NH Homesteader's journal

I've only tried lamb once and didn't love it. But it was corriedale, and I've heard the finer wool breeds are gamier. So I'm hoping to try Icelandic or shetland. My shetlands are just so small it seems like it'd be a lot of work for a couple lbs of meat! I'm not sure if I want to get a ram or not. I enjoy my animals more when they're pets. And they're fiber pets so they're "useful" lawn ornaments lol!
 
YOU ARE BACK!!!! :weee:weee:weee

I am sooooooo glad to see you again! It has been like a drought without you here. Congrats on the baby boy and hope all the livestock changes are for the better.

I have had lamb in restuarants that was real strong and gamy tasting. But the meat from hair sheep is not strong, more like a good venison. Maybe you could find a Katahdin or Dorper lamb to raise for the freezer?

Been missing you!!
 
Thanks bay! Unfortunately katahdins are expensive here and I've never seen dorpers for sale. I've also read that the hair from them will ruin the fleece of wool sheep, or make it very difficult to work with at minimum. However I'm considering getting two Icelandics in the future, a ewe and ram. A woman near me breeds milking Icelandics (big $$ I'm afraid but it's an investment) and Icelandics are supposed to have fantastic meat. Only unfortunate part being that they must be sheared twice a year. I won't have any interest in milking for a few years but when I do I'll likely go that route rather than goats again. Sheep are so much easier!
 
I love my sheep! I have seen online where people take Icelandics to slaughter and keep the pelts, then send them out for tanning. They make lovely pelts, I think I could wallow in that softness. LOL
 
Yes that would be part of the plan! They'd be triple (or quadruple?) Purpose... meat, milk, fiber and pelts. DH wants to learn how to tan. As if he has time to deal with that, lol. He barely has time to butcher lately. He's got a bunch of pigs that need to go to freezer camp. 6 roasters need to disappear this weekend while the weather is cooperating!

I love my sheep too. 3 of mine are super friendly. The other one, she's a lost cause. Most flighty creature I've ever seen, she's probably going to kill herself trying to get away from us one of these days! The others are treat hounds, and one loves attention for the sake of attention. Unfortunately she's an older ewe, but she also has gorgeous fleece. I was going to breed her and keep a baby but at this point she'd be lambing at 9 by the time I get a ram... and she was thin when i got her this summer after weaning twin rams. I don't dare breed her.
 
I have been eating gross holiday junk food and I feel terrible... going to stop that nonsense and eat some real food! We had beef stew for dinner with rolls... I didn't est much beef... seriously meat is gross to me. How depressing is that.

DH is butchering 3 roaster size pigs tonight. All the boars from our last litter. It's getting super cold and windy but he's the one who started so late... not me. So I dont feel too bad for him! Lol I do feel bad for him that one of the pigs didn't drop well and he had to chase it around a bit... he hates that, he feels awful when it doesn't go quickly. The other 2 went great.

Charlotte the sow should be bred for early spring babies. We hope!
 
Yay for butchering! Sorry one didn't go well....it really does make you feel horrible - but unfortunately sometimes that's just the way it goes. I'm sure your pigs still had a better life than any factory raised pig!

Beef stew sounds good to me! We're having some pork loin from the last pigs butchered. I am a meat eater!
 
I normally am not one to pay for convenience, but the grocery store I use just started a pickup service. You order online, set a time and show up, they shop for you and bring your groceries to the car and you pay right at the car. Amaaaaazing lol! Grocery shopping in 5 minutes and I get to keep the kids in their car seats? Yup I'm sold! Just got home from the shortest shopping trip ever, I'm psyched lol. Not very SS but it made my day.

DH got 3 roasters butchered, put 2 in the freezer. Our friend took the other one to brine it and will bring it back down to smoke and have a feast this weekend. Guess I should have planned sides before I went shopping. Oh well.

I'm saving my seed catalogs for the after Christmas slump, I get mopey every year after Christmas is over and it's just plain winter. Planning the garden will help (a little!)
 
Let the guests bring the sides - you're providing the meat!

We have that pick up service here too - but I haven't used it yet. That would sure help for when I really don't want to clean up to go shopping, lol. I hate stopping what I'm doing to clean up and go to town. Ours has a delivery service too but probably a hefty fee and probably wouldn't come out this far either.

I got another seed catalog today - Yay!
 
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