# Should we eat him???



## Sheepdog (Jan 14, 2012)

We have a few percentage Dorpers that we are culling out of our flock as we have only fullbloods. We have one 6 month old ram, going on 7 months. He has a horrible temperament, so he is either going to the sale or we were going to eat him. We didn't band him as I was wanting to see how he turned out and see what his weight gain was, but I don't like what I see, he lacks size, substance and he is crazy despite being handled from a young age... when I say handled, I mean, around people, dogs etc and the rest of the flock which are very quiet. I acquired his mother before she had this lamb so this was not a deliberate breeding. We have never eaten a young ram, only whethers. 

Should we castrate him and keep him on feed for the freezer or leave him a ram feed him for a while longer and put him in the freezer?


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## SuburbanFarmChic (Jan 15, 2012)

We ate a 2yr old goat buck that STUNK to high heaven. He was awful and terribly aggressive. Couldn't tell it in the meat though.


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## zzGypsy (Jan 15, 2012)

we regularly leave our best ram lambs intact... often you can't tell who's going to be the best breeder candidates, or ram sale candidates, until they're too big to band.  we eat the ones that don't prove to be breeder quality.  the meat is just fine, we've eaten them as old as 16 months and it's no different than any other... and can I just say we raise the best lamb I've ever eaten? 

we did process a *very* old buck when we had him put down (one we had retired, he was probably 16 yrs old!) ... had him ground for burger for the dogs. hubby pulled one of those packs out of the freezer without reading the label and that was *very* musky and rank.

as far as selling, the middle eastern market in particular wants the animals unaltered in any way if they can get them - tails, horns and hoohoos all in place brings a better price in a market size lamb headed to that particular group.  if you've got a middle eastern grocery with a butcher in your area, you might contact them to see if you can do a direct sale at a good price.


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## Sheepdog (Jan 15, 2012)

Thanks for your replies guys, I think we will just fatten him for a little longer and then put him in the freezer.

By the way, I am confused, why do you call them bucks over here? Im from Australia and male sheep are called rams and goats are called billies (I think as I have never had anything much to do with goats here or in Australia).... What is the correct teminology for a male sheep uncastrated.... here in the USA? In Australia we obviously use a lot of British termonology.


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## Mamaboid (Jan 15, 2012)

Male intact sheep is a Ram, Male intact goat is a Buck.  A lot of people use the term Billy, but technically they are bucks.  I think it is like anything else, just a matter of location, location, location.


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## ShadyAcres (Jan 15, 2012)

The majority of my ram lambs go to the market sale soon after weaning.  (I raise White Dorper) I always hold out a few  6 to 8  as potential breeders.  If one does not develop like I thought he would he usually goes in my freezer.  I rarely castrate ram lambs as they dont stay at my place long enough to be a problem.  I typically put one in the freezer depending on his size rather than his age and process him around 130 lbs.  Creep fed lambs seem to reach processing weight faster than strictly grass fed lambs, but have never processed one older than 1 yr old so cant comment on their taste.  Usually they go into the freezer between 7  9 mos old.


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## Beekissed (Jan 15, 2012)

There seems to be a market trend in my area where people with ram lambs they will send to market they don't even bother to band.  People have found, I think, that these lambs go to market before any hormones actually affect the taste of the meat as it would in an older breeding ram.  

The general thinking is that banding/castrating is an unnecessary risk of infection and possible problems with the urinary tract when the lamb is meat market bound anyway....plus they feel they gain weight better when they are intact.  Market lambs are generally weaned at 2-3 mo., separated from their dams and fed grains...at least most of the woolly breeders do it that way in my area.


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## zzGypsy (Jan 15, 2012)

Beekissed said:
			
		

> There seems to be a market trend in my area where people with ram lambs they will send to market they don't even bother to band.  People have found, I think, that these lambs go to market before any hormones actually affect the taste of the meat as it would in an older breeding ram.
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> The general thinking is that banding/castrating is an unnecessary risk of infection and possible problems with the urinary tract when the lamb is meat market bound anyway....plus they feel they gain weight better when they are intact.  Market lambs are generally weaned at 2-3 mo., separated from their dams and fed grains...at least most of the woolly breeders do it that way in my area.


that's consistant with what I know as well.  the other non-banding reason is the ethinic markets which will pay more for a natural lamb than one that's been modified in any way.  long tails, horns, hoohoos can make a 20% difference in price in some of the ethnic markets.


