Tough lamb

4 posts
Thu, 10/01/2015 - 13:34 #1

Member for

9 years 1 month
GeeBee
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 10/01/2015 - 13:25

Tough lamb

Hi,

sent a 9 mo crossbred wether for slaughter last month.

The lamb had no setbacks from birth & had more than ample pasture & was fed ewe supplement with garlic & mollases once a week.

It hung for a week at the butcher.........but the lamb had no fat on it when processed & is tough as old bags...........why?

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Thu, 10/01/2015 - 20:10 #2
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi there,

so sorry about the toughness of the sheep. Garlic can be toxic to the liver of some animals if fed in any quantity. Many hobby farmers have been told that garlic helps to keep parasites at bey in animals, but unfortunately it can have dire consequences for small animals including cats and dogs.  Mollasses if fed any quantity in small ruminants can cause loss of B1 (thiamin) because it contains the enzyme, thiaminase,  that destroys vitamin B1 in sheep and goats- and can cause death. B1 is needed by animals, including humans, to process glucose in the brain.  Mollasses is fine for cattle though.

 

A pasture can also be green, but still be lacking in protien and carbs. If very lush it may contain mostly water and therefor have insufficient nutrient to allow the animal to lay down fat. If this is the case, next time, I suggest that you feed the animal a supplimentary feed of hobby mix from your rural supplier, suitable for sheep, for 90 days before slaughter. This should give sufficient excess carbs, fats and protien to allow the animal to put on some fat and muscle before slaughter, which should make it more tender to eat. You can also offer a salt lick suitable for sheep and goats during the 90 days, which should allow more moisture to be absorbed by the tissues of the animal. Don't add the salt to it's drinking water. Small lick blocks for sheep and goats are available once again, from your local rural supplier.

 

Hoping some of this info helps.

 

regards,

Barb

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Fri, 10/02/2015 - 20:56 #3
dougenglish
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 07/30/2015 - 10:40

I totally agree with all that Barb says. Why people consistently feed garlic to animals fatigues me. It does not help much with anything including repelling insects, and only negatives happen. Molassess is only useful to feed with urea when the pastures are poor and lacking protein and feeding sporadically to a ruminant does not give rumen microbes a chance to adjust to the sudden hit.

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Fri, 10/02/2015 - 21:33 #4
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi again,

adding to my comment on garlic for animals (mamals) other than humans. Garlic can sometimes also cause a condition called Acute Haemolytic anaemia in susceptable dogs and cats, which is untreatable and fatal.

unfortunately it is impossible to tell which animals are vulnerable to this condition. So basically, it is not advisable to feed garlic to anything except we humans as we have the capability to disgest it.

 

regards,

Barb

 

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