Will a farmer give up the whole cow?

Cecilia's-herd

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We don't own meat cattle, only dairy at this point. I was thinking of buying some meat from a nearby farmer. Will they give up the whole cow? Like the pelt and the bones? Or do they make a deal with the butcher and they take those things? It is all so confusing...
 

Baymule

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If you pay for a live cow, it is yours. If you pay for hanging weight, that is what the cow weighs after being skinned, gutted, head and legs cut off at the knees, then you get the carcass. Most people do not want the hide, few want the bones.
 

Cecilia's-herd

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If you pay for a live cow, it is yours. If you pay for hanging weight, that is what the cow weighs after being skinned, gutted, head and legs cut off at the knees, then you get the carcass. Most people do not want the hide, few want the bones.
Could I request them specially or would that be weird? I don't really want a live cow if I'm honest...
 

farmerjan

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Most slaughterhouses will work with you to a point. When they take an animal to butcher, and quote a price, they are also figuring in that they will be getting some money back from the rendering plant that the offal/bones/ leftover stuff goes to. Many sell the hides.... from $10. to $50. a hide. So..... say you pay $50. to kill; then the slaughter house gets back say $25 in hide and rendering salvage....
I have gotten back the heads a couple times as I wanted skulls... and the outer covering of the horn for re-enactors use them for "true powder horns".... I have gotten back the skin for tanning..... I ask for all the bones that they will give me for dog bones and stuff.....

So, if you are going to buy a whole beef, then talk to the butcher and see what you can possible get back. But be prepared to pay them for some of it if they have an outside sale for some of that. It helps to keep the actual butcher costs down a little.
 

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Could I request them specially or would that be weird? I don't really want a live cow if I'm honest...
Ok, there are different ways to buy beef from a farmer. You can buy based on live weight (essentially buying a live cow) which is typically around $1-2 per pound, about 40-45% of this will be lost to bone and guts so you get 55-60% of that weight back in meat. The 2nd option is to buy based on hang weight, this is the weight of the carcass after being gutted and skinned, still includes bone weight, this will be more expensive per pound but will still equal out to about the same in the end.

If you want the bones and hide, you can buy a "live cow" by paying the farmer for the live weight and have him drop it off at the processors, the cow is yours before it enters the building so you have the right to whatever of the cow you want and can ask the processor to save the hide and bones if that is what you want to do as you have already paid for them.

Does that make it more clear? You can buy a live cow without ever seeing it before it is steaks.
 

farmerjan

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Understand that there is the live weight.... on the hoof. Say 1,000 lbs for round figures. You lose APPROX..... 45-50% in hide head guts hooves etc.... So say there is 500-550 lbs to be cut up....hanging weight..... Then in the cutting, grinding, deboning etc you will lose another 20-25%. So out of a 1,000 lb animal you will get somewhere in the neighborhood of 25-30% of the live weight back in your actual IN THE FREEZER MEAT.
Yes it varies.... but if you figure that you will get 1/4th to 1/3 of the total weight back in EDIBLE meat is a good way to figure. So 250-350 lbs of meat in the freezer to eat. Then if you get some of the bones.... and get the fat that you can if you want to render down into some tallow.....
What @Kusanar says is basically right except for the actual meat you get back after the trim and cutting from the hanging weight.
Plan for LESS, and then whatever you get that is more is good.... and brings down your cost per pound.
1.25/lb live weight..... 2.50/lb. weight for hanging weight....... 5.00 lb for the actual meat in your freezer.... not a bad deal considering that good hamburger is 4.00 a lb.... and you are getting steaks and all in the overall cost per pound.....
 

Cecilia's-herd

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Ok, there are different ways to buy beef from a farmer. You can buy based on live weight (essentially buying a live cow) which is typically around $1-2 per pound, about 40-45% of this will be lost to bone and guts so you get 55-60% of that weight back in meat. The 2nd option is to buy based on hang weight, this is the weight of the carcass after being gutted and skinned, still includes bone weight, this will be more expensive per pound but will still equal out to about the same in the end.

If you want the bones and hide, you can buy a "live cow" by paying the farmer for the live weight and have him drop it off at the processors, the cow is yours before it enters the building so you have the right to whatever of the cow you want and can ask the processor to save the hide and bones if that is what you want to do as you have already paid for them.

Does that make it more clear? You can buy a live cow without ever seeing it before it is steaks.
That is crystal clear now thank you so much! I will most likely buy live weight then. What do i do with the head is the question now.
 

Cecilia's-herd

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Understand that there is the live weight.... on the hoof. Say 1,000 lbs for round figures. You lose APPROX..... 45-50% in hide head guts hooves etc.... So say there is 500-550 lbs to be cut up....hanging weight..... Then in the cutting, grinding, deboning etc you will lose another 20-25%. So out of a 1,000 lb animal you will get somewhere in the neighborhood of 25-30% of the live weight back in your actual IN THE FREEZER MEAT.
Yes it varies.... but if you figure that you will get 1/4th to 1/3 of the total weight back in EDIBLE meat is a good way to figure. So 250-350 lbs of meat in the freezer to eat. Then if you get some of the bones.... and get the fat that you can if you want to render down into some tallow.....
What @Kusanar says is basically right except for the actual meat you get back after the trim and cutting from the hanging weight.
Plan for LESS, and then whatever you get that is more is good.... and brings down your cost per pound.
1.25/lb live weight..... 2.50/lb. weight for hanging weight....... 5.00 lb for the actual meat in your freezer.... not a bad deal considering that good hamburger is 4.00 a lb.... and you are getting steaks and all in the overall cost per pound.....
Personally I don't really like steaks but I do like good hamburger. I was planning to give the bones to make broth and feed the dogs. I figured guts could be for dogs and chickens, ect... I want to turn the pelt into a rug. No idea what to do with the head though...
 

CLSranch

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Leave it to the butcher, or put it at the entrance. I should've kept my last one. He had a nice set of horns, just easier to tell them the cuts and pic up the meat.
 

Kusanar

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Personally I don't really like steaks but I do like good hamburger. I was planning to give the bones to make broth and feed the dogs. I figured guts could be for dogs and chickens, ect... I want to turn the pelt into a rug. No idea what to do with the head though...
If you don't have a use for the head you don't have to take it, they will dispose of it for you.
 

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