Being a fred in a shed.

[Leec6.5]

As I’ve said before many times, I have just spent the best part of 6-7 hours skinning, butchering a lowland hind into presentable packs for one of my land owners!

Again any of you lads who claim to be making money really need to sit down and re- do your costings because there is no money in it thats for sure!

 

[DaveW1]

My butcher only charges £30 to butcher and vacpack a lowland red (Stag or Hind), £20 for a fallow so its a long time since i have even butchered one for my own freezer.

 

[Leec6.5]

My butcher only charges £30 to butcher and vacpack a lowland red (Stag or Hind), £20 for a fallow so its a long time since i have even butchered one for my own freezer.

If he’s in Norfolk give me his contact details he can have as many red deer at that price to cut up as he likes!

 

[Overlay]

My butcher only charges £30 to butcher and vacpack a lowland red (Stag or Hind), £20 for a fallow so its a long time since i have even butchered one for my own freezer.

blimey Your a lucky man, hope you give him a decent drink at Xmas

 

[Primate]

I shot 4 reds on Monday morning at 7.30am dropped off at the abattoir at 9am in work for 9.30am. Total weight was 224kg @ £2.10 perkg =£470.40 nice for a couple of hours work. My butcher charges me £80 to butcher and vac pac a red, wouldn't entertain doing it myself ever again!

 

[VSS]

As I’ve said before many times, I have just spent the best part of 6-7 hours skinning, butchering a lowland hind into presentable packs for one of my land owners!

Again any of you lads who claim to be making money really need to sit down and re- do your costings because there is no money in it thats for sure!

Last time I posted something like that there were plenty of responses from people who said that the whole job only takes them an hour or so.
I guess anyone can skin and cut up a deer into oven sized lumps in an hour or so, but it's the making presentable (and adding value) that takes the time.

 

[Leec6.5]

I have another 2 to do i know one thing, I’ll never butcher a red deer EVER AGAIN!

 

[VSS]

I have another 2 to do i know one thing, I’ll never butcher a red deer EVER AGAIN!

The last red hind I did took me all day, but it did end up with a retail value of £480, so not too bad.

 

[Pickles]

My butcher only charges £30 to butcher and vacpack a lowland red (Stag or Hind), £20 for a fallow so its a long time since i have even butchered one for my own freezer.

£25 for fallow down here. I have to say it's the best £25 you can spend! Like you say it comes back vac packed and bagged ready for freezing. Even have a few sausages for a few extra £.
I came to the decision long ago that for that money, they really aren't worth doing yourself!

 

[Leec6.5]

Last time I posted something like that there were plenty of responses from people who said that the whole job only takes them an hour or so.
I guess anyone can skin and cut up a deer into oven sized lumps in an hour or so, but it's the making presentable (and adding value) that takes the time.

I have just weighed the total meat going to my farmer, all premium cuts, no shoulder meat what so ever, and the 2 haunches and the loins came to 18kg.

Thats a lot of work to make that butcher grade presentable

 

[Leec6.5]

The last red hind I did took me all day, but it did end up with a retail value of £480, so not too bad.

Taking in consideration a days wage, packaging costs, waste disposal etc How much of that was profit

 

[25 Sharps]

Are all These butchery prices including skinning or do you have to skin yourself?

 

[25 Sharps]

Taking in consideration a days wage, packaging costs, waste disposal etc How much of that was profit

Why discount the day’s wage? Most people go to work to earn a day’s wage, without making profit on top.

 

[Leec6.5]

Why discount the day’s wage? Most people go to work to earn a day’s wage, without making profit on top.

The way i see it is this-

Do you work for nothing?

I don’t that’s for certain, so therefore if I was running a food business everything is costed including a wage, if you are not charging an hourly rate for your work into your product you’re losing money.

With red deer for example for me to get a knife out of the drawer it owes me £15 an hour, that’s plus waste disposal packaging costs time on the computer finding customers local delivery answering the phone, larder running costs , larder cleaning costs and the list goes on!

You don’t factor in all of those costs into your business you are on a hiding for nothing.

These 3 reds i am cutting up on my time for nothing as i was let down buy a local dealer who was supposed to collect then 10 days ago!

 

[VSS]

You don’t factor in all of those costs into your business you are on a hiding for nothing.

I have always based my business decisions on how much enjoyment I'll get out of doing something, not how much money I'll make. Which is why, understandably, I've never earned anything like what would be considered a "minimum wage", but I've had a thoroughly good time throughout my life so far.
I hope that my venison sales generate a profit, but provided that they at least break even then all's good with me. I'm enjoying my stalking, and I'm enjoying having my own herd of deer, and I'm enjoying developing my butchery skills. That's worth a lot.

 

[North Cornwall Deer]

The last red I paid to cut up cost me £100 and came back as a selection of steaks, burgers and sausages. It would have taken me the best part of a day. When you watch a skilled butcher at work it doesn’t take them long, however I’m happy to pay for their skill and experience. The only time I cut anything up these days if it’s a salvage option for something shot badly

 

[Alantoo]

As I’ve said before many times, I have just spent the best part of 6-7 hours skinning, butchering a lowland hind into presentable packs for one of my land owners!

The last red hind I did took me all day, but it did end up with a retail value of £480, so not too bad.

Thank heaven for that...I am so relieved. I was getting so despondent that it was taking me an age to do it to the standard I wanted...my retired butcher friend makes them look better than me and takes a fraction of the time, for a bottle of malt....but "'er indoors" prefers my version as there is less work for her to do....

Alan

 

[JTO]

When you watch a skilled butcher at work it doesn’t take them long,

Just about sums it up.

 

[llwynog]

I'm assuming the prices you're talking about are skinned, or is your butcher doing that as well?

 

[VSS]

Just about sums it up.

Yep, a good butcher is an artist well worth watching.
However, I doubt even a good butcher is going to faff around salvaging what they can from a shot damaged shoulder, for example. Most likely bin it, if they're only charging thirty quid for doing the whole job.
A stalker who does his own butchery may take longer, but probably gets a better yield of saleable meat, by minimising waste. I've spent the day butchering a fallow doe, shot through the shoulders. Most of my time was spent on the shoulders. It would have been oh, so easy, to have binned them! But I didn't, and, while the resulting meat was no good for dice it's made lovely mince (OK, so a 270 bullet does a pretty good job of making mince anyway!) which I can add further value to by turning it into burgers.