Your pre-ordering is opening earlier this year, does that mean I will get my lamb earlier?

No, the fulfillment period is the same. We are opening ordering earlier per customer request. We expect to keep it open longer (assuming pre-orders don’t sell out). Pre-orders will close October 31. Fulfillment will still be November/December.

 

Will you have another pre-order opportunity after this one again?

Not this year. Last year, we unintentionally had two pre-order opportunities but this year we expect it will just be the one.

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To explain: Last year, we had a much longer period of lambing and we also had abattoir dates that were very spread out. As a result, we split the pre-orders into two periods as we didn’t want someone who ordered in October waiting until February for fulfillment. This year our lambing period was much shorter and we were able to get all abattoir dates in the November/December period, so one pre-order period should work.

 

Will you do custom orders?

Yes, we will try. We have made special lamb boxes for customers and we also try to accommodate different ways of processing the animal. So, if there are certain cuts you want that one of our boxes doesn’t provide, please reach out. And if you have a particular way that you would like your whole lamb or half lamb processed that our website ordering won’t allow you to do, then please reach out. Our website ordering page is set up to give the most common choices based on the abattoir’s standard way of processing, but there are lots of different ways to process lamb.

 

Can I just buy a few individual cuts?

Probably, but not through this pre-order. The pre-order is specifically for those who want a whole lamb, half a lamb or one of our lamb boxes. Once all the lamb is processed and all pre-orders have been fulfilled, we then start retailing individual cuts at the Thunder Bay Country Market. We usually do hold back a few lambs to make sure we have a decent supply of each of the popular cuts. The best way to find out when lamb is available this way is to join our email list.  

 

Is there sausage in the pre-order?

Unfortunately not! We make sausage after all the pre-orders and individual cuts are gone in the spring.  So stay tuned for another round of sausage in May – just in time for barbecue season.

 

Do you sell “live lamb”?

No. All of our lamb is slaughtered at a government-regulated abattoir. If you would like to butcher it yourself, we can arrange for the abattoir to just do the slaughter.

 

Last year, my whole lamb was bigger than the year before. All of the cuts seemed to weigh a little bit more. Why was that?

Your lamb will be 105 lbs. live weight or bigger when it goes to the abattoir. When they are processed, they can range from 105 – 120 lbs. (which can produce different sizes in the cuts you see). Unfortunately, the abattoir is so busy that they can’t accommodate us exactly when the animals are all the same weight. Instead, the animals go to the abattoir when our slot comes up (and when they have met the minimum weight). Our abattoir dates are booked almost a year in advance based on the average growth rates of the whole flock so natural variation creates the weight range.

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The other thing that is variable is the actual structure of the animal’s body. While many of the cuts will be very consistent across our weight range, we do notice that the rack size can noticeably vary from animal to animal even when they weigh roughly the same.

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We do all of our pricing based on 105 lbs. so you do not pay more when you get a bigger lamb. Enjoy it as a bonus!