Castrating lambs

jfh

Hi lads, just out of interest, when do ye squeeze the lambs, with rings when very young or at couple of months?

We just do the late rams end of July.

sako 85

We squeeze anything that's not sold by August. Usually works very well, no major ill effects on the lambs maybe a couple would be stiff for a day or two afterwards but that's all.

Willfarman

Never squeeze a ram lamb anymore. Keep em split from August.

Username John

Ring em at birth, same time as putting rings on the tails.

Just find its handier.

(but then again, my numbers would be small, so its easy for me to do it at lambing, whereas with big numbers lambing time may be a bigger issue)

Cran

Ring at birth here with tails, would say it's 90% of work at lambing here but worth it for later management as lamb in April

sako 85

In previous years we've noticed a significant difference in the growth of lambs that were castrated at birth (with rubber ring) and those that were not. We've also stopped ringing the tails of all lambs, we only ring the tails of ewe lambs that are after a maternal rams that may be retained or sold for breeding.

jfh

sako 85 wrote: »

In previous years we've noticed a significant difference in the growth of lambs that were castrated at birth (with rubber ring) and those that were not. We've also stopped ringing the tails of all lambs, we only ring the tails of ewe lambs that are after a maternal rams that may be retained or sold for breeding.

we found the same. always did ring them & TBH it makes it far easier to manage down the line but it knocks them back too much.

jfh

Willfarman wrote: »

Never squeeze a ram lamb anymore. Keep em split from August.

we try not to squeeze either but find the late lamb rams difficult to get rid of if too rammy if that makes sense

Willfarman

jfh wrote: »

we try not to squeeze either but find the late lamb rams difficult to get rid of if too rammy if that makes sense

I wouldn't squeeze anything over
35kgs just the same. And Christ I wouldn't like eating them either..

Farmer Pudsey

Willfarman wrote: »

I wouldn't squeeze anything over
35kgs just the same. And Christ I wouldn't like eating them either..

No problem just double skin them

Willfarman

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

No problem just double skin them

I don't get ya?

Siamsa Sessions

Apologies for the basic question here but...

What about taking the burdizzo to stores?

If they're not done, hitting the 30kg mark, and you're planning for them to meet their maker in January?

Willfarman

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Apologies for the basic question here but...

What about taking the burdizzo to stores?

If they're not done, hitting the 30kg mark, and you're planning for them to meet their maker in January?

Yes I would say good plan.

Farmer Pudsey

Willfarman wrote: »

I don't get ya?

An old butcher told me that on rams that after you skin them there is a second film of skin underneath that carries the taint. When you remove this they are exactly the same as a castarated one.

Having said that I have eaten ram mountain lambs that were finished on low land over the winter. These were killed in March. They were on a place where there was no other sheep around. You would not know that it was from rams the meat came from

Green farmer

I don't castrate any here. I tried ringing them at birth once, but found a lot of them don't drop the balls into the sack at birth. So instead of doing a botch job, I don't bother doing any. Downside is the butcher won't take any ram lambs off me from august onwards. Other then that, it doesn't make any difference selling castrated or uncastrated at mart or factory. I kept stores over the winter and sold them in April to factory intact. They all killed out perfectly. I run males and females separately.

I'm not saying ram taint doesn't exist, but in scientific studies carried out, seem to suggest most people cannt tell the difference.

Willfarman

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

An old butcher told me that on rams that after you skin them there is a second film of skin underneath that carries the taint. When you remove this they are exactly the same as a castarated one.

Having said that I have eaten ram mountain lambs that were finished on low land over the winter. These were killed in March. They were on a place where there was no other sheep around. You would not know that it was from rams the meat came from

I thought you were recommending we put condoms on em or something. The most of the butchers all cut off date is August. Taint is well ingrained into the flesh. Did you put the balls on the pan as well ya did!

Willfarman

Green farmer wrote: »

I don't castrate any here. I tried ringing them at birth once, but found a lot of them don't drop the balls into the sack at birth. So instead of doing a botch job, I don't bother doing any. Downside is the butcher won't take any ram lambs off me from august onwards. Other then that, it doesn't make any difference selling castrated or uncastrated at mart or factory. I kept stores over the winter and sold them in April to factory intact. They all killed out perfectly. I run males and females separately.

I'm not saying ram taint doesn't exist, but in scientific studies carried out, seem to suggest most people cannt tell the difference.

Ram taint is a major consumer issue in the British Isles. Always was. The Muslims seem to prefer it but it is of the upmost importance the tainted ram lamb meat doesn't Make to the average British or irish consumer. There is a big problem with young consumers as it is.

Green farmer

Have a look at the teagasc sheep technical updates book, the one they give out in the athenry open days. There's a chapter in it, around page 90, called castrating lambs decreases profitability. Interesting reading. It refers to studies which appear to suggest entire lambs taste better then castrated ones. Trying to explain the scientific data to a butcher may be a different matter though. :pac:

Willfarman

Green farmer wrote: »

Have a look at the teagasc sheep technical updates book, the one they give out in the athenry open days. There's a chapter in it, around page 90, called castrating lambs decreases profitability. Interesting reading. It refers to studies which appear to suggest entire lambs taste better then castrated ones. Trying to explain the scientific data to a butcher may be a different matter though. :pac:

We'd want to be getting a good premium on wether lambs to make up the loss of growth and the check in weight gain.
The butcher wouldn't be long hearing it back over the counter if the lamb chops aren't up to scratch!
Only be Pudsey that'd eat aul ram and not know the differ!

Green farmer

Willfarman wrote: »

We'd want to be getting a good premium on wether lambs to make up the loss of growth and the check in weight gain.
r!

16 days growth is the difference, and the two tennis balls add to the mart weighing scales. :pac:

rangler1

Willfarman wrote: »

We'd want to be getting a good premium on wether lambs to make up the loss of growth and the check in weight gain.
The butcher wouldn't be long hearing it back over the counter if the lamb chops aren't up to scratch!
Only be Pudsey that'd eat aul ram and not know the differ!

ring them all here at birth for a lot of reasons, they're easier managed, they look better when your feeding mainly grass.
It's the same as QA, if the customer doesn't want ram lambs it doesn't matter what the science says