[Jacob-list] stinky ram

[Linda]

In previous discussions, listers talked about butchering older rams.  We do it 
here frequently and find no problem with the meat - no odor or bad taste.

One of our adult rams destroyed his last fence at our place and went to visit 
"Uncle Terry" (our local butcher).  He also managed to do some damage to our 
borrowed trailer on the way. For some odd reason, he began to charge any solid 
object he saw about the end of breeding season last fall (he was two years at 
the time).  This started while he was with his ewes, but after they were bred, 
so I'm not sure of his thought patterns.  After "training" him with the water 
in the face method when he was younger, he was never aggressive towards people 
and quite easy to handle. But he just could not stand to see anything solid.  
He would even charge vertically when I managed to rig up shelter with no sides. 
 It was an interesting sight to see a ram charge straight up!

Anyway, to get to the point, he ended up spending the last  6 months with only 
trees for shelter.  He was well protected but did get wet. And his fleece 
stunk!  I wasn't sure if it was from being in the weather and possibly sleeping 
where he peed. Or if there was some other reason - has anyone else had a smelly 
ram? The butcher told me that he was a "strong" ram as he did not smell good 
and warned me that the meat might not be worth eating.  I immediately lined up 
a hog just in case I needed to find someone to eat the old ram!  I asked Terry 
to hang the ram for two weeks.  We've had two meals from the ram and it has 
been just great.  Absolutely no odor and no off taste.

The only off taste lamb/mutton we have ever had was a 7 month old ewe lamb that 
I had butchered that I did not request hanging.  That was inedible and ended up 
dog/hog/chicken food. Someone on the list had mentioned that he/she (forgot who 
said it) thought that hanging time made all the difference in older animals.  
Sure seems to be the case here.

Linda




Come and visit the new girls http://www.patchworkfibers.com/newgirls.htmlat 
Patchwork Farm!

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