[plumseverywhere]

when 'd-day' comes, how easy do those of you who have bottle fed your lambs really find it? any tips for coping? we've had one little boy who was close to dying and has come back, he now follows me like a little puppy...
I know, its me being daft but...
I keep telling myself that its better to eat those who've had a really good life than those who've had one that's uncertain to us.

[shearling]

Funny I was thinking the same today watching my first ever lamb (ram) sitting and snuggling in the sunshine. I have heard of people doing meat swaps. That way you get to know that it had a good time when alive but don't feel you are eating your pet. We have purposely not named our sheep, other than one is called 'Freezerbait one' as she is so madingly hard to catch and always worries me about her constantly dirty bum.

[jaykay]

I don't ever send one at a time - can't eat something I can picture. And truthfully, I don't eat the ones I've bottle fed, if as sometimes happens, they go late and on their own.

I suppose I tell myself that if they stayed they'd become big stroppy tups/wethers and I wouldnt like them so much then. Plus the 'unless I'm going to become veggie, this is as good a life as any meat I eat gets'.
But still not easy 

[plumseverywhere]

   thank you for your replies - and for no one telling me to just get a grip LOL!

luckily these belong to a co operative type collection of local peep's who are managing the flock on our land. they will deal with the final journey (I will not be in that day) and any meat I receive will be anonymous so I won't know who it is - if we feel able to eat it.
I'm going to stick with the grumpy old sheep images and make sure that the part I play in this rearing ensures the lambs here have a wonderful life as much as i possibly can .

[princesspiggy]

its sad but u get used to it to some degree. our 1st pet lambs got lost by the abbatoir so we never got them back, just the money for them, but it does take a few weeks atleast before i can consider eating em. whether its lambs or pigs...or even poultry. got a freezer full of rabbit at moment, still cant face the thought ...lol
 

[Brucklay]

I bottle fed 4 last year and loved them to bits, cuddles and feeding, cleaning up after them to 6.30 hay top up in the deep snow in november - by feb they were pretty big and had the ability to either ignore me or bowl me over at 'crunchie' time. My OH didn't think I would have it in me but when the day came and the trailer borrowed it was time and it was hard but they had everything they could have wanted while they were here which is a lot better life than lots of sheep get.

[plumseverywhere]

Thank you    two more really helpful replies. good to hear that your bottle lambs did become less interested as they grew, Brucklay. that might help wiht my children who are all refusing lamb for dinner now!

[Brucklay]

One - which I didn't think would make it, needed a lot of attention, injections etc and as she had a cough we called her Coffee - from weaning to 6 months old you could shout 'coffee' and she would baa back by 10 months she ignored me!!!

[plumseverywhere]

OK, now that has made me feel even better, thank you SO much    its this poorly boy I'm worried about being attached to and your story has made it feel much easier.
I was thinking of trying to persuade the others to let me keep him as a companion to reggie the whether goat. of course tony think's I'm mad but he's vegetarian so he won't be eating 'shaun' will he lol!

[ellisr]

I had a pet sheep growing up called Cola who was really sweet and come running when I shouted but she got mixed up with the big farmers flock when he was using our field as grazing and got sent to market. I spent many evening walking around the fields of neighbouring farms shouting for her but never found her. Heartbreaking lesson as my grandpa always said that they were not pets and I should have took notice then of what he said.

[Brucklay]

Please don't take it the wrong way - I am a total softie and love nothing more than giving the lambs a cuddle but from last years experience they do grow up and are not so cuddly more like 4 rugby players coming in for a tackle when I was going in with feed - maybe padded protection needed!!

[Anke]

It gets easier, when selling my first batch of lambs at market I was really upset, and thought for a few days about their onward journey etc etc. But this year I was fine, and just glad to be able to sell them and NOT have to feed them anymore through all this snow we were having...

But I have never had a problem with sending any of my livestock to the abattoir, much more worried about markets/transport. Abattoir is just 20 minutes down the road.

I started with store lambs, bought in January and kept the females for breeding and took the wethers for slaughter - in my opinion the best way to start with sheep!

[princesspiggy]

I had a pet sheep growing up called Cola who was really sweet and come running when I shouted but she got mixed up with the big farmers flock when he was using our field as grazing and got sent to market. I spent many evening walking around the fields of neighbouring farms shouting for her but never found her. Heartbreaking lesson as my grandpa always said that they were not pets and I should have took notice then of what he said.

that brought a lump to my throat, bless 

[SallyintNorth]

BH has farmed all his life (we're in our second half-centuries) and still prefers that we don't keep any pets on.  Officially it's because they don't make any money (milk powder being so expensive) but in truth it's the way that they look at you with total trust as they follow you into the trailer, making you feel like a betrayer.

And he (we) use(s) all the same reasoning as you all have posted - and like you all, we know it's best and we do get over it, but it is still hard, no matter how many times you've done it.

[ellisr]

I'm going to stick with the grumpy old sheep images and make sure that the part I play in this rearing ensures the lambs here have a wonderful life as much as i possibly can .

just had a thought I could let you borrow cutlet who was adopted from an animal charity, he was a pet lamb and he will show anyone why bottle fed males are not good. As he enjoys human contact so much he will clear a 5' fence just to be on the lawn near to any human.