# Butchering ages



## mystang89

Read a few posts on here along with Google search. Found that butchering times differ for what you're taste buds want. Some butcher at 5 - 8 weeks which seems WAY to early I'm home. Not sure you'd really get anything out of it to even make it worth the trouble. Then 5 months or so and after that it just said 2 yo would be mutton.

So my question would be, what are your opinions as to when YOU butcher your sheep? How long do you wait? What's the taste especially for intact makes at whatever age?

Thanks.


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## Baymule

I like to wait to 9 months to a year old. I have hair sheep, so don't know if that affects the taste, and have butchered a 3 year old ram. He tasted just fine to me. I want more meat, so I let 'em grow. Who the heck is giving you all this butchering advice? 5-8_ weeks?_ That wouldn't even be enough for a meal. Is this going to be for your own consumption or for a customer? If for a customer, if they have a specific age, that's ok, but for you and your family, let the lamb grow to a good size. 

Is this about a ram lamb? Do you have the extra pasture to keep him in so he doesn't breed your ewes? They can breed as early as 2 months. I sold 2 ram lambs at 3 months old earlier this year because I didn't cut them and didn't want to fool with trying to keep them separate. I kept one ram lamb for a herd sire for at least one lambing, but sold the other two.


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## mystang89

Baymule said:


> I like to wait to 9 months to a year old. I have hair sheep, so don't know if that affects the taste, and have butchered a 3 year old ram. He tasted just fine to me. I want more meat, so I let 'em grow.



That's my way of thinking too. I didn't think it was worth the time and effort butchering so young but I didn't know if it affected the taste any.



Baymule said:


> Who the heck is giving you all this butchering advice? 5-8_ weeks?_ That wouldn't even be enough for a meal.



From the Google search which is another reason I'm so glad to have a website like this around with knowledgeable folk.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/lamb



Baymule said:


> Is this going to be for your own consumption or for a customer?



It's for family consumption but my wife is a bit finicky with her meat taste and the last thing I want is to butcher something and it put a bad taste in her mouth. She tends to think that because it tastes that way once it tastes that way all the time lol. I love her and all her quirks.



Baymule said:


> Is this about a ram lamb? Do you have the extra pasture to keep him in so he doesn't breed your ewes? They can breed as early as 2 months



This particular one if a ram lamb. If he doesn't sell I'll be butchering him, however in the future I'm sure I'll have ewes as well that will be butchered so I figured it would be good to have this info.


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## Baymule

I love the lamb burger, it makes the best tacos! We also love lamb stew. 
Here's a link with tons of recipes. I made the lamb holiday pie and the shepherds pie. Both were very good.

http://www.americanlamb.com/consumer/


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## Latestarter

If you look at the sales barn/markets, most sheep sales and prices are based on weight. The "ideal" sales weight (highest sales price) being between 60-80 pounds. As weight increases from there, the price per lb drops. @Mike CHS has done the sales thing several times at this point with his sheep and can most likely give much better specific advice/input. I purchased a freezer lamb from him and let him grow as long as possible before butcher to get the most meat I could. The butcher time was set to have it all complete when I'd be going out to meet Mike and pick it up (coming up - 9/15 ).


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## mystang89

Thanks for all the replies! I would like to keep a record of their weight as they grow so I have a better knowledge of what to expect.


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## Donna R. Raybon

Hair sheep do not have mutton taste like older wool sheep.  Katahdins  butcher well any time.


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## goatgurl

first off katahdins are the breed I raise so that is all I have experience with and I don't sell the meat, its all for my family.  when I first started raising them I bred for early spring and butchered in the fall but have started in the last few years to keep the wether lambs over from spring to the next years fall.  they cost very little for me to feed and I get lots more meat.  the meat is always is mild and tender.  three years ago I butchered a two and a half year old ram and honestly couldn't tell him from the wether that was still in the freezer.  also butchered a 5 year old ewe who had injured her leg and she tasted fine.  just had ground meat and stew meat made from her.  hope that helps you make a decision.


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## Sheepshape

Being vegetarian, I'd prefer NEVER to butcher my sheep.....but I have to let some go. 

This is what most folks do in the UK.......a)Very early slaughter (before weaning), at about 6 weeks....so called Spring Lamb. Commands a high price, but obviously they don't weigh a lot. b) Prime or 'Fat' lambs.......largely ram lambs, when they have achieved a body condition score of 2-4. This is the main market. Prices fairly high, and lambs have to be under a year old. c) Cull ewes and rams....those animals who are older, or have udder/foot etc problems which make them less than ideal for breeding. They often don't fetch much at all in the market. They make mutton, are used in burgers etc or, in the case of very old sheep, are used for animal food.

Most folk over her like the 'Fat Lamb'..... the lamb usually weighs 35-42kg at slaughter and yields 15-20kg of meat. There's a growing market in high end restaurants for mutton which gourmands say has a much richer taste. I think it's like goatgurl says older animals taste fine, they just need a slower cooking method.(Coming from someone who hasn't a clue about this from personal experience, goatgurl's assessment is the better one to believe!).


