Different Ways to Butcher a Calf

For many farm owners, butchering time is a bittersweet time. After caring for an animal for a period of time, farmers respect and give thanks to their animals. If this is your first animal slaughter or if you've been doing it for years, strong feeling usually arise. Typically, butchering takes place in the fall when the pasture outside no longer has enough food for the animals.

  1. Age of Calf

    • A calf is usually butchered when it is about 10 to 15 months old. When you are raising your own calves, this can present a problem, depending on when your calf was born. After a calf is butchered, it needs to hang and age. Most butchering does not take place between the months of May and October. There will be times when you need to decide if you butcher your calf early or late. The best option is usually to wait until fall when all of the other butchering is happening.

    Farm Butchering

    • Many farms are butchering their own animals on site. If this is a choice for you, learn about everything that is involved.You must be capable of handling the slaughtering of animals before they attempt this on their farm. If you do use on-site butchering for you or for others, you must have the proper tools and site to make it happen.

    Local Butcher

    • One of the most common ways to butcher a calf is to take it to a local butcher. When you use a local butcher compared to a big slaughterhouse, you are more certain where your meat comes from. You are also able to develop a relationship with the butcher, which helps facilitate service geared to your specific needs.

    Cuts of Meat

    • Whether you butcher your calf on site or take it to a butcher, you need to know the cuts of meat available to you and to your customers. Decide what you want before you go to the butcher. Typical cuts of calf meat are chuck, brisket, shank, ribs, loin, flank, sirloin, tenderloin, bottom sirloin, round and shank. From each of these cuts, you can choose from steak, ground meat, roasts or ribs.

    Kosher Slaughtering

    • If you wish the animals to be slaughtered in a kosher fashion in accordance with the Jewish Torah, the animals must not have any defects, and must not have died from natural causes. They must be slaughtered with a deep knife stroke to the throat with the blood completely drained. People see this as a humane way, as the animal dies rather quickly and with little pain.