Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[Lacy Blues]

Yes, I lamb in Jan and Feb. I would never lamb after March here in the south east. Growth rates and parasites will slow you down if you do. Lambing in the cold means healthy lamb that are weaned as the grass starts coming in and I haven't had to worm in 3 yrs. Since my 60 day weaning rates are right at 54 lbs I will have prime weights this year for Easter since it's not until late April. I have 3 trailer loads of meat lambs already sold locally to private customers and 2 trailer loads spoken for for the New Holland PA Easter sale. I sell lamb and beef for a living and 80% of my income for the year is in the spring.

Good luck-- hope all goes well over the next few weeks!!

A son's friend asked for lamb burgers for an overnight camping trip ( all about 11 yrs old) and I did thaw out a pkg of ground lamb and broiled 3 burgers for him!! HE ate all 3!! ALways happy to support a budding lamb buyer! We produce just for our own use.

Just wondering what breed you two use for meat sheep?

I would love to raise a few sheep but I'm looking at the Barbados as I wouldn't have to cut wool and I think they would do well in a desert climate. Know anything about these?

I know this is off topic and all so maybe send the info via PM?

 

[RedRidge]

 


I use to own the licensed sheep dairy here... raised more than 300 bucket lambs a year and milked 150 ewes twice a day.
When I had the opportunity to sell the dairy and cheese processing facility two years ago I switched to meat only - a LOT less work and no employees. 

I work on a Brown Swiss cow dairy we also have 80 meat mix ewes. We are about 3/4 of the way done lambing and just started spring calving. Busy time of year for us needless to say. Interesting about the sheep dairy. Very cool. Although raising 300 bucket lambs sounds like a pain.

Actually... it's quite easy. A lot of people make feeding on a false nipple very labor intensive. When in reality mil replacer free fed at room temperature (yes 35 in the winter), grows much healthier lambs who are less likely to bloat. .. No gorging. No labor.

 

[RedRidge]

Yes, I lamb in Jan and Feb. I would never lamb after March here in the south east. Growth rates and parasites will slow you down if you do. Lambing in the cold means healthy lamb that are weaned as the grass starts coming in and I haven't had to worm in 3 yrs. Since my 60 day weaning rates are right at 54 lbs I will have prime weights this year for Easter since it's not until late April. I have 3 trailer loads of meat lambs already sold locally to private customers and 2 trailer loads spoken for for the New Holland PA Easter sale. I sell lamb and beef for a living and 80% of my income for the year is in the spring.

 
Good luck-- hope all goes well over the next few weeks!!

A son's friend asked for lamb burgers for an overnight camping trip ( all about 11 yrs old) and I did thaw out a pkg of ground lamb and  broiled 3 burgers for him!! HE ate all 3!! ALways happy to support a budding lamb buyer! We produce just for our own use. 

Just wondering what breed you two use for meat sheep?

I would love to raise a few sheep but I'm looking at the Barbados as I wouldn't have to cut wool and I think they would do well in a desert climate.  Know anything about these?

I know this is off topic and all so maybe send the info via PM?

Remember meat is sold by the lb. Barbs are tiny... No meat on their bones. We are a forage conversion farm. The most meat for the least amount of input and fewest numbers of days. We raise polypay sheep and dexter cattle for this very reason.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Remember meat is sold by the lb. Barbs are tiny... No meat on their bones. We are a forage conversion farm. The most meat for the least amount of input and fewest numbers of days. We raise polypay sheep and dexter cattle for this very reason.

I'm not interested in going commercial. I mean just for my small family unit. I don't have any forage here, I would do well to get a half acre seeded and maintained. They would only be allowed on it briefly once per day. It's something I would have to buy, or grow fodder for.

 

[armorfirelady]

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[hcammack]

Actually... it's quite easy. A lot of people make feeding on a false nipple very labor intensive. When in reality mil replacer free fed at room temperature (yes 35 in the winter), grows much healthier lambs who are less likely to bloat. .. No gorging. No labor.

I am just associating with the difficulties associated with lambing during February up in Vermont. We are on lamb 116 though. We raise our orphan lambs on group feeder buckets with free choice milk replacer as you described so all and all not all that labor intensive. Just have issues with the -15 temps this year and this is my first lambing season on the farm.

To answer someone else question. The farms flock is very crossbred. Border leicster, Polypay, Dorset, Navajo Churos, Tunis, and they are all mixed up. The flock is rotationally grazed from April through October. We supply lambs to the restaurant on the farm.

Back to poultry the real bonus for this job is that the house on the farm I am living in next year has the perfect spot for a coop and my salmon Faverolles have several acres of pasture to range in.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: All the more reason to have a fast growing lamb.

 

[3riverschick]

Remember meat is sold by the lb. Barbs are tiny... No meat on their bones. We are a forage conversion farm. The most meat for the least amount of input and fewest numbers of days. We raise polypay sheep and dexter cattle for this very reason.

Oh I love Polypays , such a neat sheep. Couple of decades ago, we were thinking maybe some sheep when we moved to PA in 1992. Didn't happen as we only have 6/10's an acre. But along the way when I was researching, met a gal near where we lived in Calif. who was creating a miniature Calif. Red sheep for her Senior project in College. Cool idea.
Best,
Karen

 

[Vamvakas]

Next year I plan on having both of them kid around March. Last year all my dates got screwed up since she was refusing to take. I also have Nigerians, so they cycle year round. No meat goats here! LOL 35-40 pounds is full grown for them! I might get a wether to butcher this year, but I have a lot of chicken stuff to do. Don't know if he will fit in the plans this year. Might have to wait until next year.

I never took weight a young lambs/goats for slaughter but they seem to look like 30-40 lbs, but looks can be deceiving.. Still looking for a nice young lamb for Easter, to many people already pre-sold there nice young stock so hoping to find one before Easter. You can make some good money on lambs and goats if there Jan-Feb birth to sell to the south eastern Europeans or Middle Eastern people. Sometimes old school Italians will eat goat/lamb. Once a lamb or goat go into heat they taste like garbage.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I wonder if that is the reason that a lot of people say they don't like "lamb?" Maybe they've had older sheep. I think it tastes fantastic! But then, I've probably not had mutton.