Do your butchers give you the backs and heads?

bheila

Ridin' The Range
Joined
Mar 22, 2009
Messages
201
Reaction score
1
Points
74
Location
Kent, Wa
Our steer is only grass fed so there isn't too much to worry about.
 

WildRoseBeef

Range nerd & bovine enthusiast
Joined
Feb 1, 2009
Messages
2,253
Reaction score
361
Points
313
Location
Alberta, Canada
Farmer Kitty said:
GrassFarmerGalloway said:
Mad Cow disease happens when cows are fed animal-byproducts. As long as you feed your cows good hay and grain, you shouldn't have to worry about mad cow.
Problem comes when you have to buy your grain and there is a possiblity that it is contaminated. Here in the US it isn't as much as an issue as it is in other countries but, the precautions are still there.
This is kinda off-topic from what you said Kitty but that's exactly where it sounds fishy about the butcher leaving the client (the person having their animals butchered) to take care of the spinal cord/skull. It could be possible of other animals contracting BSE if they have contact with the spinal cord/brain of the animal if it is not buried, if the client fails to follow standards of burying dead stock. I'm not sure if it is possible for other cattle to contract BSE thru sniffing/licking or just nuzzling the spinal cord/skull around (though I highly think it is), but that's what kinda came to mind when this was mentioned.

To be frank, GFG, Mad-Cow disease is not all that well-understood; some scientists say that it can be transmitted genetically, others say, and this is the most accepted theory, that it is transmitted from ruminants consuming the tiniest traces of other ruminants smaller than a grain of rice. The prions from animals that have had Mad Cow can be well hidden to the point of being untraceable in a sac of grain like Kitty mentioned. That's why cautions always have to be taken by the butcher/slaughter house that those prions that occupy primarily in the brain and spinal cord do not get into any aspect of the food chain: human nor livestock.
 
Joined
May 31, 2009
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Well we always keep the heads and cook them... there is alot of meat on them you can cook the whole head in a deep pit wrapped in aluminum foil its all edible and darn tasty too..
 

bheila

Ridin' The Range
Joined
Mar 22, 2009
Messages
201
Reaction score
1
Points
74
Location
Kent, Wa
brettdachickenfarmer said:
Well we always keep the heads and cook them... there is alot of meat on them you can cook the whole head in a deep pit wrapped in aluminum foil its all edible and darn tasty too..
This is what my husband's trying to convince me to do.
 

kstaven

Purple Cow/Moderator
Golden Herd Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2008
Messages
2,011
Reaction score
39
Points
158
Location
BC, Washington border
The head and spinal column are listed as "specified risk materials" on animals over 30 months in many regions now and butchers do not have the facilities to dispose of the materials without getting charged a bundle for doing so.

So it becomes the responsibility of the animal owner to deal with it.
 

bheila

Ridin' The Range
Joined
Mar 22, 2009
Messages
201
Reaction score
1
Points
74
Location
Kent, Wa
Our steer is only 24 months this month and I don't think my hubby is going to be talking me into eating any of our steers head. Besides, Harvey won't be past 30 months when the butcher comes.
 

boothcreek

Loving the herd life
Joined
Nov 13, 2010
Messages
300
Reaction score
25
Points
186
Location
BC, Canada
If the animal is over 30 months old and the farmer killed it on their own farm and brought it in for cutting we have to give him the spine and head back for him to dispose of. If they bring in a live animal that we have to inspect and kill and its over 30 months old we have to keep and collect enough SRMs(head and spines of over 30 monthers) to make the 8 hr trip worth while to bring them to a special licensed disposal facility which charges us $150 per animal to burn it.....

Under 30 monthers have no risk of BSE and bones/skull can be thrown away with all other garbage in the dumpster and does not have to be specially disposed of.

If you bring in you steer to be slaughtered the inspector will check teeth to verify age and if the look like over 30 monther teeth they will most likely charge you extra fees for SRM disposal or give it back to you.
Of course some Butchers may just be worried about the whole thing period or had a history of not reporting/disposing properly of over 30 monthers and got in trouble at one point and goes a bit overboard now....
 

KristyHall

Chillin' with the herd
Joined
Jan 25, 2011
Messages
42
Reaction score
1
Points
27
Location
North Alabama
GrassFarmerGalloway said:
Farmer Kitty said:
GrassFarmerGalloway said:
Mad Cow disease happens when cows are fed animal-byproducts. As long as you feed your cows good hay and grain, you shouldn't have to worry about mad cow.
Problem comes when you have to buy your grain and there is a possiblity that it is contaminated. Here in the US it isn't as much as an issue as it is in other countries but, the precautions are still there.
I'm not going to argue with you. You are obviously much more educated than I. Just put out what I learned a while back. :/
I know you can get mad cow from infected brain and spinal cords, but can you get it from the bones too?
 

Latest posts

Top