Rules for slaughtering livestock in the Russian Federation

Preparation for slaughter

Preparation begins not with the animal, but with the performer. Slaughtering a cow, especially at home, is an unpleasant and difficult task. People with weak psyches are not recommended to slaughter a cow with their own hands. It is best to trust the professionals. There are numerous meat processing plants and factories where you can deliver a prepared bull for slaughter and cutting. This, as well as the subsequent processing of the skin, can bring more profit than selling it yourself.

Veterinarian's permission

If the cow is slaughtered at home, then, first of all, you need to contact a veterinarian for the appropriate permission. It will be issued after a detailed examination of the animal, which will demonstrate the presence or absence of diseases.

Also, in order to enjoy beef, you must provide information about all vaccinations. This is intended to prevent the owner from killing a sick animal and then selling its meat contents. Here the presence of a stigma will come to the aid of doctors. A similar designation on a bull helps the veterinary service:

• Monitor dangerous diseases using an internal database;
• Ensure clean meat products reach the market.

Cow preparation

One day before slaughter, you should refuse to provide the cow with food. There are no restrictions on drinking, because it is necessary to cleanse the digestive tract of food debris. This element is called pre-slaughter. The presence of semi-digested feed in the stomach or intestines before slaughter can lead to complications during skinning and cutting of the carcass.

In addition, there is a possibility of contamination of meat tenderloin with the filling of internal organs. Other preparations for slaughter should take place away from animals. Often domestic bulls sense a person’s mood, so they begin to resist. In this case, you should avoid prodding, kicking, pushing and handling the cows calmly. Harmful substances released by the cow during stress must not be allowed to enter the blood from the heart. A balanced mental state of the animal is called a prerequisite for high-quality slaughter.

Requirements for slaughter cattle

Not every cow is allowed to be killed, especially at home. This is primarily due to the possibility of infection and spread of dangerous infectious and other pathologies. Therefore, before slaughter, it is imperative that cattle are examined by a veterinarian, thermometry is carried out, and clinically sick and suspicious cows are excluded from the slaughter batch.

For the purpose of obtaining meat, it is prohibited to slaughter cows with the following diseases:

• clinical form of anthrax or suspicion of it;
• rabies;
• emphysematous carbuncle;
• catarrhal fever;
• tetanus;
• plague;
• malignant edema.

Cattle with such pathologies are subjected to treatment, or if it is absent or ineffective, forced slaughter is carried out with subsequent disposal of the corpse. This procedure is prohibited on farms or in private households and should only be carried out under the supervision of veterinary specialists in sanitary slaughterhouses.

Temporary restrictions on cattle slaughter:

• under 2 weeks of age – unripe meat;
• anthrax vaccination – 2 weeks;
• FMD vaccination – 3 weeks;
• after treatment with antibacterial drugs - taking into account the timing of accumulation of substances in meat and their removal from the body;
• after treatment with pesticides, antiparasitic agents – up to 1 month.

Slaughter process

Having understood how to properly prepare a bull for slaughter, you should learn some recommendations on the slaughter process itself, so that this will help bring less suffering to the livestock and complications for yourself.

The animal's horns are attached to supports so that the head is well fixed. A sharp, deafening blow is applied to the frontal part with a heavy object in the form of a sledgehammer (weighing at least 2 kg) or a stun gun is used. While the cattle is unconscious, it must be quickly slaughtered. Therefore, the lower part of the bull’s throat is immediately opened with a cross-section of a sharp knife, damaging all the vessels. To drain the blood, prepare a deep container in advance. After the animal is slaughtered, complete bleeding occurs within ten minutes. This method can also be used to slaughter cows.

Using a stun gun

The use of a stun gun in slaughtering livestock began relatively recently, but this method has already gained popularity in small households. The humaneness and ease of the process simplifies the procedure for slaughtering cattle. The stun gun stuns the bull for some time, during which time you need to kill the animal. The advantage is that not everyone is able to deliver an accurate and heavy blow with a sledgehammer; a person can miss, cause unnecessary pain to the bull, or even kill it. To prevent such a situation, they began to use a stun gun. But you need to know that if you give an extra discharge of current, the animal’s blood may begin to clot, which will spoil the quality of the meat. The device should be placed behind the ear, where the sensitive part of the body is located. The stun gun is used not only to slaughter bulls, but also to slaughter pigs and even chickens.

Pistol Stun

We have already said that slaughtering a cow is an unpleasant process. To make the work easier for yourself and reduce stress for the animal, the cow is stunned using a pneumatic gun. Pneumatics can be used both in slaughterhouses and on private farms - they do not require special permission.

The advantage of stunning is that the animal does not feel pain, does not twitch, or harm itself or the person carrying out the slaughter. A blow from an air pistol should be aimed strictly at the head, which will immobilize the cattle for 10 minutes.

