Home pig slaughter

[Bowland blades]

I recommend not doing this against the cost of buying a whole carcass with correct paperwork and inspection . Your off base some with the killing Ear to opposite eye and shoot where the crossing point would be ( with a firearm with way less power at PBR .
Its different if they are raised at your own farm and you have the means and knowledge to inspect correctly . Have you a chiller , can you de hair etc ? I fear you will end up with poor pork at best that will take a while to get through as personal consumption

 

[east sussex]

You can hoist her up and with a burco urn full of boiling water get a mate to tip jugs of water onto it while you scrape.A butchers block scraper is good for this but it's bloody hard work.get the loins back legs and belly done like this then finish off with a blow lamp.then hose with plenty of fresh water and scrubbing brush .Be prepared to skin the shoulders as you are cutting it up. If it's an old sow I would sausage most of it anyway.good luck.

 

[User00038]

I think if I was a pig I'd rather be dispatched at home while I'm munching on my favorite tuck and know nothing about it... the thought of being loaded up on a trailer and driven to my demise, while smelling the death in the air as I neared the slaughterhouse would not be nice...

On the other hand, I took some pigs to a private kill (as opposed to commercial) abattoir last week. I had to wake them up in the trailer on arrival then opened the gates and they slowly dawdled along the corridor into a straw pen in the lairage, where they rooted about for a minute, lay down and went to sleep again. In the pen overnight, until the moment of truth first thing in the morning.

Re ongoing comments re method of dispatch for a home kill - below is copied from the Humane Slaughter Association that I linked above:

Pigs are among the most difficult animals to shoot. There are two reasons for this: first, the target area is very small and this problem can be exacerbated by the ‘dish’ (concave) face shape of certain breeds and in aged pigs; second, the brain lies quite deep in the head, relative to other species, with a mass of sinuses lying between the frontal bone and the brain cavity. The ideal site for shooting pigs is one finger’s width above eye level, on the mid-line of the forehead, aiming towards the tail (Figures 11 and 12).​

Figure 11 Pig shot position		Figure 12 Bacon pig (6 months)

Older pigs and exotic breeds, such as the Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pig, often have foreheads of thick bone and this can cause problems when using free-bullet humane killers, especially older .22 or .310 models. The bullet may become lodged in the sinuses and fail to penetrate the brain (Figures 13 and 14). Some older pigs, especially boars, may have a bony ridge running down the centre of the forehead; in such cases the muzzle of the humane killer should be placed slightly to one side of the ridge, aiming into the centre of the head. Because of the problems which might arise with adult pigs and exotics, it is recommended that where possible, they are destroyed by use of a shotgun (12, 16 or 20 bore). If a shotgun is used, the target area is the same as that for the humane killer; alternatively the animal can be shot through an eye, or from behind an ear, aiming toward the middle of the head. When using a shotgun, the muzzle should always be held from 5-25cm away from the animal’s head. ​

"

Figure 13 Adult sow (5 years)

 

[Norfolk Horn]

On the other hand, I took some pigs to a private kill (as opposed to commercial) abattoir last week. I had to wake them up in the trailer on arrival then opened the gates and they slowly dawdled along the corridor into a straw pen in the lairage, where they rooted about for a minute, lay down and went to sleep again. In the pen overnight, until the moment of truth first thing in the morning.

Re ongoing comments re method of dispatch for a home kill - below is copied from the Humane Slaughter Association that I linked above:

Pigs are among the most difficult animals to shoot. There are two reasons for this: first, the target area is very small and this problem can be exacerbated by the ‘dish’ (concave) face shape of certain breeds and in aged pigs; second, the brain lies quite deep in the head, relative to other species, with a mass of sinuses lying between the frontal bone and the brain cavity. The ideal site for shooting pigs is one finger’s width above eye level, on the mid-line of the forehead, aiming towards the tail (Figures 11 and 12).​

Figure 11 Pig shot position		Figure 12 Bacon pig (6 months)

Older pigs and exotic breeds, such as the Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pig, often have foreheads of thick bone and this can cause problems when using free-bullet humane killers, especially older .22 or .310 models. The bullet may become lodged in the sinuses and fail to penetrate the brain (Figures 13 and 14). Some older pigs, especially boars, may have a bony ridge running down the centre of the forehead; in such cases the muzzle of the humane killer should be placed slightly to one side of the ridge, aiming into the centre of the head. Because of the problems which might arise with adult pigs and exotics, it is recommended that where possible, they are destroyed by use of a shotgun (12, 16 or 20 bore). If a shotgun is used, the target area is the same as that for the humane killer; alternatively the animal can be shot through an eye, or from behind an ear, aiming toward the middle of the head. When using a shotgun, the muzzle should always be held from 5-25cm away from the animal’s head. ​

