1. How do I order lamb from RRR?

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Online reservations for 2026 lambs will open in April or May of this year once we know how many lambs will be available this fall. If you want to be notified when the reservation form is available, please send us an email or a text and we'll make sure to reach out to you when it's up! You can also contact us directly via phone or email if you prefer to place your reservation and pay the deposit using a different payment method.

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2. How big are your lambs?

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Live weight of lambs at harvest can vary greatly, depending on a number of factors. Breed; genetics; milk quality and production of the ewe; forage type and quality; and weather can all play a role in determining weight gain in an individual lamb. While our selective breeding program helps minimize variation in some of these variables, others (such as weather and its impact on forage quality in a given year) are out of our control. For our Icelandic lambs, you can expect a smaller-framed animal that weighs slightly less than a traditional meat lamb. In general, our Icelandic lambs will range between 70 and 90 lbs. live weight. 2026 is our first year growing out Katahdin and Katahdin-cross lambs in Texas, so we'll update this section with approximate weights as we gain more experience! In general, however, we expect the Kathdins to be 10-20 lbs. heavier than our Icelandics at harvest time.  

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3. What does the hanging weight of a lamb refer to?

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The hanging weight (also called carcass weight) is the weight of the slaughtered lamb after the blood has been drained and the head, hide, hooves, and entrails have been removed.  Hanging weight is what the cost of a whole or half animal is based on. This is the standard method for calculating the price per pound when selling meat direct to consumer, whether that's lamb, beef, or pork. We have found that with our lambs you can expect that the hanging weight will be roughly 50% of the live weight. The final boxed weight of the meat that you take home will be slightly less than the hanging weight. Boxed weight is impacted by the type of cuts you choose (bone-in vs. boneless, for example), trimming during the butchering process, and some weight loss during aging. The Good Meat Breakdown is a wonderful resource that explains the process of buying meat direct from a farmer or rancher in more detail, including more on hanging weights and an estimation of freezer space needed for your lamb. Visit their site here!

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4. What do your lambs eat?

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Our lambs are raised on pasture with supplemental hay (timothy, alfalfa, Bermuda grass) provided as needed. They start life with nourishing milk from their moms, continuing until they are weaned at around 16 weeks of age. They're nibbling on hay and grass within days after birth and graze alongside their mothers until weaning, learning valuable lessons on what plants to eat and when, and what to avoid. Our pastures contain diverse mixtures of grasses, forbs, shrubs and trees, allowing the sheep to choose from a botanical smorgasbord in a way that best meets their nutritional needs at any given moment in time. We occasionally add mixed whole and rolled grains (oats, wheat, barley, corn) as a minor supplement to the diet, primarily during times when pasture quality and environmental conditions make additional energy intake crucial to animal well-being. At no point is grain used as the primary feed for lambs or ewes or as a substitute for high-quality hay and pasture.

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5. Do you use antibiotics or growth-promoting hormones in your flock?

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​We NEVER administer growth-promoting steroid hormones (as implants or in any other form).

 

We NEVER use sub-therapeutic antibiotics to accelerate weight gain or improve feed efficiency.

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We do not routinely de-worm our sheep, relying instead on rapid pasture rotation, mixed species grazing, and long pasture rest times to break the reproductive cycle of intestinal parasites. We also make selecting for parasite resistance a cornerstone of our breeding program. We utilize the FAMACHA technique to regularly monitor each animal for parasite loads and facilitate early intervention/treatment. In the event that we have an individual animal who needs treatment, we first employ a holistic approach to resolving the issue, often utilizing copper boluses and other non-chemical treatments to support overall health and immune function. In the case of a very sick animal or one that is not responding to this initial approach to care, we will then use conventional de-wormer to treat the issue.

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We reserve the use of any type of medication, including antibiotics and chemical de-wormers, for situations in which the life of an animal or the collective health of the flock depends on it. We never want to see our animals suffer unnecessarily and firmly believe that their comfort and well-being is our responsibility; if we need to use medication to responsibly care for an animal then we don't hesitate to do so. If an antibiotic, de-wormer, or other medication is administered, it is our legal and ethical obligation to ensure the animal does not enter the food supply chain until after the label-directed withdrawal period has been met or exceeded.

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Do you have another question that we haven't answered here?

Please reach out and ask us!

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