recently had to do an old ewe who was very ill and we were heading off for a couple of days to my son’s graduation so had to get it done quick and it cost us £72! That’s more than we paid for her! So I think I’m going to have to harden up and go to mart.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #7 on:** July 26, 2019, 10:51:15 am »

Do you have a local hunt? They will usually dispatch if you take the animal to them, and are generally very kind and sensitive to your feelings.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #8 on:** July 26, 2019, 10:52:07 am »

Also, 20kgs mince really doesn’t take up much space. About a carrier bag full.

harmony · « **Reply #9 on:** July 26, 2019, 11:19:22 am »

Quote from: cambee on July 26, 2019, 10:25:28 am

Thanks for all your replies. I don’t have the freezer space to mince him as a couple of our wethers will be filling that later in the year. I really can’t be bothered with the breed sales as they’re so far away from us it’s not worth it for the price we would get for him. I know it’s so much kinder to abattoir him ourselves. I think I was looking for a unicorn answer to avoid the cull market as I dread what sort of death he might have. I’d almost thought about just getting him culled here and taken away to incinerate but we recently had to do an old ewe who was very ill and we were heading off for a couple of days to my son’s graduation so had to get it done quick and it cost us £72! That’s more than we paid for her! So I think I’m going to have to harden up and go to mart.

Auctions are a bit like abattoirs. We find them uncomfortable but necessary. I understand your concerns but if you don't want the meat and for some tup meat is too strong anytime of year, then the cull market is the option. As you have already experienced other options are costly.

twizzel · « **Reply #10 on:** July 26, 2019, 12:00:12 pm »

You don’t need to take him to a specific ryeland breed sale. Your local market should have breeding sales for all types of breeds- just take him to that providing he is fit healthy and will do another season tupping.

Penninehillbilly · « **Reply #11 on:** July 26, 2019, 12:16:58 pm »

If he is a good one and still usable, try something like preloved?
Lot of rubbish but also some good stock goes through. And you get to vet the potential buyers before they visit.

Bramham Wiltshire Horns · « **Reply #12 on:** July 26, 2019, 01:30:36 pm »

i took pedigree coloured Ryelands 2 a rare breed sale

i was only getting 40-50 quid a head so brought them back home and put them in our families freezer double that