However, the window for slaughtering cattle is much more narrower for areas that do get snow from November or December through to May. For these areas, slaughtering should be done in the fall, between October to the first snowfall. You should also note the time that your animals were born and when the best age and time to slaughter should be. For example, if the steer you are raising on grass was born in April and you are wanting to slaughter him when he’s around 18 months of age, then you should slaughter in October of the following year. However, if the steer was born in February and you want to slaughter at the same age (18 months), then you may have to consider waiting a couple of months more (into October or November instead of in August of the following) to slaughter it. Consider withholding feed for 24 hours prior to slaughter. It’s not mandatory, but it’s easier to clean or gut an animal when there is no food in the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract than if there was. If you feel bad about leaving your cattle hungry before slaughter, then that’s fine. But remember to be very careful when the skinning and cleaning process has to commence to avoid contaminating the carcass.
Ideally, many recommend to restrain the animal first for your safety, or move the animal into a small enclosure where you can make the shot as close as possible. If necessary, restraint in a box chute with a side-access door is also recommended so that you can quickly access the animal as quickly as possible after the unpleasant deed (next step) is done. This is an exception if the animal you are slaughtering is already a “downer” from an injury and is unable to get up.
A small . 22 caliber gun will not be enough to kill an adult cow, but it may be best on younger cattle. A large-caliber handgun like a . 44 Magnum, or a large caliber rifle like those used with hunting large game such as deer, elk, bear, or moose, such as a . 30-30, are sufficient to effectively kill a cow or a bull. Rifles like the . 30-30 are excellent at killing a bovine from a distance where a pistol or a shotgun will not be so effective. Shotguns can also be used, but need to be used at closer range (within 1 to 2 yards). Use of the 12, 16, and 20-gauge shotguns are ideal for mature cows and bulls, loaded with slugs or No. 2-, 4-, or 6-size birdshot.
Visualize an invisible X on the forehead, for cattle older than 6 months: Start at the top of the base of the animal’s horn bed, then trace it to the inner corner of the opposite eye. Do the same with the opposite horn bed and eye. (Or think of it this way: left horn bed to right eye, right horn bed to left eye. ) The center were the two lines meet is where you must aim for and place the bullet. [3] X Research source For cattle 6 months and younger, the aim should be from the top-base of each ear to the inside corner of the eye on the opposite side: left ear, right eye, right ear, left eye. No matter the age, the angle of the gun itself should be perpendicular to the angle of the face from poll to nose. This is so that maximum impact can be achieved and there is a lower chance of bullet ricochet. If the gun is placed between the eyes, the shot will completely miss the brain and cause suffering to the animal instead of intended instantaneous death. Do not allow this to happen. If you have chosen to place a bullet in the back of the head, aim below the poll (the rounded portion at the top of the skull) and just above the neck-line. Your aim should be parallel with the angle of the face or, at a 45-degree angle to the neck-line. Do this only with a downer animal. This can be the most nerve-wracking, emotionally-distressing, and very unpleasant portion of slaughtering an animal, especially for those doing it for the first time. If you find you cannot do it, there is nothing wrong with finding someone else who can do it for you.
Visualize an invisible X on the forehead, for cattle older than 6 months: Start at the top of the base of the animal’s horn bed, then trace it to the inner corner of the opposite eye. Do the same with the opposite horn bed and eye. (Or think of it this way: left horn bed to right eye, right horn bed to left eye. ) The center were the two lines meet is where you must aim for and place the bullet. [3] X Research source For cattle 6 months and younger, the aim should be from the top-base of each ear to the inside corner of the eye on the opposite side: left ear, right eye, right ear, left eye. No matter the age, the angle of the gun itself should be perpendicular to the angle of the face from poll to nose. This is so that maximum impact can be achieved and there is a lower chance of bullet ricochet. If the gun is placed between the eyes, the shot will completely miss the brain and cause suffering to the animal instead of intended instantaneous death. Do not allow this to happen. If you have chosen to place a bullet in the back of the head, aim below the poll (the rounded portion at the top of the skull) and just above the neck-line. Your aim should be parallel with the angle of the face or, at a 45-degree angle to the neck-line. Do this only with a downer animal. This can be the most nerve-wracking, emotionally-distressing, and very unpleasant portion of slaughtering an animal, especially for those doing it for the first time. If you find you cannot do it, there is nothing wrong with finding someone else who can do it for you.
