[Jacob-list] eating lambs

[Melanie Boxall]

My husband was born on a farm, I'm the incomer. I can relate better to those
who wish to keep wethers as pets better than he can, but I'm not actually
willing to do it myself. I have to keep reminding him that people have a
wide variety of reasons for keeping sheep, for example, he grew up (on the
Romney Marsh in Kent, England) thinking they were ONLY for eating, and
nothing else. Fleeces weren't even worth a great deal. It took me a long
time to convince him to let me have Jacobs, because in his view they were a
crazy choice of breed - he was still thinking of dinner. Now that he has
nice hand-made sweaters he's changed his mind, but I can't see him ever
seeing them as pets.

May the road rise with you.



----- Original Message -----
From: "Neal and Louise Grose" <nlgrose at yadtel.net>
To: "Victoria da Roza" <castlerockjacobs at yahoo.com>;
<jacob-list at jacobsheep.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2004 3:27 PM
Subject: Re: [Jacob-list] eating lambs


> A sheep raising friend once said:
> "It is important to remember that when you eat them, they are no longer
cute
> lambs, but rather are obnoxious adolescents."
> And again:
> "You name the first 12. The rest have numbers."
>
> This may be a stretch for some, but it is important that are stewards of
the
> breed, and part of this stewardship is to manage the breed in a manner
that
> is constructive. Part of that is to insure that infirm animals do not make
> it to the breeding pasture.
>
>  We did not eat our first several whethers either. We had plenty of room
and
> they had nice fleeces.
>
> Once the lamb is whethered and old enough to run like heck and stay out of
> the way, the older ram should leave him alone. This is not a guarantee,
and
> watching animals closely for a period of time after they are put in
together
> is ALWAYS a good idea for ANY group of animals for a day or so or until
they
> get their dominate/subordinate thing worked out.
>
> Neal Grose
> North Carolina
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Victoria da Roza" <castlerockjacobs at yahoo.com>
> To: <jacob-list at jacobsheep.com>
> Sent: Saturday, March 13, 2004 8:21 PM
> Subject: [Jacob-list] eating lambs
>
>
> > HI,
> >    Two questions.  How in the world can you know
> > these lambs from birth and then eat them?  I have 3
> > male lambs but they are so individual I cannot imagine
> > eating them. There is one of them I would sell to
> > someone who was going to eat him but the other 2 are
> > just such lovers.  HOw do you think about them as
> > food?  Is it because I have a small herd?
> >    We had a little shed barn built down in the grass
> > with one side for the ram and one side for the moms
> > and babies.  Somehow the lamb(3 weeks old) I would
> > sell if someone wanted eat him commando crawled under
> > the structure and got in with the ram who almost
> > killed him before he was rescued.
> >    I was thinking of keeping one male lamb as a
> > companion for the ram after the lamb was wethered.
> > HOw old would the lamb need to be before the ram would
> > not squish him at once?  Will it make a difference in
> > the agression when it is a wether?  Is there a trick
> > to the introduction to the ram?  They are just on the
> > other side of a fence now.
> >
> >
> > =====
> > Victoria
> > Castle Rock Farm
> > Jacob Sheep & Nigerian Dwarf Goats
> > www.castlerockfarm.net
> >
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