This time is enough for the blood to leave the animal’s body painlessly. Gun stunning reduces stress in animals, reduces the risk of harmful substances from the blood getting into the meat and makes the product less bloody, which is especially valued on the market.

Veterinary technique

This technique involves the use of specialized medications that are administered by injection. This leads to the immobilization of cattle for a certain amount of time, during which it is necessary to proceed directly to bleeding and cutting up the carcass.

The use of this technique is accompanied by increased risks during the bleeding procedure. This is due to the ambiguous reaction of each individual individual to the administered drug. In this regard, it is necessary to take additional safety measures when carrying out work. Also, the introduced drug negatively affects the taste of meat products.

Slaughter in a slaughterhouse

In industry, cows are slaughtered on special conveyors. Not only slaughter is carried out there, but also carcasses are cut up.

After the cow is delivered to the place, she is unloaded into the stall. Next, the veterinarian examines the animal if there has not been an examination before. In addition, the cattle in the pen are kept on a diet to empty their intestines and stomach.

At the next stage, the cattle are transferred to the slaughterhouse. First I stun the carcass with a pistol, and then I fix it by the pelvic part, after which it is killed:

1. Bleeding occurs;
2. Then the head and some parts of the limbs are cut off;
3. The skin is removed;
4. The rectum is removed;
5. The belly is cut open and the organs are removed;
6. Next, the carcass is cut and sent for cutting.

Sometimes slaughter technology differs in different factories. But in any slaughterhouse, all equipment between animals is disinfected and processed.

Carcass processing

Before cutting, you need to make sure that all the blood is drained. How long does this last? Typically, these processes are short and take place in ten minutes. After this, you can begin cutting up the cow's body.

Skinning

Butchering a bull or cow begins with removing the skin. First, the ears are cut off, and the skin near the nostrils and lips is cut using a ring-shaped method. The incision then continues from the right nostril to the right horn. From there it is applied to the forehead. Under the horn, a good guide is the notch left after trimming the ear. A circular cut is made at the base of the horns. When part of the head has been cut, the incision is made to the middle of the lower lip, removing the last sections of skin. To simplify the procedure, you can turn the carcass on its back. Afterwards, the head is separated and the skin is cut according to the following scheme: from the sternum and belly, peeling off the ribs, all the way to the anus.

The legs are separated along the line of the wrist joints. The incision is made along the inside, connecting with previously made cuts just above the place where the hoof is located. In this case, damage to the tendons should be avoided. Painstaking and careful work with the limbs of cattle will eliminate problems with hanging. Afterwards, the cover is removed from the chest (in the area of ​​the ribs), the lower part of the neck, and the incision is directed to the groin. You can’t rush to remove it here, because the skin is delicate. The cuts are made with the whole blade after tension by hand. Muscles appear between the ribs. Even the skin of a dairy calf is removed in this manner.

Skin dressing

For dressing, the skin of the bull is removed from the back using both hands. A clean skin for dressing is folded in half along the length of the spine, leaving the wool on the outside.

It is necessary to immediately remove meat parts and remaining fat. The skin is left to cool for a couple of hours, after which it is salted. In order to tan the skin, you need to wait three to seven days so that it is completely dry. Then you can take it to a procurement point or make it yourself. This material is often used in the leather or fur industry.

For example, the skin of a newborn calf is highly durable and has a smooth surface. Using embossed molds, you can even imitate crocodile skin! Cured calf skin can also be used for other types of this material, for example, nappa or velor.

Removing the entrails

After removing the skins, they begin to extract the entrails. First, the internal organs of the cow are removed from the chest cavity, then from the abdominal cavity. This operation should be carried out no more than an hour after slaughter, so that microorganisms living in the intestines do not get into the meat tenderloin. The insides are laid out separately. The cow's heart along with its lungs is placed in a sterile container intended for internal organs. In this case, the diaphragm is cut off at the ribs themselves. Next comes the extraction of the liver and gall bladder.

Carcass cutting

The carcass is always cut with continuous movements across the grain. It all starts near the 13th and 14th vertebrae - the line between them is cut in half. Then all parts are cleaned of meat, bones, fat, tendons, films, and fibers. After deboning and stripping the neck, the cow's meat is cut into pieces. In this case, it is necessary to remove the blade. The ribs are scraped out partially or completely. This choice of cleaning ribs depends on the type of meat. During boning of the back of the spine, bones are removed. Then come the top parts, drumstick, brisket and lastly the meat cut from the shoulder bone.

Veterinarian's opinion

After the operations have been performed, the carcass is examined by a veterinarian. If he does not detect the presence of pathologies, then cutting is carried out along the entire length of the ridge. At the exit, the carcass is transported to the refrigerator for 24 hours to dry and cut between the ribs into quarters.

