Home pig slaughter

[Bo Diddley]

Animals certainly react to perceived danger and stress but I don't believe they understand death as such and what it means.

Yes, agree 100%

 

[CookM]

I agree that on the farm with a 410 is best from a welfare and stress perspective for the animal.

Animals certainly react to perceived danger and stress but I don't believe they understand death as such and what it means.

Bigger than a .410 for a sow please,the skull is very thick on a big girl.
Both RSPCA and Red Tractor always ask me if l am using a 12 bore for sows and boars on my annual audits.
It works OK on 100 kg fat pigs.

 

[enfieldspares]

Changed times! A rope round his snout, down the garden path to the bolt of oat straw, a lump hammer, a knife, a log sawing trestle and mother with the stainless steel bowls (for blood and chitterlings). My sister stoking the fire under the copper for scalding and scraping after the burning off. To complete the picture five or six snotty little faces peering over the wall to watch the "Killing" by the village pig sticker circa 1948.
We still did it in the 50's and pigs were "Cut" with a razor blade and their nuts bitten off, by the same bloke.

They used to call it "putting it out of the way" in my grandmother's time in Lincolnshire. And the experienced and always called to do it village member that did all this "putting it out of the way" was usually by custom entitled to the "draw" and the "pluck" as their reward. So the liver, kidneys, "lights" (viz the lungs), heart and all the other offal. But as RATEL says quite vividly about the fate that awaited the pig there that's where the saying "led down the garden path" comes from!

 

[Ratel]

They used to call it "putting it out of the way" in my grandmother's time in Lincolnshire. And the experienced and always called to do it village member that did all this "putting it out of the way" was usually by custom entitled to the "draw" and the "pluck" as their reward. So the liver, kidneys, "lights" (viz the lungs), heart and all the other offal. But as RATEL says quite vividly about the fate that awaited the pig there that's where the saying "led down the garden path" comes from!

Our chap used to get the "Christening joint"and a couple or two of rabbits. I think the joint was the neck end of the spine. All innards were ours, however the liver on all the pigs down the row were communal. Everybody split their pig's liver into four one piece to each cottage.

 

[andrewk]

I have just retired from 30 years in the meat trade and would have to say that the abattoir route is by far the best. If you are intending to make chorizo and the like, meat that has been hygienicly processed and properly chilled is a distinct and safe advantage. Also a sow, even split into quarters, is heavy!

 

[Rhodesianjess]

Whatever you decide, I hope it's more manageable than this old picture would indicate.

 

[Triggermortis]

The proper way for that purpose,shot column in effect acts as a slug.
Little material at the shot site immediately.
Back of head not the correct way ,good for sheep etc.
Definitely not between the eyes.

Why not between the eyes, do you mean be sure to shoot it up higher,nothing wrong with a headshot from the front?
please explain?

 

[potshotpat]

Whatever you decide, I hope it's more manageable than this old picture would indicate.

That's a five star rating for food hygiene if I ever saw one. I think the pig might have struggled for the same. Bon Appetite.

 

[CookM]

Why not between the eyes, do you mean be sure to shoot it up higher,nothing wrong with a headshot from the front?
please explain?

Right between the eyes is into the nasal bones the top of the palate and may just break into the front of the cerebral cavity.
Up as shown above ,making a x between the top of the eye and the base of the ear goes straight into the "brain box " destroying brain matter right back to the top of the spinal cord.
The skull should be thought of as a long right angled isosceles? triangle(come on the geometrists)
The target position is 45° through to the base of the right angle.
Give that the thin pointy corner is the snout.

 

[troggy]

Right between the eyes is into the nasal bones the top of the palate and may just break into the front of the cerebral cavity.
Up as shown above ,making a x between the top of the eye and the base of the ear goes straight into the "brain box " destroying brain matter right back to the top of the spinal cord.
The skull should be thought of as a long right angled isosceles? triangle(come on the geometrists)
The target position is 45° through to the base of the right angle.
Give that the thin pointy corner is the snout.

Dear all, minnie tanks for all the home slaughtering piggy feedback, most helpful for sure, although in the end, I have turned down the offer of the free unwanted sow for my charcuterie efforts, it turns out the old girl weighs in excess of 350 kilos, and the estimated post slaughter usable meat will be in excess of 250 kilos, far to much for me to handle on my own. And it turns out only one close abattoir could do the deed, by including the hippo sized sow in one of their cattle lines, captive bolt, not prepping , just cut into 4 quarters for collection. Its a shame, as I had promised to take her, but I had not seen her, and had no idea of her size. Unfortunately, the sourcing free range whole and half pigs for home charcuterie is getting harder , the farm shop in Goodwood where I could buy a whole 120 k butchered into workable lumps for £200 have ceased to supply!! If anybody knows of a source of free range whole or half pigs ?? Regards troggy

 

[Buchan]

Just to add, if you are not a licensed slaughterman, you can't sell the pork, or even give it away. It has to be home consumption

 

[Greenmist]

Is the pig actually able to walk ok? I think the larger slaughterhouses have some sort of rule that If it can't walk onto the lorry/trailer they won't take it... not sure about the smaller more animal friendly abattoirs.
I shoot rats on a pig farm that fattens, They have to shoot a few in each batch because they won't load, which seems a complete waste to me!

When I worked with pigs that was always the case, if it couldn't walk onto the wagon it couldn't go to slaughter

 

[wb123]

Do it at home. Far better for the pig.

We did a pair a while back, shotgun to the brain mid breakfast (50g of number 3), clip the hair with horse/cattle clippers. A bit of hair on the crackling is fine in my view.

It's a fair bit of work but if you are going to breed it well, rear it well, you should kill it well.

 

[mike243]

a pal of mine a good few years ago bought a minature vietnamese pot belly piglet, 18 months later he turned up at my door asking would I shoot his pig for half of the meat, it had grown larger than he had thought and was particularly ill tempered, I agreed to have a look, when I looked over the stable door there stood upwards of a 1/4 ton big black angry non minature pig, it was massive and just like he had explained it had knackers like rugby balls, they had no idea what was involved, no lifting gear, no scalding tank, not even a sharp knife, I declined his kind offer and left suggesting he gave it to a farm zoo or rescue charity and that he reported the seller to the trade desriptions people , I know not what happened to the poor pig but I wanted nothing to do with it

 

[bullet chucker]

Whatever you decide, I hope it's more manageable than this old picture would indicate.

Like to see that beast loaded into a Suzuki Jimny.

BC.

 

[mike243]

Whatever you decide, I hope it's more manageable than this old picture would indicate.

that is one seriously big pig