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## Royd Wood (Jan 15, 2012)

We dont band and sell the testicles in our store - NONE left though


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## zzGypsy (Jan 15, 2012)

Royd Wood said:
			
		

> We dont band and sell the testicles in our store - NONE left though


rocky mountain oysters? 

used to go to Bruce's Bar in Severance Colorado for the Turkey Fries - the turkey equivalent.  tasty, with a beer.


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## Sheepdog (Jan 15, 2012)

zzGypsy said:
			
		

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Turkey testicles???? Wow, never heard of that before...LOL we Aussies are pretty fussy when it comes to food... not many places sell testicles, a few restaurants will serve Sweetbreads... which are testicles but in other parts of the world such as the UK Sweetbreads are actually the thymus gland. 

Wouldn't you need a heck of a lot Turkey fries to get a meal?


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## zzGypsy (Jan 16, 2012)

Sheepdog said:
			
		

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we'll, Bruce's is a bar, so it's not really a meal...  they serve them breadded and fried, like mushrooms or calamari... in a basket served with your beer.  mostly, they taste like ... fried breading.  I think they do their business mostly on the Eeeeeewwwww factor as Severence is in the Middle of NoWhere.  it was one of the places we went in college (and highschool if you looked old enough) - if you had money for gas. of course there was always money for beer...


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## carolinagirl (Jan 16, 2012)

Hmmmm.....I think I'd rather just eat some fried breading. lol!!


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## EllieMay (Jan 16, 2012)

*Turkey Testicles?!!!    


 . . .  Learn something new every day!   *


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## Ms. Research (Jan 16, 2012)

lol.  loved the last pic.  

Like the cow commercials of the past, remember "Eat more chicken".  lol

Turkey testicles, wow, never would have thought.  And never will they pass these lips. YUCK!  Sorry, don't do cow testicles, tongue or pigs feet either.  YUCK 

K


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## SuburbanFarmChic (Jan 16, 2012)

Mmm.... well, I think I'll wait on lunch for a bit.  I made some beans and it looks JUST a little too much like that.


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## zzGypsy (Jan 16, 2012)

EllieMay said:
			
		

> *Turkey Testicles?!!!
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> . . .  Learn something new every day!   *
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yep, that's kinda what they looked like.  except at Bruce's Bar they came in baskets with nice gingham print paper liners... 



they're not bad.  a little rubbery, like calamari rings.
now the rocky mountain oysters... um, no, those aren't on my list of things to eat.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jan 17, 2012)

We put our yearling (just turned a year) ram in the freezer last year and the meat is delicious.  

And on the ram/buck thing, some club lamb breeders call their rams bucks for some reason. Drives me crazy.


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## Sheepdog (Jan 17, 2012)

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> We put our yearling (just turned a year) ram in the freezer last year and the meat is delicious.
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> And on the ram/buck thing, some club lamb breeders call their rams bucks for some reason. Drives me crazy.


Thanks for the info... we will just leave him a ram and keep feeding him.... mmm can't wait, roast lamb and lamb chops for the barbie (short for Barbeque which is what Aussies call a grill).... funny, if we grill something on the stove... that is what you guys call broil!!!! 

Yes I wondered why some call them bucks and some call them rams...... thought it might have been just different terminology from what we say Down Under.

There are obviously a lot of words that we use in Aussieland that are differerent to what is said here, but in the agricultural industry, it is really noticable... I might post them in the general section.


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## Sheepdog (Jan 17, 2012)

SuburbanFarmChic said:
			
		

> Mmm.... well, I think I'll wait on lunch for a bit.  I made some beans and it looks JUST a little too much like that.


LOL  I may never look at white kidney beans in the same light again


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## zzGypsy (Jan 17, 2012)

Sheepdog said:
			
		

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that'd be fun!
I have a friend from the US who lived in Aus and NZ for a couple of years... she says the biggest hazard is that you *think* you understand what's been said but about 20% of the time you're wrong...


