# Slaughtering



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

I'd really like to slaughter and butcher my yorkshire pigs myself to save on costs but they'll be ready during the heat of summer. So I decided to invest in a couple PBP for practice while it's still cold.

My question is:
What should I use for stunning?

I have a number of shotguns... out of the question, I think.
I have a couple of Ruger Target .22 LR pistols... My best bet?
A .223 rifle, too much?
A .270 rifle, small hole, big exit...
A Rem 7Mag rifle, definitely too much!
Maybe... just maybe I can borrow a .22 rifle but is it that much better than the pistols?

Can any of you describe the bleed out? I have a hard time imagining it...
I found this video of a pro. Is this the way I should do it?
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OQ90cKZoM4[/ame] -- WARNING: GRAPHIC


----------



## WadeFisher (Sep 26, 2013)

My 2 cents, if your not really good with the placement, get a little more charge.
I've seen 22's to the pigs head that made them run in circles. This makes the next shot harder!
No shotguns unless you have 'pumpkin balls', solid shot and then I can't remember how well it put them down but my father used a 4-10 with the solid shot 30 years ago. From my vague memory I believe that work out well. You would rather have a large blunt blow than a small puncher. (unless you can place it well) 
You are trying to 'stun' them. Not 'blow their brains out'. The bleeding kills them.


----------



## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

If you have never done it I would suggest you hire someone who is experienced and good to help you the first time or two.

I use a .22LR. See:
http://sugarmtnfarm.com/box-of-death/
http://sugarmtnfarm.com/cutting-death-and-disturbance/

It requires skill and knowledge. You want to do this perfectly every time.


----------



## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

i use 22 LR . Don't use a hollow point shell. Right between the eyes and up about 1 inch. You got to hit the brain the 1st shot. And stick the hog within a few seconds. The video you posted is good. That is the way i do it. Best to feed the hog and you can be right close and in front of it.


----------



## davrhods (Jun 23, 2011)

What Gerold said take your time 1 shot 1 kill have helper to hand off gun to and hand you good knife , accuracy !


----------



## clothAnnie (May 6, 2011)

Whew. Thanks for posting the video. It's hard enough for me to watch even with the sound off but maybe one day I'll have it in me to do the killing and processing. You'd surely save some good money! But I'd want to have a mentor of sorts, I guess. Don't mean to hijack. Kudos to you for pursuing doing the whole deal.


----------



## BobbyB (Apr 6, 2009)

I dont remember seeing Dad and Pawpaw kill hogs, they were hanging whenever I got there. But last year, my son's FIL killed 2 for me and that is exactly how he did it . SO last week when I killed 2 smaller hogs, I did it exactly like James did and the guy in that video. Quick and painless. 

Now, since you are asking about butchering your own, go find part 2 and watch that guy skin and gut that big rascal about as fast and clean as any one can.


----------



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

BobbyB said:


> I dont remember seeing Dad and Pawpaw kill hogs, they were hanging whenever I got there. But last year, my son's FIL killed 2 for me and that is exactly how he did it . SO last week when I killed 2 smaller hogs, I did it exactly like James did and the guy in that video. Quick and painless.
> 
> Now, since you are asking about butchering your own, go find part 2 and watch that guy skin and gut that big rascal about as fast and clean as any one can.


Have seen em all.


----------



## BobbyB (Apr 6, 2009)

You guns kind of tell a story. I'm guessing that the processing part wont be something all that new to you ?


----------



## dkhern (Nov 30, 2012)

imagine a line from ear to opposite eye both sides where they cross is the desired impact point. just make sure it isnt glancing but straight in


----------



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

BobbyB said:


> You guns kind of tell a story. I'm guessing that the processing part wont be something all that new to you ?


Definitely not too new.. The pig will be a first timer but it doesn't really scare me. What scares me is trying to do it in the heat of summer for the first time.

I doubt I'll be able to find a killman to do it for me unless I haul them a 3-4 hours to a butcher who most likely won't let me help and might not even let me watch...


----------



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

Will the pistols do or should I use the 223? It's an AR15 and I can also put 5.56 in it.
Either way, those bullets would do some serious damage and I don't want to ruin most of the neck meat.


