I just started feeding three pigs for freezer meat. I have raised my own beef for quite a while but never a hog. Does anyone know approximately what the cost would be to have one butchered? I have helped butcher hogs in the past, but I would rather let someone else do the work if the price is reasonable. Thanks

-- dana k white (dkwhite@mid-mo.net), June 01, 2001

Answers

Dana, In this area (western Maine) the average cost to have a hog butchered is about 35 cents per pound(dressed weight) with sausage and smoked meat being extra because of the extra work involved. For a 200 - 250 pound hog, we usually pay roughly in the $100.00 range. Hope this helps.

-- Murray Herrick (lkdmfarm@megalink.net), June 01, 2001.

I think the last one we had done was $130. That includes cutting, wrapping, smoking, ect.

-- Tom S. (trdsshepard@yahoo.com), June 01, 2001.

We paid 65 cents per pound two years ago, will do our own this year. I'm not going to scald, scrape and all the rest, just skin the thing and go from there. Making sausage isn't hard, so I'm going to give it a shot! Jan

-- Jan in Co (Janice12@aol.com), June 01, 2001.

Most of the butcher shops in our area don't do the slaughter, so we end up paying two people. The guy who slaughters charges about $65 and the butcher charges 45 cents per lb for the cut and wrap.

Every area is different, maybe your local butcher or feed store can give you the names of people and you can call around and compare price.

I don't worry about it for my lambs because I trade fire wood for the slaughter.

-- jennifer (schwabauer@aol.com), June 01, 2001.

Wow some high prices ! Kill is 15.00 here which includes taking it to the shop and .25 a pound.

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

We use a place from the South end of the county called "Farmer George's" $30.00 each for slaughter, 35 cents per pound (hanging weight) for cutting and wrapping, an additional 75 cents a pound for smoking the hams and bacon. It can add up pretty quick. But we used to do our own, years ago, and it can be an incredible amount of work. Also, you have to have a place to thoroughly chill the carcass, and that's just about impossible without a big walk-in cooler. But you put a half a hog out on the table and it doesn't look that intimidating, but start cutting, and it becomes an enormous amount of meat. We were using a hand grinder for the sausage, and it seemed to take forever....and still had 3 more halves waiting. I can honestly say I have never been more exhausted than after a day of butchering...it makes the price of having it done seem much more reasonable. Also, Farmer George's uses this really good double shrink wrap, and I just found some rib steaks from a steer we did in November of '97 (bottom of the freezer) and there wasn't a speck of freezer burn. We had used an underwrap of plastic wrap, and then butcher paper, and were getting touches of freezer burn within a year. Also, before you make your final decision, price the butcher paper! I bought some last fall to make wrapping paper, and a roll that might have been enough to wrap a 1/2 of a hog was $26.00! So unless you have access to "cheap" butcher paper, the paper could end up costing you just as much as having it done professionally. And of course, if you don't already have them, there's the cost of the tools--really, really good knives, a meat saw, extra blades, a heavy duty grinder, and of course a smoke house! Having done it both ways, I really think having it done for you is the best way to go. Hope this helps. Kathie

-- Kathie in Western Washington (twinrosefarm@worldnet.att.net), June 02, 2001.

I have been having a hard time finding a Custom Slaughter House in my area. I used a small family run Slaughter House for many years, but they went out of business when their gas fired smoker exploded on them an caused several injuries to the family. They did a real good job and bent over backwoods to help you out. I always felt confident that I was reciving my hogs back and not someone else's ill raised hog.

I use to buy a pen full of feeder hogs at the Livestock Auction and would sell most of them in the first couple of days and keep 4 hogs to raise up to slaughter weight. I would then sell 3 of the hogs to friends and keep the other one for myself. The family that did all my butchering were very good with helping out my customers with thier selection of cuts and they always gave me a small break on my prosesing fee.

The last 4 or 5 years I have tried several different slaughter houses, butchers and at farm killers and have not found anyone that has done me a good job. Last year I raised just 2 hogs and sold 1 to a friend and used a Custom Slaughter House that has been in business for a long time, they assured me that they would do a good job and follow my cutting directions. When I got the hanging weight on the 2 hogs thier was 60 pounds difference between the hogs that were the same weight when I drop them off. My meat was not cut up according to my directions. No liver, no hog jowls, no neck bones! I was p.... off! When my friend cooked one of his hams he found buck shot in the meat. I went back to the Slaughter house and raised hell! They would not return any money to me for thier poor service and when I continued to raise hell they threatened to call the Sheriff.

Well after my long search I think I have found a new place, I picked up a hog fom them last week and every thing came out just as I asked. It is over an hours drive from my place but I am willing to travel for good service. He charges $20.00 to kill, .38 cents a pound to cut & wrap, .75 cents a pound extra for anything smoked. The smoking is about .30 cents higher than I was paying but some times you have to pay higher for good service. He said he would only charge me $15.00 to kill if I bring him 4 or more and would help my customers out if they had any questions.

So after a long search I think I have finaly found me another Good Custom Slaughter House to do my work and I can get back in the small scale hog raising.

If any of you folks are set up to do your own prossesing on the farm thier may be a few extra $$$'s to be made doing hogs for other pepole. Good Luck!!!

-- Mark in N.C. Fla. (deadgoatman@webtv.net), June 02, 2001.

We have always butchered our own pigs. It's really not that difficult as long as you don't grow them too big!! 220 lbs. is tops for us. We always butcher in the fall when night temps go down to 30 degrees or less. We do it first thing Sat. morning and have the carcasses hanging in our garage usually by noon or shortly thereafter. By Sun. afternoon sometime the carcass is chilled and firm enough to work with. Definitely, also, skinning is the way to go!!! The whole process is really not that hard once you've done it the first time-----just jump in and do it!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), June 03, 2001.

We paid 25c/lb for fresh cuts, 32c/lb for cured cuts. Don't remember the slaughter fee ($20-30). There was a surcharge over 250lbs. Seemed like a good deal to us, and seems like a better deal after seeing what it costs elsewhere in the country!!

-- David C (fleece@eritter.net), June 04, 2001.

Dana, I totally agree with Marcia. If you started with one of these piglets, and butchered him yourself at 100 pounds or so, you could learn on him. Skin him, and cut him up following directions. Whatever you can't figure out, grind for burgers or sausage. Then tackle pig number 2 in another month when he is 150 pounds. Finally comes pig number 3 where you can use all your skill to have pretty pork chops rather than the undistigishable parts you will have with pig number 1 :) Pig 3 will also be big enough for hams etc. where number 1 will be ham steaks or whatever straight cuts you can accomplish! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), June 04, 2001.

Howdy Mark,

If you're in North Central Florida I'd sure like to know the name and address of the custom slaughterhouse that you mentioned in your post above because I'll be looking for one next year! If you don't want to mention them publically please e-mail me.

={(Oak)-

-- Live Oak (oneliveoak@yahoo.com), June 04, 2001.

The last we had done, (in southern OR) was, $25 for the kill, $.23 per # for the cut and wrap, $.20 per# for smoking. I have butchered a lot of hogs but anymore I would rather have it done.

-- hendo (redgate@echoweb.net), June 05, 2001.

This is my first posting on this board and I am truly impressed with the speed and number of responses. Plan on hearing more questions from me. Thanks to all.

-- dana k white (dkwhite@mid-mo.net), June 06, 2001.

im raising my first pig for meat i am really looking forward to having good quality meat for my family as a matter of fact im going to buy one more today any info yall can share with me would be great thanks timbos40@hotmail.com

-- tim grubbs (timbos40@hotmail.com), January 19, 2002.