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## Sheepdog (Jan 17, 2012)

zzGypsy said:
			
		

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yes that is true... I am really careful what I say here. Some things can really get you into trouble.... especially some words which are accepted here as part of your language, but mean something sexual in Australia and vice versa LOL

Cheerios in Australia are like Cocktail Frankfurts or what you guys call weiners.. we were all sitting at lunch one day talking about food when someone started talking about the new chocolate cheerios that you can get and how yummy they are.... I always thought Americans ate weird stuff, but chocolate coated hotdogs just didn't do it for me. I sat there for a while and listened to them talking about it and someone said that she liked them with half and half (that milk/cream mix) we don't get that in Australia.... so that just made things worse... I had a vision of someone with a chocolate coated hot dog dipping it in a glass of half and half LOL.... we finally got it straightened out... but sometimes I get really confused

I think it is worse though for Americans because you don't have much of an idea.... not your fault at all.... because Aussies were brought up on American TV, we learned from an early age from shows like Sesame Street, that you guys say, cookies, but we say biscuits... etc. But you guys didn't get much Aussie TV and still don't, hence the Aussie slang and some of our general language is more difficult for you to work out... but our slang is the hardest thing to understand.


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## Royd Wood (Jan 17, 2012)

There's a common term used in the UK and Oz refering to testicles when things dont quite go to plan, which is not used in Canada and US much. Boll--ks


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## Sheepdog (Jan 17, 2012)

Royd Wood said:
			
		

> There's a common term used in the UK and Oz refering to testicles when things dont quite go to plan, which is not used in Canada and US much. Boll--ks


Never really heard it used much in Oz except from some of the older generation who were English when I was a kid... its typically a British term... 

Australians tend to say Buggar!!! or Buggar it....or Buggar me.... but it has lost its orignal meaning and just means darn it. I don't think i can upload the video for the commercial that Toyota put out a number of years ago in Australia.... it is of Austalian famer trying to fix things on his farm and using the Toyota Hylux ute (small pickup) and because the vehicle has so much power, everything goes wrong for the poor old farmer and he says "Buggar" After the commerical aired, it was not uncommon to see a toyota ute with a bumper sticker that said "buggar"

Here is the link to the commerical on you tube... it is one of my all time favourite funny commercials (or ads as we call them in Australia - short for advertisement). So now Buggar has become an accepted part of Australian vocabulary and is not a derogatory term at all.... just used in general conversation.... "Gee mate, it's a buggar we haven't got any rain"

http://youtu.be/6RfAYnCxkK0


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## marlowmanor (Jan 17, 2012)

I love that commercial, or ad as y'all call it!


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## Sheepdog (Jan 17, 2012)

marlowmanor said:
			
		

> I love that commercial, or ad as y'all call it!


Glad you liked it, it was so funny, it aired back in around 1994 or so, on commercial TV in normal hours, so there were no restrictions on the ad.... because it really is just part of our Aussie language... but I sure could relate to it... I have had many days like that. I also posted it in the jokes games category... I hope no one takes offence to it.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jan 17, 2012)

I listened to an interview on NPR once with a man who wrote a book about traveling to England and what we (US Americans) should/should not say.  He said never say fanny pack (like our little hip pack carriers) because fanny is a slang term for female anatomy.


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## Sheepdog (Jan 17, 2012)

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> I listened to an interview on NPR once with a man who wrote a book about traveling to England and what we (US Americans) should/should not say.  He said never say fanny pack (like our little hip pack carriers) because fanny is a slang term for female anatomy.


Yes it most certainly is... in Australia it means the same thing, so never go to Australia and tell a female to sit your fanny down.... and especially don't tell a male this

We also barrack for our favourite team.. we don't root because that is a rude word.... you may say breed like rabbits.... they say r@#t like rabbits in Australia.... and that is not a an acccepted word in our language... that is a cuss word!!! So when I have seen plumbing companies here called Red Rooter... I was shocked at first until I realised what it meant.


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## zzGypsy (Jan 18, 2012)

Sheepdog said:
			
		

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wow, that gives a whole new meaning to things like the lyrics for "take me out to the ball game"... 
where it says "let me root root root for the home team"... 

puts a whole different picture on what folks are doing in the stands during the seventh inning stretch...


my personal favorite is an Amway advertising rule... they use their name Amway in all countries as a general rule.  in Turkey, it's pronounced ahm-vigh or ahm-vai.  Vai translates, roughly, as "woo HOO!"
Ahm translates as... well... the british/ausi "fanny"...
so Amway translates to 
<rude term for the lady bits> woo HOO!!

not actually a good thing in a conservative country 
sometimes you should ask the locals before you run your advertising campaign.