Now the question is “How to slaughter a bull or a cow?” doesn't seem difficult. All you need for this is a hammer, coordination and a strong psyche. The slaughter technology was examined in detail, which will help avoid mistakes during slaughter and dressing. A correctly carried out procedure will ensure maximum meat yield. Now, homemade veal and beef is not something fantastic.



Providing the consumer basket with meat products directly depends on the slaughter and processing of cattle. Delicious beef and veal dishes are largely thanks to livestock breeders who know how to properly slaughter bulls and cows.

Skinning

The first step in butchering cattle is skinning. First, the ears are cut off, then the skin around the lips and nostrils is cut in a ring. The incision is made from the right nostril to the right horn and along the forehead. The notch left by ear trimming near the horn becomes a good guide. Circular cuts are made at the base of the horns. After cutting the head of the carcass, the cut is continued to the lower lip, removing the last pieces of skin. You can make the task easier by turning the carcass on its back. After separating the head, the skin is cut in the following way: from the stomach and sternum, removing from the ribs, and to the anus.

The limbs are separated along the line of the wrist joints. The incision is made along the inside of the legs and connects with other incisions just above the hoof. To avoid problems when hanging the carcass, try not to damage the tendons. Afterwards, the skin is removed from the lower part of the neck and chest, and the cut is continued to the groin. Since the skin there is thin, there is no rush to remove it. All cuts are made only after the skin has been stretched. The ribs located between the muscles are carefully cut through. A similar technique is used when skinning dairy calves.

Division into varieties

Every experienced housewife knows that there are different types of beef. But as practice shows, for some reason most people are sure that the division into grades refers to the degree of freshness of cow meat.

In reality, the grade only tells you what part of the carcass the flesh is cut from. The type of beef has nothing to do with the freshness of these parts. There are 3 grades in total - the highest, first and second. So that you do not make a mistake when choosing, we have prepared a short list:

• The back flesh near the ridge is the highest grade;
• Brisket – premium quality;
• Sirloin and sirloin – premium quality;
• Rump and rump are the highest grade;
• Scapular and subscapular parts – 1st grade;
• Neck and flank – 1 grade;
• Front and hind shanks – 2nd grade;
• Cut - 2nd grade.

The type of beef is, of course, an important, but not the primary factor when choosing. First, remember - calves are always better than adult bulls or cows. The meat of calves is pink and soft. A grade 1 shoulder or neck from a calf will almost certainly be much tastier than the back or breastbone of an old cow, although technically they are of the highest grade. And secondly, it is better to take your own meat for each dish, and we will talk about this later.

Optimal time for slaughter

Bulls are routinely slaughtered in the first year of life due to daily weight gain without the need for generous complementary feeding. For every kilogram that appears at this age, much less feed is required. Calves born in the spring are not slaughtered, since feeding on summer vegetation allows them to gain weight, and the meat obtained in the fall is more nutritious and healthy.

Castration of first-year children during intensive fattening is not resorted to. Without this surgery, cattle gain weight faster. Upon exit, the original carcass has a high level of quality.

Slaughter process

The slaughter of cattle is usually carried out by specialized enterprises. In most cases, cows are transported by various means directly to the slaughter site. After they arrive at the enterprise, a certain list of activities is carried out.

Initially, it is necessary to restore the physical performance of livestock. To do this, he is given 2 to 3 days to recover. In parallel, work is underway to sort livestock, including conducting a veterinary and sanitary examination. While waiting for slaughter, cattle are put into starvation mode. And immediately before the slaughter, approximately 2-3 hours, the supply of drink stops.

The slaughter procedure consists of the following steps:

The individual is stunned using one of the previously mentioned methods. The next stage is the implementation of measures to bleed the carcass. Subsequently, the skin is removed

This procedure must be performed with extreme caution. Removing the skin containing elements of the fat layer and meat fibers is accompanied by a decrease in commercial quality

At the same time, damaged muscle fibers contribute to the introduction of various microorganisms, which lead to rapid spoilage of meat. The final stage is gutting. In this case, the internal organs are removed, and the carcass is cut into separate parts, depending on the total mass. In this case, this procedure should be carried out no later than 45 minutes after the animal is bled. For the convenience of carrying out all necessary operations, the carcass is suspended at a certain height.

The final quality of the product, as well as the overall percentage of meat obtained, depends on the correct observance of all stages of slaughter.

Construction of a slaughterhouse

On an industrial scale, cattle slaughter occurs in conveyor slaughterhouses. These are conveyor-type productions - from animal slaughter to cutting.

After transportation, the cattle are unloaded into stalls. If a veterinary examination has not been carried out previously, it is carried out in this pen. Cows can also be kept in the stall on a starvation diet.

