Bulk Pricing/FAQ | Kingbird Cattle

Beef Pricing

grass fed beef cattle quarter cow half cow bulk

Quarter Beef
(Split-Half)

$3.69/lb. Hanging Wt.

185 lbs. - 215 lbs. HW

Processing $120 - $140

Total $800 - $930

Yields 100 lbs. - 120 lbs. Cut Weight

Half Beef

$3.59/lb. Hanging Wt.

375 lbs. - 425 lbs. HW

Processing $245 - $275

Total $1590 - $1800

Yields 200 lbs. - 240 lbs. Cut Weight

Whole Beef

$3.39/lb. Hanging Wt.

750 lbs. - 850lbs. HW

Processing $490 - $550

Total $3030 - $3430

Yields 400 lbs. - 480 lbs. Cut Weight

Pork Pricing

Half Hog

$2.79/lb. Hanging Wt. + Processing

90 lbs. - 110 lbs. HW

Processing - $135 - $180

Total - $385 - $485

Yields 63 lbs. - 77 lbs. Cut Weight

Whole Hog

$2.59/lb. Hanging Wt. + Processing

180 lbs. - 220 lbs. HW.

Processing - $270 - $350

Total - $735 - $920

Yields 126 lbs. - 155 lbs. Cut Weight

Ordering Bulk Meat

1

Pick Your Product

Beef

Quarter (Split Half)
Half
Whole

Hog

Half
Whole

2

Pay Deposit

$150 Quarter Beef

$300 Half Beef

$600 Whole Beef

$100 Half Hog

$200 Whole Hog

3

Cutting Instructions

Kingbird Cattle will supply you with the butcher date and the butcher's contact info. About two weeks prior to your animal's butcher date, call the butcher to give cutting instructions.

4

Final Invoice

Kingbird Cattle will provide a final invoice for the remainder due after the butcher tells us what your animal's hanging weight is.

5

Pick Up

The butcher will call you when your meat is ready for pick up. This is usually 1-2 weeks after the butcher date. At pick up, you will pay the processing cost directly to butcher.

Cuts To Expect

Quarter Beef Example

Below is an example of a steer butchered in the Fall of 2022, this specific steer was larger than our average steers with each quarter's hanging weight coming in at 224 lbs. Remember, this is one example, not a guarantee. Cuts will vary depending on the cutting instructions you give the butcher as well as the size of the animal. In this case, the customer elected to have the entire round as ground beef instead of roasts or steaks. This customer also chose the bone-in option so they received Porterhouse and T-Bone as opposed to tenderloin fillets and New York Strip steaks.

66 lbs. Ground Beef

9 lbs. Stew Meat (Six 1.5 lb. Packages)

7 lbs. Ribeye Steaks, Bone-in (Seven Steaks)

6 lbs. Porterhouse (Four Steaks)

6 lbs. T-Bone (Five Steaks)

8 lbs. Sirloin Steak (Three Packages)

5 lbs. Sirloin Tip Roast (Two Packages)

3 lbs. Rump Roast (One Package)

5 lbs. Pot Roast (Two Packages)

11 lbs. Chuck Roast (Four Packages)

126 lbs. Total Cut Weight

Liver, Heart, Oxtail, Tongue, Soup Bones, and Suet can be added to any order. But keep in mind a cow only has one tongue, if more than one person asks for it, the butcher may take it upon themselves to evenly split the organ meats when it comes to quarter and half steer orders.

Whole Hog
Example

Below is an example of a whole hog butchered in the Fall of 2022. This pig hung at 228 lbs. Remember, this is one example, not a guarantee. Cuts will vary depending on the cutting instructions you give the butcher as well as the size of the animal. In this case, the customer elected to keep all the ground pork in bulk 1 lb. tubes as opposed to having a portion of the ground made into sausages/patties/etc. They also chose to only smoke half of the hams.

25 lbs. Ground Pork

24 lbs. Bacon

28 lbs. Chops, Bone-In

16 lbs. Steaks

20 lbs. Fresh Ham

18 lbs. Smoked Ham

17 lbs. Roasts

13 lbs. Hocks, Bone-In

161 lbs. Cut Weight

Liver, Heart, Tongue, Neck Bones, and Lard available with all orders. As with the beef, the butcher may divide the organ meats for half hog orders.

Why is bulk meat sold by the hanging weight?

Selling by the hanging weight controls for variability that occurs when people customize their orders. All customers pay the same price whether they choose to leave bones in, take bones out, or grind large portions of cuts. It also gives you, the consumer, control over the processing so you're not stuck with the farmer's preferences.
How can I buy if I don't live near your farm or one of your drop off locations? Do you ship?

We make every effort to get product to our customers no matter where they live, so please reach out to us. We make trips around the state or we may even have an existing customer who lives just down the road from you! Chances are they'd be willing to drop off your product for a little gas money. And if there is sufficient demand from an area, we may just add it to our routine drop off schedule. Unfortunately at this time we do not ship, we find it too cost-prohibitive. If you're that far away that shipping would be the only option, we encourage you to seek out a local farm nearby, they would be happy to have your business.
What is the difference between Live, Hanging, and Cut Weight?

Live Weight is pretty obvious, this is the weight of the animal while it's alive, sometimes referred to as "on-the-hoof." Hanging Weight refers to the weight of animal as it hangs on the rail at the meat locker after the head, hooves, organs, hide etc. are removed. Sometimes referred to as the "carcass weight." We'll commonly use phrases like: "Your half hung at 400 lbs." Cut Weight is the actual amount of product you will receive to put in your freezer after excess fat and bone are removed. This amount is roughly 60% of the hanging weight for beef, and slightly higher for hogs. Sometimes referred to as "take-home" or "finished" weight.
How much freezer space do I need?

A good start is about 1 cu. ft for every 35 lbs of meat minimum. But there are a few things to take into consideration. First, upright freezers usually are slightly less efficient than chest-style freezers. And second, if the meat is packed into a freezer extremely tight, it's more difficult to access products that are buried. I recommend 10-12 cu.ft for half a cow. For easy comparison, a half hog is similar to a quarter beef.
How is the meat packaged?

The meat will come double-wrapped in butcher paper, and frozen solid, ready for your freezer.
What are cutting instructions?

Cutting instructions are the directions you give the butcher that tell them how you want your meat processed. They will ask questions such as: how thick would you like your steaks? How many steaks per package? Would you like any of the ground as pre-made patties? For pork they will ask about smoking certain cuts and what you'd like to have done with the ground. Remember, smoking and making sausage add to the overall processing cost. The butcher will need this information before the can process your meat. Please feel free to reach out to your farmer if you have questions regarding cutting instructions.