Lambs with yellow fat

[Hartwig]

Had just sold some late ram lambs to my local abattoir and got a really bad feedback because their fat turned yellow shortly after slaughtering, see picture !?!
That`s totally unbelievable to me as we`ve already butchered far more lambs this winter directly for consumers or sold to my local butcher and none of them had yellow fat ! Surprisingly, 2 lambs from the same group went to my local butcher the same day and they`re just brilliant with pure white fat.
Does anybody know why this could have happened ??
The owner of the abattoir said that they got wrong feed, but I have fattened them only on covercrops with a lot of volunteer cereals and a lot of peas in flower, some vetch, radish and a few sunflowers. But the peas were gone with the first night-frost in early november. They got no concentrate at all. He mentioned that the peas might be the reason, but he won`t buy any further lambs from me.
Does anybody have a similar experience or an explanation for the yellow fat ??

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Sell them at the mart if he’s spat his dummy out

 

[Macsky]

I’m led to believe that yellow fat is a result of high chlorophyll from green plants in the diet, and is in fact a sign of a very healthy animal?

 

[Top Tip.]

Would the yellow fat affect the flavour?

 

[Agrivator]

Had just sold some late ram lambs to my local abattoir and got a really bad feedback because their fat turned yellow shortly after slaughtering, see picture !?!
That`s totally unbelievable to me as we`ve already butchered far more lambs this winter directly for consumers or sold to my local butcher and none of them had yellow fat ! Surprisingly, 2 lambs from the same group went to my local butcher the same day and they`re just brilliant with pure white fat.
Does anybody know why this could have happened ??
The owner of the abattoir said that they got wrong feed, but I have fattened them only on covercrops with a lot of volunteer cereals and a lot of peas in flower, some vetch, radish and a few sunflowers. But the peas were gone with the first night-frost in early november. They got no concentrate at all. He mentioned that the peas might be the reason, but he won`t buy any further lambs from me.
Does anybody have a similar experience or an explanation for the yellow fat ??

Are you sure that they are your lambs?

 

[neilo]

Were they all the same breed?

When I was younger, my parents always used to have the odd lamb killed for the freezer. The lambs always had yellow fat, that congealed on the dinner plate.? it put my brother off lamb for a very long time.
They were always a Suffolk crosses, as most lambs were in those days.

Roll on 20 years, and all continental cross lambs, and we never see yellow fat now, regardless of the various systems I finished lambs on over the years. Brother likes lamb now btw.?

 

[z.man]

I’m led to believe that yellow fat is a result of high chlorophyll from green plants in the diet, and is in fact a sign of a very healthy animal?

Had heard that in cattle, not so sure about sheep but you would think it would follow...have also been told that black sheep are more prone to having yellow fat but believe that to be a just a story

 

[Al R]

Were they all the same breed?

When I was younger, my parents always used to have the odd lamb killed for the freezer. The lambs always had yellow fat, that congealed on the dinner plate.? it put my brother off lamb for a very long time.
They were always a Suffolk crosses, as most lambs were in those days.

Roll on 20 years, and all continental cross lambs, and we never see yellow fat now, regardless of the various systems I finished lambs on over the years. Brother likes lamb now btw.?

Always do a hill bred lamb here like a mule whether as that’s the closest we’ve got, slower growing, better marbling and better taste apparently? I avoid lamb if I can, love burgers and kebabs mind

havnt seen many lambs hung up for a seriously long time, @Jerry does a fair few lambs!

 

[Hartwig]

I guess it might not affect the flavour, but for any reason it is a no-go for muslimic consumers here, which are the main customers for this abattoir. It is simply not acceptable for these people, don`t know why.

I`m not sure that these are my lambs, that is in fact a serious issue !! Heads with eartags are off, so how should I know for sure what he tells me ?? But it is a bit mystic to me: he just sent me an email that they are not going to buy any more lambs from me because of this yellow fat. Then I got in contact with them, explained etc. and named my local butcher who slaughtered all my other lambs etc. - no matter, they just don`t want any more lambs from me. And NOT A SINGLE WORD from the abattoir about reducing the price for my lambs or so, they paid the full price with no other words than that the don`t want any more lambs from me !! That confuses me and makes me believe that these were my lambs, why should they react like they did when it`s not about money ??

 

[Hartwig]

Yes, the`re EasyCare-sheep, not all pure-bred but basically the same breed and all white lambs !

 

[sherg]

We've had a few lambs back in the past that have gone deadweight that would have bright yellow bits on, almost illuminated some years are worse than others we had none back last year but a few years ago we seemed to have a few with it
They will taste fine its just that it doesnt look as appealing under the supermarket lights as white fat

 

[neilo]

Yes, the`re EasyCare-sheep, not all pure-bred but basically the same breed and all white lambs !

If they’re all the same, that rules out breed influence then. Presumably they were all on the same diet too, ruling out diet influence.
That only leaves questioning if they were your lambs, but it sounds like the buyer has already decided and closed the door.
I hope you have other outlets locally? It might be worth a trip to see the next ones killed, if only to satisfy yourself?

 

[J428TGS]

i know its only a photo but that doesnt look like that carcass have been chilled very much, still has a shine on it, and why is the sides touching another?

 

[Woolless]

I was told by a sheep buyer that Cheviots often have yellow fat. Not seen it when I've been able to see my Easycares hung up. In cattle, cows tend to have yellow fat, with that of younger cattle more white.

I assume that the Muslims are confusing yellow fat with jaundice, which would result in the carcase being unfit for human consumption.