Author Topic: Abbatoir timetable - is there such a thing? (Read 1133 times)

Tulip23 · « **on:** October 13, 2023, 08:56:26 pm »

I am planning my 5 lambs to go on their one way ticket.....first time for all of us. The abbatoir is small and local and they are super friendly on the phone howeve they seemed very, very busy and didnt want to idly chat to a first timer really.
I requested a Monday drop off and they said Friday would be collection. That was great, however they cant do the dates I wanted! They have now offered a Wednesday. I wonder if anyone here can advise me how long do they usually ask for collection - would it be Monday? Could I request Tuesday collection - I realise the cost would be more.

As this is my 15 year old son's project really, he would like to collect after school at around 3.15pm. Is this a usual sort of time or do they generally expect early morning?

Thanks in advance

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #1 on:** October 13, 2023, 10:20:48 pm »

You may find they work very early until mid afternoon, so after school may not work for them at all.

Another time, perhaps you could plan further ahead, and get the dates booked up well in advance for half term or other school holidays.

Fitting in around individual small customers will be tricky any time of year but at this time of year, all the lambs and cattle are coming off the fields and away to slaughter, then we're in the run up to Christmas. Abattoirs and butchers are always flat out from about now to the end of January. We get our dates in their diaries some months in advance.

Tulip23 · « **Reply #2 on:** October 13, 2023, 11:30:26 pm »

Thanks so much for your reply. Im so naive. I thought I could give them only a few week's notice! Yes, will know for next time.

Tulip23 · « **Reply #3 on:** October 13, 2023, 11:33:29 pm »

Do you know how long lambs need to hang for? Or is that not the point and it is down to the amount of work lined up cutting and packing? I cant believe how I am talking really - given i have spent my adult life vegetarian!

twizzel · « **Reply #4 on:** October 14, 2023, 07:40:38 am »

You book your animals in and the abattoir tells you when to bring them, or if they are collecting the animals too, when the lorry will be at yours. You work to their schedule. Normally cattle are processed on 1 day, sheep on another, pigs on another. If it’s a big abattoir then they may only do 1 species and they will have set days for different classes of cattle for instance- bulls and mature cows on 1 day, prime cattle another day etc etc.

For hanging, the norm is 1 day up to 7. Follow the butcher on that one, they will know what to do.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #5 on:** October 15, 2023, 10:20:51 am »

Quote from: Tulip23 on October 13, 2023, 11:33:29 pm

Do you know how long lambs need to hang for? Or is that not the point and it is down to the amount of work lined up cutting and packing? I cant believe how I am talking really - given i have spent my adult life vegetarian!

All meat needs to be chilled down after slaughter. Physically, butchery can happen the next day. For some species, breeds, ages, a period of hanging will improve the meat. Butchers, unless specialising in native breeds, and/or meat from more mature animals, will often not hang at all except to suit their own work planning. If you know that whatever you are producing will benefit from hanging for a period, you may need to argue your case with your butcher - and accept additional constraints on timing of slaughter so that you are not tying up space in your butcher's fridges at the busiest time of year.

If you are producing "ordinary" lambs, going off in the year of birth, no hanging is necessary.