[Jacob-list] Our first butcher lamb

[Linda]

We've been taking lambs to the butcher as well as butchering them here ourselves for 
awhile.  I keep the records of carcass weights for the ones that have gone to the 
butcher - that is the weight upon which the cut/wrap charge is based (if that is the 
way your butcher charges - some just have a straight fee).  27 pounds for a yearling 
ram is a little on the light side, but not out of line according to my records.  
Although $60 is alot higher than we pay for the same weight - assuming your 27 is 
carcass weight.  Carcass weight is more than what you actually get, especially if 
you have alot of it ground.  One of the butchers charges a kill charge and then a 
cut/wrap fee.  Another charges a flat $40 fee.  The per service butcher will also 
just kill and hang and let up do the cut and wrap.  

I like to have older rams hung for awhile, so we don't butcher them at home anymore. 
But a yearling ram is no harder than a deer.  I use a meat saw - probably about the 
same as the one that Gary uses.  A good saw is really important!  It goes pretty 
quickly.  The first home butchering we did was a 400 lb. hog.   Now, that's a job!

In looking through my butcher records, it seems that the ram lambs reach that 25 to 
35 carcass weight around 8 months and seem to hold that weight for about another 6 
months.  Then we see a decent increase in carcass weights as the reach two years.  
I'm using a very small database here, so no conclusions can be drawn.  Just thought 
it was interesting.

Just went out and twisted the tail off the rattailed lamb.  Didn't seem to hurt her 
and she looks much better now.

Linda

On Sun, 6 Apr 2003 06:03:27 -0700 (PDT), Heather Hettick 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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