Loads of Lamb

As the sun began to appear, I was already well on my way to getting prepared for the sheep killing. The hoist was hooked up and all the tools assembled. The sheep had been off food for over thirty hours and the morning had a wonderful crisp feel to it. I walked out to the sheep yard and scooped up a pile of grain. The sheep reacted as predicted and followed me to their small house. Once they stepped inside, I slammed the gate shut. Sheep are a real pain to try and catch and I wanted to be able to kill them in a very calm and efficient manner. By locking them all in the small enclosure, it allowed me the opportunity to catch them with minimal effort. I loaded the 22 rifle and placed it on the ground next to a 6 inch boning knife. I then walked back to the sheep house and slipped a rope around the smallest of the sheep. I walked/dragged the sheep to the slaughtering area and tied it to a tree. Then in a very fluid set of steps I grabbed the 22 and placed it two inches behind the sheep's head, just in front of its ears. The 22 knocked it down and the boning knife bled it out. The now dead sheep was hoisted up on the gambrel and allowed to bleed out. The skinning was different then the many deer I had done. A sheep's wool is filled with  oils and your hands get covered in the stuff. There should also be great care taken when cutting the head off. The esophagus is filled with nasty vile and needs to be tied off, after the head is cut off. Then the process is pretty much the same as a deer. I have provided complete details of the sheep killing process in the category"A Guide to Butchering Sheep". The three sheep took me from 9am until 2:30 pm to finish. That included a nice lunch.