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## Mike CHS

All good points so I won't repeat them. This past spring we took a dozen ram lambs in to the sale in April which was the the best market this year for us.  The difference at that sale went from $2.05 a pound for two of our prime lambs in the 42 pound range and most of the others were also prime but 80-90 pounds which dropped down to $1.78 a pound.  Like everyone pointed out, you get more per pound on the small ones but there are a whole lot less pounds to get paid for.  We would rather not sell that small but we also don't want multiple trips to the market for ram lambs that need to be gone.  We took two ram lambs last week and one sold for $1.65 a pound as a ram and the other for $1.30 a pound so it jumps all over the place depending on time of year.

Some folks in our Association decided to literally test hair sheep vs wool sheep taste a couple of years ago and most everyone thought there was a lot of difference in the taste.


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## mystang89

I've read in a few places there was a more mild taste in hair sheep but then also read that it all depends on how you cook them.


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## Mike CHS

I cook the younger sheep the same as I do any other type but the older ones I spend a bit more time.  Sheep are leaner than beef and pork and take a different approach to cooking it.  I slow cook a lot of cuts on my smoker and the tougher cuts like the shank roasts are done in our pressure cooker.  We had leftover two year old sheep shank roast for lunch today and it was excellent.


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## mystang89

Mike CHS said:


> I cook the younger sheep the same as I do any other type but the older ones I spend a bit more time.  Sheep are leaner than beef and pork and take a different approach to cooking it.  I slow cook a lot of cuts on my smoker and the tougher cuts like the shank roasts are done in our pressure cooker.  We had leftover two year old sheep shank roast for lunch today and it was excellent.


 
6am here and now I'm slobbering 
Thanks a lot Mike


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## Roving Jacobs

I did a whole shoulder from an older ram in my smoker with an herb rub and it was amazing. I could have just stood there and eaten it with my fingers if my family wasn't waiting for it.


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## Mike CHS

@Roving Jacobs It's too bad that we don't hear from more people that have actually eaten them rather than heard about the taste.


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## Baymule

I only had lamb once, in a restaurant, and it was gamy. But I knew that I wanted sheep, just darn glad that my sheep taste good!


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## Roving Jacobs

I was in Mongolia over the summer and they don't eat anything as lambs. They think it's crazy to eat a baby when you can eat an adult and get way more meat. They also prefer their sheep fatty and serve the fat separately sometimes, especially the tail fat from the fat tailed sheep they raise. I ate sheep or goat (not sure which most meals!) for 2-3 meals a day for two weeks and had no complaints.


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## mystang89

I never even thought about using the tails. Wander what it tastes like.


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## Baymule

Roving Jacobs said:


> I was in Mongolia over the summer and they don't eat anything as lambs. They think it's crazy to eat a baby when you can eat an adult and get way more meat. They also prefer their sheep fatty and serve the fat separately sometimes, especially the tail fat from the fat tailed sheep they raise. I ate sheep or goat (not sure which most meals!) for 2-3 meals a day for two weeks and had no complaints.


What were you doing in Mongolia? Sounds like an adventure!


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## Roving Jacobs

Baymule said:


> What were you doing in Mongolia? Sounds like an adventure!



I'm getting my masters in biology and I went with a class. We stayed in gers (yurts) and visited with the nomadic people there. Didn't spot any of the wild cats we were looking for but I got to see a lot of sheep, goats, cows and horses. I felt right at home!


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## Mike CHS

That had to be a fascinating trip.


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## Baymule

That sounds like an awesome trip.


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## mystang89

What kinda sheep were there?


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## Roving Jacobs

The sheep were fat tailed karakul types called baidrag sheep. The goats are all cashmere goats as cashmere is a major export for Mongolia. All the animals they use are at least triple purpose, providing meat, milk, and fiber or hides. Even the horse manes and tails are trimmed to make strings for their horse-headed fiddles. 

I should probably just do a Mongolia post since it's herd related, I'm just not sure which section it would fit in  It was an amazing trip and a gorgeous country and I'm happy to talk more about it!


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## goatgurl

please do.  frankly I don't have a clue as to where you should put it, every thing else sheep, random ramblings?? maybe.   but i'll be anxious to read it when you do.


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## Latestarter

I'd say it could go nicely in the journal section...


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## chickadee-ranch

mystang89 said:


> Read a few posts on here along with Google search. Found that butchering times differ for what you're taste buds want. Some butcher at 5 - 8 weeks which seems WAY to early I'm home. Not sure you'd really get anything out of it to even make it worth the trouble. Then 5 months or so and after that it just said 2 yo would be mutton.
> 
> So my question would be, what are your opinions as to when YOU butcher your sheep? How long do you wait? What's the taste especially for intact makes at whatever age?
> 
> Thanks.



