Saving on processing fees by diy butchering lambs at the homestead this winter.

With smaller than average lambs this season and switching to a new butcher with a flat rate processing fee. The decision was made to butcher the lambs at the homestead instead of paying the processing fees. So the last scheduled butcher date to process 8 lambs was cancelled. These are the first two lambs and the carcases were aged outside for nearly a week wrapped in a sheet before butchering.

Even with limited tools and experience with butchering techniques, it doesn't take many tries before getting a handle on basic butchering. Every year, at least some lambs are butchered at the homestead to make sure we have the skills. At first it would take several hours total to take a single lamb from the pasture to vacuum sealed bags in the freezer. With each lamb speed increases, and technique improves. These two lambs took less than 4 hours total start to finish, saving $200 and building experiencial capital. (Not to mention some free dog food)

#permaculture #permies #homesteading #meshtadel #carnivore #butchering #meat #lamb #diy