Devonviolet Acres

[Devonviolet]

My butcher charges a lot more than that. It is $40 each for the kill, which he does at my house, and then so much for cut and wrap, don't remember the price.

Our butcher charges $40 for the kill and $50 for cut & wrap. They will make it all into hamburger or cut into steaks, roasts, leg of "Lamb", etc. I plan to butterfly the legs, for cooking on the grill, and give the leg bones to the dogs. The rest of the bones will go into a nice, healthy, bone broth soup.

My butcher charges a lot more than that. It is $40 each for the kill, which he does at my house.

Now that you mention it, $80 to kill 2 animals is a LOT! I think I have seen enough videos of livestock being killed, if I know I'm going to do it from the git-go, I could probably do that myself, hang them - to drain the fluids, put the animals in the back of the truck & head straight to the butcher. Or, does the kill include "field dressing"? If so, that might put a different spin on things. Or, might not . . . I don't know . . . I'm just trying to find ways to keep our costs down.

 

[CntryBoy777]

If ya timed the slaughter during a period of 24hrs at below 40° temps, then ya really wouldn't need a butcher at all. Ya could leave the carcass hanginging in a protected area, allow it to drain and rest after field dressing and make the cuts yourself. It would be easier to allow the whole carcass to go thru rigor without trying to find enough room in a cooler or refridgerated area. There isn't much difference between a goat and a deer. It would certainly save ya some $$ for sure....

 

[Devonviolet]

You have a really good point, @CntryBoy777. If the kids are born in the Spring, and we wait until November or even December, when it cools off, we really could do it ourselves. Again, we would need to be in that mind-set from the beginning, giving it a food name, like Brisket, & using the same name each time. Sort of like naming a feeder pig Bacon or Pork Chop & then butchering it.

 

[Latestarter]

If my wether, CM, keeps dumping out feed buckets onto the ground, & being generally too inquisitive for his own (or my) good, he may be goatburger before too long...

 

[HomeOnTheRange]

Or, does the kill include "field dressing"?

For most full service butchers "Kill" does include dressing out the animal and disposing of all the unwanted internals/hide.

You may want to ask them to save the head (remove brain) because they make great soup! (IMHO)

 

[Bruce]

@CntryBoy777 would pygmies be big enough to justify paying the butcher?

Hang in there @Devonviolet! I agree it will be easier if you don't know "who" is on the plate. As you know I don't have "eating animals" and I like my mixed flock of layers but if I were to do meat birds you can bet they would all be the same breed and I would try REAL hard not to be able to tell them apart.

 

[CntryBoy777]

Well Bruce...it depends on a couple of factors...1) how attached are ya to the animal being butchered?....2) do ya have the room and where-abouts to do the deed?....and 3) do ya have the money to spend?
Pygmies are not the size of a heavy boer or kiko, but that means they don't take up as much space in the freezer, but they....body size...are comparable to others, because they have a normal body on shorter legs....so some of the weight difference is in bone weight....also, if they are crossed with a boer or kiko they will be heavier set than a FB....

 

[Bruce]

Oh, well you know I'm pretty "goat ignorant". I figured a pygmy would be smaller in all dimensions. So they are the same size as "regular" goats but harder to pet for those of us who are tall and don't bend as well as we used to?

Of course if they are planned for the freezer, I guess petting isn't something one wants to do anyway

For most full service butchers "Kill" does include dressing out the animal and disposing of all the unwanted internals/hide.

Would it be economical to have someone tan the hide?

 

[Baymule]

DV I am proud of you and your husband for making the difficult decision to take the boys to slaughter. Yes, they were your babies, yes, they were your first, yes, they ate as much as the doe that would grow up and give you milk and yes, they would be eaters and not givers. It is a tough fact to face and I know y'all really had to work on this one to make the decision that you did.

You know my warped humor.......I butchered our first 2 laying hens and labeled the bag with their names. DH scarfed down a couple bowls of chicken and dumplings, raving about how good it was......
Me-Stella tastes pretty good doesn't she?
DH- NOOOOOOOO!!! Not Stella!!! She was our first chicken!
Me-And she wasn't laying anymore, but she ate as much as the new hens that ARE laying. Isn't she yummy?
DH-But why did you have to TELL me?

And I did the same thing to him with a crippled rooster, I labeled the bag.......BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA

 

[Devonviolet]