Legamin
Loving the herd life
As Lambing comes into full swing I am reminded of the delicate balance that we are forced to strike every year in dealing with customers. It would be easy to blame the customer for being too demanding and just focus on the greatest number of surviving lamb/kids and get them to market weight in a healthy manner…but then there is the very real relationship of trust that the producer and the customer share. We provide several products that the customer will eat, drink, feed their children, share with friends, wear or use as clothing or even skin care product. We tend to focus on the healthy end product and a cruelty free environment and production process but the customer will have a much more intimate relationship with everything we produce. The customer puts a great deal of trust in us and takes our word on the product and processes that we claim to provide. Also, state and federal regulation, to some degree, govern this relationship but we are the ones that actually oversee the details and are responsible for every outcome. When you think about it, the burden that we place on ourselves is enormous! And sometimes the burden that the customer…whether well informed or otherwise…places on us can be annoying…even grating and uninformed…but it is the extension of their concern for themselves and their loved ones..and by extension even the maintenance of their personal ethics.
So when we say we raise ‘ORGANIC’, we have a responsibility to be absolutely clear about what that means. Questions will range from “Was this animal raised ’cruelty free’?” To “Has this animal or it’s mother EVER had medications, antibiotics, medical treatments, GMO grain, medicated feed or eaten in pasture that has been fertilized with non-organic fertilizer or EVER had pesticides used in it?” (Whew! That is a VERY limited partial list of the questions I hear regularly!)
As the producer we need to be forthright and absolutely honest with the consumer of our products. It is essential to trust in the food chain! This is our most basic right, to know what is in every bit of food and drink that we consume, and we have demanded it as a society for many decades now. The evidence of our concern is the ubiquitous labeling on every product in the stores telling us exacly (or nearly so) what has been used to preserve, process and package our food…but we all know there are caveats, loopholes and percentages so tiny that law does not require their listing…and there are bad actors.
Our best practice is to proactively NOT be one of those bad actors. But we need to have a way to give the customer confidence in exactly what we provide and how well we live up to our advertising. There are several ways that we can do this and gain and keep the confidence of customers who will make the decision to come back and do business for many years or who may say nothing but never come back AND loudly share their concerns and complaints with everyone they know…and that you may know…in your community!
So when I say ‘Best Practices’ I like to demonstrate clearly what I mean by that and offer the records and proof as well as allow customers to come and inspect conditions of farm, processing area (when not in use) and fridge/freezer storage area for cleanliness, records of maintenance and expected treatment of animals from birth to delivery. For ME…here’s what that entails.
1. Keeping a clean and open animal care area. From the birthing pens that are cleaned daily and disinfected between animals to the pasture area which must be rotated, reseeded and regulated to keep from overgrazing or an unhealthy buildup of feces (which can transfer worms through the herd) to the final processing area (primarily done off site at a USDA Butcher). Every part of the farm is open to inspection to the concerned customer unless actual medical treatment, birthing, physical maintenance or processing is taking place. We do not allow casual observers of our hands on treatment because this is where skilled labor and (sometimes dangerous) equipment is intensive and untrained persons can be hurt by animals, machinery or sharp tools. The chance of distraction can lead to mistakes.
2. Extensive and careful record keeping. All medicines, dates of birth, growth charts or preventative measures taken are recorded carefully and kept on record. The customer can request the actual history of the treatment of the animal they wish to purchase and make their decision based on their own preference for care. Some animals that are designated for ‘meat animals’ will not live a long life and will not be subjected to vaccines, vitamin injections, medicate feed or be exposed to any inorganic feed or processes. We don’t treat every animal this way because sheep, like any animal, can easily form a burden of parasites that the end consumer will not want to be in the animal at the time of processing. So every animal is regularly checked for parasites, health checks, foot bath, hoof trimming and shearing. On our farm there is not such thing as a TOTALLY Organic end product. We are comfortable with that and we inform our customers of that. What we do promise is that great care is taken to minimize any exposure to unwanted vaccines, treatments or ‘finishing feeds’. All of the animals for market live their life on the pasture, exercise and eat freely without interference and are checked for parasite burden (treated if found). Record keeping is the heart of a good animal husbandry and health program. There is no excuse for sloppy or missing paperwork or an “I don’t know” to any customer question.
