First Lambs Taken to Slaughter

[bijousheep]

It's perfectly normal to feel this way, it's what makes us human after all I feel like this every single time, guilty feeling mostly and very upset. It's not easy but I find what helps is to walk around your flock and look at what you have got. Then think about how you have reared them for this and how you will enjoy the meat it will take a little time, but it will soon be over

I think that's a good way of looking at things really. I do feel proud of what's been achieved in just a few years and especially to get to the point of having our own lamb. I'm feeling a bit better about it today so I think it's just going to take time to get used to

 

[choochter]

I get upset when the fat lads go.
The cull cows, well you detach from them once you made the decision to cull and fatten. Its for a valid reason and no going back.
The stores, you are passing onto someone else's care.
But for the fat lads, I've been responsible for everything to do with their wellbeing for all of their lives.
The last lot, I was proud of what I'd produced and I missed them.
And they only went 8 miles down the road. I had the kill sheet 2 hours later.

 

[Green farmer]

As farmers we look after the sheep through its life. I think it's important that there's a purpose behind the killing of an animal. In our case it serves two purposes. Firstly, so that others can be nourished and secondly, that we are rewarded financially for the effort we put in. We in turn we use this money to nourish ourselves and our families. The Native American way of doing it, would to thank the animal for giving up its body so that we can be nourished. So to me sending it to slaughter has a worthy purpose. On a personal basis, I thank them and wish them Godspeed, on their journey back to the other side.

 

[Guiggs]

It's something that sits a little uncomfortably in the back of my mind all the time and for that reason I try not to dwell on it.
People who work with animals, on the whole care for animals and so its right to have some emotion about it but if youve done your best to treat and rear them well then you should feel proud of what you've produced.
I must admit looking over pens of hundreds of confused and bewildered fat lambs calling to their mothers and awaiting their fate is not something I don't particularly enjoy.

 

[Sandpit Farm]

You also have to bare in mind that as humans we can dread a fate, as sheep they will be living very much in the present. We imagine how we would feel in their position but that is thinking with human emotions not animals.

I’d expect lambs to have a heightened sense of awareness and perhaps be on edge because of the new surroundings but nothing else. The minute they are ‘zapped’, they feel nothing.

It’d be very different to the feeling of dread that a criminal waiting to be executed would feel.

 

[Paddington]

I remember one of our first batches of lambs we took to the abattoir. They were very tame and walked alongside me like dogs to heel into the lairage, looking up to me as if saying "are we going somewhere nice ?"
Breeding stock is even worse.

 

[crofteress]

I think a lot of people aren't brave enough to take them to the abattoir and walk them in. So its easy to detach. You did well to do that as it means they had good care until the end and you made sure they went to a good abattoir. It effects everybody differently as we are all different. I only hate the bit of reversing and unloading as where I used to take them its straight through and killed and often had to push them through. [ cows] Many are fine but the last one I took knew fine and went mental, they had to shoot him. I prefer not to go anymore and sell them store but cull cows I would take them as you owe them that at least

 

[jemski]

Nothing leaves an abbitior lairage once it's unloaded

They said I could buy them if I wanted them....

 

[jemski]

One time pigs were being killed when I got there. I decided to watch because I wanted to be ok with it, seeing as pigs are the most intelligent of farm animals.
The pigs outside the killing pen were just all trying to shag each other, and 3 were trying to get under the door into the killing pen... so I left feeling ok about it.
Animals don't have the same thoughts as us. As long as they are handled well all the way to slaughter I'm ok with it. They have no idea what's coming.

 

[Woolly]

As said, if you're not prepared to send animals to slaughter, become a vegan.

But that's not easy either as you'll probably need some imported food, grown in monocultures on cleared land involving lost diversity and deaths of many animals. For my money, sheep production is more humane than most and more humane that many animals living in the wild. And what about animals used in medical research, or is that OK?

So no simple answers. George Monbiot says it's OK to eat meat, so it must be OK!

On farm slaughter should be less stressful for our animals, but unfortunately there isn't the infrastructure.

