[egglady]

we have 3 tup sheltand lambs; 2 are triplets and the other 1 was a twin.  Our plan was to send them for slaughter in January.  However, we hadnt reckoned on such rubbish weather (snow fell here 7 weeks ago and hasnt been green field since!) and i think it's fair to say that they have all dropped condition.

the butcher just phoned and asked if we still wanted them to go next week and i'm not sure whether i should or not.

i need to weigh up the fact that it is costing us to feed them as they need a minimum of 3 lots of hay a day plus hard feed (not much, just enough to keep them tame really) against just being done with it and having them done next week.

obviously i'll reduce our feed costs and save some of the scarce hay for the ewes but i'll probably be paying the same butchering costs for less meat.

thoughts?

[little blue]

real quandry ...
I think I would go with slaughter anyway, and save the resources.  maybe speak with the butcher & see if they would consider a price reduction - explain & put it to them that they would still be getting a fee rather than nothing if your lambs arent slaughtered.  worth a try!

hth...

[Hermit]

I thought tup lambs could not be slaughtered between end of sep and spring cause of taint.

[Anke]

We have recently cut up two of our hoggets ourselves, they killed out at 19 (pure Shetland wether) and 22kgs (3/4 shetland and 1/4 txl, but he was areally poor doer and entire) each. We took them in early November, no tup taints as far as I can tell. Fantastic taste though!!!!

We found a website, I think it was on the Guardian website somewhere, it showed very good pictures of the actual steps in cutting. We only used a good saw and very sharp knives. It took about three hours per carcass, with OH doing the big cuts, and I did the bagging up, cutting into chunks for stews (shoulder) and also the mincing. We had to do this, as we didn't think our butcher did a good job on the last batch of pigs and charged much more than we expected....

So if you bring them in now, let them hang in the abattoir for as long as they do it (ours is free for up to a week), then take the home and do it yourself!

But then you cannot sell any of the meat!

[egglady]

Anke, we aren't quite up to doing it ourselves yet i think.  it takes hubby all his time to despatch our meat chickens! 

[buddy]

The younger they are the sweeter the meat, so I would cut your losses and let them go. You may get loads more snow and then you are in the same predicament. If you have a sexually active male then I would hold back but otherwise he should be good to go. Its not usually too expensive for the butchery, I think mincing takes a high fee, so perhaps you could do this bit yourself.

[Anke]

Well we were kind of forced into this, I was just not prepared to trawl again round the butchers...

With Shetlands I think the best time is for hoggets or as shearlings, after their second summer. Good size cuts, not overly fat (only on grass during the summer, and not spoiled during the winter either) and the meat is heavenly!

having said that we had a proper leg of mutton for Xmas dinner, it was quite fat, the wether (not a shetland but large commercial X) was over two years old. I took some of the really thick fat off (made good bird feeders) and then we roasted as per HFW weeping leg of mutton. So easy as well, just put your veg underneath to roast in the juices. And two large helping of sheherds pie went into the freezer afterwards!

What I am saying is - don't rush them to the butchers, if they only get hay now and you have enough grazing for them over the summer, I wouldn't necessarily put them in the freezer now, or maybe not all of them. But if freezer is empty now, maybe better choice. The meat will be very good too come autumn this year.

[landroverroy]

Would agree with Anke. A shetland tup that's lost condition is not worth killing. They don't have a lot of fat at the best of times, but if they have none they will not cook well. Ask your butcher's opinion and I'm sure he'll agree.   Better to wait till they have fattened again, once they're out on grass once more. You'll find the meat much more succulent and enjoyable if your animals are properly finished.

[egglady]

have spent days mulling this one over.  spoke to butcher today and was advised that if we have a wet spring, then they won't put on much condition then either.  Have decided that I need to preserve my grass for this years lambs and have decided just to bite the bullet and send them for slaughter week on monday (24th).

think it will be mostly mince and sausages but with young children that is no bad thing - though i appreciate the meat should be 'better' cuts than that.

a steep learning curve and one i won't be making again!

thanks for help and advice everyone

[Anke]

My girls' (7 and 9) favourite dinner is .... Shepherd's pie. Your children will love it... and it is cheap to cook if the meat is from your own sheep!

I would still leave the legs entire, probably even with the bones in, and then you can just bung them in the oven for roast.

[egglady]

thanks Anke, think that is what I'll do.  He also suggested that we take lamb shanks - good idea? 

[Anke]

They will be quite small, you can either leave them on the leg (it should still fit your oven), or if you have all three lambs x2 it should give you enough for a good stew.

[Daisys Mum]

I have just been in the same position with 2 shetland tups that I had hoped to kill as hoggets but they have lost a fair bit of condition also one of them has turned really nasty and butts anyone who dares go into the field so my farmer neighbour is taking them off to market for me. I don't suppose they will make much but I daren't keep them here as I have a 3 year old granddaughter and my daughter is 7 months pregnant.