3. Cruelty Free: While we take great care to give the animals a stress free life and avoid unnecessary interference there is always at least three times when we must interact with the animal. We take great care to avoid rough handling or high stress interaction. The times when we MUST interact are:
A. Birthing. The ewe is allowed to choose her spot to give birth. We keep monitors up around every area where the ewes live to monitor when they need our help. We are primarily hands off at this time. But sometimes that is not possible for the health of the ewe and the lamb. Once the lambs are born we move the whole family into a ‘bonding pen (jug)’ where the next 48 hours is ensuring that the ewe and lamb bond, start feeding, expel the placenta and that both lamb and ewe are healthy after the stress of lambing. We rarely keep them in the 4’x8’ bonding pen any longer than 48 hours unless something goes wrong and more intervention becomes necessary. Necessary vaccines and health measures are taken during this time, tail docking, tagging/tattooing (and castration for males that will go to market) is done quickly and in a very humane manner. Generally this whole process goes smoothly without stress on the animals.
B. Health maintenance. Every few months (or as needed from observed problem issues) we move the animals through a handling system. At this time the maintenance/breeding herd will get needed vaccines if due, worming treatment (if parasite burden is found in microscope inspection of feces), hoof trimming/foot bath in the ’crush’, teeth/gums checked, wool/skin checked and eyes checked. This process takes about 4-7 minutes on average for each sheep and they are raised up mechanically on their sides for physical inspection and trimming if needed. Injections or drenches are given in the chute and recorded, weight is taken as they pass across a scale and then they pass through a separator gate back into their proper pasture and moved back onto fresh grass. I like to do this every 12 weeks unless otherwise indicated. Hoof trimming, because of good pasture and lot conditions is only needed once to twice per year. We only do what is visibly necessary. The market lambs will be sent through and weighed and given a health check but no treatment is given unless a visible condition is observed. I will say again for anyone considering expanding to more than a few backyard animals- Good Record Keeping Is ESSENTIAL! While one or two people handle the sheep someone should be given the task of recording every interaction and treatment. When you get back to the house you will not be able to remember which sheep/goat you did what to unless it was only a hoof trimming etc. These interactions are essential to herd health and everything should be recorded and filed under the animals originating paperwork. This should all be available for inspection by purchasers of live animals or animals for market. You will especially need to do this well for animals going to auction! (Don’t forget Scrapies inspections and tagging!)
C. Shearing. This is a straight forward health maintenance issue. With our breed we have to do this twice per year. March/August-September (when shearer is available). The animals are herded under shelter and kept ’dry’ (no food or water) for 12 hours. This ensures the animals will remain calm for the shearer and will not soil the wool as it is sheared off. NO nursing ewes or nursing lambs take part in this! That would cause an unacceptable level of stress for both. If necessary we isolate them and pay extra because if they eat and drink they will be much more active and harder to handle for the shearer…but it is best to simply avoid having nursing time and shearing time in the same months. Our early March shearing is one month before lambing when this is not difficult or dangerous for the ewe. Technically I lump this in with ‘Health Maintenance’ (see: B.) since this is a kindness to the sheep. Our Leicester Longwools sheep will grow out 10-12Kg (6”-10”) of wool in six months and they would risk dehydration and sun stroke if they are not sheared. We‘ve taken care to find a shearer who is very careful, quick and has never yet caused any of my sheep to bleed. I have never seen a sheep injured during shearing but I’ve seen the relief on their face when the hot coat is off for the Summer!
