Bee~ Journal of then...

[Aidenbaby]

Dace, around here you can join a co-op farm for that kind of thing.

If I remember right, Bee said she's breeding back so that when a buyer comes she can show them Shade and say, "here's a sample of what you'll get". Bred animals sell for more at auction, as well.

 

[Farmfresh]

As far as processing fees - I was just quoted that price today. They have a maximum of two weeks wait on processing just depending on the day.

I have not bought a cow for a little over a year so I can't tell you the current "market price" per pound but a friend of mine said big feeders were selling for under $200 each at the last sale she went to and a bigger bull calf at about 700 lbs went for $65.00! Most beef cattle dress out at about 40 - 45 percent of live weight. So figure that for beef.

Basically if you take a little time, learn a little and make some "connections" as far as farmers, people to haul animals, and of course... the butcher shop, prime beef can be had for a VERY reasonable price.

Auctions also sell slaughter cows and what is known in the business as "breakers". These cows usually go for a low dollar and while they are old, thin and tough they can be made into hamburger. If you are a kind hearted soul with some grass to feed, like our BEE they can be fed up a little and cared for to bring back the bloom they lost in the commercial industry and they will make fine hamburger indeed! Plus if you butcher yourself or use a non-USDA butcher shop, they say to strip out the tenderloin of even the old cows. It is not supposed to become tough and will still make fine steaks.

USDA processors are not allowed to do that on an animal over (I think it is 20 ? ) months old due to mad cow disease scares. Mechanical stripping along the spine can include nerve tissue which is how the disease is spread. Usually hand cut meat will cause no problems.

Yes - Selling a bred cow is a package deal. She will definitely bring more money.

 

[Beekissed]

Yep, Dace. Folks will pay more for a cow that is bred back...saves them the trouble of doing it. Also, if I sell them as a cow/calf pair and she is bred back, they are a 3 in 1. As Shade is a heifer, this makes it even more enticing....not only does this old cow turn out a great calf, she has no trouble calving and its a good chance she will have another female....more valuable at the market and on the farm as a replacement cow.

Lovechooks, do they not eat cattle in Australia? Or is your family vegetarian? We kill them for food here in the states and they are good eating!

I'm not sure I really want to know, no I do. I am interested so don't get too gory on me but the cows you kill, how does one kill a cow? Then what do you kill them for? Food? What's the process like do you have a massive freezer for it? Cut it up? What about the furry bits? I am interested in what gets used on the cow and for what.

At home, one usually kills a cow with a .22 bullet right between the eyes. Then they either field dress on the ground, which is removing the guts/vital organs, or hang them up in a tree and do the same thing. I had planned on killing the calf as a feeder calf this fall. I want the meat to can and freeze to use in various recipes. I want the organs, blood, and bones to cook down into dog food. I want to tan the hide because it would be a shame to waste such a beautiful hide! The hide will probably become a rug in my bedroom. Dogs like chewing on the hooves, so those will probably be used also.

Farm, thanks for the rundown on pricing! My sis wants me to just pay the butcher but I have a big mistrust of actually getting MY meat back. I used to date a fellow who never got his own beef back, though he didn't admit it until I had him try a new butcher. The new guy let you see your animal tagged, killed, hung and guaranteed your own beef back. When we used this guy, the meat actually tasted like prime 2 yr. old Hereford steer, instead of the cutter and canner meat he HAD been getting all these years.

I would really have to trust he processor before I would take my own meats to him.

 

[Farmfresh]

We are VERY fortunate to have a butcher shop that is owned by a family not too far from us. This same family has been in business for many years. They are a "dedicated day" butcher which means pigs are cleaned on certain days, sheep and goats certain days, and beef certain days. In the fall they shut down for domestic animals and only process venison. Many hunters around here bring animals to the to process, pay for the processing (a reduced fee) and then the meat is donated to local food banks. They have a plaque each year featuring how many THOUSANDS of pounds of meat they are responsible for donating that past year.

They are appointment only and only work for local farmers that process their own animals. They also have an in plant store where you can augment your meat larder at very reasonable retail prices. I have been buying extra hamburger and bacon from them for a while since I ran out of our last burger. They get the meat they sell through barter. Many farmers raise ... say four cows, sell a couple to someone like me, eat one themselves, and pay for their processing by bartering part of the meat. The shop then sells the meat at retail prices to pay the processing bill.

If they weren't trustworthy they would have been run out of the little town they live in!

 

[freemotion]

I'll never forget the one pot roast that was a completely different color and texture from the rest of the meat from my families' eight-month-old steer!

 

[Lovechooks]

Lovechooks, do they not eat cattle in Australia? Or is your family vegetarian? We kill them for food here in the states and they are good eating!

No the whole Country is vegetarian. Just kidding. No I really like meat, one child was vegetarian but I talked him back into eating meat. Just wondered what the whole process was is all.

 

[Frosting]

Beekissed, I have just been reading your experiences with Blossom. She sure was awfully thin when you got her. She is looking so much better now. Not sure I would have put a second calf on her with all she's been through but, you know her better than we do.

I hope she settles the first time for you. May I ask why back to a beef bull instead of having her AIed? Wouldn't she be more desirable bred back to a jersey for reselling her? Or does the farm you have in mind not really want another milk cow for the future and would prefer the beef cross?

 

[Aidenbaby]

I thought of another processing question. Will meat processors process rabbit? Or is that something I'd have to handle myself? I think I'd like to try my hand at raising meat rabbits but am not sure I could handle the euthanizing or have the knowledge to process it myself.

 

[Farmfresh]

Small animal processors are hard to find in these parts. We used to have a poultry processor, but they went out of business.

Rabbits are easy to process. Much faster than chickens. The hard part is that you do have to make them dead. The first few times it is really hard. The secret is not to dilly dally and pet them, just walk to the cage take the rabbit out. Legs in left hand - chin in the right hand - pull to break their neck and then drop them in a tall bucket while they kick. Sounds gross, but it is fast and as painless as death can be. After they are dead the cleaning part is easy.

Oh and don't name them.

 

[Aidenbaby]

FF, the naming part, I was pretty sure I'd only name the breeders and definitely not the offspring.

ETA: The only time I euthanized a chick, I ended up using the baking soda/vinegar method in an old kitty litter box (the one the new litter comes in; they gotta be used for something). It was very quick and the chick just went to sleep.