The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: minidax on February 23, 2009, 09:13:16 pm
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Hi All
I wonder if anyone could help with a couple of questions
1. How much should we expect a butcher to charge to butcher and how much would we charge for selling the butchered meat?
2. Fencing: Best place to buy and best type for fencing in 1/2 acre? There is already fencing in place but it is post and wire.
3. Abattoir: Recommended local one?
4. Butcher: Recommended local one? Do you know if the butchers are interested in buying locally produced meat?
5. Pig Arcs: Best buys / makes / advice.
Many thanks
Lu ???
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Hi, Lu
We put some cost in the Articles on the website. We use DS Stevenson at Dunblane to slaughter (£25 / pig) - it's small and as friendly as these places are, if you're not a pig! Stevenson's delivers to lots of butchers in the Central belt. Our last ones went to HW Irvine (aka Porky Irvine) in Blairgowrie. He made our sausages and bacon too as we just didn't have time - and very good they are too. (£50/pig plus extra to slice bacon and make sausages, due to the price of natural casings)
We charge £3/lb for a half pig, which is probably underselling a bit. We've never had enough to approach a butcher - unless you're planning to sell a lot, you will be able to shift it privately. I think most butchers will want a regular supply - but I may be wrong.
Lots of posts about fencing and arcs so won't repeat here.
We should get ours in April - if you want to go with me to pick them up, PM me.
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Hello,
We pay £25 per pig (inc delivery to a cutter). The cutter charges us £40 to cut, pack and cure. We expect to sell a whole pig for £300-£350 (in it's packaged & cured form) dependent on weight of the pig. We sell our meat from between £6.50 to £10 per kilo dependent on cut. Selling a pig direct to a butcher gets us around £150-£160 which is effectively selling at a loss as they don't want to pay much above a commercial pig price.
For electric fencing we buy from Rappa (www.rappa.co.uk) and have an effective stockproof boundary fence in case of power cuts etc.
Pig arcs are so easy to make yourself either with pallets and corrugated steel or treated timber and often work out far cheaper as well. The ones I build I've posted to our website - www.macneanfarm.com/pig_ark.pdf - I generally get one built for around £250 (providing you've got a decent timber yard nearby and you're not paying DIY store timber prices).
Cheers
Gavin
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Do you have any local farmers markets near you? Could you approach someone who sells on one to take on your excess pork?
Once you can offer a regular amount you will probably find word of mouth is all you need.
We are competing against the 2 euros a kilo cardboard on promo in the supermarkets as against our 8-12 euros a kilo.
Our butchering costs are less though 30 euros for supermarket and the same for the butcher.
If you intend to make your own sausages, go for the best heaviest mincer you can find.
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Hillarysmum, what do you think of the mincers on http://www.sausagemaking.org/ ? I was going to opt for the cheaper one, but would that be a false economy? Do you know of any other sites that sell more reasonably priced mincers? :farmer:
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They are good but expensive. I think you may find them cheaper elsewhere, not sure where though. If you are in uk, I believe there are places that sell second hand butchery equipment. If no one on here knows try the River Cottage Website farmers market, ask on there. Buy the best you can afford, if you are going to be doing lots. Also for a sausage stuffer try lakeland, we got the stainless stell one, which is superb.
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Have you tried e-bay?
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Yup found some great ones on ebay and at http://www.weschenfelder.co.uk/mincers-c-26.html?gclid=CM3NtcGT9pgCFQFhQgodWVNJ1Q . Thanks for the help
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Check out these at Northern Tools we have one of their mincers and Sausage stuffers and find them excellent. http://www.northerntooluk.com/products.asp?partno=604005E http://www.northerntooluk.com/products.asp?category=Food+Preparation&subcategory=Electric+Meat+Grinders
Dave
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Which one did you buy dave? do you just make sausages for home or to sell. I kinda want something substantial to look after family and friends...but price is a big factor, recession and all!
Thanks
Morgan :farmer:
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I bought a mid range/ cheap one from ascott, and it has been adequate for my needs so far. minces and fills sausages quite nicely. ( @£48 if I remeber correctly).
I buy my skins a nd other stuff from weschenfelders, they seem ok.
sausage making is great fun and entertains my 7 year old , watching me produce great coils of the stuff.