Butchering & Marketing Meat
Soay sheep are one of the very best sources of lamb. The meat of the Soay is leaner than the average large white sheep, and if grassfed, contains very high levels of CLA and other cancer-fighting nutrients. The flavor of Soay meat is often compared to young elk, which tastes excellent, without a gamey flavor. Even when butchering an old ram or ewe, it never tastes like mutton. Young animals, one year or younger, make excellent steaks and leg of lamb. While some people have had good luck with leg roasts from older animals, most find that all but the most tender cuts from an older sheep are best put to use as a flavorful ground meat. Soay rams never have a "rank" taste associated with many intact male livestock.
Soay sheep are small, with a hanging weight of 50% to 60% of live weight, which can range from about 15 lbs to 45 lbs, depending on age and sex of the sheep. The carcass is small enough to be processed on your kitchen counter. While many farmers can process 3 or 4 sheep per day, and we have processed as many as 9 in one day, cutting up just one is a quick and easy procedure that doesn't take up a major part of your day. If you have Livestock Guardian Dogs, the bones, any organs you may not want for your own use, and scraps are excellent for keeping your Protection Dogs in good health, and prevent any waste.
Books on how to butcher your sheep are listed below. Butchering and preserving the hide go hand in hand; the following is information useful to you whether you tan the hide yourself, or send it out for processing.
The best time for butchering is during cool weather for several reasons. Flies are less bothersome or nonexistent during cooler weather, the carcass will cool more quickly, and in regard to the pelt, it will have better condition. Autumn and winter are the best times for butchering if the pelt is important to you; the fleece will be longer, and the guard hairs will have grown long enough to make an interesting and attractive pelt.
Waiting until spring to butcher often produces disappointing results in a tanned pelt; the spring/summer moult will cause much of the fleece to pull out easily before or after tanning, producing bald spots on the pelt. Many breeders dispose of the hide from a Soay butchered in spring.
At the time of butchering, you will need to have non-iodized salt (also known as pickling salt) on hand. A two pound container is usually adequate for one pelt, but don't skimp; it's better to have too much than too little. Some breeders keep 25 pound sacks of non-iodized sea salt on hand for this purpose, which is inexpensive.
Spread the pelt out, hair side down, and liberally cover the interior with salt, making sure none of the crevices or edges are missed. Let dry thoroughly. This can keep for some months as long as it is kept dry, but should be sent to a tanner within a year or less.
If you want to try this yourself, listed below are a few books on butchering and tanning:
Basic Butchering of Livestock & Game, by John J. Mettler, Jr., D.V.M
The Legal Guide For Direct Farm Marketing, by Neil D. Hamilton
The Ultimate Guide to Skinning and Tanning, by Monte Burch
