On the 23rd, I saw a Facebook post from a like-minded family farmer - a bottle-fed calf had died, and they didn't want it to go to waste, so they offered the calf to someone that feeds their dog raw. I was fortunate enough to get the calf.
I had only processed chickens and rabbits, so although I was very excited for this new learning opportunity (and the wealth of meat and bones in the freezer for Loki), I was a little intimidated by the project before me. I did a Google search for videos of "how to butcher a calf", and although the results were not exactly what I was looking for (full sized cows, or already parted out veal calf), it was enough to show me that I could essentially treat it like a really really big rabbit.
Then I made my next cut at the back of the legs, starting at the "bracelet", and moving straight up the back of the legs, using my knife to separate skin from leg as I went.
I removed the legs next. The front legs were surprisingly easy to remove at the shoulder - not much connecting them except muscle, which was easily cut through. The hind legs were simple as well, and all I had to do was cut right around the hip joint to remove them.
Since each leg will be a full meal for Loki, I bagged each individually, not wanting them all to freeze together.
The head was much more difficult to remove. There's a lot of muscle, and the spine was heavy and strong, so it took some doing to get it removed, but I did get it done. I bagged it for the freezer, then prepared for the next step: gutting.
Here's what I ended up with - a good 50# of bagged and freezer-ready meat and bones for Loki.
The last challenge in this project: fitting it all in the freezer...
Thank you, Becky, for gifting me with this calf - this will go a very long way in continuing to feed Loki a wholesome prey model raw diet.