Slaughter and Dressing of Cattle

SLAUGHTER AND DRESSING OF CATTLE

Equipment

  • Halter, stunning hammer, shackle, hoist, sticking or skinning knife, itch or cradle, beef spreader, beef trolleys, splitting saw, scribble saw, neck pins shrouds, shrouding pins.

Steps

  • Animal is held off feed 24 hours prior to slaughter, but provided ample drinking water.

Stunning

  • A stunning instrument is usually used to stun at the point where the diagonal lines from the horn pit to the opposite eye cross will usually prove adequate. It is not necessary to crush the skull.
  • Stunning may be done in a stunning pen or the animal may be stubbed to ring in the floor. The electric stunner may be used, instead of a stunning pistol.

Sticking

  • Sticking may be done on the floor, but most cattle are hoisted by shackling both hind legs and raising to a convenient height, or dropped on to a striking rail.
  • An incision is made in the hide just below the point of the brisket and extended it 12 to 18 inches toward the anterior end of the jaw then the carotid artery and jugular vein are cut in a manner similar to that in hogs except that the incision will be much deeper (6-8 inches). Bleeding is allowed out completely.

Heading

  • The head and neck are skinned out and the head removed at the atlas joint. The esophagus should be tied off immediately above the larynx before severing.
  • Head is placed on a bench or a rack, washed thoroughly, and tongue, cheek meat and brain are removed.
  • The animal is lowered on to the floor. Usually a killing bed with pitch plates will be available. If not, a cradle is used to hold the cattle securely on its back.
  • The shanks are dropped and are sometimes called shanking or legging.

Fore shank 

  • The tendons are cut on the posterior surface close to the hoof head and again about nine inches further up the leg. This will leave the leg limp. The hide is opened around the coronet and holding the knife flat, an incision is made from the hoof head to the point of the arm. The shank is skinned out and removed at the flat joint.

Hind shank

  • The tendons are cut in manner similar to that of the fore shank. The hide is opened around the coronet, and holding the knife flat, an incision is made from the heel to the point of the hock. The shank is skinned out and removed at the flat joint.
  • The hide is opened from the point of the original incision made when sticking, over the brisket and lung the midline to the rectum. The flesh over the brisket to the bone is cut, the thymus removed, and the trachea and esophagus are loosened.
  • The hide is skinned over the brisket and down the sides. The hide should be held tight over the knife and the pressure of the knife should be against the hide. Endeavored to use long smooth strokes and short jerky strokes with the knife are avoided. Hide is split from about the midpoint of the brisket on the lower point of the shank, and from the flank to the side of the hock. The beef is sided down as far as possible.
  • The penis is loosened in case of steers and bulls.
  • The breastbone is saw.
  • The midline is opened from the posterior end of the brisket on the aitchbone, from this point the white connective tissue to the aitch is followed. The aitchbone is split. In most cattle this can be done with a knife, but in older cattle it may be necessary to saw the aitchbone. With steers, heifers, and dry cows, the split is to made through the middle of the cod or udder but with cows the udder, but with wet cows the udder should be removed before opening down the middle.
  • The caul fat (Paunch fat) is removed.
  • The tendons are split at the hock and spreader or trolley hooks are inserted.
  • The carcass is hoisted until tail is about waist high.
  • The bung is cut around and dropped into the body cavity.
  • The hide is split down the under side of the tail and hide is stripped from the tail. The tail may be removed at this time or later.
  • The flanks and rump are skinned out and the carcass raised as required for convenience of skinner.
  • The intestines and stomachs are pulled out, leaving kidney fat in the carcass. Liver is removed, the gall bladder pulled off, then liver washed, weighed and hung on a hook. Stomachs and intestines are weighed and ruffle fat from intestines stripped.
  • The diaphragm membrane is removed and pulled. The lungs, heart, trachea and esophagus are removed.
  • Heart is removed from thoracic entrails, washed and weighed. Pluck is also weighed.
  • Skinning is completed over the shoulders and neck. The hide is pulled off, weighed, salt applied and placed in hide room.
  • The carcass is washed.
  • The carcass is split down the center of the spinal column, endeavored to split all processes beginning with the last lumber vertebrae.
  • Hung on rail, neck pinned up, the flanks dropped and the featherbones (thoracic processes) are scored with the scribe saw.
  • Carcass is washed completely and weighed.

Shroud

  • The shroud should be applied wet and hot, and must be pulled tight. Shrouding improves the appearance of the carcass, smooth the fat on the outside, and also bleaches the fat.
  • Each side of carcass is tagged, indicating carcass number, hot weight and the date.
  • Rolled into chill room to cool and set.
  • First and second stomachs are cleaned for tripe if desired
  • Intestines are cleaned if desired for casings.
  • There are numerous variations in the above procedure, depending to some extent upon the available equipment; however, each of the items mentioned must be done at some point in the dressing procedure.
  • During the process of dressing, some attention should be paid to the following items; Thyroid gland, thymus gland, pancreas, liver, gall bladder stomach (nature of content of each and type of living), small intestines, (length, diameter, nature of living, pH of content) large intestine, (the same), adrenal glands, brain, pituitary, lymph nodes etc.
Last modified: Wednesday, 15 September 2010, 9:27 AM