Slaughtering pigs at home: effective methods, features and recommendations

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 20:55

Growing pigs in backyards, many farmers today consider it a very profitable business. Such animals are unpretentious and are able to quickly gain a lot of weight. The procedure for growing piglets is not particularly difficult. However, the owner of the farmstead, who decided to breed pigs, of course, needs to know and be able to do a lot. In addition to feeding methods, treatment technologies, etc., in this case, the farmer needs to have an idea about how to kill piglets. There are several ways to slaughter pigs at home.

At what age is the procedure performed

In most households, piglets are raised until they reach a weight of 60 kg. Keeping a pig longer is considered inappropriate by many owners of farmsteads. The rate of weight gain after 60 kg in piglets can be significantly reduced. At the same time, they begin to consume feedmore. With an increase in weight in pigs, the quality of meat also decreases. Pigs are fattening too much.

Sometimes pigs are still kept on farms for longer. In some cases, piglets weighing 100-110 kg or more can be slaughtered. Around this age, pigs reach sexual maturity. Also, sometimes the owners of household plots also slaughter adult animals, the weight of which can be 300-350 kg. Such body weight is usually gained by producers who were once left to replenish the herd. Of course, pigs can perform their main function of reproduction for a limited period, which also depends on the breed. After the animal loses the ability to give birth to he althy strong piglets, it is slaughtered accordingly.

The only exceptions in terms of slaughter weight are Vietnamese pigs. Slaughter at home of such piglets is usually done at an early age. The peculiarities of this breed include the fact that its representatives develop very quickly and grow fat, but they never grow too big. Vietnamese lop-bellied piglets are usually slaughtered at the age of 4 months. The weight of pigs by this time reaches 30-35 kg. That is why Vietnamese piglets are very popular with summer residents. After all, it is possible to grow such a pig before the time of slaughter in a short warm period of the year.

Preparations

Before you start slaughtering a piglet, of course, you need to carefully prepare it. During the day or at least 12 hours beforeperforming the procedure, the pig is put on a starvation diet. That is, they do not offer the piglet any food. This is necessary so that the intestines of the animal are completely cleansed. Otherwise, its contents may stain the meat during cutting. In addition, the intestines of a pig in the future, if they contain feces, it will not be possible to use them for cooking sausages.

In a few hours, the pig is no longer given water. The animal's bladder should also be cleaned. A few days before slaughter, among other things, it is worth inviting a veterinarian to the farm. It is not considered mandatory to call a specialist before killing a piglet. However, it is still worth paying for an inspection of the animal if its meat is supposed to be sold.

What techniques can be used in backyards

Methods for slaughtering pigs at home can be applied as follows:

• transection of the carotid artery;
• stabbed in the heart.

Recently, some homeowners have also used a more modern and painless technology for slaughtering pigs - using electricity and a special stiletto.

Method of slaughtering pigs at home in the neck: tools

For slaughter using this technology, the owner of the farmstead needs to prepare:

• lots of warm water;
• carcass hook;
• blood collection container;
• ropes;
• sledgehammer;
• gas burner;
• gauze and napkins.

A sharp knife with a blade width of 3.5 cm and a length of 20-22 cm is used as the main tool for slaughtering pigs at home.

Step-by-step technology

The throat punch technique is used when killing piglets when they want to bleed the carcass as much as possible. In this case, the meat will have a marketable appearance. It will be possible to store it longer.

When using this method, slaughtering a pig at home is done as follows:

• two ropes are thrown over the crossbar and tied to the legs of the pig;
• raise the pig above the ground;
• stun an animal with a sledgehammer;
• a sharpened knife is used to stab the pig in the neck towards the spine at a point two fingers above the sternum;
• brush the first blood clots;
• put a container under the carcass to collect blood.

The pig is stunned before being stabbed in the throat with a sharp strong blow of a sledgehammer in the frontal part.

Another killing method

This efficient method of slaughtering pigs at home is considered to be simpler than the technology described above. In this case, the pig is not suspended, but laid on its side. But when using this technology, the blood after the impact is poured into the abdominal cavity. That is, in the future it has to be scooped out. And this procedurerather tiresome and unpleasant.

Pigs are slaughtered at home with a blow to the heart like this:

• ropes are tied on the front and back legs of the animal;
• fill up the piglet with side sweep;
• quickly stick a knife between the third and fourth rib, trying to hit right in the heart;
• leave the knife in the wound for about 2 minutes until the animal stops twitching;
• hang the carcass on a hook for bleeding and put a basin under it.

In this case, the piglet can also be stunned with a sledgehammer or hammer before striking. After that, the pig will not twitch on the table. Accordingly, nothing will prevent an accurate strike.

Use stylet

The method of slaughtering pigs at home using this tool is considered the most humane. This technology is usually used to kill pigs of very large weight. Stunning such an animal with a sledgehammer may, of course, fail. In addition, the boar may later wake up on a pole or on a table. In this case, it will be almost impossible to hold him to strike.