The next stage is the transfer of livestock to the slaughterhouse. Large bulls are secured in a pen one at a time, where the operator stuns the animal with an air pistol. Next, the cattle are fixed by the pelvic limb with a chain to the conveyor and, after determining the live weight, the carcass is subjected to step-by-step processing:

1. bleeding;
2. separation of the head and distal limbs;
3. skinning;
4. rectal department;
5. opening cavities and removing entrails;
6. cutting up carcasses.

The technology of slaughter and subsequent processing of bull carcasses in industrial slaughterhouses is characterized by a high degree of process automation and careful compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards. All equipment and inventory are sanitized during breaks between contacts with meat, the staff sanitizes their hands and goes through disinfection barriers.

Mini-slaughterhouses for cattle are set up similarly. The slaughterhouses we produce for 2-50 heads are equipped with a place for slaughter, a small conveyor on which bleeding and subsequent processing of the carcass is carried out. Depending on the configuration, the meat processing plant can be additionally equipped with refrigeration equipment and a primary meat processing workshop.

Methods and methods of cow slaughter

There are several ways to kill cattle. In slaughterhouses they use a special stun gun, and in private households they use hunting weapons, or by cutting the carotid arteries.

Preparatory stage

Cattle must be kept on a fasting diet for 12-24 hours before slaughter. At this time, feeding is completely excluded, and watering is not limited. Fasting a cow is necessary for the most complete bowel movement of the digestive tract in order to facilitate subsequent cutting and prevent the contamination of the carcass with pathogenic microorganisms. Prolonged fasting (over 24 hours) leads to serious exhaustion and weakening of the animal - cows lose meat yield. But pre-slaughter dehydration is even more harmful - it leads to difficulty in skinning and a decrease in muscle moisture and overall weight.

Immediately before killing, cattle are washed. This also helps prevent microflora and dirt from getting on the meat. Afterwards, the livestock is examined by a doctor or veterinary assistant. Temperature measurements are required and accompanying documentation is examined.

Slaughter with preliminary stunning

Stunning cattle allows you to reduce stress in the animal, improve bleeding, and also improves worker safety. To induce a coma, carbon dioxide, electricity, pneumatic or conventional blows to the forehead are used. Stunning allows you to immobilize the bull, while maintaining cardiac activity, which improves subsequent bleeding.

The most common, accessible and practical method is the use of electric current. A bull for slaughter is driven into a box, its chest limbs stand on a grounded stand, and the workshop operator pierces the skin on the animal’s neck with an electrode. Full immobilization time:

• 8-10 seconds for calves;
• more than 10 seconds for bulls and cows.

The method of immobilization with a hammer blow is used much less frequently. To perform Rausch anesthesia, you need a wooden hammer weighing up to 2 kg and a long handle (about 1 m). The diameter of the hammer is at least 10 cm, the striking edge is convex. Do not use metal, narrower or pointed hammers - they can easily break the skull. The blow is applied above the eyes to the frontal lobe.

It is important to clearly calculate the force of the blow, otherwise you can either damage the brain or insufficient anesthesia. The cattle are secured in the pen, it is important to secure the head firmly by the horns and neck

An incorrect blow worsens bleeding and brings suffering to the animal. A number of slaughterhouses use pneumatic hammers. They allow you to adjust the impact

The cattle are secured in the pen; it is important to firmly secure the head by the horns and neck. An incorrect blow worsens bleeding and brings suffering to the animal.

A number of slaughterhouses use pneumatic hammers. They allow you to adjust the blow.

The use of carbon dioxide, medications and other methods is not widely used in the practice of slaughtering cattle. Sometimes a 70% mixture of carbon dioxide and air is used to put the cow into a comatose state.

Methods without preliminary stunning

They are used for door-to-door slaughter when anesthesia is not possible. Disadvantages of this method:

• poor bleeding and large blood losses without the possibility of subsequent commercial use;
• animal anxiety;
• injuries to personnel;
• deterioration of meat quality.

Slaughter of livestock by bleeding is still practiced in private farmsteads. It is also used for ritual purposes in a number of religious sects, where it is considered the only true one. To perform it, it is necessary to cut the cervical blood vessels. The blow is delivered behind the lower jaw below the spine. Usually the carotid artery is pierced, and after bleeding the trachea and esophagus are cut. An even more painful method is to cut the neck along the branches of the lower jaw to the spine. The animal behaves restlessly, collecting blood is difficult, and there is a great danger for humans, especially when slaughtering a large bull.

Also, home slaughter uses a technique similar to the use of an air gun in a slaughterhouse. The slaughter of a bull is carried out by a shot from a gun. You need to aim 5-8 cm above the eyes (the point of intersection of the lines from the horn to the opposite eye). If the bullet enters lower, it can pass without hitting the brain. In addition to the fact that the method requires the use of an additional tool, the main problem is the difficulty of bleeding - it occurs after cardiac arrest and the meat can be filled with blood.

