Hauled my steer in to be butchered Sat.

unioncreek · #1 05/16/05, 09:05 AM

The local meat packing plant finally had enough fat beef to butcher so I was able to haul my steer in on Saturday. Had quite a time loading him, ended up with manure from head to toe. I thought he wasn't that big but when we unloaded him and through him in with the rest of the calves he was about a foot taller than the rest. Couldn't weigh him because the scale was full of hay, but we'll get hanging weight. He's been on feed for 5 month.

Weaned my other two calves the same day since I only have two pastures. The calf off of the same cow got out three times in one day before he'd stay in. The one I hauled in was the same way, he originally was called T-Bone, but we changed it to Houdini.

Bobg

tyusclan · #2 05/16/05, 05:08 PM

Good for you! We have a hereford cross that we're planning to butcher the end of next month and a holstein we're gonna butcher in November. Can't wait. We've been out of beef for a while now. Store bought just ain't the same.

Ronney · #3 05/17/05, 05:02 AM

Are you not allowed to have home-kill butchers come to your farm and do the deed?

When I want a beast for the freezer I ring the butcher to find out when is suitable, then ring the slaughterer. He comes out, shoots the animal in the paddock, skins, guts and quarters it before taking it back to the butcher. All will take the skin as part payment, some will take the guts, others leave it for me to dispose of. Much less stressful for both the beast and me.

Cheers,
Ronnie

angus_guy · #4 05/17/05, 07:50 AM

Here the USDA does not allow the slaughter of animal that are not ambilatory at the time of the "deed"

BDB · #5 05/17/05, 08:04 AM

Ronnie in the U.S. you can have someone slaughter on your property or do it yourself your just can not sell any part of the animal you butcher to consumers I butcher all my meat myself beef pork and lambs they never leave the farm

unioncreek · #6 05/17/05, 08:53 AM

There is a guy that comes around and will do the slaughtering, but he's sixty miles away and it would add extra to the cost. I'm friends with the guy that runs the slaughter house so I'd just as soon take it to him and keep it local. I would do the cutting if I was set up for beef, but don't have what I need. The next time I raise some hogs I'm going to cut them up since it costs as much to cut and wrap a hog as it is worth.

Bobg

Ronney · #7 05/18/05, 06:10 AM

Thanks for that BDB. Similar to here then. We can slaughter, or have slaughtered, our own meat but none of it is to be sold.

We do all our own pork and mutton but get the butcher to cut up the beasts as we're not set up for it.

Union, I can see your point if the slaughterer is having to travel 120 miles round trip. The travelling costs would be just about as much as the worth of the beast.

I was only interested, part of the reason for me poking my nose in on this site is that it's a learning experience and different countries do things differently even although the basics of farming are the same all over the world.

Cheers,
Ronnie

unioncreek · #8 05/18/05, 09:12 AM

We actually trade part of our meat to friends that need it for grain, hay or other items we need. We do sell from time to time, but sell the live animal, haul it into be butchered. Before it can be picked up the buyer pays the slaughter house and us with seperate checks.

There are a couple of USDA portable slaughter units around the western part of Washington that come around and slaughter and then everything is inspected. I wish we had one on the east side of the state so I could sell meat at the local farmers market.

Bobg