----------



## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

That'll Do Pig said:


> Will the pistols do or should I use the 223? It's an AR15 and I can also put 5.56 in it.
> Either way, those bullets would do some serious damage and I don't want to ruin most of the neck meat.


I have used a pistol (22 mag.) on one hog. I sure wouldn't use the heavy weapon.


----------



## Mulegirl (Oct 6, 2010)

That'll Do Pig said:


> I doubt I'll be able to find a killman to do it for me unless I haul them a 3-4 hours to a butcher who most likely won't let me help and might not even let me watch...


You never know--check around. We've got someone in our area who hires himself out to help people butcher at home, and we may get him when we do our next batch of hogs, rather than deal with the whole haul-them-to-the-processor thing. This guy was advertising on Craigslist, so check there.


----------



## gimpy (Sep 18, 2007)

The video is not a potbelly. Potbellies have thicker skulls and smaller brains than full sized hogs. The boars also have a layer of cartilage under the skin that starts at the brows and goes as far back as sometimes covering the shoulder blades. They are actually a tougher shot than a full sized. You need a bigger punch on the smaller hog surprisingly. A 22 might just make them angry. Plan on an exit wound.


----------



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

Gimpy, well yeah I know that's not a PBP haha.
Thanks for the info though. That's good to know.


----------



## PasturedPork (Jan 22, 2014)

You can do it yourself, it's not hard and you don't have to be perfect. 
The shooting part is easy with a .22.

I bleed by sticking right above the diaphragm (area where rib cage comes together). Don't get in such a hurry that you hurt yourself. The pig is dead when you shoot it. Your aiming to cut arteries leading from heart. 

Cutting it up is easy. Watch YouTube videos until you find one you like. There is also some old USDA PDFs online. 

Like I said you'll be fine and can only get experience by doing. Good luck


----------



## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

That'll Do Pig said:


> What scares me is trying to do it in the heat of summer for the first time.


I have slaughtered several right by myself during the summer months. I skin mine. I shoot the hog as soon as there is enough light where I can see to aim. I will have the hog skinned, cut into sections and in coolers before the sun gets over the tree's. I then take the coolers to the house, the Wife looks the pieces over, trims, rinces them off, then we pack them in/on ice for 2 to 3 days. Then we process it the way we want it.


----------



## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

PasturedPork said:


> You can do it yourself, it's not hard and you don't have to be perfect.


If you don't do it perfectly then you'll be causing suffering, stressing the animal, will cause blood spotting in the meat, release of stress hormones and other quality problems. The poor bleed out you'll get that way will also leave more blood in the meat increasing bacterial decay and reducing the quality of the meat. Furthermore, a bad slaughter can contaminate the meat and you, or people you feed it to, could get sick and even die from it.

Please be sure to kill in a humane manner and to do a proper bleed out and slaughter. This is a critical thing. You can learn to do it yourself but learn from someone who is experienced and knows how to do a good job. This matters both for respect for the animals, quality of meat and food safety.

-Walter


----------



## milkman (Feb 3, 2007)

.22LR is all you need, we put down cows with one. Just one shot does the job. I remember my grand dad using an axe back in the day. Would place a little feed in trough and walk up beside the hog, one swift blow to forehead with blunt side of the axe and then he'd stick the pig. Those were real men back then.


----------



## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

milkman said:


> .22LR is all you need, we put down cows with one. Just one shot does the job. I remember my grand dad using an axe back in the day. Would place a little feed in trough and walk up beside the hog, one swift blow to forehead with blunt side of the axe and then he'd stick the pig. Those were real men back then.


In St. Louis at the stock yards in the early 50's they used a sledge hammer on the head before sticking the hog.


----------



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

milkman said:


> .22LR is all you need, we put down cows with one. Just one shot does the job. I remember my grand dad using an axe back in the day. Would place a little feed in trough and walk up beside the hog, one swift blow to forehead with blunt side of the axe and then he'd stick the pig. Those were real men back then.


Is that from a rifle or from a pistol? I'm a little worried about the difference in velocities.



gerold said:


> In St. Louis at the stock yards in the early 50's they used a sledge hammer on the head before sticking the hog.


This is still common practice in a lot of places, namely 3rd world countries.


