Have you been wondering what the deal is with homekill? With plenty of people flocking into Rodney for a little piece of lifestyle block paradise, we thought it was time for a quick (read: not so quick) breakdown on the homekill process.
The Booking Process
Before we can supply you with a date for the slaughter, we need to know:
- Your name
- Contact information – phone numbers and email address
- Physical Address of the animal/s
- Type of Animal/s and how many (exact number please)
Once we have this information we can consult with one of our slaughtermen to find a good time to slot you in.
If, for some reason or another, you would like to keep any of the Offal (inside bits like liver, heart etc) we need to know in advance otherwise we assume you want us to dispose of it 🙂
If you have sheep for slaughter, it is important to ensure they are free of dags (excessively matted or manure-coated wool around the rear end) otherwise the slaughterman might throw on an extra charge.
‘D-Day’
A day or so before the booking, our slaughtermen will text or call you with an estimated time of arrival. NB: We work with both Terry and Bernie Paton from Kaipara Homekill Services and Taymoor Alkamil from Auckland Homekill.
‘D-Day’ checklist:
- Find a place to PEN UP the animal/s close to flat, firm ground for the truck to park on.
- Let any close neighbours know there will be gunshots.
- PEN UP the animal/s the night before or at least 2 hrs before the slaughterman arrives.
- If your animal/s come to hay or feed, leave some near the penned area.
- Dig a large hole if you are disposing of the Offal yourself.
- Complete and submit your cutting form on our website.
The slaughtermen accept cash or online payments.
You do not have to be home while the slaughterman is there but in case of any problems it’s a good idea to have your phone available.
The slaughtermen ensure there is as little stress as possible for the animals with a direct shot to the head. He does the rest of his work leaving very minimal mess behind – just a little blood on the ground. Lastly, he hangs the animals in his truck and attaches an identification tag to each, ready for delivery to our factory.
Butchering Process
It’s all about the hang time for beef. Letting beef hang in a refrigerator helps with tenderness and tastiness! For Beef we guarantee a minimum of 7 days hang time and up to 14 days.
For Lamb/Pork we hang for a minimum of 12 hours. Unlike Beef they do not benefit from ageing and cannot be hung for more than 4 days.
Typically the butcher breaks down and slices the meat Monday – Wednesday, Wednesday – Friday are the days he will usually make Corned Silverside/Sausages/Salami etc. Identification tags follow your meat through every process – even in the smoke house and inside the brine tub!
Most homekill meat is tightly wrapped in industrial strength plastic wrap (like heavy duty Glad Wrap). On request we can vacuum pack your meat. Besides from looking great and ease of stacking in the freezer, vacuum packing your meat will help it keep in the freezer for longer – up to a year, assuming no damage. The vacuum bags are also a thicker plastic which means they are less prone to being damaged from being knocked around while your rummaging through your meat supplies.
Once we have finished processing and packing your meat we freeze it so you can collect at your next convenience (within a couple of weeks unless otherwise advised). Sometimes, customers prefer their meat fresh. If you let us know well in advance we can do this for you but it does need to be picked up the day we finish packing.
When your meat is ready for collection, we’ll give you a call to let you know.
And that’s all there is to it! We have such an awesome, dedicated team who put a lot of effort and care into their work. We really try our hardest to present you with the best possible meat from your well looked-after animals. We hope it shows in the final product 🙂
If you have any questions about homekill, don’t hesitate to send us a message, here, or give us a call on 09 420 9999.
A final note: Homekill meat cannot be bought and sold in New Zealand so we cannot process meat for you to sell or sell you homekill meat. We can get a slaughterman out to you, hang, butcher and package your meat for your consumption, your immediate family’s consumption and anyone else who has been actively involved in the animals’ life for the 28days prior to the slaughter (e.g. a farm hand). Check out the MPI website, here, if you would like further information on this topic.
