# Still born lambs for raw



## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

It is lambing season and I was wondering if feeding still born lambs would be an option?Could you feed everything, even all the bones, head etc?


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

Won't this cause them to think of lambs and sheep as food?


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## Bramble (Oct 23, 2011)

I have read about people doing this without and issue. I think freshness is important. Then again dogs will eat something entirely rotten and don't die. IMO it sounds like a good opportunity.



Nurse Bishop said:


> Won't this cause them to think of lambs and sheep as food?


No. Feeding a dog an already dead animal will not turn them into blood thirty stock killers. Allowing them to chase down and kill livestock will make them stock killers. That feeding raw will turn a dog into an animal killer is a complete myth.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

If the lamb was fresh, I wouldn't have an issue with it.  But who is going to gut it?? Butcher it?


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Jax08 said:


> If the lamb was fresh, I wouldn't have an issue with it. But who is going to gut it?? Butcher it?


I know, that will be the next hurdle. It sounds gruesome but I think cutting up the carcass doesn't need it since they would everything in the wild (??)


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Well, dogs aren't wild. You are comparing them to how wolves and coyotes live. 



You are going to allow your dogs to gorge on a whole carcass?? And then leave the carcass there for days rotting while they continue to snack on it? 



Your stomach is far stronger than mine.


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## Seer (May 24, 2011)

Delicious... yep. For those that think meat comes from the back of the supermarket test tube no animals involved you may not want to read this next part of the post.

I would leave it whole here or quarter or smaller skin head and all, a sawzall works great for the bone and a very sharp knife for the meat. For portioning.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Jax08 said:


> Well, dogs aren't wild. You are comparing them to how wolves and coyotes live.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have never done this before but I find it hypocritical that I easily buy anonymous chicken backs that, I know for sure, come from the meat industry and not from happy chickens, yet cannot stomach feeding healthy and fresh (not rotted!!) lamb meat that otherwise would have been rendered into the safe (feel good )lamb and rice diet in the form of kibble from "good quality dog foods" that we are proudly feeding to our carnivore pets.
The healthy lamb meat comes from dead lambs so why not skip all the steps that make it into anonymous kibble?! I don't think doing this is unethical, gruesome yes, so it will take some time to think it over before lambing season is over, unless I can get some help from a butcher.
In the past my dogs have, unknown to me, snacked on a rotten dear carcass for weeks without any consequences.


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## Kazel (Nov 29, 2016)

You could try this would keep them from going to waste. Might want to decide soon though. Unless it's a twin or the ewe dies as well good chance they'll skin the lamb to graft another one on and then toss the carcass. Or just toss the carcass if they aren't grafting. let them know beforehand they could put it in a sack or something for you. Might be able to get some ewes that died as well if you're up for butchering. I bet the people would really like them not going to waste.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I have no idea what you just ranted at me. I did not say it was hypocritical, unethical or even gruesome. Nor did I say it would make them sick.



If you feed them a carcass, they will gorge on it. I almost ended up at the ER when Seger was allowed to gorge on venison. Others have had dogs break into kibble bags and ended up at the ER.


Once they are done gorging, there will be meat left on the bones. The carcass will lay out there rotting, and stinking, in your yard. Unless you plan on picking it up and sticking it in your fridge. They will continue to snack on it and it will entice other critters like coyotes, birds, etc to come to the buffet. The bones will be dragged all over the neighborhood.



That's the reality of feeding a whole carcass. You do you.


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## Kazel (Nov 29, 2016)

Jax08 said:


> I have no idea what you just ranted at me. I did not say it was hypocritical, unethical or even gruesome. Nor did I say it would make them sick.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


A full grown deer carcass versus a lamb carcass is not comparable. But perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to not feed to entire thing all at once. 

We had a couple outside dogs and we fed the meaty leftovers after we're done butchering deer so the ribcages and such. (Only when we have snow on the ground.) along with free access to kibble. Once they were done and stopped eating on the leftovers we disposed of the remains. Didn't have bones all over didn't have other animals coming to get at them.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I have done this with my older guys. I had my Dad cut it up for me, we portioned it out by weight for my needs. 

It was a few hours old when I got it but had been refrigerated. We gutted it and I didn't feed the weight bearing bones just because I didn't feel comfortable with it. Froze for a few weeks by the time I got around to feeding it but was fine. Not much meat to be honest.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I should mention, I have also done this with calves and goats from my parents neighbours.


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

Bramble said:


> I have read about people doing this without and issue. I think freshness is important. Then again dogs will eat something entirely rotten and don't die. IMO it sounds like a good opportunity.
> 
> 
> 
> No. Feeding a dog an already dead animal will not turn them into blood thirty stock killers. Allowing them to chase down and kill livestock will make them stock killers. That feeding raw will turn a dog into an animal killer is a complete myth.


