The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Cattle => Topic started by: Hilarysmum on November 28, 2007, 05:28:26 pm
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I am having one of those Wykipedia moments, you know when you wonder how many grains of sand on a beach etc. So how many edible kilos are there on a 21/2 year old beef steer? How long would it take one person to eat the entire animal, assuming they ate veggies as well.
HM
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According to the Scottish Agricultural Colleges Farm Management Handbook, an spring born steer killed at 22-24 months will weigh about 650kg live weight, 364kg deadweight. I can't find a definition of deadweight - I doubt if that's "edible weight" but will include hooves, head, bones etc. That's 800lb of steer - assume 10% loss for inedible bits - 720lb, at 4oz per portion, that's 2880 portions, that's 7.8 portions per day for a whole year!
It's a lot of beef!!
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Not much room left in the freezer for the veggies then.
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when you put it into those figures it would be better for smallholders to form a beef steer co- operative. or a barter scheme, beef for lamb, pork for chicken etc. or just adopt desperate dan and make him a few pies. i think i shall wait a year or two before i start thinking about bovine stock.
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Brilliant idea, wish someone here had beef for exchange.
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Well, there's a wee project for you!
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Odd you should say that ................
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We fancy buying a Charole bullock next year. We have been talking to our French neighbours about it with an idea that we buy it and they raise it for the two and half years with their dairy herd. They think it's a great idea and money wise it will work out about the same for each of us and we get half each at the end.
We use pigs in exchange for things occasionally - to right home of course if it is a weaner/s, or meat to our neighbours in exchange for wood or their time. They are really great - they collect five tons of betraves at a time for us. We exchange pork for lamb and twice a year for a quarter of a young bullock when they slaughter one.
Exchange has worked for us for a couple of years now, both with the French and some English to. Certainly the French prefer it. My neighbour always brings us a couple of chickens or ducks when she has a slaughter day, and we do the same. This works well because it is based on appreciation and money isn't always appropriate or even affordable sometimes.
Kate
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yesterday, for sunday lunch we had a most excellent leg of lamb. this had been raised on our field but was part of a flock owned by a neighbouring farms young son, it was part of his payment in kind. when we moved in he came round and asked what rent i would ask for my excess grass, untill i wanted to put my own livestock on it. as there were things he had also i could not afford to put on such a small holding we came to an arrangement. i pay him for milk, fenceposts, wire, straw and hay. he lends me some of his equipment, time and know how aswell as a plentiful supply of manure and as much lamb as we could possibley eat in exchange for a bit of pasture and some of my labour at busy times. i havn't got my head round any beef coming into the equation yet, but he is always asking what beasts we are getting next, and i have promised him some pork when it's ready.
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.... and it will probably be the best pork he has ever tasted.
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Depends on the breed of steer, we've just got back our 29mth, dexter/highland Killed out at 246kg, just about filled my lge chest freezer, should be enough for at least a year for us 2, with selling a little to cover the kill/butcher costs.
happy to swap some for a pork middle to make my own bacon, as we didn't have pigs this year.
got a lovely rib joint just over 3k in the freezer, could be swapped for something nice. ;D
Mandy
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I've always wanted some Highland Hairy Coos, but I may have to scale back now I know how much they kill out at. That, to me, seems to be a terrifying amount of meat.
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:cow:
We have a Bullock coming back from the abattoir on the 17th of April if anyone is interested, we sell in 10kg boxes of Prime cuts, all vacuumed packed at the abattoir.
:goat:
We have produced Beef this way for two years and our existing customers French and English love it, it's hung for three weeks, so nice and tender.
:chook:
I think we have only three 10kg boxes un-sold the price is 12 euros a kg = 120 euros a box, please feel free to e-mail to reserve a box: james.barker@wanadoo.fr or tel 05 49 72 37 35
:horse:
We are based in the north of dep 79 close to Bressuire
:pug:
Regards.
ps: We also have calves of all ages for sale, but only for those who are fully registered
J.B