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## Sheepdog (Jan 18, 2012)

zzGypsy said:
			
		

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  oh that is just hilarious... and yeah, you definitely don't want to root for your team in Australia    or you might just get more than you bargained for. 

We also wear thongs on our feet... I was meeting some people at the airport in Tulsa... they had flown down from Montana to look at a horse I had for sale... so I picked them up at the airport. Obviously I hadn't met them and so we didn't have a clue who we were looking for. They asked me what I was wearing... I told them, Kaki shorts, beige shirt and leather thongs... She was like.... "Um, too much information".  Then I realised what I had said and explained that we call flip flops thongs and I just forgot. 

The thing I do forget and always say just out of habit, is chooks. Instead of chickens.... mostly I am pretty good at remembering to say cookies and not biscuits, candy and not lollies, but every now and then I slip up and people look at me as if I am from Mars.  I went into a fast food store once and the sales clerk asked me "Is this to go?" I must have had a blank look on my face because he asked me again.. "Is your meal to go?" I was totally bewildered and asked "Go where?????" He just rolled his eyes, think he thought I was being a smart @#s.... but I had no idea what he was talking about... until I realised, ... To go... is the equivalent of Take Away... you Dine In, or Take Away... our fast food joints are called takeaway joints


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## aggieterpkatie (Jan 18, 2012)

Root for the home team.     I love hearing all of the different words!  And thongs is too funny.  Those people must've thought you were crazy at first.


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## SuburbanFarmChic (Jan 18, 2012)

My sister was in London for about a year and sent us a funny video about the language divide.  The one that stuck out most was jumper and pants.  In America if you wore a jumper & pants at the same time you would be fairly modestly dressed. In the UK all you'd have on is a sweater and your underpants.


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## Sheepdog (Jan 18, 2012)

what do you guys call a jumper??? a sweater???? 

I still say that I am wearing my woolen jumper and I get strange looks LOL... yes and we do say pants, for anything but jeans... pants can be undies (underwear) or dress pants, or ski pants.... in some parts of Australia a Sloppy Joe is a polar fleece or similar fabric sweater... but doesn't have a hood. 

and not many people here get the joke.... What do you get if your cross a sheep with a Kangaroo????    A wooley jumper 


Where do they call a sweater a jumper over here, is it in the northern states??


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## zzGypsy (Jan 18, 2012)

Sheepdog said:
			
		

> what do you guys call a jumper??? a sweater????
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> I still say that I am wearing my woolen jumper and I get strange looks LOL... yes and we do say pants, for anything but jeans... pants can be undies (underwear) or dress pants, or ski pants.... in some parts of Australia a Sloppy Joe is a polar fleece or similar fabric sweater... but doesn't have a hood.
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we have sweaters (often knit)
sweatshirts (like T-shirt fabric but heavy, or fleece, long sleeves)
hoodies (sweatshirts with hoods)
cardigans (open-front sweater, usually with buttons)

Jumper is a sort of dress, usually worn over a blouse or shirt
Jumpsuit is an all-in-one pants/top, usually zips up the front, long sleeves.  typical for things like pilots or out-door construction in winter

pants are any kind of bottoms
but we also have jeans, slacks, longjohns, farmer johns, coveralls, overalls, sweatpants, shorts, cutoffs, pedalpushers, coullots (sp?), skorts, capris, beachcombers...

and for underneath: underwear, undies, unmentionables, thongs and the ever popular (borrowed from the king's english) knickers... which may may be in a twist... or bloomers, which may be in a bunch... from trying to sort out all this vocabulary.


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## BrownSheep (Jan 19, 2012)

You should have an issue eating him. He's far to young to be muttony and I hear hair breeds are even less prone to the sheepyness


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## Baymule (Feb 3, 2012)

OH! Thanks for the youtube post!! DH and I watched it several times laughing like hyenas. Very funny!



			
				Sheepdog said:
			
		

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