The Farmers Mailbox

Butchering & Dressing Lamb DVD:
A professional slaughterman demonstrates the techniques of slaughtering through to skinning.
Then the butcher Ian Backhouse sections the lamb into the many different cuts, ready for cooking. 
Duration 45 minutes.
Available in Video and DVD

Bush Butchers Bible:
At last, a book that offers the reader a helpful and genuine opportunity to learn the real skills of butchering.
The Bush Butchers' Bible, written in four sections: Beef Cattle, Small Stock (sheep, goats, calves, etc.),
Pigs, & Poultry, is packed with well over 300 diagrams; clearly detailing each process in sequence;
from the kill - to cutting for the table.
Covering all domestic farm animals, and including a first rate section on poultry, the book is a must for all home butchers who aspire to carry out their work at a professional level.

GREAT GIFT IDEA

Michael ‘Mick’ Gale has an extensive knowledge of both, the meat industry, and farming. He entered the meat trade in 1962, in a part-time, after school, position. In 1964 he began his full time apprenticeship.
Since those early years, Mick has: managed and owned several butcher’s shops; been a leading hand in boning rooms, and on numerous slaughter-floors; carried out contract cutting for schools and hospitals; and performed countless cutting demonstrations.
Nevertheless, the work that has provided him the greatest satisfaction is on-farm butchering.

At last, a book that offers the reader a helpful and genuine opportunity to learn the real skills of butchering.
The Bush Butchers' Bible, written in four sections: Beef Cattle, Small Stock (sheep, goats, calves, etc.),
Pigs, & Poultry, is packed with well over 300 diagrams; clearly detailing each process in sequence;
from the kill - to cutting for the table.
Covering all domestic farm animals, and including a first rate section on poultry, the book is a must for all home butchers who aspire to carry out their work at a professional level.

GREAT GIFT IDEA

Michael ‘Mick’ Gale has an extensive knowledge of both, the meat industry, and farming. He entered the meat trade in 1962, in a part-time, after school, position. In 1964 he began his full time apprenticeship.
Since those early years, Mick has: managed and owned several butcher’s shops; been a leading hand in boning rooms, and on numerous slaughter-floors; carried out contract cutting for schools and hospitals; and performed countless cutting demonstrations.
Nevertheless, the work that has provided him the greatest satisfaction is on-farm butchering.

Contents; Sheep in Australia, Sheep enterprises, Choosing a sheep enterprise, Breeds, Economics – costs and returns, Sheep farm resources and infrastructure, Responsibilities of sheep owners, Meet a sheep – facts, figures and features, Working with sheep, Fat scoring, Management operations, Grazing and pasture management, Feeding supplements, Breeding sheep, Lamb care, Weaner management
Wool sheep production, Prime lamb production, Harvesting and marketing wool, Buying and selling sheep and Diseases of sheep.
Running a Small Flock of Sheep uses a step-by-step approach and has been written for small-scale sheep farmers and inexperienced people considering a rural life-style change. It will prepare the reader for each procedure and event on a sheep farm.
The book begins with an introduction to the basic principles and procedures of sheep farming and the economics and required farm infrastructure for different sheep enterprises. There are chapters on handling techniques, the obligations of owners, and laws and regulations covering the welfare of sheep. The remainder of the text deals with sheep husbandry including health and nutrition, condition scoring, breeding, lamb care and weaner management. There are separate chapters on wool production and prime lamb production. The final chapter covers the diagnosis, control and prevention of sheep diseases.
This reliable and understandable guide provides all the information anyone needs to make the right choices in successfully managing a small flock of sheep, whether you’re running a single pet or several hundred sheep for prime lamb, wool or dual purpose.
Features
• Easy-to-read and assumes no prior farming knowledge
• Practical information on all the sheep farm procedures
• Well illustrated with explanatory photographs of breeds, tools and procedures 
Paperback, 192 pages, CSIRO Australia

• Ready reckoner tables and calculations sheets make it easy to calculate rations.
• Well illustrated with explanatory photographs, processes and techniques.
• what to feed, when and how much