Never cut into the skin through the hair; you need to cut through the skin and out. This avoids the knife slipping and cutting you or some part of the animal. So, it’s point in, then cut out. Note: Before and during the sticking process many people who have viewed videos of animal slaughter or have personally watched the slaughter process observed that the animals’ legs were still moving and kicking as their throats were being slit, and this has lead them to believe that the animal was still alive after being stunned or killed. This is false. Leg movements after stunning and sticking are merely unconscious muscle reflexes that are initiated by synapses that come from the spinal cord, not the brain itself. This is because the brain would already be non-functioning after being severely damaged enough to initiate brain death. Even decapitated animals will kick out or “appear to struggle. " In order to determine if an animal is unconscious and insensible, leg movement must be ignored. Eye reflexes, eye blinking, vocalization and rhythmic breathing or movement of the animal’s sides must be absent in order for an animal to be considered deceased.
You will need a meat-saw to cut through the spinal column.
If you choose to start slaughtering the animal on the ground, all that’s needed to be done is to move the animal onto its back and place a short prop or square post on either side of the rib-cage (below the elbow) to hold it there.
Dry, dust-free and well-drained area. Area not visible to the public, like from roads, neighbor’s houses, etc. Well-lit area, such as in a sunny spot or where you can access electricity if you have to do the slaughtering process in the evening or at night. Sheltered area to protect yourself and the carcass from the elements like wind and precipitation. You may already have a designated slaughter facility where a tractor is not needed, but simply a cable and a winch. Come-along winches are the best for cattle, and can be used to hoist the animal to the height that is most convenient for you to work on the animal.
Slip the short-pointed knife into the slit made at the gam cord and cut around the hock, cutting outwards.
With the knife between the flesh and the skin, slice a line down each leg to the midline, then all the way down to the neck or dewlap.
Using your skinning knife, begin at the junction where the leg cuts meet the mid-line cut. Grasp the hide with one hand and pull hard (out and down for hanging, up and out for carcasses on the ground) to create tension as you use your knife to separate the hide from the flesh. Place your knife firmly against the hide with the cutting edge turned towards the hide at a slight angle[6] X Research source . Keep pulling the hide away with your hand and keep slicing down and to the side until the belly and rib cage is completely skinned. You may want to wash down this area at this point to remove any dirt or other contaminants before proceeding to the rest of the skinning process.
Start skinning the back legs by starting at the top of the “Y” and skinning the hide up and over the groin (scrotum or udder). The hide tends to be tautest here, so you need to be especially careful if you’re wanting to save the hide. Just like with skinning the belly, pull the hide out and down to create tension as you work. Fat is good when skinning the animal as it makes it relatively easy to skin, so you should leave as much fat on the carcass as possible.
Continue skinning over the anus to the tailbone. Give the tail a sharp jerk downward to sever it from the vertebrae. (If you can’t do it, simply cutting it off with a knife works just as well. ) 6) The weight of the hide itself will help skin the rest of the carcass for you. Work all around the animal until you reach the forefront of the carcass 7)Skin the forelegs near the shoulders, starting on the outside of the leg and working around to the front. Repeat for the other leg.
Skin the neck and inner forelegs. By this time the hide should be completely shed.
Lower the animal so that you can work comfortably on the rear end of it.
Cut around the anus with a short, pointed knife, being very careful not to make any holes in the intestine, as that could contaminate the meat. This anal area is known as the bung.
Pull the bung out slightly or enough that you can tie it off. Unless you know your knots and can make a slip-knot prior to pulling it out, you may need a helper to hold the rectum as you tie it off.
If the animal is male, cut out the penis before slicing through the belly.