"

Figure 13 Adult sow (5 years

I followed the above. The reason I was asked if I could shoot the pigs was that the knacker man hadn't managed to kill a pig quickly on a previous occasion when asked to deal with a old boar and the owner found it upsetting.
I used my sxs then I had a back up shot handy if I needed it.
I shot an old sow and a mangalitsa boar the first time and I gave the sow a GOS two to be on the safe side as she was massive
I shot LB boar which had been in a fight and got a badly damaged rear leg.
With a 12 bore you literally get steam coming out of there ears.

 

[Norfolk Horn]

Has anyone ever had experience of home slaughtering a pig and prepping thereafter. The reason I ask is, I have been offered a barren sow, circa 220 kilos for my home charcuterie, which the very nice breeder friend will bring over. Any thoughts on the best way to dispatching stress free ( I was thinking a 270 solid round to the back of the head as she eats a nice last meal)?? but what do we ( I ain't doing this on my own) use to lift her up via the back legs to bleed etc. And do I clean the muck off the carcuss befor gutting and cleaning ( I thought a pressure washer and unused scrubbing brush, followed by blowlamping off any stubble / fur ) obviously I am not going to slaughter untill much cooler temps, hopefully in October/November? So plenty of time to prepare and rig up some lifting gear. Any thoughts.

Depending on the breed a sow of that size will have a lot of fat on her and its probably the reason she won't hold to the boar.
On thing you won't have to worry about boar taint . The old boys always said the best eating was from a first time sow that had just raised a litter as she would have good mature meat but not much fat as it had been used raising her litter.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Wait until it’s a bit cooler is my advice!

K

 

[stevec]

I used to keep pigs and I would second the idea of taking the pig to a slaughterhouse. It really doesn’t cost much and is clean, well managed and legal.

I now use a small family run slaughterhouse for my own animals. They do a brilliant job and it is a friendly calm team running it. For what they charge me, it isn’t worth me attempting to do it at home.

I have previously used very large slaughterhouses and they are not pleasant places in my experience.

 

[stevec]

Also, I once got food poisoning from a home slaughtered pig, which probably clouds my judgement! I suspect it had been butchered in a dirty barn and in any case, the farmer was breaking the law by serving it to guests

 

[Ratel]

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.

 

[User00038]

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.

And washed out the intestines for sausage skins in the duck pond?

(as I was assured by a butcher in Skibbereen a few years ago...)

 

[Bowland blades]

I used to keep pigs and I would second the idea of taking the pig to a slaughterhouse. It really doesn’t cost much and is clean, well managed and legal.

I now use a small family run slaughterhouse for my own animals. They do a brilliant job and it is a friendly calm team running it. For what they charge me, it isn’t worth me attempting to do it at home.

I have previously used very large slaughterhouses and they are not pleasant places in my experience.

Very much agree with that last bit ! I did engineering contracting at a very large slaughterhouse in the 80s , as a hunter from before my first day at infant school I ended up not eating pork for well over ten years . Cows and sheep never played on my mind at all but those pigs are of a far greater intellect and knew the score and have as good a sense of smell of a good dog if not more .

 

[Ratel]

And washed out the intestines for sausage skins in the duck pond?

(as I was assured by a butcher in Skibbereen a few years ago...)

No,no, and even more No. Large intestines were too big, could be used for black or white pudding (we didn't). Small intestines rodded with a peeled hazel stick, turned and rodded again. Then washed, plaited and placed in a mild vinegar brine. Chitterlings. To be eaten with white bread, butter and vinegar.
Sheep strings for sausage skins

 

[jb1]

As many have said, take the old girl to the Abbotoir

I am a butcher by trade and started out as a teen (many moons ago) with a mobile slaughter outfit. I agree that it offers a huge benefit in terms of welfare but when conducted with experience.