Yet my sheep lady has instructed me to rub my clothes all over the two sheep she is selling me and then wear the clothes, saying to Inga Mine! whenever we are both with the sheep. That is so I will smell like the sheep and sheep are verboten. Inga has never seen sheep.

Inga finding and consuming a baby rabbit did cause her to search for more bunnies. She searches clumps of bushes and pipes under the road ever since. She also searches grass clumps for cotton rats because she caught and ate one.

Ever since my calf was born she likes to eat cow placentas. I guess I don't need to supply her with any raw :|


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Kazel said:


> A full grown deer carcass versus a lamb carcass is not comparable. But perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to not feed to entire thing all at once.
> 
> We had a couple outside dogs and we fed the meaty leftovers after we're done butchering deer so the ribcages and such. (Only when we have snow on the ground.) along with free access to kibble. Once they were done and stopped eating on the leftovers we disposed of the remains. Didn't have bones all over didn't have other animals coming to get at them.



Thank you for sharing your experience. Everyone has different experiences that in no way invalidate anothers. Just confused on your story in relationship to my post.


Where are you getting the comparison of a full grown deer carcass? Did I say anything about a full grown deer?? 



I said venison. It was no where near a full grown deer carcass. It was scraps off of deer legs and ribs that I was stripping the meat from to freeze. The bones were indeed scattered all over my yard from other critters. And living my entire life in a rural area, on and off farms, I've seen carcasses rotting and bones scattered everywhere. 



So again...I personally would not feed an entire carcass. You guys do whatever you want. The constant nickpicking, assumptions and arguing on this board are exhausting. I'm sorry I tried to interject a word of caution based on my experiences in this thread.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Jax08 said:


> I have no idea what you just ranted at me. I did not say it was hypocritical, unethical or even gruesome. Nor did I say it would make them sick.
> .


Calm down Jax; I was talking about myself feeling hypocritical. Never about anyone else or you. Just read the post again.

By the way I called around and no one was willing to save these soulless lambs.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Would newborn lambs offer much of a meal? Those I’ve seen are tiny. I’m sure they vary in size by breed, but it sounds like more work than its worth.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

wolfy dog said:


> By the way I called around and no one was willing to save these soulless lambs.


Soulless as in "has no spiritual essence" or as in "they had no one [to look out for them], not a soul"?


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

You kinda need a relationship (or at least a shared connection, "Hey, I'm Sarah's neighbor over on Highway 2".... ) with someone to ask them to save stillborn animals for you, in this day and age. 

I'm not saying you are in any way untoward - your reasoning is sensible and thrifty. But some of the weird wanna-be-buyers out there are unbelievable. 

See if your local area has a sustainability/homesteading group on Facebook, or Meetup. Those are some of the few networks where I've seen this sort of thing discussed openly, and animals get networked.


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## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

Nurse Bishop said:


> Yet my sheep lady has instructed me to rub my clothes all over the two sheep she is selling me and then wear the clothes, saying to Inga Mine! whenever we are both with the sheep. That is so I will smell like the sheep and sheep are verboten. Inga has never seen sheep.
> 
> Inga finding and consuming a baby rabbit did cause her to search for more bunnies. She searches clumps of bushes and pipes under the road ever since. She also searches grass clumps for cotton rats because she caught and ate one.
> 
> Ever since my calf was born she likes to eat cow placentas. I guess I don't need to supply her with any raw :|


My girl didn’t try to eat sheep the first time she was introduced to them, and I certainly did not rub sheep scent all over myself beforehand.

Also, you may want to look into having more than two sheep, if possible. Most people keep 4-5, if they have a small flock. The minimum, as I understand it, is three. Two is unnatural for them and it could be very difficult to try to introduce a third at a later date, as the current two will gang up on the newcomer.


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## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

WIBackpacker said:


> You kinda need a relationship (or at least a shared connection, "Hey, I'm Sarah's neighbor over on Highway 2".... ) with someone to ask them to save stillborn animals for you, in this day and age.
> 
> I'm not saying you are in any way untoward - your reasoning is sensible and thrifty. But some of the weird wanna-be-buyers out there are unbelievable.
> 
> See if your local area has a sustainability/homesteading group on Facebook, or Meetup. Those are some of the few networks where I've seen this sort of thing discussed openly, and animals get networked.


Great suggestion!


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Nurse Bishop said:


> Inga finding and consuming a baby rabbit did cause her to search for more bunnies. She searches clumps of bushes and pipes under the road ever since. She also searches grass clumps for cotton rats because she caught and ate one.


Interesting! That wasn't my experience when my dog recently caught and killed a rabbit. Now granted, I took the rabbit away from my dog before she could consume it. And I don't think she meant to kill it, I think it died of fright. It had no marks on it. But she hasn't tried any harder to catch rabbits since that episode.


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