# Lambs Sheep & age of butcher



## odieclark (May 11, 2016)

Does anyone have experience with eating lamb or sheep that is about a year old or just over a year?

The situation is we got a lamb:facepalm: we thought from auction in the spring that we thought was under a year old. When we checked his teeth today find that he has one larger permanent tooth on the bottom and either the other one came out or is yet coming in on the bottom. So, as they get the two big teeth after the first year, that means he is over a year old?!

With that, he is not castrated or is not a wether and he is over a year!

So, if we have him butchered does this make him mutton? Old sheep? Bad tasting? Strong tasting?

We could sell him, but don't think we could get much money for him. He could be a breeding lamb as he is a pretty good size Suffolk. Not sure if he is all Suffolk or not, but he is a good size sheep.

Any ideas or experience with a lamb/sheep of this age and having the meat processed? Or other suggestions?...or is it only sausage now?


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Still good to go, feed him up and butcher. Best if he hasn't been used for breeding....James


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## odieclark (May 11, 2016)

jwal10 said:


> Still good to go, feed him up and butcher. Best if he hasn't been used for breeding....James


So you think he won't taste bad or more strong! More like they say mutton, which is more highly flavored?


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

He's what we call a hogget - i.e. a sheep over a year old and has cut his first teeth.

He will make excellent eating, won't be a bland as lamb but not as strong as older mutton.
As jwal suggested, best not to work him first.

The flavour is a personal choice. We don't eat lamb but any sheep from hogget upwards is fair game. 

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Do you like the taste of "sheep meat" or do you only like spring Easter lamb? It will have more "flavor" than a 6 month old lamb....James


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## odieclark (May 11, 2016)

I don't think we ever had lamb over a year. We just began raising them a little over a year ago, and were told not to let them get too old! As if they are old they are too strong flavored and too much like mutton. More of an ethnic meat, which is actually quite popular, but we aren't accustomed to it that way. We have loved the lamb, so we will just have to try this one! I know he has sold some of the lambs, so this one won't be allowed to go to someone who is expecting young lamb.


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

We eat our cull ewes, but we have hair sheep, and there is no mutton flavor whatsoever.


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## odieclark (May 11, 2016)

jwal10 said:


> Still good to go, feed him up and butcher. Best if he hasn't been used for breeding....James





farmerDale said:


> We eat our cull ewes, but we have hair sheep, and there is no mutton flavor whatsoever.


Cool! Interesting....

So hair sheep can be butchered at or after 1 or 2 years of age without mutton or strong flavor?

What kind of sheep do you have? How big do they get?

This guy is probably mainly a suffolk, as he appears to look like one and is common at the auction we purchased him from. You just get random stuff at the auctions, without any background on the animals you win. A chance you take.


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

odieclark said:


> So hair sheep can be butchered at or after 1 or 2 years of age without mutton or strong flavor?
> 
> What kind of sheep do you have? How big do they get?


We are currently eating a 4 year old ewe. she is delicious, not a trace of muttony flavor at all. 

We have mainly katahdins. We market our lambs at 100 to 120 lbs. No shearing is the main appeal, and the apparent parasite resistance helps too. Nice mild meat. Our customers do not complain, and they keep coming back!


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## odieclark (May 11, 2016)

farmerDale said:


> We are currently eating a 4 year old ewe. she is delicious, not a trace of muttony flavor at all.
> 
> We have mainly katahdins. We market our lambs at 100 to 120 lbs. No shearing is the main appeal, and the apparent parasite resistance helps too. Nice mild meat. Our customers do not complain, and they keep coming back!


We actually have one that I think for sure is a katahdin! Coincidence as it is, we won 9 lambs from auction to raise from the spring until butcher time, and one is surely that breed. He seems very curious and wants to get closer to me. He does stand out as I think the rest are wool sheep and he is clearly not. We weighed a few of them yesterday, and I think he was about 90 pounds right now.

The 3 Suffolks are larger, and of course the one is over a year, which is his concern. He is a student and is raising the lambs, goats, and pigs for extra income over the summer. He has raised chickens, turkeys, lambs, pigs and eggs in previous years, and enjoys tge challenge and extra income he gets from selling them. It's beendifficult getting quality lambs around here.


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## DragonFlyFarm (Oct 12, 2012)

We have Jacobs and a couple Jacob/BFL crosses.

So far we have butchered a 
1 1/2 year old ram - mean bastard, tasted great, purebred Jacob
2 year old wether purebred Jacob
1 year old wethers purebred Jacob
1 1/2 year old Jacob/bfl cross -- only got one testicle when we banded, he was a big boy and loved breaking my fence posts. Tastes great

Other than the size of the cuts (old one ball was 96 pounds hanging weight) we really can't tell the difference. They are all quite yummy.

I try to butcher them at a year, sometimes life gets in the way. 

The next one to go to the freezer will by my current ram, Vinnie. Beautiful boy, but one of his horn curls is growing too close to his face. I can just get a finger in between his jaw bone and his horn, but it's tight. One more romp with the girls this September then it's off to the freezer for him......


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## odieclark (May 11, 2016)

DragonFlyFarm said:


> We have Jacobs and a couple Jacob/BFL crosses.
> 
> So far we have butchered a
> 1 1/2 year old ram - mean bastard, tasted great, purebred Jacob
> ...



I believe in culling and butchering the mean ones!

Ha! This same farm has one beef cattle, and she thinks she is a bull! Just calved a month ago,...so wicked is saved for now, until her little guy is weened!

I hope he tastes great, we were looking forward to great meat!:bash::bash::bouncy::bash:


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