----------



## milkman (Feb 3, 2007)

Rifle


----------



## PasturedPork (Jan 22, 2014)

Yep rifle is easiest.

I've known of thousands of pig butcherings at this point in my life and I've never known anyone to cause suffering in the animal or get a poor bleed.

You got this! 

Skinning is easier in summer. Good advice there.


----------



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

OK. I'll have to see if I can borrow a rifle otherwise the pistol will have to do. Maybe I can get similar results with a higher grain cartridge.

I'm thinking I'll use the .223 for the PBP though after Gimpy's warning. The guy from Wind Ridge Farms also recommends a bigger bullet for PBPs.


----------



## Wanda (Dec 19, 2002)

22 pistol or rifle will both do the job. A rifle is more accurate for most people to use. The best thing to do is confine the hog somewhat so that you do not end up taking the ''best'' shot at the very back of a large pen. If you are relaxed and do not hurry it should be stress free for you and the hog.


----------



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

OK that makes sense. I was thinking I might let them out of the pen one at a time and lead them to where I'll be setting up my winch. Still working on that plan in my head...

Are you all using hollow point like Walt or solids?


----------



## milkman (Feb 3, 2007)

I saw in the video there were other videos, I watched one where a man took an axe and chopped down each side of the backbone. I have always cut ours down the center. If you did that like in that video, what would the pork chops look like? It appeared to be faster that way, anyone else ever cut up there pigs that way?


----------



## palm farmer (Jan 3, 2014)

For hogs in traps at the hunting lease I use 147 grain 9mm I have a suppressor for it so the noise is not super loud and panic all the other ones in the pen, the round is subsonic and blossoms nice so over penetration is not an issue and they will stare right up at the green laser, hold still all on their own


----------



## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

That'll Do Pig said:


> OK that makes sense. I was thinking I might let them out of the pen one at a time and lead them to where I'll be setting up my winch. Still working on that plan in my head...
> 
> Are you all using hollow point like Walt or solids?


Solid.


----------



## Wanda (Dec 19, 2002)

milkman said:


> I saw in the video there were other videos, I watched one where a man took an axe and chopped down each side of the backbone. I have always cut ours down the center. If you did that like in that video, what would the pork chops look like? It appeared to be faster that way, anyone else ever cut up there pigs that way?



That method of splitting is all we used for 30 years. I have an old corn knife that we taped with a hammer along side of the backbone where the ribs connect. you end up with backbone to boil and tenderloins which we sliced and canned . When you remove the ribs then you pull the loins. There is the fat that covers the loin area to be used for ''fatback'' or cut up into lard. Then you separate the shoulders and ham from the side. Then we would trim the side to square it up and then cure it and the jowls for bacon. The amount of bacon using this method is greater than when you split and make bone in chops.


----------



## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

milkman said:


> I saw in the video there were other videos, I watched one where a man took an axe and chopped down each side of the backbone. I have always cut ours down the center. If you did that like in that video, what would the pork chops look like? It appeared to be faster that way, anyone else ever cut up there pigs that way?


I've done it this way when home butchering on occasion and it does work. A good cleaver is better than an ax but an ax does the job too - actually a hatchet was what I used. Sharpen and clean well. Go slowly and cut close to the chine (backbone) but not deeply. The idea is to just break out the ribs. Then I ran a sharp knife down to pull the spine out leaving all the loin and other meat on the carcass.

Chops are boneless when I do it. When we home butcher we tend to completely debone. Bones all go into the soup pots. Meat gets canned or frozen. This saves space in the jars and freezer.


----------



## BobbyB (Apr 6, 2009)

The two I just butchered, I peeled the loins out first then took a clever and went down either side of the spine to get the ribs .

Worked great.


----------



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

So I did our practice pig today. He was a ~75lb PBP. I used my 5.56 with a hollow point and didn't have an exit wound but he bled profusely from all of his facial orifices. Does that happen with the .22LR on a regular hog?
After the shot, i opened his neck up wide like in the video and he began convulsing/kicking wildly. I didn't get a gushing let out like in the video but there was a lot of blood. He continued to bleed quite a lot for 5-10 minutes. I'm hoping I bled him out good enough. I noticed there was some clotting on the backside of his lungs. Is that normal?
Skinning went well except for on the stomach where there was almost nothing between the meat and skin. I cut into the meat a few times but nothing too bad...
I left him hanging because I ran out of day light and it's going to be in the perfect "hanging" range. I plan to halve and butcher him first thing in the morning.