Kalmyk method of slaughter

They tie the animal by the horns with a rope, one person holds the rope, and the other quickly hits it in the forehead. When the animal, sufficiently stunned, falls, they immediately sit on its head and neck, make an incision between the fourth and fifth ribs of the left side of the chest or behind the shoulder blade, remove the heart through this hole and tie up the vessels coming out of it.

Kalmyks and other nomadic peoples are very fond of such bloody, juicy meat and serve it raw while still warm. But this method itself is even more cruel than the patented English method.

Slaughter

So, we have decided on the characteristics and qualities of the product; it’s time to discuss the correct process for preparing and cutting the meat itself.

Timing and principles of selection

Obtaining tasty and high-quality rabbit meat is directly determined by feeding and breeding methods. Until recently, it was believed that slaughter should begin at 4 months of an animal’s life. But success in the field of genetic engineering and the creation of many meat breeds with excellent early maturity, the development of new types of food (compound feed) and new feeding methods made it possible to begin slaughtering much earlier, starting from the second month of the animal’s life.

Rabbits in a cage

Small farms practice slaughtering animals in the third month of life, when they reach a weight of up to 2.5 kg without significant fat deposits. Animals during this period have a slaughter yield of up to 50% (the amount of meat per carcass). In hybrid meat breeds (for example, Californian), the yield is 5% higher.

Adult

It is worth considering that age does not benefit the quality of the animal’s meat. Since both the chemical composition of the product and its proportion of fat change. With age, the amount of liquid in meat decreases, the caloric content and energy value of the product, and the proportion of fat and protein in it increases.

Start of slaughter

Before preparing for slaughter, stop feeding the animal 12 hours before the procedure; it is also necessary to clean the animal’s skin with a regular brush, which will reduce debris and dirt during cutting.

Next you need to grab the animal by the hind limbs. The animal will resist at first, wait until it calms down, then strike the area behind the animal's ears with a regular stick. The spinal cord ruptures, after which the animal dies. You can tell that an animal is dead when it starts bleeding from the nose and ears.

A freshly killed specimen with traces of blood on its head

Alternative methods of killing:

• blow to the skull with a hammer;
• striking the parietal region or the area between the ears and eyes with the edge of the palm;
• an option not for the impressionable in the form of neck twisting, for which it is enough to grab the area from the back of the head to the chin with your right hand, twisting your neck to the side;
• an archaic version with an electric shock in the area of ​​the animal’s temple.

Collapsing neck

Gutting and skinning

For ease of understanding, we will describe the process step by step:

Step Description Photo 1 Before skinning, you need to prepare a clean and convenient board for cutting the carcass. We place the carcass on it, pinch the skin of the animal on the back and make a cut.

2 The cut is made, now you need to grab it with your fingers, gradually introducing the fingers of different hands there. After entering, we begin to pull them in opposite directions. The movements should be sharp and strong; you should not worry that part of the skin will remain on the carcass (usually the paws). With proper force, the tail can be separated without additional effort. Then you need to break the paw bones at the ankles, and then help yourself with a knife, cutting the remaining flesh.

3 Separate unnecessary limbs. You need to cut off the head, the cut line should run along the first cervical vertebra. If the tail does not come off when peeling off the skin, cut it off with a knife.

4 Removing internal organs

To do this, pay attention to the animal's abdomen; you will see a clear white line. It is along this that you need to make a careful cut right down to the bones of the sternum. You should be extremely careful when manipulating, in no case should you damage the urinary and gall bladders

The meat will lose its taste if the contents of these bubbles end up on the meat. To find the gallbladder, pay attention to the liver area, in rabbits it is located nearby

You should be extremely careful when manipulating; under no circumstances should you damage the urinary and gall bladders. The meat will lose its taste if the contents of these bubbles end up on the meat

To find the gallbladder, pay attention to the liver area, in rabbits it is located nearby

5 Before cutting meat, pay attention to the internal organs of the animal. A healthy animal has a juicy red liver, in which case you can safely use the carcass for food

Along with the blisters, the liver should also be separated from the carcass, but not as waste, but on the contrary, one of the most delicious parts of the animal’s body. Lungs, kidneys and internal fat can be either removed or left; they will not spoil the taste of the animal, and are rarely prepared separately.

Skinned rabbit

Meat yield during slaughter

The concept of slaughter weight of an animal, or live weight of cattle for slaughter, is used to estimate the amount of meat obtained after slaughtering livestock. This indicator includes the weight of the entire carcass, with the exception of the weight of the severed head, removed internal organs, skin and lower parts of the limbs.