Cut down the belly, cutting from the inside out, working your way down from the udder/scrotal area to the sternum. Use your other hand to hold the viscera away from the point of the knife, cutting through the belly fat as you go.
Place a large container underneath to catch the viscera, as by now they would be bulging out of the body.
Cut through the fat surrounding the offal and sever any tissue that connects offal to the back of the abdominal cavity. Pull the bung through to the inside of the cavity then out through the slit made to access the internal organs. Take your time separating the intestines from the cavity since you don’t want to spill the contents into the carcass. Also be careful to not rupture the bladder.
Pull the intestines and bladder out of the body, as well as the stomachs since it should also be free by now too. Reach in and down to lift it all out into the container, severing the remaining flesh and connective tissue connecting the stomachs (also called the paunch) to the body cavity. This includes severing the esophagus from the stomach at the point where it goes through the diaphragm. If there are some innards that you want to keep, you’ll want to get a separate “keeper” bowl to put them in. This would include the kidneys and liver. The kidneys should be removed after the intestines are taken out, as well as the abdominal fat that can be cut up and fed to the chickens (if you have any). Remove the liver and place it in the bowl along with the kidneys.
Cut out the diaphragm and remove the heart and lungs. To do this you need to grasp the heart and lungs and pull forward and downward, cutting the large blood vessel attached to the backbone. You should be able to remove the heart and lungs with the esophagus and trachea attached. You will need to sever the connective tissue between them if you want to keep the heart along with the liver and kidneys. You may need to squeeze the heart a bit to get any blood out that may have not been completely pumped out. You should inspect the offal to see if there are any abnormalities that may affect the quality of the meat. If you’re not sure what to look for, it may be best to get a large-animal veterinarian out to do the postmortem inspection for you.
You should consider splitting the carcass into quarters to handle the carcass a bit easier. Cut between the 12th and 13th rib, and leave the 13th rib intact to allow air to circulate over the kidney knob and prevent bacterial growth if additional hanging time is needed.
A good way to tell if you have the meat aging at the right temperature is if the temperature of the round (the hind-quarter) and other thick parts are lowered to 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7 to 4 degrees Celsius) within 24 hours after slaughter. Hang the carcass in an area where off-odors will not be absorbed and do not exist. Odors like manure, gas, paint or musty odors can be readily absorbed by the carcass. The hanging area should, in addition to cool and dry, also be dust-free, odor-free and relatively sterile.
The pens are also a way for them to undergo ante-mortem (before death) inspection by licensed veterinarians. This is to detect any evidence of disease or any abnormal condition that would indicate a particular animal is diseased. If any such animal is found, a metal ear-tag is placed so as to give special postmortem scrutiny. If there is definite and conclusive evidence that, in the antemortem examination, the animal is not fit for human consumption, it is condemned and no postmortem exam is necessary.
The box is open above and the sides are high enough so that the animal cannot see over even if they try to raise their head. The right side of the box chute is released and let down to free the stunned animal once the killing/stunning process is complete. This allows access to the legs so that they can be shackled. More on this in later steps. In addition, there is a solid-sided gate at the rear of the box stall so that the cattle behind the one that is being killed do not see what is going on in front of them. This is so that they remain calm and quiet.
The steel rod from the captive bolt gun is driven by compressed air or a blank cartridge, and is retracted and reset for the next animal. The cap-bolt gun will remain effective if maintained properly. Cartridges should be stored in a dry place and the steel rod cleaned regularly. The gun itself must also be cleaned to ensure it induces instantaneous death to the animal it is used on. Veal calves are often killed with carbon dioxide.
This method greatly increases the efficiency of skinning and the yields of headmeat/cheekmeat.
Most slaughter plants do not find it cost effective to discard the offal, legs, head, blood or hide to the landfill. A large number of facilities sell the waste material to various butcher shops or other factories that use the remains for various users from cosmetics to car seats, home insulation and material for paving roads.
In the United States and Canada, the brain, spinal column, eyes, and other organs that are most likely to hold prions that cause BSE are discarded as SRMs or Specified Risk Material and never put into the food chain for either livestock or humans.
