My husband and I were talking the other day and was wondering how much does it cost to have a steer, goat, pig etc... processed?

We were talking about it because I don't have a problem processing/butchering the chickens I don't think I could do a steer, goat, pig etc... myself. Also, how do you find a processor? Just look in the yellow pages under butcher?

-- anita (anitaholton@mindspring.com), September 30, 2001

Answers

Response to What do processing fees run?

Ask around for a small butcher shop near bye .It cost 15.00 for the kill and 15.00 for pickup then 25 cents a pound processing which includes wrapping here in Northern NY

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), September 30, 2001.

Response to What do processing fees run?

Wow, Patty that's pretty reasonable compared to out here. It is $25 for the kill and .32 cents per pound for processing, including wrapping it up.

-- Lisa (tepeeclan@nidlink.com), September 30, 2001.

Response to What do processing fees run?

Wow, you guys are getting a deal. Here, it is either $50 for the kill and skinning of a hog at one place, $38 at another, and .69 per pound for cut and wrap. That doesn't include any ham or bacon curing, if you want that. We're currently cutting up our hog ourselves, not that big a deal, just time consuming, but it KILLS your back and shoulders! Jan

-- Jan in Co (Janice12@aol.com), September 30, 2001.

Response to What do processing fees run?

here its $50 for the kill and 40 cents a pound for processing. (for a steer) for a pig...we pay $30 I think for the kill and 40 cents a pound plus extra if you have bacon and hams smoked. Still works out cheaper than buying the meat though,and you know what you get. I am pretty sure its 40 cents a pound for processing the game meat here too. We process our own.

-- Jenny Pipes (Auntjenny6@aol.com), September 30, 2001.

Response to What do processing fees run?

In Central Florida we are paying $25.00 for the first Kill and $15.00 each for any others over the first. .38 cents a pound for prossesing and .75 cents extra a pound for smoking (was paying .45 for smoking).

It seems that every year we lose another Custom Slaughter House. A few years ago we had a choice of 4 prosesers within 15 miles from home, now I have to tavel 60 miles.

-- Mark in N.C. Fla. (deadgoatman@webtv.net), October 01, 2001.

Response to What do processing fees run?

Cure your own meat This is a link to a Missouri Extenson page on curing pork muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/agguides/ansci/g02528.htm

that will take you to the site. Or if you are doing other animals go to muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/agguides/ansci/index.htm

and then you can see any thing about any animal. here in south missouri I think it is 20 for the kill and 40 per pound processing which includes cutting wrapping and fast freezing Have a good day

dale

-- dale (dgarr@fidnet.com), October 01, 2001.

$15 for pigs, $10 for lamb, 25 cents to cut and wrap. I thought that was reasonable. Glad to see I wasn't wrong.

-- Alison in N.S. (aproteau@istar.ca), October 01, 2001.

I would do it ourselves if hubby would help but!!!!! So I guess for now I will have to pay .Just kills me to pay someone to do anything I know we could do ourselfs.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), October 01, 2001.

I forgot in my reply above to tell you that I am in CA on the central coast. We have 2 custom butchers to chose from now. There used to be more.

-- Jenny Pipes (Auntjenny6@aol.com), October 01, 2001.

Jenny, dont know right were you are but there are 4 in driving area to bay area. Galt, ripon, manteca, and antioch.Every one make sure you tell them what you want as we went 1/2 on a 4h pig and they never called to see what we wanted [thought they had talked to the other buyer] so we ended up with sausage so hot I couldnt eat it [ mixed it with ground chicken and its ok] and got side pork instead of bacon, and I grow my tomatos just to go with the bacon!

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), October 01, 2001.

Unless you have a lot of time and equipment, you better have it processed by a butcher. I once butchered a hog by myself and promised that I wouldn't do that again unless I had more time and more meat storage to cool the meat before freezing.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), October 01, 2001.

Oh! by the way. If you raise three or four pigs at a time and sell the first two or three pigs it will just about pay for the pig you keep. The best way to do it is to have two or three buyers pay up front before you raise them. When you get enough buyers you can then buy all your pigs at once and get a better price for quantity. You might could get a good deal on finisher pigs. Feed them out and off to the butcher shop.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), October 01, 2001.