The second indicator is the lethal yield. It is calculated based on the ratio of slaughter weight to live weight of cattle, that is, the weight of the animal before slaughter. This indicator is calculated as a percentage.

The yield of meat directly depends on the breed - dairy or meat. For the latter it is much greater than for the former. Meat breeds are also distinguished by high quality meat.

The average slaughter yield for an animal fed on pasture during the growing process is 55%. The slaughter yield increases when a well-fed bull is slaughtered to 60-65%. The yield drops significantly when a calf is slaughtered no older than 4-5 months, since by this age it fails to gain the necessary muscle mass, and adipose tissue is practically undeveloped.

Livestock preparation

Pre-slaughter holding of an animal involves drinking plenty of water and not eating to cleanse the digestive tract of food debris. The presence of semi-digested food in the intestines or stomach can lead to problems during dressing and skinning. In addition, undigested feed residues can contaminate the cut of meat.

Other preparations for the slaughter of cattle should be carried out at a distance from the animals. Domestic bulls and cows sense a person's mood and can resist. To avoid such a situation, cattle should not be kicked, prodded or pushed, otherwise harmful substances released during stress may enter the bloodstream. A prerequisite for high-quality slaughter is a balanced and calm mental state of the animal.

Slaughter methods

The procedures for slaughtering cattle at meat processing plants and at home differ. To avoid unnecessary suffering, animals are stunned before slaughter. At home, hitting cattle in the forehead with an ax or sledgehammer is common. Before slaughter, the cow is tied with its horns to any support. After this, a blow with a blunt object is performed on the forehead.

For maximum efficiency, it is recommended to use a tool weighing at least two kilograms. Some slaughterers use a sharpened dagger when slaughtering livestock. The place of impact when using this technology for cattle slaughter is the back of the head, or more precisely, the depression between the occipital bone and the cervical vertebra.

Many farmers, especially beginners, cannot determine the exact time of slaughter of a piglet or an adult boar. The optimal weight before this procedure also raises questions. General recommendations are as follows: the approximate weight of an adult pig suitable for slaughter is 110 kg, about 75 of which is pure meat and lard. Piglets are raised to 50-60 kg.

Well-fed pig, suitable for meat

Important factors determining the success of the slaughter procedure:

• Feeding the pig must be stopped 12 hours before the procedure so that it cleanses its intestines (besides, it will be easy to lure it out with food);
• You should not shout at the animal, kick it or push it, so as not to cause stress;
• immediately before slaughter, the pig must be washed (the carcass will be easier to process, the meat will be of higher quality);
• the place for the procedure must be chosen in such a way that it is easy to wash and tidy;
• The container for collecting blood is prepared in advance, because the blood most often goes to the sausage.

Next, we will consider 4 common methods of slaughtering a pig.

Neck piercing

To implement this method you need 2 people. The first one secures the individual by the legs, the second one stabs the neck. The knife should be long and thin, the blade length should be at least 30 centimeters.

The pig must be tied and placed on its side

Heart puncture

Heart puncture is a common method of slaughter

Meat knife

Stun gun

This method is considered to be not the most humane. But for the slaughter of large wild boars it is sometimes indispensable. Even 3 adult men cannot always cope with a large, strong animal, and it is simply impossible to do it alone. The principle of operation is extremely simple. The pig is stunned with a stun gun and the carotid artery is cut while it is unconscious. As an option, sometimes a puncture is made in the heart.

Electroshock is often used to slaughter pigs.

This method is not recommended, as it is inhumane and inconvenient. If the pig senses danger, it will run and be difficult to hit. Trying to kill a pig can injure and cause suffering, and there is a risk of damaging other animals or property. Therefore, the method is considered unsuccessful. But when executed correctly, its effectiveness cannot be denied.

Pork carcasses hanging after slaughter

How to cut a carcass and how to properly process the skin?

First of all, you need to do the skin, and then proceed to the other steps. The skin is carefully folded along the midline, which passes through the projection of the spine. The fur should be facing outward. In this form, the cover must lie for several hours for cooling to occur. Subsequently, the skin will need to be salted.

While the skin is resting, you can start carcassing. All internal organs are removed first.

It is necessary to carefully remove the stomach and intestines, since if these hollow organs are accidentally damaged, their contents can spill out and spoil the valuable meat

The gastrointestinal tract is immediately washed with copious amounts of water. Then the remaining organs are gradually isolated and removed. All parts of the animal that are subsequently expected to be eaten must be carefully examined by a veterinarian, who must be present at this stage of cutting. Only after inspection and a verdict on whether the meat is suitable or not can cutting continue.

The carcass is cut in half along the spine and placed in a special refrigerator to mature the meat. Subsequently, the meat is divided according to a special scheme.

Carcass cutting

The carcass is cut across the grain using continuous movements. A bisection incision is made between the 13th and 14th vertebrae. Parts of the carcass are cleaned of bones, fat, meat, films, fibers and tendons. The meat is cut into pieces after the cow's neck is boned and trimmed. Before this, the shoulder blade is removed. The ribs are partially or completely scraped out. The choice of cleaning method for ribs depends on the type of meat. Bone removal is done by deboning the back of the spine. Then they begin to cut the drumsticks, top parts, brisket and meat cuts from the humerus bones.

Skinning and dressing

Removing the skin from a carcass is called skinning. Removing the skin from a carcass is a simple process, but it requires care and attention. In a hurry, you can damage it, depriving it of its presentation, and contaminate the meat with microbes.

Skinning the head is a separate stage of work. The ears are cut off and the skin is removed through an incision in the frontal part.

At home, work is carried out with the animal positioned horizontally on a straw or wooden flooring:

1. The carcass is placed on its back, with wooden blocks placed under its sides. They cut off the head and bandage the esophagus remaining on the body so that its contents do not stain the meat when cutting.
2. Using a cutting knife, cut the skin lengthwise from the throat to the anus.
3. On each leg, a circular cut is made around the hooves.
4. The skin is cut on the inside of the limbs from the top to the hooves.
5. Using a knife and prying the skin with your fingers, they remove it from the carcass. They begin processing the front legs, then move on to the neck and chest, moving towards the hind legs.
6. They remove the skin from the sides to the spine, and then pull it from the neck to the butt, trimming it with a knife if necessary.

Watch the video below on how to skin cattle:

Proper stunning of livestock

First of all, the animal must be securely restrained. To do this, its horns must be firmly fixed to the support. This should be done carefully, otherwise the animal may become agitated and break free.

To stun, use a wooden hammer or other blunt, hard object. The weight of the device must be 2 kilograms or more, the blow must fall in the center of the forehead.

Some slaughterers prefer to use a sharp object to strike at the junction of the occipital bone and the first cervical vertebra. Finding the right place is quite easy, and getting into it is also not difficult. During a stun, you need to act decisively and quickly, without hesitation. If you don't hit hard enough, you will hurt the animal instead of knocking it unconscious. Think in advance if you can do this.

All preparations must be carried out away from the place where the animal is kept, otherwise the bull will feel danger and will worry. This will lead to many problems. An agitated large animal will be more difficult to secure and strike. In addition, stress negatively affects the quality of the meat product.

Slaughter without stunning

Often this method is used if the slaughter is done in the yard, and it is not possible to use anesthesia or current. But this method has disadvantages:

1. Blood does not come out of the carcass well or the blood will be lost greatly, and its further use will be impossible;
2. The animal may be worried;
3. A cow can damage the personnel who perform the slaughter;
4. The quality of the meat product decreases.

This method uses simple cutting of the neck and blood vessels. The blow with a sharp knife must be made at the bottom of the jaw, slightly below the vertebra. As a rule, the carotid artery is initially pierced, then in order to bleed the carcass, the cattle should be cut through the trachea and esophagus.

Some breeders use guns to kill livestock. It's like an air pistol in a slaughterhouse. In this case, you should clearly aim slightly above the eyes. This method is bad. Which, firstly, may require a couple of shots, and secondly, the slaughter is carried out without cardiac arrest, which means that the meat may be covered in blood. The presentation of such a product will be damaged.

The video shows the fastest method of slaughtering livestock, but it should be noted that you should not use it at home if you are not confident in your skills.

Slaughtering bulls at home - video

Slaughtering bulls at home is no different from slaughtering a cow. The only difference is that an adult bull is much stronger than a cow, and serious difficulties are possible in the process. That is why it is recommended to carry out this procedure at specialized enterprises.

Slaughtering bulls is a psychologically difficult task, as can be seen from the video. We recommend that children and people with weak mental health not watch this video.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=PpLYksyag3I

Bull preparation

When preparing a bull for slaughter, his diet includes more concentrates and green feed, which will improve the quality of the meat. It is recommended to send one-year-old bulls to slaughter, as they grow quickly, but do not consume as much feed as adult animals.

Figure 3. Methods for stunning a bull

Before slaughter, the bull cannot be fed for 24 hours, but is given plenty to drink. Preparing the bull also includes setting up a special place (if the procedure will be carried out at home) and consulting a veterinarian, who must issue the appropriate permission.

Stun

The slaughter of a bull in domestic and commercial conditions is carried out using stunning (Figure 3). To do this, use a heavy wooden hammer, which is struck firmly in the center of the forehead. You can also use an electric shock or a sharp dagger, which is used to make a deep puncture in the area of ​​​​the transition of the back of the head to the cervical vertebra.

When the animal has lost consciousness, all other procedures must be carried out quickly until the animal wakes up, so all the necessary equipment is prepared in advance.