1st off the idea of 270 close quarter combat has me wincing already for a multitude of reasons. It really wouldn’t be the 1st tool of choice. Pigs are notoriously hard to shoot in the brain which is only made worse by the fact that they are particularly intelligent animals. Mark my words the pig will know that something is up!… add to that the potential for thst 270 round passing through and going who knows where. If you really must a close quarter shotgun with a stout load would be far more suitable & research the aim point. The back of the head isn’t suitable on pigs, the brain actually lays rather low in the head.

The cost verses the sheer amount of hassle, potential for injury to pig or yourselves simply doesn’t stack up. As a mobile outfit we used to stun with electric (specialised kit), carry hoists, a huge gas boiler for scalding, tables & kit for scraping the outer layer of skin & hair & or course suitable refrigeration and vessels for dealing with viscera. You don’t find many mobile slaughter outfits that will deal with pigs these days as they simply are a huge amount of hassle for relatively low returns. Add to that the point about health testing and it all starts to be compelling.

Legally your on a hotbed too. If the animal is owned by YOU, you may slaughter it and process it for yourself and immediate family. The GOVT definition of immediate family is those whom you cohabit with. If aunty Dora or Dave down the pub get hold of some the produce then you are in breach of the law. On the flip side if the animal killed in an Abbotoir most of the red tape has been covered though you should still be mindful of having your butchery facility registered with local authority if you plan to sell any produce. This is especially a hot topic when it comes to the black art of charcuterie where live cultures, biology & voodoo meet

Whatever you decide, tread carefully

100% agree with The Cornishman.
From 11 years old and too many years/decades after, from slaughter house to retail. Take it to the slaughter house, it takes away all the hard work for you, and the cost is in my opinion is not enough for the involvement.

 

[VSS]

Here's the diagrams I drew when I wrote the pig killing chapter of my book:



There's a step-by-step photo sequence of the whole job as well. A bit too much to post here though.

 

[Bo Diddley]

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!

 

[rarms]

I have done one pig of that size at home, and it is a hell of a lot of work. I would suggest taking to abattoir. Then have back either as two halves if you want to butcher, or cut and bagged if you don't

 

[nun_hunter]

I think if I was a pig I'd rather be dispatched at home while I'm munching on my favorite tuck and know nothing about it... the thought of being loaded up on a trailer and driven to my demise, while smelling the death in the air as I neared the slaughterhouse would not be nice... I'm thinking of atrocities the Nazis did in WW2 here... we have a slaughterhouse in the market town a few miles away it's certainly an industrial way of processing living animals into meat, but is it the best way, I don't think so.
A good friend with a smallholding always dreamed of being able to have his cattle slaughtered on the holding, but it was not possible for him. When one was finished and ready for slaughter, he would then buy in another calf, so he always had three head of cattle on the holding. His cattle would follow him around like dogs, he only wanted the best for them, better for him to lead one to the other end of the holding to be quietly dispatched rather than the stress of being carted to the abattoir.

Having fairly recently shot a pig on a farm in a pen with other pigs I can safely say the other pigs didn't give a monkey's about seeing their litter mate shot and kicking about.

I get the animals sense stress and can be stressed by something new and overwhelming but their pretty oblivious when it comes to death and what that means.

 

[Bo Diddley]

Having fairly recently shot a pig on a farm in a pen with other pigs I can safely say the other pigs didn't give a monkey's about seeing their litter mate shot and kicking about.

I get the animals sense stress and can be stressed by something new and overwhelming but their pretty oblivious when it comes to death and what that means.

I've also seen them being run through our local abattoir, admittedly a lot of years ago now and things may be done differently, but slaughtermen can be barstewards at times, working in environments like that harden men to the task they are doing.
I'd rather be shot on the farm with a .410 between the eyes, I've done a few with problems and because I actually like pigs I always find it surprisingly difficult, shooting anything else not so difficult at all.
I guess we are all different, which is a good job really.

 

[nic531]

I used to grow on a couple of pigs at a time. As The Cornishman said, you can kill at home but then cannot distribute the product outside of your own household. that was why I took mine to a local abbattoir. have not done for about 6years but cost then was about £20 per animal, ... it came back in halves, de haired. much better to deal with.

 

[nun_hunter]

I've also seen them being run through our local abattoir, admittedly a lot of years ago now and things may be done differently, but slaughtermen can be barstewards at times, working in environments like that harden men to the task they are doing.
I'd rather be shot on the farm with a .410 between the eyes, I've done a few with problems and because I actually like pigs I always find it surprisingly difficult, shooting anything else not so difficult at all.
I guess we are all different, which is a good job really.

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.