I’ve sold many sheep over the years. Until now, they had had their hides intact. 

In June I sold my first dorper lamb. A friend from nearby was in need of a clean-up ram and I had just the ticket. I had kept an impressive little guy intact to sell online, or maybe keep. Along came an opportunity. He went to a new home down the road. I was left with a profit on a lamb.

As I mentioned in a previous post, raising lambs on pasture wasn’t as simple as I thought it was. In August, out of grain and running out of pasture, it was time to part with some lambs. I hadn’t done any promotion to sell these lambs processed, and I didn’t know when they’d finish, corn harvest being a ways off then. So I sent them to the livestock exchange. Given the conditions, it was a bit of a relief to have them off of my hands.

Meanwhile, some stayed behind, and those are the ones I want to talk about. My aunt in Jefferson City has friend named Bill who wanted some lamb. Bill also prefers to do his own butchering and packing. I was very glad to help him his unique need.

I held back five slaughter lambs (one unintentionally) and two of them came ready this month. As they approached 90 lbs., I made arrangements for them to be slaughtered by a butcher in my neighborhood, and for Bill to come and pick them up. The lambs were killed and hung on the rail for three days, for Bill to pick up and process himself.

Bill was very pleased when he and his brother arrived on Friday afternoon. As was I.

Bill enjoys everything about meat. An avid hunter & fisherman, he’s accustomed to seeing his dinner alive, then handling it in every way, until he eats it. I was happy to help enjoy lamb in the same manner.

The carcass pictured is from the heavier muscled, slightly fatter of the two lambs. As you can see, the lamb is very lean. Without being scientific about it, there is a very small amount of back fat–much less than conventional packers would desire. As it was, Bill was very satisfied and requested a standing order. Yay!

If you’re interested in buying a processed lamb, fattiness is something to consider. Do you want a very lean lamb? Do you want a little more fat? The shoulder and cuts from the top of the lamb will be affected the most by how much fat there is.

These lambs were born indoors and fed grain for three months, then pastured for three months, before being finished on corn, protein supplement, and clover hay while still on pasture. If you’re wanting a little fattier lamb, you might want to see to it that the lamb is grained throughout.

I’m willing to make accommodations. So, if you’d like to buy a lamb for Easter or beyond, be sure to contact me and get reserve one of 15 available.