Our rams 'one bad day' (Part 2)

On recommendation from Mr.B (our sheep mentor) we took our 3, six month old ram lambs to his friend P-E for their 'one bad day'. It was P-E who made the whole experience very calming with his measured approach and the careful way in which he handled our beloved ram lambs. In the end, it happened so quickly, without any panic or distress that we returned home feeling a sense of pride that we had managed the whole process from birth to slaughter for the very first time.

Our 3 ram lambs including offal

As I mentioned in the previous post, we had began our journey to a more sustainable lifestyle knowing that we would have to one day slaughter our own animals to provide us with food. Firstly, we wanted to know that the food on our plate had had a good life and had been reared properly and secondly, it had been given a natural diet i.e grass-fed. Ultimately, we wanted to know everything about the meat we were eating. So for us this was a very important stage in realizing this dream.

The 'one bad day' started with us driving the ram lambs to P-E who owns a little farm not far from ours. P-E has a professional set-up in one of his barns. and with no one else around, in tranquil surroundings, we immediately felt at home. We brought out the first ram lamb and made sure the others could not see or fear anything (they were well-stocked with good grass to munch on). P-E slaughtered the first, removed the skin, bagged the intestines and removed the internal organs. The remainder of the body was weighed and then moved into a chilling room to hang at the correct temperature. It all happened so smoothly.

The skin being removed.

We wanted to make use of the entire animal, even down to the blood that was drained into a bowl for us. And we will use everything, if not to eat, then to use as compost, or for our other animals to eat.

The remaining two rams were slaughtered at the same time, with the third one brought out directly after the second, so it was not left on its own.

Offal cuts: lung, liver, heart and kidneys

Being our first time, we were incredible nervous and wanted to make sure that our ram lambs were well looked after and they were kept as calm as possible. In essence the ram lambs' best interests were a priority for us. We feel that we achieved this and are pleased with the outcome of our first lamb slaughter.

Our rams 'one bad day'.

Tomorrow is a big day for us. After being in Sweden for just under 2 years, we will be taking three of our own lambs, ie lambs that were born and raised on our farm, to slaughter.  One of our biggest goals when deciding to leave the big city and move to the country was to try and achieve a higher level of self-sufficiency, and have greater control of where our food comes from. This is a big step towards this.

Max, our first ram lamb just a few weeks old

I am not sure how I will react tomorrow, I know that I will be sad as all of our lambs have brought us and our guests so much enjoyment. But I also know that we have given them the best life possible and have looked after them, doted on them and made sure they have had everything they needed.  A recent blog post from Ridgedale Permaculture put it nicely when they said that one of their Linderöd pigs was going to have her ’one bad day’, it will be the same for our 3 Gutefår ram lambs.

Our Gutefår flock enjoying one of our fields

This process is vitally important to us, and we bred the sheep knowing that we would one day have to do this. The sheep will provide us with food for the winter months and enable us to truly begin our journey towards a sustainable way of life.

The ram lambs today.

Our 3 pigs arrive

Last Christmas my parents kindly bought Cat and me pigs! It took 8 months for them to finally arrive on the farm, but the wait was well worth it.  They arrived today by horse box from a nearby organic farmer, who has decided to turn their focus towards their cows and horses more.

The arrival.

We have 3 cross-breed pigs, a mix between a Swedish Linderöd and an English Hampshire. The latter breed is especially hardy and known to be a good forager, perfect for beginners. We have put them to work on one of our fields that we are planning to grow vegetables and other food in next year. We really want to become as self-sufficient as possible and have realised that our raised vegetable beds in the kitchen garden are just not large enough to feed us all. The pigs will help turn the field over, fertilise the soil and make it full of goodness ready for the seedlings next spring….we hope!

Exploring their new home.

The 3 pigs, Peppa, George and Hermione-Therese, named by lil'T and our sheep mentor Mr. B and his friend, seem to have settled in well, exploring every inch of the field and finding spots to wallow in. We are supplementing their foraging with scrap food and some pig feed. This should keep them going as we head towards Autumn and then Winter.

Hmmmm mud!

They are a great addition to ever growing population on the farm and we are excited to get to know them better. Follow our updates through Instagram and Facebook on the #pppigupdate to see how the pigs do over the next few months.