So there is no happy ending -- for any of us!

 

[Bones]

One time pigs were being killed when I got there. I decided to watch because I wanted to be ok with it, seeing as pigs are the most intelligent of farm animals.
The pigs outside the killing pen were just all trying to shag each other, and 3 were trying to get under the door into the killing pen... so I left feeling ok about it.
Animals don't have the same thoughts as us. As long as they are handled well all the way to slaughter I'm ok with it. They have no idea what's coming.

We're all going to die some day and that's a fact , so maybe them pigs you seen had the right idea,,,

 

[Danllan]

I quite like dropping lambs off at the abattoir. Not much can go wrong after that! Unless Dunbia go bust.... Then I would cry.

Save your tears, I've a friend who is a manger there; what with the recent takeover they have consolidated well enough here and he says the upper echelons are pretty happy with things. The boss was, publicly, against Brexit but they are now looking at markets in non-EU Europe and the Middle and Far East too, previous pessimism has apparently been replaced by cautious optimism.

 

[kfpben]

I went to a live to dead day at farmers fresh. I was very, very pleasantly surprised.

The lambs were more relaxed in the lairage than in the field at home. They can’t see the one in front as they are funnelled into a squeeze conveyer like a combi clamp. Then it’s through the curtain and...zap.

Stress levels were very low.

 

[Nithsdale]

Call me cold hearted or whatever you want... but I don't bat an eye at dropping lambs off at the abattoir. It's part of the job, and has to be done.

I am very proud of my livestock, and even moreso the meat when I eat it. I do have emotional attachment to the flock/herd as a whole BUT after seeing the whole flock (wrongly) taken mid-lambing in 2001, I won't get hung up on a trailer load of lambs going for their intended purpose.

 

[Chasingmytail]

A few weeks ago our jersey steer of 3yrs went as its been here for the fun of it and came as a buddy package when we bought the Jersey cow. He was adorable in his ways looked after all the calves and had the sweetest face. I had anxiety the day before and felt awful on the day I still miss him now. Next week I am picking the meat up I will be ok with this though. I never see any joy in taking stock to market or slaughter.

 

[Danllan]

Call me cold hearted or whatever you want... but I don't bat an eye at dropping lambs off at the abattoir. It's part of the job, and has to be done.

I am very proud of my livestock, and even moreso the meat when I eat it. I do have emotional attachment to the flock/herd as a whole BUT after seeing the whole flock (wrongly) taken mid-lambing in 2001, I won't get hung up on a trailer load of lambs going for their intended purpose.

Spot on and ditto.

 

[neilo]

Call me cold hearted or whatever you want... but I don't bat an eye at dropping lambs off at the abattoir. It's part of the job, and has to be done.

I am very proud of my livestock, and even moreso the meat when I eat it. I do have emotional attachment to the flock/herd as a whole BUT after seeing the whole flock (wrongly) taken mid-lambing in 2001, I won't get hung up on a trailer load of lambs going for their intended purpose.

+1 I was wondering whether I dare post in a similar vein, and glad to find out I’m not the only cold, heartless barsteward....

Animals aren’t people, so why does everyone attribute human emotions to them?

 

[GTB]

Save your tears, I've a friend who is a manger there; what with the recent takeover they have consolidated well enough here and he says the upper echelons are pretty happy with things. The boss was, publicly, against Brexit but they are now looking at markets in non-EU Europe and the Middle and Far East too, previous pessimism has apparently been replaced by cautious optimism.

I was more concerned about getting paid than anything else

 

[CharcoalWally]

+1 I was wondering whether I dare post in a similar vein, and glad to find out I’m not the only cold, heartless barsteward....

Animals aren’t people, so why does everyone attribute human emotions to them?

I suppose because quite a lot of people find it easier to form an emotional attachment with an animal than with most human beings.

 

[Jerry]

I suppose because quite a lot of people find it easier to form an emotional attachment with an animal than with most human beings.

There's many a person I couldn't care less about but I have a few favourite beasts about the place...