best way to slaughter hogs

[PeytonM]

Whats the best way to finish a hog off? I know people say shoot it in the head where the eye and ear cross but I don’t want to deal with shooting a hog 5 times and I really dont care for cutting throats with it live. just cause they they like to move around and my knife is sharp and I dont want to lop my hand off. I also know that you want the throat to be slit so blood can be pumped out, I also know that sometimes if you dont slit the throat you can have blood clots in the meat.

I have three hogs to butcher, they are roughly 200 right now, I was going to go for another month and then butcher. I’ve been feeding them feed and scraps and some hay I had to use up.

thanks

[Ed Thayer]

We shoot in the head once with a .22 cal. rifle at point blank range, they drop instantly with no drama. Then slit the throat to bleed them instantly. There is very little movement and this system works well for us.

There is no magic way to take the life from the hogs that I know of. Just got to get it done,

Good Luck,

Ed

[carl ny]

I do the same as Ed. .22 cal. right between the eyes and about an inch high,they drop every time. Make sure that you are at right angles to the head,if you are at an angle the bullet can glance off and only piss the pig off,don’t ask how I know.

carl ny

[PeytonM]

Ok thank you,

how hard are they to skin? I wanted to kill and clean them up so when I took them in all they would have to do is cut the meat from the animal to save on cost.

[Ed Thayer]

I skin mine and it is not at all complicated. I rinse the hog after slaughter, lay it on its back on a ladder supported by two saw horses. Then I carefully skin the hog starting at the feet letting gravity help me pull the skin out of the way. I get to the spine and stop. Then I hoist the pig by its hind legs and gently pull the skin down away from the spine. You may need to gently slice the skin so you do not tear the fat off the pig. Then I can eviscerate and split in half to cool.

The trick is to leave as much fat on the pig as possible and not to cut the meat in the process. It takes some practice but I find it a nice way to cut mine. After letting it cool for a couple of days I will process the pigs into cuts and freeze them.

Some people prefer the skin and like its taste, I am not very fond of it. Your hams will look different than the traditional skin on ones but will cure and taste the same.

Good luck,

ED

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