----------



## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

That'll Do Pig said:


> So I did our practice pig today. He was a ~75lb PBP. I used my 5.56 with a hollow point and didn't have an exit wound but he bled profusely from all of his facial orifices. Does that happen with the .22LR on a regular hog?
> After the shot, i opened his neck up wide like in the video and he began convulsing/kicking wildly. I didn't get a gushing let out like in the video but there was a lot of blood. He continued to bleed quite a lot for 5-10 minutes. I'm hoping I bled him out good enough. I noticed there was some clotting on the backside of his lungs. Is that normal?
> Skinning went well except for on the stomach where there was almost nothing between the meat and skin. I cut into the meat a few times but nothing too bad...
> I left him hanging because I ran out of day light and it's going to be in the perfect "hanging" range. I plan to halve and butcher him first thing in the morning.


Best not to use hollow point. When you cut his throat be sure you cut both arteries on either side of the throat. That will allow good bleeding.


----------



## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

I've used hollow point for years - does the job perfectly for me and keeps the bullet in the brain case rather than penetrating further. Sounds to me like the bullet missed the brain based on the blood description. Necropsy will find out.

Rather than cutting the throat, aim for the artery over the heart. Best done with someone who is experienced the first time so you see the whole technique in person.


----------



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

gerold said:


> Best not to use hollow point. When you cut his throat be sure you cut both arteries on either side of the throat. That will allow good bleeding.


I only used the hollow point because I was using such a large cartridge and I don't think a solid would have been the right choice.



highlands said:


> I've used hollow point for years - does the job perfectly for me and keeps the bullet in the brain case rather than penetrating further. Sounds to me like the bullet missed the brain based on the blood description. Necropsy will find out.
> 
> Rather than cutting the throat, aim for the artery over the heart. Best done with someone who is experienced the first time so you see the whole technique in person.


I don't think I missed the brain, the round probably exploded like a shotgun inside of his skull and fried everything at once. The skull broke into about 60+ pieces all the way down to his nose because of the large cartridge. 
I think i'll aim for the heart/artery with my knife next time instead of using the throat method. I understand the concept and know exactly what to aim for now after getting familiar with the inner workings.


----------



## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

That'll Do Pig said:


> I only used the hollow point because I was using such a large cartridge and I don't think a solid would have been the right choice.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Opps. I didn't read the part where you used a big shell. I use 22 LR. Just to stun the pig not kill it and then cut the throat. Cutting the 2 main arteries in the throat or over the heart same results just so it bleeds out good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OQ90cKZoM4


----------



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

Gerold,

Yeah I was told that there was a chance of a 22LR ricocheting on a PBP's skull so I opted for the .223 since it was the next size up I have. 
That link you posted is the video I've been studying for months haha. 
I decided to cut the throat because I was nervous that if I went for the chest it would bleed into the chest cavity and I wouldn't be able to tell if he was bleeding good.

We had a hindleg roast for dinner last night and it was gooood.


----------



## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

That'll Do Pig said:


> I don't think I missed the brain, the round probably exploded like a shotgun inside of his skull and fried everything at once. The skull broke into about 60+ pieces all the way down to his nose because of the large cartridge.


Too much power.



gerold said:


> Opps. I didn't read the part where you used a big shell. I use 22 LR. Just to stun the pig not kill it and then cut the throat.


Same here although I wouldn't use the word stun since the bullet penetrates the skull into the brain case and scrambles the brain even on large boars and sows.



That'll Do Pig said:


> I was told that there was a chance of a 22LR ricocheting on a PBP's skull


I've heard someone say that. I'm dubious. We have boars that are 5x to 10x the size of Pot Bellied Pigs and some of the heads of our pigs are the sizes of then entire body of PBPs. I don't believe at all the myth that a PBP's head is somehow harder than a big eight year old Yorkshire cross 800 to 1,000+ lb sow or boar. They're pigs. No magic.

