Specificity of slaughtering bulls
Almost all people consume meat (beef, pork, poultry), but few know how this product gets on the table. The slaughter of bulls or cows is the routine work of butchers, herders, and farmers. This is a difficult job on a physical and psychological level. You must have a strong character, be able to resist emotions. Usually strong men are engaged in this business, because slaughtering a bull weighing 200 kg or more is an unbearable task for a woman.
Calf slaughter
Slaughter preparation
Before starting this procedure, you need to properly prepare. First, you need to bring in a veterinarian who will make an examination and give permission to kill. You cannot kill a sick animal for the subsequent sale of meat. If raising livestock is aimed at subsequent slaughter, then you need to monitor the cleanliness of the place where the animals live, and their nutrition. Infection can occur due to unsanitary conditions where cows sleep, or hay or grass of unknown origin.
If the calf has cancer, rabies, tetanus, catarrhal fever, tetanus, plague, or anthrax, then the killing must be abolished. When these diseases are detected, the animal is treated or (if the stage of the disease is so high that treatment is useless) killed and disposed of.
- It is advisable not to feed the cow the day before this procedure. If this is not taken care of, and the cow will consume food until slaughter, then this will affect her butchering - a full intestine will not allow the cow to be slaughtered and butchered correctly. Drinking can be unlimited.
- To prevent dirt and microbes from getting on the meat, the bull and the place where this will happen must be thoroughly washed before killing.
- You cannot frighten the animal: the quality of the meat will suffer from this. During periods of stress, less lactic acid is produced, as a result of which the taste of the meat decreases, and it looks unattractive.
Slaughter stages
There are certain steps that professionals recommend following. Let's consider them in more detail below.
Stunning
Having decided to stun the calf, you need to remember that the tool must be blunt, and the diameter must be at least 10 cm. The hammer must be non-metallic, without sharp corners (this can break the skull). It is necessary to beat clearly in the forehead bone between the eyes. With the right blow, important receptors are disabled, and the calf loses consciousness. If the blow is too strong, blood accumulates in the lungs and the heart; if it is weak, the animal will not shut down and will feel severe pain.
Exsanguination
The cow shuts down for 2-3 minutes. During this time, it is necessary to take a large, well-sharpened knife, cut the skin on the neck, and cut the carotid artery and veins next to it. Then hang the animal upside down using a winch. Substitute the container so that blood will drain into it. The blood drains for about 10 minutes. It all depends on the size of the cow.
Flaying
After the blood has passed, you need to follow the rules for cutting a calf. First, the head is cut off, then the esophagus is tied.The animal is placed on its back on a specially prepared wooden structure in the form of a flooring and 2 bars, between which a cow is placed. With a knife, cut the skin from the throat to the anus, make incisions over each hoof. On the inner side of the limbs, the skin is cut from the abdomen to the hooves, then the skin is removed from the front limbs, from the trunk and from the hind limbs. At the last stage, the skin is pulled from the sides of the spine.
If done carefully, flaying is not a hassle. When doing this for the first time, it is better to ask for the help of a specialist who probably knows how to properly slaughter a calf or a bull.
How to cut it right
Butchering is also an important step. It is necessary to butcher the carcass immediately after the murder. The main rule of cutting is cleanliness, adherence to the order of the stages. First, the udder or genitals (in bulls) must be removed. Care must be taken not to damage the intestines. Sever the sternum, separate the trachea and esophagus. Cut the abdominal wall along (you cannot cut across), cut off the pubic fusion.
Next, you need to cut off the fatty layer of the stomach, get out the intestines, then the spleen and stomach, cut out the liver, heart, lungs, and then get the trachea and diaphragm. Cut off the muscles along the spine. Cut the carcass in half with an ax, strip the carcass of fibers, remove the remaining fat, blood clots, rinse the meat with water, leave to dry. If you follow these rules, the procedure will go right and without consequences.
Types of bull slaughter
There are several ways to kill a cow, a bull:
- stunning with a sledgehammer, hammer, and then killing;
- the use of firearms;
- the use of electric shock;
- using gas (this is a rarely used method).
How to slaughter a bull as humanely as possible? The stunning method is the most popular and less painful for the animal, but not everyone uses this method. Some of them force cattle into a special gas chamber, and the animals simply suffocate.
You can kill a cow with a gun. The main thing is that there are no other cows or bulls nearby that can get scared and interfere with the procedure. It is important to kill right away. You need to aim exactly between the eyes. If you do not hit the target, the cow will not die immediately - the blood will clot and this will spoil the meat. Another popular method in recent years is stunning with the help of an electric shock, from which the cow loses consciousness. Further, the procedure is exactly the same as when stunning.
The last way to kill is simply to slaughter the bull. Several people put the bull on its side, tying its horns and neck to something stable that the animal cannot lift, then they cut its neck with a large hunting knife.
Industrial face
The slaughter of a cow in a slaughterhouse takes place somewhat differently than at home. Before killing, the cattle are sent to special containers. The animals are killed with a hammer or electroshocked and the carotid artery is cut. The cow is hung over the conveyor, the head is removed, the skin is removed, the animal is cut, the meat cut during slaughter is placed in refrigerated chambers. All this happens with the help of special technologies.
Many videos show the technique of killing a bull and cutting up in slaughterhouses.
The nuances of slaughtering cattle
When cutting a cow, it is imperative to inspect the organs. Despite the veterinarian's permission, not all diseases can be seen on examination. If there are ulcers on the internal organs, the liver is enlarged, the blood is black, tumors - this is a reason to call a specialist. It is advisable to leave everything as it is before his arrival. If the result is negative, the meat cut during the slaughter process must be disposed of.
On the Internet, you can find the slaughter of bulls in a video, where you can clearly see how to properly slaughter a calf or a bull at home, and use the video as a guide. Slaughtering your calves is a responsible business, and in order not to torment the animal, it is important to do everything as quickly and correctly as possible.