countrytalkandtips.myfreeforum.org

Camile · Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 12:13 pm Post subject: Best thing this year ,,

Hello,

The best thing this year was the joy of seeing our ewe raise some twin lambs this year .. have them slaughterred and enjoying them in the kitchen ... it all went better than the plan as it is the most cracking lamb I ever ate ...

We bought a second ewe this year to increase the supply ... a Kerry hill Cross ewe ..

And yesterday was the 1st step for next year's lot, we moved the ram with them .. a nice big Suffolk ..

the clock is ticking now, he has 2 "heats" to make me happy !

That would mean March/April lamb, perfect timing I think ...

Anyone else with sheep around the forum ?

Camile

squirrel01 · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 88 Location: co. roscommon

been thinking about getting a couple but not sure if its worth the hassle....

Torc · Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 108 Location: North Clare

Me too, but I'm uncomfortable with slaughtering young lambs.
At least with the pigs, they get to maturity.
A French friend says I should rear lambs to maturity and kill them as adults. It seems the French enjoy mature mutton.
They would be good for keeping down the grass though.
Would it make sense to buy a couple of spring lambs and let them loose in my unkempt field and then slaughter them in the autumn?
I must look up recipes for mutton.
Just thinking out loud.

Camile · Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 10:43 pm Post subject:

It's all a question of taste but I do enjoy my mutton too ..

what people around here do is that they buy what they call store lamb, to eat up any leftover grass from cattle ..

and to me it's well worth doing .. we had no problem at lambing so that was any problems sorted really ...

and itis well worth when you freezer is packed to the top with 80 odd pounds of lamb .. fully tracable from the back field to the plate ...

Camile

Torc · Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 108 Location: North Clare

Thanks for that Camile.
Can you answer a few more questions for me?
How old are store lambs and how long would I keep them before slaughter? What are the legalities? Do I need to apply for a herd number?
Can you recommend a book on the subject?
Much obliged
Torc

Camile · Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 3:11 pm Post subject:

Hi again Torc,

I haven't had any store lamb myself because we have the ewe and dispatched the lambs when they were 4 and 1/2 months old ...

But as far as I understand, store lambs would most probably late lambs or surplus lambs that didn't make it to the abattoir on time (ie didn't reach the optimum 40/45 kg live).

so I would guess they could be anything from 5 months to older ..

and the age to kill them is more what condition they are on and how you want your lamb to be .. not too fat, fat or simply if you want mutton ..

some farmers uses them to clean out the pastures once the cattle has been housed.

as for the legalites and herd number, there is always ways around them ...

but a flock number would definitely make everything easier and is free to apply for.

I don't have specific book on sheep but I like the advices from:

"The encyclopedia of country living" - ISBN 1-57061-377-X

and "The Complete Herbal handbook for farm and stable" - ISBN 0-571-16116-2

Sheeps are great and lambs taste beautiful !

Camile

Torc · Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 108 Location: North Clare

Thanks Camille,
I've some serious thinking and planning to do.
That's one of the things I like about this time of year - planning the next and getting it all right next time.

Camile · Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 11:04 am Post subject:

Well just a small report back,

after having spent 15 days with the ewes, the ram has\now tupped one ewe, the older one .... happy days,

it could have happened within the last few days, so I guess it will be around or after paddy's day next year that she will lamb ...

happy days
Camile

Camile · Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 11:32 pm Post subject:

Shepperd reporting back !

One of the ewes had triplets this afternoon, exactly 1 year after, almost to the minute.

I checked her this morning (10am but had been checked at 7am) and thought she was starting to bag up (get into milking" ... but not too close for lambing.

went back at 1h30pm and there was 2 lambs suckling away .. as I came closer, I saw 3 healthy looking lambs (good enough size for triplets I think) .. 2 ram and 1 ewe.

A local farmer that had hundreds of sheep in the past happened to be with me ! so we made sure they all had a good suck each ..

Tonight I moved her in a cattle trailer in the field .. with plenty of straw to keep warm and safe from the fox (who didn't come to "clean" the cleaning s yet but I would be surprised to still see them tomorrow.

I just came back a minute ago from the night check (just for the sake of it) .. and they are looking well .. 2 stood up for me, and the third one (the biggest) didn't bother as he was sleeping close to mummie's nose !

What a great day for lambing with a happy ending so far !

The 2nd and last ewe seems in lamb as well, but there is definitely a couple of weeks of difference between them.

Camile

quarryman · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 417 Location: Sligo

Well done Camile. Sit down and have a rest. I'd say they are the image of you, Blonde and Fluffy...... Laughing

Will you post a couple of pics please.