[Jacob-list] Our first butcher lamb

[Abigail Brown]

Hello All, This sounds like our experience also. Your 100# Jacob yearling sounds huge compared to our small jacobs. None of our full grown rams have ever been more than 75-90#!  The first lamb we had butchered was 11 mo. old and only weighed 40#. The lamb chopps were so small it was almost comical. Since I didn't care for all the extra care that it took to prepare chops and roasts, ie trimming fat etc., the next two we had butchered, last year, I had made into all ground lamb. When these two brothers were taken to the butcher, they were a little larger than the last one, but like you when we went to pick up the meat spending $80 for processing was a little disappointed at the small amount of meat, even from two lambs.  But I have always apprecicated being able to go to the freezer and get out a package of meat when ever needed, not having to go to the grocery. Abigail Brown Shiloh FarmPetersburg, IN  Heather Hettick <hettick1 at yahoo.com> wrote:Hi,

We just got back the first Jacob I've ever sent to be
butchered. He was about 100 pounds and we got back 27
pounds of meat. My husband says 60% waste is normal
for sheep but I was still shocked at the little box of
meat our yearling lamb became. (I got back his head
and pelt and I think they weighted as much if not more
than the meat.) The processor did a nice job of
trimming fat and the vacuum packed meat looks
wonderful and lean and I'm looking forward to trying
it. My friend gave me a recipe for Turkish meatballs
I want to try with the ground lamb.

Do others have similar experiences with Jacobs? It
seems a bit disappointing to spend $60 in processing
costs for such a small amount. Maybe this is not a
good time of year to butcher because the grass is only
starting to come in and the lamb was too thin? He was
on grain and good grass hay all winter and the last
two weeks or so our grass has been growing. Any ideas
or suggestions?

Heather Hettick
Moonstruck Jacob Sheep

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