Categories
adventure butcher cattle cattle management slaughter

First Beef Slaughter

We had Mike Erickson’s Mobile Slaughter come out yesterday and slaughter Rusty, our first bull. The slaughter process was very fast and efficient. I honestly can’t see how those businesses make money, with all the travel and equipment maintenance they have.

We got a call from Salmon Creek Meats last night saying he weighed in at 632 lbs, hanging weight! That’s great for a grass-fed Dexter bull. The carcass had lots of fat on it, really good looking. I kept all the scraps for compost, dog food, and kept the head/horns and will clean that up as well as I can.

The slaughter company typically keeps the head, hide, and possibly other parts. If you want to keep any of that, be sure to discuss it before, or at the time of slaughter. It will save you from a misunderstanding. I kept the head/skull from this bull because it was my only horned bull that I will probably ever have and I want to dry and hang it.

2 replies on “First Beef Slaughter”

Hi Nicole,

The slaughter cost was $100, at the time.

I would expect these prices to change significantly with the markets, so I wouldn’t expect to pay the same today.

Some things that customers might not know is that the slaughterer typically counts on taking the skull, hide, and potentially other items that they may sell to recover additional cost. If the customer wants to keep any items, they should coordinate with the slaughter service before the appointment.

As a courtesy, I offered the slaughter service money for the skull (for the horns), since I did not know they expected to sell it to someone else.

Also, if organ meats are desired, this should also be discussed prior to the appointment, so that it can all be prepared and everybody’s expectations are met and nobody is disappointed.

Thanks,
Josh

Leave a Reply to joshua Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *