Victor Kalinin

Pig breeder with 12 years of experience

Articles written

Killing a pig is an integral part of its keeping. Before stabbing it, determine if it has reached its maximum weight. Then prepare the slaughter site, working tools and start the procedure.

The greater the weight of the pig, the greater the meat yield.

The slaughter of animals is carried out when the maximum weight is reached, then the farmer receives the maximum meat yield. Most pigs mature at 10 months of age. The optimum slaughter time is determined by the rock characteristics. The largest breed is large white, reaching a weight of 250-300 kg at the age of a year, Mirgorodskaya - 240 kg at 10 months, Vietnamese - 140 kg at 8-9 months.

The ratio of weight and yield of meat after trimming the head, hooves and other waste:

• 180 kg and more - 85%;
• 140 kg - 80%;
• 100 kg - 75%.

When the maximum weight is reached, the time of slaughter is chosen. It is impossible to kill pigs in a state of hunting - the taste of meat spoils from the increased content of hormones in the blood. After the hunt, 10 days are counted, and then the procedure is performed. In winter, the time of day does not matter; in summer, animals are slaughtered in the early morning, when the sun did not rise and the flies did not fly out. Professional ringers can do the job in 2-3 hours, newcomers need more time.

Preparing the animal

Leave the drinker a day before slaughter.

When planning to slaughter pigs at home, prepare the animals for the procedure. If you are going to sell carcasses to a meat processing plant, invite a veterinarian for a pre-slaughter examination and get a certificate.

How to prepare a pig for slaughter:

1. Remove the feeder 24 hours before the start of the operation.
2. Leave the pig clean water. Drinking plenty of fluids helps to cleanse the intestines as quickly as possible.
3. Remove the drinker 4 hours before slaughter.
4. If the pig is kept in a cramped environment, remove the manure from the pig.

It is easier to lure a hungry animal to the place of slaughter. While you wait for the allotted time, get your tools and workspace ready.

Location and tools

A knife sharpened on both sides with a hard blade.

Before killing a pig yourself, attend the procedure performed by experienced craftsmen. For the first slaughter, invite a professional who will help if something goes wrong.

Tools you need:

1. Reinforced concrete or stainless steel work table. Galvanized metal will not work as a table material.
2. Hook for hanging the carcass during bleeding.
3. Containers for blood.
4. The knife is stiff, thin and sharp. Blade width - up to 3.5 cm, length - 20-22 cm.
5. Gas burner for burning carcasses. Option - blowtorch.
6. Ropes.
7. A sledgehammer or stun gun.
8. Gauze and napkins.

Be sure to disinfect the equipment - the hook and knife must be especially clean.

Slaughter methods

The technology of slaughtering pigs includes two methods: a blow to the heart or an injection in the neck with simultaneous bloodletting. It is recommended to pre-stun the animal. To properly stun a pig, you need to hit it with a sledgehammer or the butt of an ax in the head, just above the eyebrows.

Slaughtering pigs is the most psychologically difficult stage for a livestock breeder. First of all, this requires composure and a steady hand. It is important to know how to slaughter a pig correctly, without condemning the animal to unnecessary flour and not spoiling the final product. A step-by-step description of the entire process is in this article.

The best way to slaughter a pig is by hitting the heart. With an accurate hit in the heart, the pig dies within a few seconds.

The optimal slaughter time is determined based on three factors:

• pig weight;
• physiological condition;
• weather.

It is not profitable to slaughter a pig before the animal gains slaughter weight. This parameter depends on the breed. For example, for large whites who can grow up to 300 kg, the minimum slaughter weight will be about 150 kg. And Vietnamese piglets are slaughtered when they reach a weight of 75 - 80 kg.

The physiological state depends on which phase of the sexual cycle the pig is in. Sexually mature females start hunting every 18 - 21 days. Many beginners are interested in whether it is possible to slaughter a pig if it is "walking" Hormonal surges have a bad effect on the organoleptic qualities of meat. Experienced pig breeders advise to wait until the hunting period is over, and count from this moment 10 days.

If you plan to send an adult boar for meat, 2 months before being slaughtered, it is castrated. The reason is the same - sex hormones. Raw boar meat has an unpleasant taste and smell.

As for the weather, the colder it is outside at the time of slaughter, the better. In summer, choose a cool day with fewer flies. In winter, you can cut it at any time.

If you plan to put meat on sale, before slaughter, you should invite a veterinarian who will write a certificate of the pre-slaughter examination.

Training

Before cutting, there is a standard preparation of the pig for slaughter, and it includes two points:

• limiting the amount of feed;
• limiting the amount of water.

The day before the slaughter, the piglet is stopped feeding. During this time, the gastrointestinal tract will be completely free of its contents. The risk of spoiling the meat by accidentally damaging the intestines during cutting will be reduced to nothing.

Water to the animal is stopped for 4 hours. The bladder should be empty.

If the animal is dirty, wash it. This is done with warm water using a brush or broom.

The slaughtering knife has to be special. Its blade is 22 cm long, perfectly sharpened, and the handle is made of wood.

Required tool

First of all, you need to take care of a quality knife. An ordinary kitchen for blocking a pig is not suitable. Professional miners order their tools from workshops with the following general requirements:

• the steel must be strong, stiff, well hardened;
• blade length - 22 cm;
• perfectly sharp sharpening;
• tightly fitted wooden handle.

If you plan to beat a pig in the heart, it is better to have a double-edged knife.. In addition, you will need a few more knives for butchering and cleaning the hide. For this purpose, you can also use kitchen ones.

Other tools will include an ax, sturdy ropes, a blowtorch, and possibly a sledgehammer to stun the animal.

Pig slaughter is carried out on a flat surface, the ground can be covered with straw or a layer of sawdust.

Arrangement of the slaughter site

In specialized enterprises, pig slaughter lines include an element such as a suspension. It is needed in order to qualitatively bleed the carcass. Blood in meat or lard degrades the quality of the product, contributes to its rapid deterioration.

A place for slaughter at home can be equipped with a U-shaped structure with a height of about 2 meters. On the crossbar, you need to fasten strong loops of belts, and hooks on them.

It is better to cover the ground around the rack with straw or a good layer of sawdust. Slaughtering a pig is a "bloody" affair, and without bedding it will subsequently be more difficult to put the slaughtering area in order.

Next to the crossbar, it is necessary to arrange a flooring for carcass cutting. It can be a wooden board, an old door, or just a piece of plastic. It is better to raise the flooring for convenience.

A wide stump is useful for chopping up pieces of carcass. It is also necessary to take care of containers for collecting blood, for cold and hot water and for the viscera.

It is not necessary to arrange the crossbar. In a small courtyard, you can slaughter and butcher a piglet while lying down. In this case, you need to take care of the slope of the flooring so that the blood drains away without staining the carcass.

The slaughter of a pig consists of three stages: bringing to the slaughter position - fixing - slaughtering.

Step-by-step instruction

There are two main methods of slaughtering pigs: with a blow to the heart and a blow to the neck. Regardless of which of them will be elected, the rest of the actions are carried out according to the general scheme.

Step 1. Taking to the slaughter area

Often the animals feel that something is wrong and refuse to leave the pen. It is not necessary to jerk the pig with shouting and prodding, it is not necessary to drag it by force. A frightened pig will be harder to deal with. Better to lure her out by offering food. A little pre-fasting will make this easier.

Step 2. Fixation

There are three ways to fix an animal.

• Sweep. A rope loop is thrown over the hind legs. One slaughter assistant makes a sharp jerk at the other end of the rope to roll the pig onto its side. The second firmly presses the animal to the ground.
• Binding. If it is possible to distract the animal with food, the slaughtering assistants bind both the front and hind legs. Then the piglet is knocked on its side and held in this position.
• Suspension. The hind legs are tied to the pig, the end of the rope is thrown over the crossbar and pulled up. On conveyor slaughter lines of meat processing plants, the slaughter process takes place in this position. At home, this method of fixation is more convenient to use when the individual is small - for example, when slaughtering Vietnamese pigs. Hanging an 80-kg Vietnamese piglet is much easier than a resting Mirgorod boar weighing 250 kg.

Step 3. Slaughter

Everything needs to be done confidently and quickly. The less fuss, the less agony for the animal and the hassle for the butcher. If the technology for slaughtering pigs is violated and the blow is performed incorrectly, the piglet will have to be finished off.

• A punch to the heart. To get the pig where it needs to, it is important to know where the heart is. It occupies the space in the chest cavity from the 3rd to the 6th rib with an offset to the left. Between the third and fourth ribs, the heart is adjacent to the chest wall. Its beating can be felt with your hand. This is where you need to prick - the entire length of the blade. A correctly driven knife will pulsate. After the blow, he is kept in the wound until the convulsions stop.
• A blow to the neck. The point is to open the carotid artery or jugular vein of the pig. The blow is applied to the right or left in the area of ​​the base of the neck (where it passes into the chest). The knife is inserted to the full depth of the blade and several cutting movements are made. There is no need to cut your throat from ear to ear.

Step 4. Exsanguination

It is easier to get rid of excess blood if the pig is slaughtered in a suspended position. A bucket or basin is simply placed under the stream. If the pig had to be killed in a supine position, after the convulsions have ceased, the tendons in the hock joint are incised and the carcass is suspended from the hooks by the incisions.

In the absence of a crossbar, you can do without hanging. When the cervical vessels are opened, the carcass will be freed from the blood on its own. It is a little more difficult if the pig has been stabbed in the heart: in this case, some blood collects in the chest. Then you need to widen the incision and scoop it out with a suitable dish.

No matter how the exsanguination is carried out, the main rule: no other manipulations (singing or cutting) are performed until the bleeding is completely stopped.

Slaughter of pigs at home with a blow to the heart is considered more humane - the animal dies quickly. However, opening the arteries with an intact heart is more effective in exsanguinating the carcass.

Features of slaughtering wild boars

A good boar is mass multiplied by strength and often aggression. It is more difficult to slaughter such an animal than a pig or a pig. This procedure is performed, as a rule, by a team of 3-4 people. The technological scheme is no different from the one given above: the boar must be knocked down and securely fixed. However, sometimes it is not without complications.

Technologically, the scheme for slaughtering a wild boar is not much different. If it is not possible to kill the wild boar the first time, the slaughter can turn into a hunt.

If the hog cannot be dumped the first time, the slaughter can turn into a hunt. Therefore, some miners prefer not to waste time and prick while standing. To do this, they approach the animal from the left side and deliver a strong blow under the left shoulder blade. At the same time, the boar falls by itself and dies in a matter of seconds.

How to handle it alone

Slaughtering a piglet is physically demanding work, and usually it is done by at least two people. But with a certain skill, you can kill a pig alone. To do this, you must first stun the animal.

Stun gun

Some people use stun guns or special forceps like "coma". But tongs are quite an expensive device, more suitable for large farms and slaughterhouses. The pig stun shocker can be purchased or assembled by yourself. Before you act on the animal with an electric current, you need to douse it with water, and then attach the device to the back of the head.

Firearms

Hunting rifle owners sometimes just shoot pigs in the ear. However, this method is unacceptable for beginners and dangerous for others.

Stun blow

At home, you can stun a pig with a blow to the head. Usually they use a sledgehammer or the butt of an ax. The blow is more often applied to the frontal bone or to the back of the head. At the same time, the animal must be firmly attached to the stake. After the pig falls, it is slaughtered very quickly.

The main problem here, however, is not how to slaughter the pig, but how to handle and butcher it afterwards. It is very difficult for one person to roll over a carcass weighing one and a half centners. But you can cope with a medium-sized hog or a small Vietnamese pig.

In the absence of "slaughter" experience, you should not try to slaughter a wild boar alone, even if it is small. If you act unprofessionally, do not hit the right points, the injured animal can cause serious injury to its abuser. For the first time, it is better to invite a specialist who will show you how to slaughter a pig correctly.

How to slaughter a suckling pig

Dairy pigs are considered to be up to two months old - before weaning from the uterus. The meat of such a baby is a specific product, for an amateur. But if you want to slaughter a suckling pig, you can do it according to the general rules proposed above.

If the pig is still very small, no helpers are required. But individuals that have already reached a weight of 20 kg can be quite strong, and it is better to ask someone to hold the animal.

After slaughter, the pig carcass is processed and cut. The cut diagram shows how each part of the pig can be used.

Processing and cutting

After the pig is slaughtered and allowed to hang, the carcass is removed from the crossbar and proceeds to further processing.

1. Singe the bristles with a blowtorch, torch, or bunches of burning straw. Singing the thin skins of suckling pigs should be done with great care. It bursts easily.
2. The soot is washed off with hot water, the skin is scraped with a knife until it is completely smooth and washed again.
3. Separate the head and hooves.
4. Turn the carcass over on its back and cut off the peritoneal "apron".
5. Open the chest, remove the esophagus, heart and lungs, remove the diaphragm.
6. The muscles of the abdominal cavity are cut open, the intestines and stomach are removed.
7. The liver is carefully removed, taking care not to damage the gallbladder.
8. The kidneys and bladder are removed.
9. If there is blood in the cavities, blot it with clean napkins.

After all the insides are removed from the carcass, it is cut into pieces.

Summary

When raising a pig, it is important to keep in mind the ultimate goal of this process and avoid excessive attachment to the animal. Having learned how to properly slaughter domestic pigs, you can do it yourself, saving time and money.

Pigs, both wild and domestic, can be a source of tremendous amounts of meat. The knowledge of raising, preparing and slaughtering a pig correctly will make it possible to fill the refrigerator with meat to the limit for many months. Having the necessary tools, you can learn how to properly cut the carcass without losses and unnecessary residues. See step by step information.

Steps

Pig preparation

Get the right equipment. Although the process itself is not very difficult, it is the correct slaughter that is considered the most time consuming step - a pig with an average weight of 250 pounds gives 144 pounds of meat, cut into pieces and ready for sale. This is too much valuable pork to be handled inefficiently. That is why it is necessary to choose the time to purchase good equipment with which you can do everything right, minimizing any possibility of loss and spoilage of meat. After all, we are not talking about a little hare. To butcher a pig, you will need:

• Sharp blades made of stainless materials with a minimum length of 6 inches
• Clamp for raznog and winches, sold in many specialist and sports stores.
• Reciprocating saw or hacksaw,
• A large tub or barrel of water that can hold a pig, along with a heat source that can boil the water.
• Bucket
• Large, flat surface in the open air, located at waist level - wooden planks on trestles will serve as a good homemade surface
• Minced meat grinder (optional)

1. Find the right pig. The ideal option for slaughter is a young male pre-neutered before puberty called a hog or a young female called a gestating sow. Most pigs are slaughtered in late fall when temperatures begin to drop markedly and animals reach 8-10 months of age and weigh between 180 and 250 pounds. You cannot feed the animal a day before slaughter so that its intestines are empty. Provide access to plenty of fresh and clean drinking water.

   • Older individuals that do not have contact with the female are called wild boars. Their meat has a pronounced unpleasant smell - this is the result of the production of hormones by the corresponding glands. Old sow meat can smell bad too.
   • If you are butchering a wild boar, you will need to remove the genitals and the scent gland near the hind legs immediately to avoid further spoilage of the meat. Some hunters, before proceeding to butchering the entire carcass, cut off some fat and fry it to check for a repulsive smell. You can continue the process anyway, as some people are indifferent to this smell.

2. Try to kill the pig humanely. It doesn't matter if it is farmed or wild, you need to make sure the process starts as carefully as possible. The quick kill method is suitable for this, which involves the immediate draining of blood. This will further improve the taste of the meat. The question of slaughtering pigs by draining blood is constantly discussed.

   Cut the pig's throat. After killing or shooting a pig, feel for the brisket and drive the knife a few inches higher, making a 2-4 inch incision across the front of the throat. Then insert the knife into this notch and push it 6 inches up at a 45-degree angle to the tail. Turn and pull it out. This is the fastest way to slaughter a pig. The blood should drain immediately.

   • Some people suffer for a long time, looking for the very place with which they can quickly stab the animal. If you are in doubt that you have found it, the main thing is to cut the jugular vein. Someone just cuts deep down the throat - under the chin - and down to the spine. The correct hit will be indicated by the beginning of blood drainage in large volumes.
   • If the pig is still moving, be very careful when moving the carcass. You may have just knocked her down with a shotgun and you need to slit her throat first before hanging the carcass. Be extremely careful. The animal can move involuntarily, making it dangerous to move with a sharp knife. Turn the pig over on its back and support the front legs with your hands, allowing the helper to use the knife.

3. Hang the pig. Hang the animal after slaughter. To do this, you need to prepare a clamp for different things, reminiscent of a large hanger and used for hanging meat carcasses. Slip the chain over the retainer and attach to the winch, if desired, it can also be attached to the rear of the truck.

   • Begin by threading the hooks on the bottom of the anchor through the pig's legs, sticking them deep enough to support the entire carcass. Now use the winch (or sweat it hard) to lift the carcass and let the blood drain. It is advisable to do this as soon as possible after slaughter. It will take 15-20 minutes for all the blood to drain out of the pig's carcass.
   • If you do not have a miscellaneous anchor, as a substitute, you can make a small incision behind the rear leg tendons and insert a wooden dowel or tube of the same length into it. You can grab the end of the chain and lift the carcass up with your own hands.
   • Barn floors are ideal places for hanging pork carcasses, as well as low-lying sturdy tree branches. Find a comfortable spot as close as possible to where you slaughter, with 250 pounds dead weight on your hands. If necessary, transfer the pig to a cart to transport it to the blood drain.
   • If you wish to collect blood, use a clean, sterile bucket. Tilt the entire head of the pig towards the bucket to make sure that all the blood is glass. The addition of pork blood to sausages makes them taste great. It is one of the most sought after ingredients in food preparation.

4. Scald the skin with boiling water if you need it. Most butchers are more likely to keep the skins, which contain tasty bacon, fat, and leftovers. The process is not very complicated in comparison with simple skinning. If the skin is needed, then the best way to remove the hair is to immerse the carcass several times in boiling water and scrape the entire skin thoroughly.

   • The most persistent and effective way to heat water is to make a fire in a pit and place a container above it on a refractory grate. It is not necessary to bring the water to a boil, but the temperature should be up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure the process is safe. Gently dip the carcass hanging on the retainer in hot water for 15-20 seconds, and then pull it out.
   • If you don't have a tank outside that can hold a whole pig, keep in mind that some people dip the sacking in boiling water and then wrap the carcass in it for a few minutes to soften the stubble and scrape it off successfully.
   • Boars with very thick bristles will likely need to trim their hair with a pair of scissors before submerging them in the water, as is the case with domestic pigs with softer bristles.

5. Remove hair with a sharp knife. After submerging the mascara in water, place it on a flat work surface and get down to business. As a last resort, a pair of wooden legs with wooden planks and a tarp can serve as a work surface, just like a camping table, if available. Place the pig at waist level. The sharp knife perfectly removes thick hair from the skin.

   • Flip the carcass belly up and begin stripping with a knife, positioning it perpendicular to the pig. Movements in the form of smooth long strokes are made towards oneself. Removing all the hair will take some time and may require several dives. Some may prefer using a small torch to scorch the leftover fur.
   • It is more common to use cup scrapers when preparing carcasses for cutting, but they are incredibly difficult to find. Most people will use a small torch as it is very effective at removing small, inconspicuous hairs.

6. Remove the skin from the pig if you don't want to mess around with removing the hair. If there is not a large enough container for dipping and burning the whole carcass, or you simply do not want to make an effort, then it is quite acceptable to remove the skin and then discard it. Move on to the next step in removing the viscera. It is necessary to carefully walk the entire carcass with a knife to remove the skin.

   • To remove it, you need to make movements with a sharp knife away from yourself, as if picking up the skin. Take your time and try to keep body fat to the maximum. The process can take about 1.5 hours.

Removal of internal organs

1. Cut out the anus and remove. To begin cutting out the internal organs, make a circular incision in the anus (and penis) 1 to 2 inches deep. Make an incision 2 inches wider than the diameter of the anus to avoid piercing the colon. Grab the ponytail and pull gently, then use an elastic band or cable tie and pinch everything. This closes access to the inside and makes it possible to pull the intestine to the other side when opening the sternum.

   • Some butchers remove offal and intestines first, but it is better to take precautions, as this part of the animal's body is inhabited by bacteria and can transfer them to the meat itself.
   • The hog's testicles must be removed if these steps have not been performed yet. Slip the elastic over them and then cut. It is best to do this as soon as possible after slaughter. To remove the penis, it must be taken away from the body of the animal and cut off with a knife, notching the muscles that go to the tail. Pull it and then throw it away.

2. Cut from sternum to groin. Pinch the skin at the base of the sternum, where the ribs end and the belly begin, and pull as hard as possible towards you. Insert the knife and gently cut down towards the center of the belly between the two rows of nipples. Work with a knife carefully so as not to cut the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines. Cut the carcass to the groin.

   • At some point, the force of gravity will work in your favor, and the insides will fall out without your efforts. It's a good idea to have a bucket by your side when you cut open the belly to put all the organs in there. They are quite heavy, so you need to take them out carefully.

3. When you reach the groin area, pull down. The entire contents of the digestive tract, including the bandaged lower intestines, should be easily expelled with little effort on your part. Use a sharp knife to remove rough connective tissue. The kidneys and pancreas are completely edible, which is why they are so often saved when carcasses are cut.

   Divide the ribs from the front by sawing them. After removing the internal organs from the peritoneum, you should remove the rest of the viscera. Use a knife to cut the front of the ribs, cutting through the layer of cartilage that connects the sternum. Don't do it with a saw. After cutting the sternum, remove the remaining organs. The heart and liver are usually stored and eaten.

   Separate your head. Insert the knife into the area behind the ears and cut around the neck, focusing on the jaw line. After separating the meat and exposing the bone, you should insert a large knife and cut through the vertebrae with a confident movement.

   • If you want to cut off the head, keeping the cheeks, then cut to the corners of the mouth under the ears, separating the meat. Pork cheeks make delicious bacon, but some people prefer to leave the head intact and make a jelly from it.
   • You can trim your legs to the fold line by simply lifting the hooves up. Use a hacksaw or saber knife to cut through the joints and remove the leg with hooves.

4. Flush the cavity with water. Small hairs are very sticky when cutting pork carcasses. They cling to fat and are hard to find afterwards. Let the meat lie down for a day after gutting, then rinse well again with clean water, let it dry and only then put it in the refrigerator.

5. Chill the carcass for at least 24 hours before cutting. Dry the meat a little. Pork should be kept between 30 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit all day. The chiller is the easiest way to chill meat, or butcher your pig during the cooler months of the year, when you can do this in the garage.

   • Cutting room temperature meat into nice pieces is almost impossible. It is much easier to cut pork into quality pieces if it is chilled.
   • You can make ice pickle by filling a large pork container with ice and adding a few handfuls of salt. Cover the carcass with ice to cool.
   • If you don't have the necessary space or the ability to let the meat lie down, you should cut the carcass into several pieces that can fit in a cool place. If space is the problem, use a hacksaw or sawmill to cut the carcass in half along the backbone and pelvic bone. In any case, this will be the next step. And this method can be used whenever it is convenient for storage.

Butchering pork

1. Cut off the chops and loin. Flip the side over and cut at the top. From the smallest rib at the narrowest part of the sternum, count the third or fourth rib and take a cleaver to cut through the bones in that area. Cut out anything below this line and save the meat for the grinder, setting it aside. In the presence of an electric meat grinder, the process is facilitated.

   • To find the meat for the chops, turn the carcass on its side and examine it closely, looking down the spine from the side where the shoulder blades were. You will find the sirloin that runs along the spine. These are thin strips of dark meat that run from the lower back near the spine and are surrounded by a layer of fat. Insert a cleaver or saw perpendicular to the ribs and cut them, separating the tenderloin that will go to the chops from the bottom of the ribs. This part also contains a lot of bacon and loin.
   • Rotate the tenderloin section lengthwise so you can cut into slices like slicing bread and shape the chops. Start cutting through the bones with a knife, and then take the saw again. If you want to get even chunks no more than 2 inches thick, then cut with bone. It is difficult to do this by hand, so take a saber knife or a butcher's saw as an assistant.
   • It would be nice to get rid of sharp chips on the bones as much as possible, so that when stored in the refrigerator, they do not cut the wrapping paper and do not create conditions for spoiling the meat. Have an assistant stand behind your back and work each piece on a metal surface, trimming off any irregularities and excess fat. Allow less than ¾ inch of fat on each chop. If they have splinters on them. Rinse the chunks with cool water, cleaning the meat as much as possible.

2. Separate the brisket. The lower, thinner part of the section contains everyone's favorite pork: the loin on the ribs. It is best to first cut the brisket where the ribs end. It should be quite greasy.

   • To cut it, take a knife and insert it into the hypochondrium, cutting the binder flesh and moving the ribs to the side. Cut off the brisket and leave the cartilage. This line will then be your guide. It should be easy. The brisket can be sliced ​​or left in one piece for easy storage until you decide to do something with it.
   • The rib plate can be left intact or divided into parts. More often the plate is left intact.

3. Cut out the neck bone and roll the meat onto the sausage. The remaining single pieces of meat are usually well preserved for further grinding into sausages. If you have a meat grinder, you can turn the meat into a sausage or just make minced pork for different purposes. Before rolling the minced meat, it is better to cool the meat again, so it is easier to grind.

   • Be careful when approaching a pig. Convulsions and screeching are typical of these animals. In death throes, they are very dangerous, especially large individuals.

Every livestock breeder who has his own subsidiary farm has to deal with such a procedure as the slaughter of pigs. There are several time-tested methods for performing such actions, but even despite this, with the development of technical means, new methods are invented. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, which can be realized only in the process of practical application. That is why each owner individually chooses the method of slaughter for himself and improves it.

Preparing pigs for slaughter

How to slaughter a domestic pig correctly and get high quality lard and meat? Before slaughter, the pigs are well fed, their health is monitored. Only in this case you can get high-quality and tasty final products from them. The animal can be slaughtered as early as 4 months after birth (for ordinary white gilts), but the most optimal age for this is 10 months. By this time, the piglet's body weight has already reached 135 kg. Some owners prefer to fatten their pets longer in order to get a better yield. If the consumer does not like very fatty meat, or he is not an admirer of lard, then it is better to slaughter the pig at the age of six months, when its weight reaches about 100 kg, and the layer of fat is not thick.

Preparing pigs for slaughter

Currently, the Vietnamese pig, famous for its early maturity, is gaining popularity. It is slaughtered before the age of six months, because further maintenance is unprofitable. The greater the live weight of the animal, the more fat and meat will be produced.

Do not slaughter sows that are in heat. Their meat has a very unpleasant taste and smell that cannot be removed even with the help of culinary tricks.

Attention! If the pig is in the hunt, then you need to wait a week, only then send it to slaughter.

It is possible to determine that the pig will walk by its characteristic features. Its behavior changes dramatically, the animal becomes restless, appetite worsens, aggression towards its fellows appears. The nipples swell and turn slightly red, the genital loop increases in size, and frequent urination appears.

Pigs showing signs of any disease should never be sent for slaughter. If you find the first signs of illness, poor appetite or loss of activity, you should immediately seek help from a qualified veterinarian. If a dangerous infection is found, then a pre-slaughter course of treatment is carried out, or the animal has to be slaughtered and the carcass is disposed of. Eating lard and meat from such a pig is unsafe for health.

In cases where we cut a domestic pig for sale, it will be necessary to conduct a veterinary examination. This is done even when the animals look perfectly healthy and the conditions are ideal. As a result, the owner is issued a certificate, which, after passing the sanitary and veterinary examination, allows him to sell the products. When slaughtered for personal use, it is not necessary for the pig to be examined by a veterinarian.

To avoid unforeseen situations, it is necessary to begin in advance to prepare not only the tools and the place for slaughter, but also the pig itself. They stop feeding her 12 hours before, watering her 3 hours before slaughter. This will cleanse the stomach and intestines, thereby minimizing the risk of staining the meat during the cutting process. However, it is impossible to starve the animal for more than the specified time, since it will scream, receive stress, which significantly deteriorates the taste of meat.

Domestic pigs are slaughtered in a clean and dry area, protected from dust and wind. Do not work near the pigsty where other animals live. In no case should they smell the blood and see the whole procedure. Autumn is the ideal time for slaughter. During this period, there is no longer intense heat, flies and dust storms. The procedure can be performed in winter, if the weather is not very frosty. Otherwise, there may be problems with cutting the carcass.

The slaughtered pig is cut on a flat surface. You can build a wooden board or adapt a low-height table. You should also prepare tools and accessories:

• twine or very strong rope to fix the pig;
• container for collecting blood and offal;

Tools

• gas torch or blowtorch;
• clean cloth that absorbs liquid well;
• a narrow and long knife with a rigid blade (several);
• straw;
• water at room temperature.

On a note! If the pig was kept at home, then there is no need to wash it before slaughter. First, they try to change the litter and clean the room in a timely manner so that as little dirt as possible remains on the skin.

Classical methods of slaughtering a pig

How to slaughter a pig so that the quality of lard and meat is at a high level? There are several methods for slaughtering pigs at home. First of all, the animal is taken out of the pen or shed. If it refuses to go out or does it reluctantly, then use the bait in the form of a pig's favorite delicacy. As soon as the pig is in the right place, both legs are tied with a rope, then the rope is passed under the belly and the body is dumped on the ground with a sharp movement.

Impact stabbing between ribs

The stab between the ribs must be made in such a way as to hit the pig's heart. It is quite difficult to do this the first time, since you have to not only calculate the accuracy and power of the blow, but also know for sure where to hit. In the absence of experience, it is better not to resort to this technique, since the animal can get angry, become aggressive and pose a danger to humans. Experienced specialists use this method.

Impact stabbing between ribs

Attention! This technology has a slight drawback: some of the blood accumulates in the cavity of the sternum and lungs, so later it will have to be bled out manually.

How to stab a pig correctly? Slaughter is carried out in the following order. The pig is thrown onto its right side and fixed with ropes. A puncture is made between the third and fourth ribs with a sharp knife with a blade length of at least 30 cm. The blade should be thin. The weapon is not removed until the animal has died down. After that, wipe it with a clean cloth.

Stabbing through the cervical artery

How to slaughter a domestic pig so that it does not suffer, and the quality of the original product remains good? Slaughtering through the cervical artery at home is an easier and safer way. The pig is placed with its feet up, a vessel for collecting blood is placed under the bottom. The puncture is carried out with a sharp knife at a distance of 2-3 cm from the left ear. Immediately after this, the pig is turned on its side, holding it firmly by its right leg, and trying to press it as hard as possible to the surface. As the carcass bleeds, the animal dies. This technique is suitable for slaughtering small breeds of pigs.

Less common methods of slaughter

How to properly slaughter a pig and protect yourself and others? The development of technical means in the modern world makes it possible to use them for slaughtering pigs. So, it is advisable to use a stun gun to kill large and strong boars that are dangerous to humans. First, an electric current in the form of a discharge stuns the animal, then as quickly as possible, his heart or carotid artery is pierced, providing a blood flow. The most sensitive place to try to hit with a shocker is the neck.

Interesting! How exactly are pigs killed without letting them close to you? Sometimes firearms are used for slaughter, however, this is not only a dangerous method, but also impractical. Sensing danger, the pig starts to run away. When trying to shoot him, not only other animals, but also people may suffer. In addition, this technique significantly complicates the exsanguination of the carcass, the quality of the meat is greatly deteriorated.

Less common methods of slaughter

How little piglets are slaughtered

How to slaughter a piglet correctly? The method of slaughtering a young pig depends on its size. If it is still milky, then the procedure is performed with a puncture in the neck, after placing the pig on a table or stool. The animal will hardly feel pain, the blood will drain quickly. Larger individuals are slaughtered using the same technology as an adult pig.

Primary processing of pigs

To make the blood drain from the pig better, you can hang the carcass by its hind legs and leave it in this position for 5-10 minutes. Next, proceed to the primary processing of the pig. It is necessary to burn the skin to blackness in order to get rid of the coarse bristles. From head to toe, they pass a blowtorch first along one side of the ink, then the second side is processed in the same way. Firing is carried out evenly so that a uniform black layer is formed over the entire area of ​​the body.

Attention! You should not keep the fire in one place for a long time to prevent cracking of the skin.

The belly is not burned as intensely as the back, since the skin there is tender and can easily crack, as a result of which its further cleaning will be difficult, and the presentation will noticeably deteriorate. Experienced pig breeders use straw to roast the skins to give the final product an original taste. To do this, the carcass is covered with clean, selected straw without unnecessary components and set on fire.

After completing the firing, the pig should be thoroughly washed and cleaned. In order to facilitate the procedure, the body is covered with a thick cloth and poured over with hot water. As a result, the skin is steamed, it will not be so difficult to clean it. The cloth is kept on the pig's body for about 5 minutes, after which they begin to gently scrape off the carbon and dirt with a blunt knife. The whole procedure is done as carefully as possible so as not to damage the thin skin. Water is constantly poured on the pig to better remove dirt. Before cutting, they try to wrap the carcass in an old blanket and let it steam well to keep the skin soft and cut well in the future.

Primary processing of pigs

Best time to slaughter pigs

On a note! How long does a domestic pig grow before going to slaughter? The time for feeding it depends on the selected breed. Vietnamese pigs gain weight in just six months, ordinary white pigs are able to grow up in 9-10 months. In this case, the output of the finished product will be the greatest, its quality is the best. If the owner does not intend to get fat from animal fat, and fatty meat is not to his taste, then slaughter can be carried out at the age of 6 months.

Autumn is considered the best time to slaughter pigs. During this period, there is no longer a strong heat, flies and other insects do not annoy, work is as comfortable as possible. You can kill a pig in winter, but in this case you will have to pick up a fine and not very frosty day. Otherwise, the pig's body will quickly harden and it will become difficult to cut it. If it is necessary to slaughter in the summer, then it is better to do it early in the morning, no later than 5 in the morning. During this period it is not yet very hot, the activity of flies and insects is minimal. It is necessary to complete the work before noon, otherwise the meat may have time to deteriorate, it will not be possible to eat it.

Every owner who decides to start raising gilts on his farm sooner or later faces the procedure for slaughtering them. In general, there is nothing complicated here, but an inexperienced beginner who has no idea how pigs are slaughtered will not be able to do without outside help. Therefore, you first need to find an experienced assistant who will monitor the situation and give advice at the right time. In the future, it will be possible to carry out all the work on its own. Although not so long ago, the slaughter of domestic pigs was almost a holiday where the closest relatives and friends gathered, a noisy feast was organized at the end.

Slaughtering a pig is a rather difficult process for a pig breeder, both physically and mentally. Therefore, many novice farmers ask themselves the question: how to slaughter a pig correctly? There are many subtleties here that you need to know. It is important to properly prepare the pig for slaughter, choose the appropriate method of killing and the necessary tools.

12-14 hours before slaughter, the pig is not fed, but a sufficient amount of drinking water is given to quickly cleanse the intestines. However, 3-4 hours before the procedure, the water is taken from the pig. This will help empty your bladder faster and improve meat quality. A dirty animal should be washed well with warm water using a small stiff brush.

Pigs are usually slaughtered outside.

The slaughter itself is most often carried out on the street. To do this, the animal must be taken out into the yard using a bait in the form of some kind of food. Do not beat or kick the pig, as this will cause him a lot of stress, which will also affect the quality of the product. The place where the process will take place is sprinkled with sawdust, and a strong crossbar is installed next to it, over which two thick ropes are thrown.

If the meat is planned to be sold, then before slaughtering the pig, it must be shown to the veterinarian and an appropriate certificate must be obtained. In the case when the meat will be used for personal consumption, this is not necessary.

What is needed for slaughter

The main and most essential tool for slaughtering is a good knife. It is made of strong, stiff, hardened steel, and the blade length must be exactly 22 cm. A prerequisite is a wooden handle and perfect sharpening. If you plan to cut a pig with a blow to the heart, then the sharpening should be double-edged. Separately, ordinary kitchen knives are used for carcass cutting.

It is very important to choose the right and very sharp knife for the slaughter.

You may also need an ax or sledgehammer, blowtorch, strong ropes, and plenty of warm water. If there is a need to collect blood (for blood sausage), then it is necessary to equip a special suspension in order to carefully drain it into containers prepared in advance. Slaughtering a pig alone is inconvenient and unsafe. Therefore, it is advisable to invite several experienced assistants, especially if such a procedure is being carried out for the first time.

Optimal period and time for slaughter

It is best to slaughter a pig in the fall or winter, because in the cold season it gains weight poorly. You should not do this in the summer. Heat and flies can quickly spoil the meat, and the animal is actively gaining weight during this period. If you still had to slaughter a pig in the summer, then this should be done early in the morning and very quickly.

Often, novice farmers have a question: how much does a piglet grow before slaughter. There are no strict criteria here. The higher the slaughter weight, the higher the productivity. If a pig weighs about 180 kg, then the net product yield is 80-85%. The age at which a pig is prepared for slaughter directly depends on its breed. So, slaughter can be carried out when they reach a weight of 100-120 kg. And easily gains weight up to 260-360 kg.

The age for slaughtering is determined by the breed of the pig.

You cannot slaughter a pig during the period of sexual heat. After all, hormones greatly spoil the taste of meat. You will have to wait at least 2 weeks after the end of the last hunt, and only then score. It is not worth carrying out this procedure later, because the next sexual cycle may begin.

Slaughter process and methods

There are three main methods of slaughtering a pig: neck puncture, heart blow, and blow stun. All of these methods have both advantages and disadvantages.

A puncture in the neck

The fastest and most convenient way to slaughter a pig is a puncture in the neck, with the help of which the carotid artery and jugular vein are cut. The animal does not suffer, dies instantly, and the blood does not remain in the body and freely flows out. This method of slaughtering pigs at home is ideal for small pigs (eg Vietnamese).

It is better to use a crossbar with ropes here. The animal is distracted by placing a container with food in front of it. At this time, one end of the rope is thrown over the crossbar, and the other is carefully but firmly tied to the hind legs of the animal. After that, the pig is pulled up and suspended at the required height, and after it calms down, a puncture is made at the junction of the neck with the chest.

The fastest and most popular method of slaughter is neck puncture.

If there is no way to hang the pig, you can knock it on its side by tying its legs on one side and jerking it sharply in the opposite direction. At the same time, the help of another 1-2 people will be needed so that the animal cannot rise.

Puncture in the heart

Some farmers prefer to kill the pig with a blow to the heart. However, this method is very painful for the animal, because it does not die immediately. For the procedure to be successful, the pig is stunned and laid on its left side, carefully fixing the right front leg. First, you need to feel the pulsation in the chest and sharply insert the knife into the cartilage between the 3rd and 4th ribs. You cannot pull out the knife until the pig stops moving, and then tightly cover the wound with a clean rag.

The disadvantage of this method is the ingress of blood into the chest. It will not flow out on its own, and it will have to be scooped out by hand, with a mug or other suitable container. The presence of blood in the carcass greatly spoils the taste of the meat, so you should try to bleed it as best as possible.

Stun blow

Often, in order to kill an adult pig, and especially a wild boar, the animal is stunned with a strong and sharp blow with a sledgehammer or the butt of an ax.

To stun you need to take a heavy object: an ax or a sledgehammer.

Such a blow can be applied to both the frontal bone and the back of the head. The animal is previously tied tightly to some kind of support. You can then use either of the two slaughtering methods described above. But you will have to act very quickly, until the pig wakes up. Sometimes a stun gun or a firearm is used for these purposes. Although such methods do not inspire confidence and are extremely dangerous both for the pig itself and for its owner.

The main difficulty of stunning with a blow is that it is very difficult to turn over and butcher the carcass after that (especially if the pig weighed more than 200 kg). Cope on your own, without outside help, will not work. In addition, an inexperienced pig breeder cannot immediately get to the points necessary for slaughter, and a wounded animal can cause serious injuries to its offender.

Pig slaughter

It is much easier to slaughter small pigs, but the technique is no different from that used for slaughtering adult pigs. Suckling pigs are rarely slaughtered, but sometimes it happens. Such piglets under the age of 2 months weigh very little, so you can easily cope with slaughter on your own, without help. For this, the pig is placed on a special stool and a sharp puncture is made in the neck, cutting the carotid artery. If the piglet weighs more than 20 kg, then 1-2 people may need help.

The video shows how to quickly and correctly slaughter and bleed a pig.