[Ash Field Farm]

hi i got to start looking at aranging to send my first cow to the butcher as it where how much do u think shes going to cost me to have her killed and butcherd i got a quote for the butchering but i was shocked  it as about 72p per Lb of meat  is this gonna break the bank  how much meat do u think i would get of her i was thinking around the 350kg dead weight  the butcher said beef is fetching 3.10per kg  iam all confused at the moment i think shes a bit young for the butcher but the main breeder i got her from poped over and said she is ready to go now  shes 18 months old   she doesnt look like it she is small compaired to other calf who is a lot younger has anyone been throught this process already

[garden cottage]

weve yet to send any beef off, we have a dexter steer which is 12 months old, we were told to keep him for 24months  before sending off, I will find out prices per kilo from our local slaughterhouse that does seem very expensive..........neil

[chickens]

hi
what breed of cow have you got?  we have got a freesian and we wanted to send her off as she is 3 years old but the vet said she hadn't enough meat on her (we were expecting 350 kilos as well).  Our slaughter charges in france mean that it will cost us around 800€ to have her killed and packed properly (we want to sell the meat so we have to have this done at the abbattoir), you can sell the meat to the abbattoir but get very little for it (although something is better than nothing).  Beef here is selling for around 12€ a kilo, which with the exchange rate is nearly the same in pounds lol!

Anyway we have now decided to wait until april time to send her off, nervy about it as its first time for us too and not sure how we are going to get her in the lorry (she is not very tame, we have only had her a few months).

Good luck

Nicki

[Ash Field Farm]

good luck the both of you mine are aberdean angus so prime beef what suprises is me is she is at the ideal slaughter weight now at 18 months old if i left her she would start gaining fat as to store ready for getting pregenant  i was aiming for at least 300 -350 kg then it would just cover costs and leave me a litlle i hope  but iam confuses the butcher said it wouldcost around £150-200 to have her butcherd with out transport or slaughter costs

[Andrew]

I presume your Aberdeen Angus is a virgin  female in which case she should be referred to as a heifer, as a cow is a female who has calved and if she is about 400-450kg live weight she is ready to go to slaughter as she will now start to put on fat and not flesh. I have spoken to friends who still have meat businesses and in and around Glasgow the rate for processing a whole beast appears to be about £0.80 per kg. If you assume a 60% kill out rate that means your carcase weight would be about 240-270kg. Remember this is bone in weight the actual amount of beef will be considerably less depending on  how you wish it processed. I am happy to help out if you need any further information

[danndans]

£120 here to have a beast done at around 160kg dead weight, and thats killing and butchering, we send ours in anywere between 6 and 24 months. the younger ones are £90 with killing and butchering, both these prices are with 3 weeks hanging too

[farmerswag]

My OH finishes cows, he turns over 600 plus per year. Our av for heifers is 330kg dead weight, at a kill out of 56% so that makes them about 590-600kg when they go, some do better than others. Stots or steers are nearly always heavier.  He can just tell when they are good to go, i'm getting better but most of the time they just look like a cow to me!! Ours are nearly always off the farm before 20 months.  They are not pure breds, usually charolais cross.

[danndans]

Had to laugh farmerswag were you put   "He can just tell when they are good to go" i look at mine and think round bum, covered ribs, horseradish sauce their only dexters here, so normaly get them finished fairly early they have never been weighed pre slaughterhouse but seem to come out just right so far, touch wood!!

[kaz]

Where do you send yours Danndans, and do you sell the meat? If so what is the legal requirements involved in selling it, as have recently thought about going down that line with surplus sheep rather than send to market.

[danndans]

i use tregaron, and Mach, they are both good, i tend to use tregaron for beef and machynlleth for lamb and the odd small small dexter

I've never had any trouble selling mine, the customers are happy seeing the stamp on their meat, i sell mainly to private customers, but a couple of retaraunts take some too

i've got a beast in now ready for pick up on tuesday, some of its sold, and i'm not sure wether to keep the rest for me as i'v got nothing left at the mo or sell it, as i've got cutomers asking all the time Morgans the butcher in town are allways willing to take local meat, when ever i've offered them some i've managed to sell prior to them getting it but i will get some there oneday

[kaz]

Do you have to abide by any legal requirements, ( doe's anyone have to be notified, or paperwork involved other than movemant licence) or is it all to do with the stamp from the abbattoir.
Any reason why Mach for sheep and not Tregaron? I know people come from quite a distance for the cows to be done at Tregaron as well as the pigs.
What price are Mach for sheep?

[danndans]

Theres no prep work with the meat what so ever when its picked up from the s/house so no need to have a food handlers cirt

I use tregaron for the beef because they normaly have the time and space for the 3 week handling plus they take in the live animal nice and early, it normaly has to be in their for 6.45am sometimes mach can only get a couple of weeks in. Mach take the lambs in the afternoon, which means they stay out at grass till the minuit they are loaded, same with the younger dexters that go in, these are left with their mums till the very last minuit, Mach are £12.50 for a straight forward kill and butcher, being butchered to your own preference, they wont send them out in one piece tho, they always butcher, if they are mutton going inthey charge £13.50 purely because they have to be split.
suppose its peronal pref realy as to what goes were, and which ever can get in what i need to go in at the time.  I've had to use LLanrws before now, and they were very good, however they didnt have a mincer so people had to do there own, tywyn are open again under new management, and as far as i know they are always busy, so they must be running a good service for their customers too

[kaz]

Thanks for the info. Where is it in Mach, what days for sheep and finally Tel.no.
What is the going price for selling lamb privately here as no idea. OH has a works collegue who buys whole lambs from butchers and than sells on at a profit, always after our surplus if we would let him have it. It's great having someone in the know.
Thanks D 

[danndans]

They go in monday afternoon, and then their ready for pick up on wedneday, which if you go to it coincides with the market

if you get to the clock in mach, turn left down a little road by the traffic lights, keep left then follow the road round to the right

it comes to a dead end and the abbatoir is the last place you come to, its william lloyd on the name tel no is................I'd etter go and check this first then i'll pm it to you

Selling costs vary, i sell mine for £55 wether thats a good size this year lamb or one of this years welsh mountains, everything i ell has been bred here, unless i run out of the welsh then they are bought of a good friend near betws y coed, and finished here

Hoggit and mutton are both £65

[hexhammeasure]

£55 a lamb is a good price. we sell ours at £2.10 per lb in joints but only as a half or whole lamb. we are getting aproxx £100 per lamb. Admittedly we sell heavyweight suffolks.

We are based in Northumberland and the downside is our butchering fees are £25 per head