D. Processing. Eventually all sheep will end up either sold at auction, privately as live lamb or processed for food. We take this seriously and use only humane methods for euthanasia before processing (For the few we process ourselves) The ‘Captured Bolt Stun Gun’ (which uses a 9mm blank cartridge load to propel the bolt) is our method of choice. The bolt is placed behind where the horns WOULD be if they were not polled sheep and fired 6” into the rear of the skull instantaneously shattering the brain from the brain stem and doing massive instant devastation to the autonomic portion of the brain (the part of the brain/brain stem that causes the heart to beat, lungs to expand and vital organs to do their work. The animal drops instantly with no movement beyond this point. It is essential to set the rear legs and raise the carcass up immediately and sever the main neck arteries so that the still-liquid blood drains from the system. There is still enough nerve function, even though the animal dies instantly, for the arterial veins to contract in a final effort to circulate blood. This is the natural reaction of the nature of the trauma. I have never once observed function or effort after the bolt was applied which would indicate any degree of suffering. While a deep slit to the throat will achieve similar result, it takes up to 30 seconds for the final end of organ and brain function to come. My personal experience is that the captured bolt stunner is the quickest and most efficient with the very least amount of sensation for the animal. We bring them with a handful of grain to the processing lot (just outside the clean processing room) without stress, force or suspicion and all is done within 20 seconds..long before the last bite of grain. This may seem calloused to some. I’m sure many disagree with this method and there are others. But from research and experience this is the way I have chosen.
During every interaction with the sheep we strive for low stress and a calm, purposeful and confident movement through the handling of the animal. We choose to follow the basic requirements of kosher and cruelty free animal handling. Not because we are tree hugging hippies or bio-mechanical machines that ‘just do our job’ but because I think if we can’t do this in a way that respects the wishes of our customers, does not violate our own conscience and treats the animal humanely and with a degree of respect…we are in the wrong line of work.
So we generally will not commit to being ‘totally organic’. Especially at a time when financially it would add an incredible burden to the end consumer. There are many good farms that provide this kind of product that we do not feel pressure to try and add ourselves to the market. But the lamb that goes to market from our farm (not mutton) will have the very least inorganic interaction that can be provided and still deliver a very healthy animal with high meat quality and desirable mild flavor. Excellent Flavor….THAT is our goal. Our product is very close to organic and no medical treatment is provided within the last two months of the lamb’s life. So high quality, grass fed, minimal inorganic intervention…that’s us! That‘s what we sell and that is exactly what we tell people. The element of trust in our business is how we STAY in business! And frankly if we are not in business to satisfy customers then we really just have way too many unsustainably costly pets!
I hope this helps with those of you who, like us are small holders…but are trying to make things pay for themselves plus a reasonable lifestyle for you and your family. The Bible says “If you don’t work, neither shall you eat” 2 Thes. 3:10. If you spend any time around our farm….you’ll EAT!
But it is the hardest work and the most enjoyable work I have ever done!
Please feel free to correct me, email or respond to this in any way. I am no guru…I just share what is working for us and our farm. My ego can take correction and I will always be a student who is willing to improve! Best of luck with your herd!
So when we say we raise ‘ORGANIC’, we have a responsibility to be absolutely clear about what that means. Questions will range from “Was this animal raised ’cruelty free’?” To “Has this animal or it’s mother EVER had medications, antibiotics, medical treatments, GMO grain, medicated feed or eaten in pasture that has been fertilized with non-organic fertilizer or EVER had pesticides used in it?” (Whew! That is a VERY limited partial list of the questions I hear regularly!)
As the producer we need to be forthright and absolutely honest with the consumer of our products. It is essential to trust in the food chain! This is our most basic right, to know what is in every bit of food and drink that we consume, and we have demanded it as a society for many decades now. The evidence of our concern is the ubiquitous labeling on every product in the stores telling us exacly (or nearly so) what has been used to preserve, process and package our food…but we all know there are caveats, loopholes and percentages so tiny that law does not require their listing…and there are bad actors.
Our best practice is to proactively NOT be one of those bad actors. But we need to have a way to give the customer confidence in exactly what we provide and how well we live up to our advertising. There are several ways that we can do this and gain and keep the confidence of customers who will make the decision to come back and do business for many years or who may say nothing but never come back AND loudly share their concerns and complaints with everyone they know…and that you may know…in your community!
So when I say ‘Best Practices’ I like to demonstrate clearly what I mean by that and offer the records and proof as well as allow customers to come and inspect conditions of farm, processing area (when not in use) and fridge/freezer storage area for cleanliness, records of maintenance and expected treatment of animals from birth to delivery. For ME…here’s what that entails.