The one thing that might be true is that on the PBP the target is smaller and someone had a harder time doing it right which might have created the above myth of ricochets.

Pigs have rather small brains for having such massive heads. Here is a cross sectional photo of the scull of a pig which people might find useful when thinking about how to aim for the brain:

http://sugarmtnfarm.com/of-pig-brains-and-tea-cups/

Cheers,

-Walter


----------



## PasturedPork (Jan 22, 2014)

highlands said:


> Too much power.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I've never seen a cross section of a pigs skull. Really a nice thing you did by doing the extra work of cutting it in half to teach people. That's way better then a diagram of where to shoot.

Off topic but I completely disagree with your assessment that pigs are dumb. They are able to do pretty complicated thinking and problem solving. I don't know if brain size really means that much either - what size are dolphins brains?


----------



## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Pigs are very good at being pigs.

Pigs are very bad at being humans or dogs.

Dogs and humans are much better at cooperative behavior and complicated problem solving, abstraction, language, etc.

Brain size, convolution and function dedication matters a lot. Pigs are big on smelling.

Don't be fooled by the Disneyfication and Hollywood version of pigs that portrays them as geniuses. Those are movies that were made by using highly trained pigs who all looked the same to the audience but were many different animals each trained to just a few tricks. Those are tricks. They're movies designed to fool you.

Pigs are pigs, not humans or dogs.


----------



## clothAnnie (May 6, 2011)

That is a great link, Walter. Thank you. The photo is helpful but the points about animals' skills, etc, is particularly interesting.


----------



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

I'd have to agree with Pastured Pork. I've found the my pigs are extremely intelligent. They're not the same kind of smart as a dog but that's comparing apples and oranges don't ya think? Pig brains aren't that small walter. Have you ever done a cross section of a dog? lol
I think it has more to do with the composition of the brain rather than the size as well...










From http://www.fearexhibit.org


----------



## PasturedPork (Jan 22, 2014)

That is really interesting to see the different brain sizes compared.

Horses are the dumbest animals out there ( I still love them) and look at their brain size!


----------



## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Yes, I have done a cross section of a dog brain. The chart is highly deceptive. We have pigs that grow to over 1,000 lbs and their brains are far smaller than the brains of our ~100 lb dogs. The chart is false because the dog used for the brain in the photo is a very small dog. The brains of our dogs are about three times the size of the pig brains. I know because I take things apart and examine them...

The fact remains that Hollywood and Disney have fooled people into thinking pigs are a lot more intelligent than they really are. Pigs are very good at being pigs. Pigs don't naturally have the abilities that people associate with intelligence such as cooperative problem solving, higher language, team work and a lot more. Working dogs have all of this and more. I've dealt with thousands of pigs and dozens of dogs over decades. The dogs beat the pigs hands down when it comes to intelligence.

We have bred pigs to grow fast, not to be intelligent. Pigs go from 3 lbs to 250 lbs in six months. That is what they excel at. I don't know of any other animal as good at doing that task, especially on an omnivore diet - you can raise pigs on almost anything.

We have bred working dogs (what I deal with, not your pet toy doggy) to be intelligent. These are the traditional working dogs back before dog breeds were destroyed by modern show and toy dog breeding. They are highly intelligent animals that work in a partnership with us to farm pigs, sheep, cattle, chickens, ducks, geese, goats, etc.


----------



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

Apple and oranges :fussin:
Let's agree to disagree.


----------



## solsikkefarms (Jun 1, 2013)

Apples and oranges don't have brains silly :happy:


----------



## cooper101 (Sep 13, 2010)

After watching the video, I have one warning for anybody wanting to do their own for the first time. That hog was very atypical with how little it kicked. They usually kick much harder and longer. After sticking, it's best to get back several feet. They can twist around quite violently.


----------



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

cooper101 said:


> After watching the video, I have one warning for anybody wanting to do their own for the first time. That hog was very atypical with how little it kicked. They usually kick much harder and longer. After sticking, it's best to get back several feet. They can twist around quite violently.


Yeah it definitely didn't go that smooth for me...