Slaughter

Once stunned, the bull will only be unconscious for a few minutes. Therefore, immediately after striking, they begin directly to slaughter. To do this, the carcass is hung up and a cross-section of the neck is made with a sharp knife, opening the blood vessels.

A clean basin is placed under the carcass to drain the blood. Bleeding lasts on average 10 minutes. After this, the carcass begins to be cut up.

Preparation

Cattle must be prepared before slaughter, otherwise the meat may lose its quality.

For slaughter, you should choose cattle that are at least one year old, since the most active growth of the animal occurs during this period of life. Further, with the same feeding, it gains much less weight, and its maintenance becomes financially unprofitable. It is recommended to abandon the castration procedure for bulls if it is intended for slaughter, since a castrated animal gains weight less well and the amount of meat from this will be less.

Autumn is the most profitable time for slaughter. Eating cheap plant food, cattle quickly grow in weight, and by the time of slaughter they will be of high quality.

A veterinary examination and obtaining documents confirming that the pet does not have diseases is a prerequisite before slaughtering the animal. The veterinarian takes the temperature and checks the bull or cow for signs of disease (anthrax, plague, rabies, tetanus and others).

If any cattle disease is detected, treatment is carried out before slaughter, but if treatment is not possible, the animal is still killed. Slaughtering a sick animal at home is prohibited, as is eating its meat. To prevent the spread of diseases, sick individuals are taken to special sanitary stations, where they are subsequently slaughtered and the carcass is disposed of.

Healthy animals stop feeding the day before the procedure in order to cleanse the gastrointestinal tract, and water is given in unlimited quantities, except for the last 3 hours. The key to a quality product is the cleanliness of the animal. The coat is thoroughly washed with water from a hose so that dirt cannot get on the meat.

You should take care of the place where the cattle will be slaughtered and prepare the necessary tools. The place is chosen away from the keeping of other cattle, the tools are also prepared out of sight of the animals, since it is believed that the animal begins to feel its death and stress will negatively affect its meat. Cows must be handled calmly, without shouting or pushing.

To slaughter, you need to dig 2 pillars into the ground and make a crossbar to hang the carcass, but you need to be sure of the strength of the structure; it must withstand the weight of the cattle. Instead of pillars, you can use two nearby trees. In addition, you need to prepare a hook and rope, a sharp ax and knives, water and towels, containers for blood and internal organs, as well as polyethylene for the skin. It is important to sharpen all knives immediately; blunt tools will drag and complicate the processing process.

It is better to start slaughtering early in the morning, taking the animal out of the barn as for normal grazing. If the animal refuses to go, then it is lured with treats (hay, corn). Having firmly tied the future victim in the slaughter area, you need to immediately proceed to the next stage.

Russian technique

This technique has become quite widespread. This is due to the speed of the process, as well as the involvement of a small number of people. It will take no more than 10 minutes to slaughter a cow. If you have practical skills, you can slaughter 10 individuals in 1 hour.

Let's take a closer look at the algorithm for this type of slaughter:

1. The essence of the method is to quickly insert a dagger into the space between the occipital bone and the first cervical vertebra. To do this, you must use a sharpened blade with a length of at least 26 centimeters.
2. The animal is first brought into the slaughter chamber. It provides special fasteners for the floor covering.
3. Initially, the cattle's horns are tied, followed by pulling the cow's head to the floor. This is necessary for the convenience of striking with a dagger. At the same time, additional measures are being taken to prevent cattle from falling over. They involve the use of a special block with pins, which is installed under the groin of the animal.
4. Immediately after wedging the blade into the occipital region, they begin to strike with a wide knife in the lower region of the neck, directing the tip towards the location of the heart.
5. As a result, a large flow of blood will gush out, which is accompanied by bleeding of livestock. The resulting meat products are distinguished by juiciness and high quality meat.

Veterinary method of slaughter

The Russian method of slaughter is based on killing the medulla oblongata, which is achieved by striking the dagger from back to front, and not from front to back, as the artisans have distorted: in the first case, the dagger actually penetrates into the skull itself and destroys almost the entire medulla oblongata with its vital centers there. The practical use of this direction of the dagger requires, however, the participation of specialists, such as veterinary paramedics, and not ordinary fighters, who willingly take advantage of every excuse to facilitate and speed up the work, and therefore strike not from back to front, but from front to back.

True, for the practical use of a blow from behind there is no such sight or such a fulcrum as is used for a dagger when struck from the front. Therefore, it seems more convenient to combine these two blows together: first strike from the front, and then, when the bull falls instantly, without removing the dagger from the hole, repeat the blow from back to front, while tilting the bull’s entire head forward, then the dagger will enter the very skull and destroy the oblong brain.