1. Keeping a clean and open animal care area. From the birthing pens that are cleaned daily and disinfected between animals to the pasture area which must be rotated, reseeded and regulated to keep from overgrazing or an unhealthy buildup of feces (which can transfer worms through the herd) to the final processing area (primarily done off site at a USDA Butcher). Every part of the farm is open to inspection to the concerned customer unless actual medical treatment, birthing, physical maintenance or processing is taking place. We do not allow casual observers of our hands on treatment because this is where skilled labor and (sometimes dangerous) equipment is intensive and untrained persons can be hurt by animals, machinery or sharp tools. The chance of distraction can lead to mistakes.
2. Extensive and careful record keeping. All medicines, dates of birth, growth charts or preventative measures taken are recorded carefully and kept on record. The customer can request the actual history of the treatment of the animal they wish to purchase and make their decision based on their own preference for care. Some animals that are designated for ‘meat animals’ will not live a long life and will not be subjected to vaccines, vitamin injections, medicate feed or be exposed to any inorganic feed or processes. We don’t treat every animal this way because sheep, like any animal, can easily form a burden of parasites that the end consumer will not want to be in the animal at the time of processing. So every animal is regularly checked for parasites, health checks, foot bath, hoof trimming and shearing. On our farm there is not such thing as a TOTALLY Organic end product. We are comfortable with that and we inform our customers of that. What we do promise is that great care is taken to minimize any exposure to unwanted vaccines, treatments or ‘finishing feeds’. All of the animals for market live their life on the pasture, exercise and eat freely without interference and are checked for parasite burden (treated if found). Record keeping is the heart of a good animal husbandry and health program. There is no excuse for sloppy or missing paperwork or an “I don’t know” to any customer question.
3. Cruelty Free: While we take great care to give the animals a stress free life and avoid unnecessary interference there is always at least three times when we must interact with the animal. We take great care to avoid rough handling or high stress interaction. The times when we MUST interact are:
A. Birthing. The ewe is allowed to choose her spot to give birth. We keep monitors up around every area where the ewes live to monitor when they need our help. We are primarily hands off at this time. But sometimes that is not possible for the health of the ewe and the lamb. Once the lambs are born we move the whole family into a ‘bonding pen (jug)’ where the next 48 hours is ensuring that the ewe and lamb bond, start feeding, expel the placenta and that both lamb and ewe are healthy after the stress of lambing. We rarely keep them in the 4’x8’ bonding pen any longer than 48 hours unless something goes wrong and more intervention becomes necessary. Necessary vaccines and health measures are taken during this time, tail docking, tagging/tattooing (and castration for males that will go to market) is done quickly and in a very humane manner. Generally this whole process goes smoothly without stress on the animals.
B. Health maintenance. Every few months (or as needed from observed problem issues) we move the animals through a handling system. At this time the maintenance/breeding herd will get needed vaccines if due, worming treatment (if parasite burden is found in microscope inspection of feces), hoof trimming/foot bath in the ’crush’, teeth/gums checked, wool/skin checked and eyes checked. This process takes about 4-7 minutes on average for each sheep and they are raised up mechanically on their sides for physical inspection and trimming if needed. Injections or drenches are given in the chute and recorded, weight is taken as they pass across a scale and then they pass through a separator gate back into their proper pasture and moved back onto fresh grass. I like to do this every 12 weeks unless otherwise indicated. Hoof trimming, because of good pasture and lot conditions is only needed once to twice per year. We only do what is visibly necessary. The market lambs will be sent through and weighed and given a health check but no treatment is given unless a visible condition is observed. I will say again for anyone considering expanding to more than a few backyard animals- Good Record Keeping Is ESSENTIAL! While one or two people handle the sheep someone should be given the task of recording every interaction and treatment. When you get back to the house you will not be able to remember which sheep/goat you did what to unless it was only a hoof trimming etc. These interactions are essential to herd health and everything should be recorded and filed under the animals originating paperwork. This should all be available for inspection by purchasers of live animals or animals for market. You will especially need to do this well for animals going to auction! (Don’t forget Scrapies inspections and tagging!)
