slaughter timing

[Anonymous]

I would like to know if there is any "data" that suggests the best timing of the season to slaughter the angus breed for the best cuts of meat. In other words, does the cold winter cause improved marbling or does the hot summer? Does the meat appear leaner in the spring or fall? This is the type of data I am looking for to help me determine which time of the season will produce the best cuts of meat after slaughter.



[email protected]

 

[Anonymous]

Cattle are killed everyday of the year. Most to of the time, we go on the size of the steer and not time of year. Most people who kill their own cattle will get them to about 1,000 - 1,100 lbs with about .2 - .3 of fat on them and then harvest the animals. This way the will get a good amount of meat and marbling in the meat and then they will have it cut up which ever way they like it and put it up in the freezer and eat like kings for a year.

For your questions of data for best of year to kill animals, I am not know of any, but maybe someone else knows.

Matt

> I would like to know if there is
> any "data" that suggests
> the best timing of the season to
> slaughter the angus breed for the
> best cuts of meat. In other words,
> does the cold winter cause
> improved marbling or does the hot
> summer? Does the meat appear
> leaner in the spring or fall? This
> is the type of data I am looking
> for to help me determine which
> time of the season will produce
> the best cuts of meat after
> slaughter.



[email protected]

 

[Anonymous]

I've never heard anything about time of year affecting the meat quality, especially in today's age of climate controlled slaughter houses.

In the "olden days" you wouldn't want to butcher your beef in the summer because it's extremely hard to get the carcass cooled before it starts to sour, and of course there are the flies.

For my own backyard butchering, I prefer to butcher during the cool of late fall/early winter -- mainly because I can age the meat without using refrigeration.

Ann B

> I would like to know if there is
> any "data" that suggests
> the best timing of the season to
> slaughter the angus breed for the
> best cuts of meat. In other words,
> does the cold winter cause
> improved marbling or does the hot
> summer? Does the meat appear
> leaner in the spring or fall? This
> is the type of data I am looking
> for to help me determine which
> time of the season will produce
> the best cuts of meat after
> slaughter.



[email protected]

 

[Anonymous]

The best time to slaughter is while the animal is on the gain, developing mussel and storing fat. Before the animal starts to drop off and starts to burn fat and eventually mussel tissue. That's why some people finish there animals by feeding out some sort of grains. The best time of year would be in the late spring if you didn't want to entervene with supplemental feed. This way the animal would have time to fatten up on grasses and seed heads.

I put ten acers of oats in just for fattening up my steers. When the seed heads start to form and get milky I open the gate and let them in. Just one way of doing it.

>Rod

> I would like to know if there is
> any "data" that suggests
> the best timing of the season to
> slaughter the angus breed for the
> best cuts of meat. In other words,
> does the cold winter cause
> improved marbling or does the hot
> summer? Does the meat appear
> leaner in the spring or fall? This
> is the type of data I am looking
> for to help me determine which
> time of the season will produce
> the best cuts of meat after
> slaughter.

 

[Anonymous]

> I would like to know if there is
> any "data" that suggests
> the best timing of the season to
> slaughter the angus breed for the
> best cuts of meat. In other words,
> does the cold winter cause
> improved marbling or does the hot
> summer? Does the meat appear
> leaner in the spring or fall? This
> is the type of data I am looking
> for to help me determine which
> time of the season will produce
> the best cuts of meat after
> slaughter.

Another thought is fair time alot of animals go to slaughter at that time. That is arround Sept.I wouldn't want to send my animal in at that time.There to full and one problem that creeps up on the slaughter house is all these animals are going in and the cold room looses the cold. Once that happens there not happy to open the room up again because of souring carcases.Up where I live the winter is to cold and not good timming. The trucks freeze up so the killer isn't happy to come out at that time,Also the animal. Fall after fly season is best for the family animal and it helps with the smell and waste will be covered with snow soon.I think that trying to finish over winter and be ready by spring would be hard as you put out a lot of feedto keep condition, and extra to finish.Unless you kept in a barn. Just a thought Cindy

[email protected]

 

[Anonymous]

> Another thought is fair time alot
> of animals go to slaughter at that
> time. That is arround Sept.I
> wouldn't want to send my animal in
> at that time.There to full and one
> problem that creeps up on the
> slaughter house is all these
> animals are going in and the cold
> room looses the cold. Once that
> happens there not happy to open
> the room up again because of
> souring carcases.Up where I live
> the winter is to cold and not good
> timming. The trucks freeze up so
> the killer isn't happy to come out
> at that time,Also the animal. Fall
> after fly season is best for the
> family animal and it helps with
> the smell and waste will be
> covered with snow soon.I think
> that trying to finish over winter
> and be ready by spring would be
> hard as you put out a lot of
> feedto keep condition, and extra
> to finish.Unless you kept in a
> barn. Just a thought Cindy

The time of year to slaughter is an interesting question. I moved from Texas to Wisconsin in '98 and I was suprised how much better the beef and pork tasted here. Since most beef produced anywhere is fed corn I though that maybe the extream cold (Jan and Feb subfreesing) may have something to do with it. I don't know! Interesting question.



[email protected]

 

[Anonymous]

> The time of year to slaughter is
> an interesting question. I moved
> from Texas to Wisconsin in '98 and
> I was suprised how much better the
> beef and pork tasted here. Since
> most beef produced anywhere is fed
> corn I though that maybe the
> extream cold (Jan and Feb
> subfreesing) may have something to
> do with it. I don't know!
> Interesting question. I agree!!! I also wonder about water that is something no one thinks about.I have been in areas I wouldn't drink the water parts of calif. for instance. Same in parts of Idaho, The water we have is glacier fed and the mean temp is 34o Really good water!!! That is a very importaint part of raising cattle. You know water dose flavor the meat.. Something to think about... Cindy

[email protected]

 

[Anonymous]

> The time of year to slaughter is
> an interesting question. I moved
> from Texas to Wisconsin in '98 and
> I was suprised how much better the
> beef and pork tasted here. Since
> most beef produced anywhere is fed
> corn I though that maybe the
> extream cold (Jan and Feb
> subfreesing) may have something to
> do with it. I don't know!
> Interesting question. Yes, there is best time of the year for marbling and quality of the meat. In the summer, the cattle don't eat as much just because it's hot. Can't do anything about it here because that's the way it is. When they don't eat much, they aren't gaining much muscle and certainly aren't gaining as much intramuscular fat. When it is cooler, they eat more and therefore put on more fat. Time of year does have an influence. Also when grading a carcass, if you let an animal hang longer, it will generally grade better.

[email protected]