----------



## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

cooper101 said:


> After watching the video, I have one warning for anybody wanting to do their own for the first time. That hog was very atypical with how little it kicked. They usually kick much harder and longer. After sticking, it's best to get back several feet. They can twist around quite violently.


I agree on getting out of the way if its your first time. Note the angle of the rifle when he shot the hog. If the brain is hit right in the center it will stun the pig for a good 10 seconds. Note after the shot he put his knee on the back of the hogs neck and his other foot in front of the hog holding back the hogs head while he used the knife. This way the hog could not move its head and could only kick a bit. Another point is the sow was quite fat and heavy and couldn't began to move as well as a smaller hog. After butchering a couple hundred hogs i may get that good.


----------



## alan anderson (Mar 2, 2014)

If you stun it and stick it right they don't kick and flop around much.I do my own slaughtering here at the house,have for 20 years.I shoot it,stick it,while 1 of my kids hook a rope to it's back leg.By the time I stick it,it's headed up the tree.Skin,gut and leave it over night.Takes about 45 minutes from shot to wash off.
Make sure you stick it straight in,inline with it's backbone.Otherwise you end up with a shoulder full of blood.Finger size hole will bleed it out in less than a minute.


----------



## cooper101 (Sep 13, 2010)

Everyone's experience may differ. I use a guy who does it thousands of times a year. He's good, and they can kick hard.


----------



## TinFoil (Feb 18, 2014)

I'm glad I joined this forum, I had no idea I was supposed to bleed the pig. I've recently started raising pigs and have already butchered two (Used 9mm solid and shot them while they were pigging out on some soured corn, they never knew what hit 'em) and processed them myself. It was THE...BEST...TASTING pork I've eaten since I was a kid (a couple hundred years ago when Dad raised hogs).


----------



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

I slaughtered both of my hogs and a did all of the butchering myself. Each one was a little over 250lbs at my finishing weight. I used my ruger .22LR target pistol with CCI solids. After the shot I took an extra sharp boning knife to the throat just behind the jaw and cut em to the bone. We skinned them, split them in half and then broke them down in to primals. We kept them in 5-6 or coolers and processed them over the following 2-3 days. We ended up with well over 300lbs of meat total.

Some essentials tools:
Ruger 22 pistol
John deer tractor with front end loader
Razorblaze knife (can't be beat for getting started skinning)
LEM Meat saw (i found the splitting went easier with the teeth facing forward and the bone in chop cutting was easier with facing rearward)
LEM boning knife
SOG skinning knife with gut hook
DEXTER basics Scimitar steak knife ( a must have for beautiful chops)


----------



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

Oh I should mention; both hogs were intact, fed corn and confined. No taint. Go figure.


----------



## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Well, this thread has been educational for me, though a little gross at times.

I will eventually be adding American Guinea Hogs to my homestead and will more than likely be doing the butchering myself. I only have a 37 Glock handgun and a 12 gauge Mossberg shotgun. Can I use either of these in a humane way or should I be looking for a 22 shotgun of some kind?


----------



## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

I would not use the shot gun, too messy. Maybe if it had a slug with lower power.

Concern with the 37 might be is it going to penetrate too far. Try it. If it penetrates too far it will do the job but mess up some of the meat. Aim right. Don't have concrete around or anything else the bullet could ricochet off of. 

The idea is to just stun the pig or scramble its brain but ideally leave the heart beating for good bleed out. Opinions on heart beating for bleed out vary. I prefer it. Studies go both ways.

Rifle with copper jacketed .22 LR hollow point is what I've used even on big pigs up to 800 lbs. See:

http://SugarMtnFarm.com/box-of-death/

Many choices that will work.

For use in our on-farm slaughterhouse we'll either go with captive bolt or possibly the electric stunner. USDA does not like lead fragments in the carcass and we have concrete everywhere. I like to be able to sell the head. I cook with them myself so best to get the lead out.


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Not gonna be much left of that pigs head if you put a 12 gauge to it... a .45 is overkill too.. you're not trying to kill the pig.. only stun it.. it want it's heart to continue beating to help get the pig bled out...


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

OK.. so we posted that all at the same time..