For slaughter by this method, special stun guns are used, which are stilettos fixed on a pole. The pig is killed in this case as follows:

• connect the stylet to electricity;
• stab him in the back of the headanimal;
• hold the tool for 15-20 seconds and take it out.

Of course, when using the technology of slaughtering pigs with electric current at home, among other things, safety precautions should be observed. When killing an animal with a stylet, the owner of the farmstead must stand on a rubber mat. When using this technique, the pig must be slaughtered in a dry place.

After the boar falls, it is stabbed in the neck or in the heart. Next, the carcass is hung on a hook for blood flow. This step must be done very quickly. Within a few minutes after the electric shock, the blood in the body of the animal will clot and it will be impossible to remove it. Experienced farmers advise adding a little s alt to the blood collection basin beforehand.

Helpful tips

In principle, none of the methods of slaughtering pigs at home is technologically complicated. But a farmer performing this procedure for the first time may still have some problems. For example, a pig with inept actions may not be stunned enough. In this case, the animal is likely to try to escape or even attack the host that poses a threat to it. Therefore, it is recommended for beginners to slaughter under the guidance of an experienced assistant.

For beginners, slaughtering a pig at home may seem like a complicated procedure and due to the impossibility of expelling the animal from the pen into the street in any way. In order not to encounter such a problem, in no case should you speak loudly before the killing procedure itself.or even make any noise near the shed. Hungry piglets come out of the pens quite willingly. But the noise can make the pig stubborn and refuse to go outside.

To ensure that the piglet is taken out of the pen, you should put some food he loves next to the pigsty. A hungry animal is likely to respond to such a bait. In this case, the ropes to the pig's legs are carefully tied while he is distracted by food.

Restless, too quick-witted and shy pigs need to be taken out of the pen in a slightly different way. Such animals are first put on a bag on their heads. Next, the piglet, gently pushing, is taken out into the street backwards.

Processing features: what to do with the skin

So, we found out how to slaughter a pig using the technology of a blow to the throat, neck or using a stun gun. But what to do after the pig is killed? After bleeding the pig carcass, you can start processing it. This procedure, of course, also needs to be done correctly. When slaughtering pigs at home, the skin from the carcass is usually not removed, but simply carefully processed. Produce this procedure as follows:

• scald the skin with water at a temperature of +63 ° C for 3-5 minutes;
• after softening the top layer, the carcass is placed on the table and the bristles are carefully removed from it with a special scraper;
• scorch the skin with a gas burner to remove the remaining bristles.

Scalding a pig carcassit is necessary strictly with water at a temperature of +63 ° C. When using colder water, the top layer of pork skin will not soften. The use of hotter water will lead to the folding of collagen proteins in the dermis. As a result, the hair follicles will curl up, and the removal of the bristles will become an extremely problematic procedure. Since it will not work effectively in this case, the meat will lose its presentation.

Carcass cutting

After processing the skin of the pig, you can proceed to the preliminary cutting of the carcass. First of all, the owner of the household plot will need to make a gut. This procedure is performed as follows:

• the head is separated from the carcass at the junction of the occipital bone with the first cervical vertebra, exposing the back of the masticatory muscles;
• cut the pig's belly along the white line along the sternum;
• the intestines and stomach are removed from the carcass;
• cut the edges of the diaphragm and take out the liver.

Further, the carcass is usually cut into two half carcasses. It is in this form that private traders usually sell pork to food industry enterprises or sell it to retail outlets. If the meat is intended simply for human consumption, the half-carcasses are subsequently finally cut, cutting off the brisket, hams, shoulder blades, etc.

Yield of meat and offal

According to the technologies described above, bellied Vietnamese pigs are slaughtered at home or piglets of any other breeds. The yield of meat and fat is ultimately in any casewill be almost the same. Most often, this figure in piglets is 70-75%. That is, the main product from an animal, for example, weighing 100 kg, you can get about 70-75 kg.

The yield of offal after slaughter of a pig is usually 10-18% of live weight. That is, in our case, the liver can be obtained 10-18 kg.

What techniques are used in production

In slaughterhouse conditions, pigs are also slaughtered using several technologies. This can be as much as a blow to the throat, or to the heart, or the use of a stun gun.

Produced using the same technology as at home, in this case, the preparation of animals for slaughter. Previously, they are left for some time in a special workshop so that they recover from transportation from farms. The holding rooms are usually located on the top floor of the slaughterhouse. After the intestines of the animals are cleansed, they begin the actual procedure of killing them.

Step-by-step technology

Pigs are slaughtered at enterprises using the following technology:

• animals are washed and driven to the place of slaughter one by one;
• stun pigs with special electric tongs by grabbing them behind the ears;
• hang the carcasses on a chain and pierce the heart or throat;
• collect blood in separate containers for sausage production;
• remove hair and stubble from skins;
• remove internal organs;
• carcasses are cut into half carcassesand wash them.

Further, laboratory tests are carried out at the slaughterhouses to check meat and fat for suitability for sale or production of any semi-finished products. At the next stage, the carcasses are placed in refrigerators.