Buying animals for meat

[EFmom]

We are considering trying to buy half (or a quarter) of a naturally raised cow or pig to save money.  I've never done this.  Does anybody know if it is something that can only be done at a certain time of year or is there month when it tends to be cheaper?

[freestylemama]

I think it probably depends on where you live.  Where I am (in the Northern US), animals are usually butchered in the fall or late summer.  We bought 1/4 of a cow last year and it was a wonderful investment.  I highly recommend it!

[Alyantavid]

Buying a 1/2 or 1/4 of an animal is typically much cheaper.  Fall is typically when animals are ready to butcher (or because the owner doesn't want to feed them all winter if you live in a snowy area).  But it varies so much because alot of farmers will have animals ready year round since people want them. 

You could check here or here and see if there are certain times of the year when farmers have meat to sell.  I see alot of ads on craigslist for grassfed beef. 

[Caneel]

Originally Posted by Alyantavid 

Buying a 1/2 or 1/4 of an animal is typically much cheaper.  Fall is typically when animals are ready to butcher (or because the owner doesn't want to feed them all winter if you live in a snowy area).  But it varies so much because alot of farmers will have animals ready year round since people want them. 

I live in the northeast and fall is the big beef time.  

OP - a local butcher shop is a good place to start the process.  We buy halves directly from the farmer but I know our local butcher offers all sorts of "packs" with an assortment of cuts.   The butcher should also be able to direct you to a source for quarters and halves if you have specific requirements like organic, grass-fed, etc.

The first time we got a half, I was really surprised by how much ground beef and how few steaks came from the half.  It didn't bother me and it actually motivated me to learn to use ground beef in many different ways but I mention it because my husband thought we would have a freezer full of steaks. 

We get a half of a hog twice a year, typically June and November (I think). 

Buying meat this way has completely changed the way I cook, for the better.

[HollyBearsMom]

We are in New England and Fall is the way to go. That is when we get beef and venison.

[Agatha_Ann]

We are ranchers and we sell in the spring and again in the fall. The other thing you can do is let the butcher (or processer) know you are interested in case something comes up. For example we had a heifer break her back in February, so DH butchered her and we took half and a person who had contacted the processer bought the other half. So while fall is the normal time, there are circumstances year round that open up the possibility for getting an animal.

[Chicky2]

You can get smaller animals and birds sometimes easier year-round than you can the bigger animals.  Like meat rabbits (all white meat!)--we have them all winter, spring, and sometimes fall. Chickens, guineas, ducks can sometimes be gotten easier at "off" times.  Call around, check Craigslist (post, even), check w/butchers, check w/small farmers.

[Peony]

I agree with fall as being the big time for many farms. I'd also check on when your county fair is, our's is in early August and it is very easy to get half a cow or pig then because most of the animals raised are butchered the week after. Some here are raised naturally, others aren't but you can bid/buy your animal of choice.