Thinking of Raising Sheep for Meat

[boykin2010]

Here is a good website if you want to get started with Katahdins. Many Katahdin breeders are listed here. Many of them also have websites you can visit and learn about the breed.

http://www.katahdins.org/

 

[Hillsvale]

we breed katahdins, a rule of thumb that a local suffolk breeder here (Nova Scotia) uses for dressed lamb... and keep in mind we are metric but lots of us older folk still think standard so here is her thoughts and she had been raising sheep for 35 years.

There are 2.2 pounds to a kilo, she says is you take 150 pound lamb and divide the 150 by 2.2 = 68 kilos... she swears that that 68 is what her 150 pound lamb dresses out to in pounds (confusing...?).. she says she is right within the odd pound 95% of the time... I have found this as well...

Here we pay 54.00 kill, cut and wrap.... I so wish the pigs were the same!

 

[SheepGirl]

If you were to kill a Katahdin lamb, a good market weight is 110 lbs.

The following is an excerpt from Stretch Your Food Dollar with Lamb (VA Cooperative Extension, Publication 458-005, April 1984).

When figuring the costs of larger cuts of lamb, one should recognize that the price normally quoted is on a carcass weight basis. This price may appear low when compared to retail prices since it includes bone and fat which must be removed. The fact that a lamb is not all chops is verified by the following illustrations:

Typical live weight = 110 lbs
Carcass weight = 55 lbs (50% of live weight)
Saleable retail cuts = 38.5 lbs (70% of carcass weight)
Fat and bones = 16.5 lbs (30% of carcass weight)

Saleable retail cuts from a typical lamb would be approximately:
From the LEG (approximately 9 lbs per leg)
Sirloin Chops = 2 lbs
Frenched/American Leg = 10 lbs
Fat and Bone = 6 lbs
From the FLANK (approximately 1 lb per flank)
Lamb Stew = 0.5 lb
Ground Lamb = 1 lb
Fat and Bone = 0.5 lb
From the LOIN (approximately 3.5 lbs per loin)
Loin Chops = 5 lbs
Ground Lamb = 0.5 lb
Lamb Stew = 0.5 lb
Fat and Bone = 1 lb
From the RACK (approximately 3.5 lbs per rack)
Rack Chops = 5 lb
Riblets = 1 lb
Fat and Bone = 1 lb
From the SHANK (approximately 0.5 lb per shank)
Lamb Shanks = 1 lb
From the BREAST (approximately 2 lbs per breast)
Boneless Rolled Breast = 2 lbs
Fat and Bone = 2 lbs
From the SHOULDER (approximately 7 lbs per shoulder)
Blade Chops = 1 lb
Arm Chops = 1 lb
Ground Lamb = 1 lb
Rolled Shoulder = 7 lbs
Fat and Bone = 4 lbs

There are only about 14 lbs of lamb chops from a live animal that weighs 110 lbs; therefore, about 24.5 lbs of lamb from a typical market animal are cuts other than chops.

 

[Hillsvale]

If you were to kill a Katahdin lamb, a good market weight is 110 lbs.

The following is an excerpt from Stretch Your Food Dollar with Lamb (VA Cooperative Extension, Publication 458-005, April 1984).

When figuring the costs of larger cuts of lamb, one should recognize that the price normally quoted is on a carcass weight basis. This price may appear low when compared to retail prices since it includes bone and fat which must be removed. The fact that a lamb is not all chops is verified by the following illustrations:

Typical live weight = 110 lbs
Carcass weight = 55 lbs (50% of live weight)
Saleable retail cuts = 38.5 lbs (70% of carcass weight)
Fat and bones = 16.5 lbs (30% of carcass weight)

Saleable retail cuts from a typical lamb would be approximately:
From the LEG (approximately 9 lbs per leg)
Sirloin Chops = 2 lbs
Frenched/American Leg = 10 lbs
Fat and Bone = 6 lbs
From the FLANK (approximately 1 lb per flank)
Lamb Stew = 0.5 lb
Ground Lamb = 1 lb
Fat and Bone = 0.5 lb
From the LOIN (approximately 3.5 lbs per loin)
Loin Chops = 5 lbs
Ground Lamb = 0.5 lb
Lamb Stew = 0.5 lb
Fat and Bone = 1 lb
From the RACK (approximately 3.5 lbs per rack)
Rack Chops = 5 lb
Riblets = 1 lb
Fat and Bone = 1 lb
From the SHANK (approximately 0.5 lb per shank)
Lamb Shanks = 1 lb
From the BREAST (approximately 2 lbs per breast)
Boneless Rolled Breast = 2 lbs
Fat and Bone = 2 lbs
From the SHOULDER (approximately 7 lbs per shoulder)
Blade Chops = 1 lb
Arm Chops = 1 lb
Ground Lamb = 1 lb
Rolled Shoulder = 7 lbs
Fat and Bone = 4 lbs

There are only about 14 lbs of lamb chops from a live animal that weighs 110 lbs; therefore, about 24.5 lbs of lamb from a typical market animal are cuts other than chops.

nice!

 

[Royd Wood]

Sheepgirl
Many thanks for posting - A lamb is not all chops
We run a farm store and are forever trying to work out prices, %ages and costs. Our ground lamb is expensive and this points out the reason at only 2.5 lb per lamb