----------



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

I just happened to already have a 22 pistol on hand. I advise picking up a cheap rifle if you have to buy a gun to do the job. The local gun store actually has a little lightweight 22LR rifle for just $130


----------



## Muleman (Nov 8, 2013)

I would have to agree. You should be able to find a used 22 in a pawn shop of the local paper at a very reasonable price. I have a varied collection of things that go BANG. I would have to say, I can never imagine how I would get along without at least one little diminutive 22 rifle and pistol. These are just invaluable tools on a homestead or farm.


----------



## Mountain Mick (Sep 10, 2005)

I use .22cal subsonic .and a long curved blade skinning knife to stick after knocking the pig . we normally scold up to 150 kg (330lb) and big backfatter we skin just like in the awesome video, I've watch the set of youtube videos on that chap doing that hog and I like what & how he did it. thanks for sharing. MM


----------



## SueMc (Jan 10, 2010)

We butchered for the first time last year using the method in the video posted by the OP. It worked just fine. We processed the hogs after watching this three part video several times. We even had the laptop in the garage while cutting the meat and would reference to the videos as needed. 
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsoK0gcG9as[/ame]


----------



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

I ended up learning a lot from those same videos as SueMC but I did my cuts a lot differently.

Once I got used to the fast pace and knew what was going on by having the pig primals in front of me to work with, I found this video extremely useful:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1ExHaTgFUw[/ame]


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I'll have to get my video posted up... It's kind of like the very first video in this thread... stunning and slitting the throat... My only problem I had was, I had a second hog in the pen I had to worry about.. which did end up nibbling on me to see if I was worth eating.... Don't be fooled.. a hog will eat you just as quick as you'll eat it.. 

I also didn't have much room to work at the moment because the hog fell up against the pen... I got him mostly slit, then we pulled him out and I went back in to widen the cut and get the second artery.. I only got one at first.. 

I finally found out what taint was though.. It wasn't strong, but it was there.. but man was the meat still tasty..


----------



## DEKE01 (Jul 17, 2013)

I read a book about a guy who wanted to raise pigs again, but so hated the slaughter. Then he met an elderly New Englander woman who gave him her solution, which he says he adopted and it worked well for him. 

Give the pig a quart of cheap vodka. I haven't tried it, but supposedly, they drink it up, go to sleep, and die happy. Since they are lying there quietly, you have plenty of time to get the lethal shot just right. I don't recall if it made the reflexive kicking any better.


----------



## SueMc (Jan 10, 2010)

Ours are beer drinkers ;D

Thanks for the video That'll Do Pig. I'm going to try his method too. I liked the cuts we got. They weren't exactly right visually but tasted great just the same!
Bottom line is, I'm thrilled to death that we're able to raise our animals in a great environment and then utilize them for meat without having to haul them to a processor. It's still kind of hard to do but nice to know that we're not scaring them to death or stressing them out by taking them off the farm. I have a Guernsey steer (born here) that will be ready next year. It's going to be a bigger job but I really want to process him at home too. It just seems like the right thing to do and we've got the equipment to do it. Although vegan propaganda drives me crazy, I can ALMOST understand the thinking. It is such a huge thing to take any life so like to do it with the utmost care for our animals.


----------



## That'll Do Pig (Jan 23, 2014)

I hear that SueMC. I'm completely with you on that. One of the first things we did was make some amazing whole shoulder SC BBQ. My wife forgot to cover the last one while it finished off in the oven and it got a little more char than it should have. While the meat came out great, I actually cried a little when I thought it was too far burnt. It's tough to take a friend's life even albeit if he is a very very tasty friend.


----------



## Muleman (Nov 8, 2013)

Glad to see folks doing their own butchering. Certainly makes you think twice about just taking the prime cuts when you put in the time and effort to raise it yourself. I also agree with it being more humain for the animal. I have no problem killin and animal for food, never enjoyed it, but always understood it is just part of the whole life cycle thing, so it don't really bother me. I never did believe in cuttin up around the dinner table, you ---- sure didn't at my daddys table, showed some reverence and respect for the animal that gave its life, so you had something to eat. Still bothers me some when I see folks sit down to a meal and do a bunch of cuttin up and all. Not saying you should be sad, but show some respect.
Sorry, might have got a bit off topic there!!


----------

