Answers

Robin* asked some questions about the lambs a couple of days ago. I didn't answer right away, because I figured she wasn't the only one who wondered about such things and I should probably do a post about it. She probably thought I blew her off. She was probably sitting there at her computer, fuming, wondering who the hell this Kristin person thinks she is, not answering my questions? What, is she too GOOD for my questions? And then she probably screamed some obscenities at the computer screen. Maybe threw something.

What? Is that my overactive imagination getting away from me again?

ANYWAY.

Let's get on with the answers, shall we?

So, are you keeping the lambs strictly for shearing or also for eating?

We don't keep sheep just for their wool. People that actually raise sheep just for wool are very finicky about keeping the fleece clean, making the sheep wear little jackets and other things that are way too high-maintenance for us. If we do keep the ewe lambs, it will be to increase the size of the flock and therefore the number of lambs we'll have for slaughter in the future.

Is there a difference between male and females for slaughtering?

I'm not entirely sure what this question is asking, but the males tend to grow faster, and so are bigger when it comes time for slaughter. Male lambs are pretty much always for meat, because you only need one male for a whole bunch of females.

Is one more valuable than the other?

Monetarily, no, not when they're sold for butchering. At least, we don't charge more for one or the other. Though a female animal is generally more valuable to the owner because females beget more animals.

Do they taste different?

WELL. Funny you should ask! We discovered last year, when we had one male lamb that grew a lot faster than the others, that males that reach sexual maturity are, um, strong tasting. A. would say flavorful. He likes the taste. The word I would use is "rank." Because I do not like it. This is why many people castrate male lambs. I don't think there's a difference in flavor between females and castrated or immature males. At least, we never noticed one.

Also, you didn't ask this but I will tell you anyway that there ARE quite big differences in taste between breeds. Cotswolds (of which we have four) are known for their mild flavor. The Merinos (of which we have three) have a stronger taste. So, if you like your lamb so mild it might as well be beef (hi!), then Cotswold lambs are great. If you like your lamb to taste like, well, lamb (hi, everyone else in my house!), then a different breed of lamb might be better. All a matter of taste.

What are you going to do with the wool this year?

We've been stockpiling the wool from previous years and, if we have enough after this shearing to meet the minimum required weight, we'll get it spun into yarn at a nearby woolen mill. At which point it could, obviously, be knit into useful things by crafty types. I do not count myself among them, but the MiL (and many other people we know) knits.

There! Any more questions, class?

* HAAA!!! You HAVE to click to Robin's website to see the recipe she has up today. The humor, it is substantial.