C. Shearing. This is a straight forward health maintenance issue. With our breed we have to do this twice per year. March/August-September (when shearer is available). The animals are herded under shelter and kept ’dry’ (no food or water) for 12 hours. This ensures the animals will remain calm for the shearer and will not soil the wool as it is sheared off. NO nursing ewes or nursing lambs take part in this! That would cause an unacceptable level of stress for both. If necessary we isolate them and pay extra because if they eat and drink they will be much more active and harder to handle for the shearer…but it is best to simply avoid having nursing time and shearing time in the same months. Our early March shearing is one month before lambing when this is not difficult or dangerous for the ewe. Technically I lump this in with ‘Health Maintenance’ (see: B.) since this is a kindness to the sheep. Our Leicester Longwools sheep will grow out 10-12Kg (6”-10”) of wool in six months and they would risk dehydration and sun stroke if they are not sheared. We‘ve taken care to find a shearer who is very careful, quick and has never yet caused any of my sheep to bleed. I have never seen a sheep injured during shearing but I’ve seen the relief on their face when the hot coat is off for the Summer!
D. Processing. Eventually all sheep will end up either sold at auction, privately as live lamb or processed for food. We take this seriously and use only humane methods for euthanasia before processing (For the few we process ourselves) The ‘Captured Bolt Stun Gun’ (which uses a 9mm blank cartridge load to propel the bolt) is our method of choice. The bolt is placed behind where the horns WOULD be if they were not polled sheep and fired 6” into the rear of the skull instantaneously shattering the brain from the brain stem and doing massive instant devastation to the autonomic portion of the brain (the part of the brain/brain stem that causes the heart to beat, lungs to expand and vital organs to do their work. The animal drops instantly with no movement beyond this point. It is essential to set the rear legs and raise the carcass up immediately and sever the main neck arteries so that the still-liquid blood drains from the system. There is still enough nerve function, even though the animal dies instantly, for the arterial veins to contract in a final effort to circulate blood. This is the natural reaction of the nature of the trauma. I have never once observed function or effort after the bolt was applied which would indicate any degree of suffering. While a deep slit to the throat will achieve similar result, it takes up to 30 seconds for the final end of organ and brain function to come. My personal experience is that the captured bolt stunner is the quickest and most efficient with the very least amount of sensation for the animal. We bring them with a handful of grain to the processing lot (just outside the clean processing room) without stress, force or suspicion and all is done within 20 seconds..long before the last bite of grain. This may seem calloused to some. I’m sure many disagree with this method and there are others. But from research and experience this is the way I have chosen.
During every interaction with the sheep we strive for low stress and a calm, purposeful and confident movement through the handling of the animal. We choose to follow the basic requirements of kosher and cruelty free animal handling. Not because we are tree hugging hippies or bio-mechanical machines that ‘just do our job’ but because I think if we can’t do this in a way that respects the wishes of our customers, does not violate our own conscience and treats the animal humanely and with a degree of respect…we are in the wrong line of work.
So we generally will not commit to being ‘totally organic’. Especially at a time when financially it would add an incredible burden to the end consumer. There are many good farms that provide this kind of product that we do not feel pressure to try and add ourselves to the market. But the lamb that goes to market from our farm (not mutton) will have the very least inorganic interaction that can be provided and still deliver a very healthy animal with high meat quality and desirable mild flavor. Excellent Flavor….THAT is our goal. Our product is very close to organic and no medical treatment is provided within the last two months of the lamb’s life. So high quality, grass fed, minimal inorganic intervention…that’s us! That‘s what we sell and that is exactly what we tell people. The element of trust in our business is how we STAY in business! And frankly if we are not in business to satisfy customers then we really just have way too many unsustainably costly pets!
I hope this helps with those of you who, like us are small holders…but are trying to make things pay for themselves plus a reasonable lifestyle for you and your family. The Bible says “If you don’t work, neither shall you eat” 2 Thes. 3:10. If you spend any time around our farm….you’ll EAT!
But it is the hardest work and the most enjoyable work I have ever done!
Please feel free to correct me, email or respond to this in any way. I am no guru…I just share what is working for us and our farm. My ego can take correction and I will always be a student who is willing to improve! Best of luck with your herd!
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