I used to have a large herd of Nubian goats-- 100+ head.  There is a huge spring/Easter market for young 8 week old or so kids and lambs-- I sold all my excess bucklings at that time as well as any doelings that had visible disqualifications for the show ring- i.e. wrong number of teats etc.  This was a 'cash crop' for my farm.  Nearly all the sheep breeders I know aim for this market as well.   There are two groups who purchase at this time-- you have an ethnic market as well as the religious group (Eastern Orthodox being one of them)  purchasing at this time.


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## mystang89

Where do you all seem them at? I know @Mike CHS does some of his at auctions but I don't even know if there is an auction for stuff like that here I've always just either posted on CL or had my wife put it on FB marketplace.


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## Mike CHS

We have used Craigslist but you have to be ready to ignore the usual  bottom feeders.  We have a super good sales auction that does the best they can for both the sellers and the buyers. Then we have a not so good auction that usually has nothing that I would want to bring home to our place.


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## chickadee-ranch

mystang89 said:


> Where do you all seem them at? I know @Mike CHS does some of his at auctions but I don't even know if there is an auction for stuff like that here I've always just either posted on CL or had my wife put it on FB marketplace.



I used to ship them to the really big auction in Mass== several of us shipped out kids on the same load, same time. made it economical.


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## greybeard

> ↑
> I like to wait to 9 months to a year old. I have hair sheep, so don't know if that affects the taste, and have butchered a 3 year old ram. He tasted just fine to me. I want more meat, so I let 'em grow.
> That's my way of thinking too. I didn't think it was worth the time and effort butchering so young but I didn't know if it affected the taste any.
> 
> ↑
> Who the heck is giving you all this butchering advice? 5-8_ weeks?_ That wouldn't even be enough for a meal.
> From the Google search which is another reason I'm so glad to have a website like this around with knowledgeable folk.
> 
> https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/lamb



That, is a website from the UK and written by UK journalists FOR UK consumers.


> *About BBC Good Food*
> We are the UK’s number one food brand. Whether you’re looking for healthy recipes and guides, family projects and meal plans, the latest gadget reviews, foodie travel inspiration or just the perfect recipe for dinner tonight, we’re here to help



They've been raising and eating lamb a 'few' more centuries than their North American counterparts and no doubt taste and view things a bit different than the upstart rebel [former] colonists to the West.

It depends where one lives I suppose and what (if any) the 'official' classification is. Some countries are much less stringent on what is called lamb and what is not.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamb_and_mutton#Classifications_and_nomenclature


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## greybeard

Sheepshape said:


> This is what most folks do in the UK.......a)Very early slaughter (before weaning), at about 6 weeks....so called Spring Lamb.


That, according to my former spouse (from Wales) would be young lamb.

Spring Lamb would be 3-4 or 5 months at slaughter.


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## BreanneRN

I butchered 2 in July.  They were both uncut yearlings, one Blackbelly, born February about 100 lbs, 1 Painted Desert/Suffolk cross weighed about 180 lbs, born end of April.  I am eating them now and cooking them like I would store bought meat and they are very good.  The little blackbelly might be slightly tougher, but it is hard to say.  I love the loinchops, but the stew/kebab meat is also good, and like the lamburger, too.  Glad they are tasty, since I will be eating them for a while...  I haven't tried the roasts yet.  Turned the lamburger into salad the other day.  I call it hamburger salad, but since made with lamburger, it is lamburger salad.  1/2 lb of lamburger cooked with red onions, not too well done over romaine lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cheese if you like it on your hamburger, avocado slices, with thousand island dressing or bleu cheese, depending on your preference...


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## frustratedearthmother

Lamburger salad sounds good!


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## Latestarter

That sounds really delish! Look forward to trying something similar after I pick up my lamb mid month.


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## Sheepshape

greybeard said:


> That, according to my former spouse (from Wales) would be young lamb.


 Hi,greybeard, I'm also 'from the Valleys' and in this neck of very rural mid-Wales, these are Spring Lamb, whereas the later ones are Fat Lambs or Prime Lambs. Those lambs which are still not very heavy by September(ish) become Store Lambs but I've never heard the term Young Lamb. I'm not sure if there's an difference in the taste of various types of lamb as I don't eat anything with a face apart from sunflowers, but what I am sure of is that some of the 'lamb' sold is definitely mutton (though my carnivorous friends tell me mutton has a much better flavour).


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## Jennifer Hinkle

I have never tried lamb, have always wondered what it tastes like. I raise hair sheep. But have yet to try it.


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## Mike CHS

@Jennifer Hinkle I know quite a few people that raise them but have never eaten any.  Our butcher raises hair sheep and has been in business for 25 years and they had never tried any until I cooked some and took it to them while I was dropping another off for processing.  They just recently slaughtered one of ours for their own use.


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## Jennifer Hinkle

Mike CHS said:


> @Jennifer Hinkle I know quite a few people that raise them but have never eaten any.  Our butcher raises hair sheep and has been in business for 25 years and they had never tried any until I cooked some and took it to them while I was dropping another off for processing.  They just recently slaughtered one of ours for their own use.


One day I will.


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## Latestarter

Lamb is delicious! I'll be picking mine up next weekend!


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