WARNING: Graphic Photos
We had biology/anatomy/survival class on Thursday--we butchered 2 goats. I had my daughter take pics & we are going to have them developed & then paste them into a book & label them all. I think that will be a fun & thorough science lesson. Also something great for them to save.
I also thought we would share some of the photos on here to give you an idea of what butchering day is like. My daughter took over 200 photos 
! I've narrowed them down a little for here 
.
The goats are let out into a nice patch of clover one at a time. While they are munching away, perfectly happy, my husband shoots them with a .22. It is instant, painless death. They have no idea what is coming, they are not scared & they usually still have a mouthful of clover. It is important to the quality of the meat to keep them calm. A scared animal produces adrenaline & adrenaline makes yucky meat.
After they drop, my husband slits the throat & bleeds them out. We then hang them to drain & be butchered. At our house the most convenient place to hang them is the swing set 
. "You might be a redneck if..."
After they are hung up, the skinning starts.
A sharp knife is vital to the butchering process
The hide skinned off.
Removing the entrails.
My husband cut them out in one piece & dropped them into a shallow pan so we could go thru & identify everything & what it does.
A nice healthy liver.
Kidneys.
The ribcage with the lungs still intact.
The lungs & the heart.
The kids favorite part: lungs in motion.
Breathe out
Breathe in
The heart.
The first stomach--rumen
The second stomach--reticulum
The 4th stomach (sorry, we missed one) -- abomasum
The small & large intestines
Ready to be cut & wrapped.
I hope this was informative & didn't just gross you out! It is such an awesome learning experience. It also leaves no question as to where your food comes from & how much work it takes to get it. My children raised these animals from birth to butcher--they know exactly what it takes.
Blessings.
that was cool. Especially the part where they were blowing up the lungs!
ReplyDeleteYou might be a redneck when you hang the dead animal on the swingset? Ya think?
ReplyDeleteSeriously cool though, and I'm not grossed out.
Hi thanks for stopping by my blog today..I would love to read your post but I have just lost three pet goats not to long ago so it would be hard..
ReplyDeleteBlessings Sister Brenda