When slaughtering an ostrich, it is important to properly conduct pre-slaughter training and the slaughter itself. Next, we learn the nuances of this difficult, but necessary process in poultry farming and what mistakes can be made by inexperience. The article provides complete instructions on the slaughter of an exotic bird.
When is the time for slaughter?
Ostriches are killed after they reach a certain weight. A bird is considered ready for slaughter:
- males - weighing 120 kg;
- females - weighing 100 kg.
It makes no sense to keep males after reaching 120 kg; females can be left for the sake of getting eggs.
The rate of weight gain depends on the diet and diet. The better you feed ostriches, the shorter their age. During slaughter, experienced farmers focus not on the age of the birds, but on their weight. Usually ostriches reach the necessary weight in the second year of life. Birds prepared for slaughter are fed according to a special diet.
Where do ostriches slaughter?
Slaughtering an ostrich is not as easy as a regular poultry. And the first difficulty awaits the farmers at the very beginning - it is impossible to slaughter ostriches on the farm. These birds are so shy that they start to panic at the slightest noise or danger - they run away, breaking everything in their path. Ostriches are slaughtered in a special face room with strong walls.
If you kill ostriches on a farm, then the surviving livestock will receive tremendous stress. In the future, the birds will not allow a person to approach them; moreover, they are able to attack people if they feel enemies in them. These birds are so strong that they can even kill.
An ostrich, prepared for slaughter, is transferred to the bottomhole. But so that he does not experience stress, otherwise the quality of the meat will decrease.
Slaughter preparation
The large size of the ostrich, and its strength, become a problem during slaughter. One cannot cope with it as easily as with a duck or a goose. Sensing danger, a giant can show aggression, strike, and even kill. That is why it is so important to tame ostriches. When the time comes for slaughter, they can be safely taken to the slaughter room, without panic and resistance.
Taming begins at a very young age so that ostriches perceive a person as a breadwinner.
Tools and equipment are being prepared for slaughter:
- hammer for stunning;
- sharpened knife;
- thick rope;
- metal hook - for hanging carcasses.
On large farms, before slaughter, ostriches are euthanized by electric shock - for this you have to purchase special expensive equipment.
Step-by-step slaughter instructions
The slaughter process consists of several stages that must go sequentially. The product quality depends on the accuracy of each stage.
Stun
Stunning is done in one of two ways:
- Electric current. A voltage of 240 V is applied to the bird for 6-7 seconds. At the same time several individuals are immobilized at once. This method is used on large farms.
- The hammer. An ostrich is hit on the head - exactly in the center, with a hammer. It is important to strike accurately and hard so that the bird disconnects immediately.
Bleeding
The stunned bird is cut jugular vein, located on the neck. Or cut off the whole head. Then the carcass is suspended using hooks - by the legs so that blood flows. When all the blood flows out, go to the next stage.
In order for the blood to flow out as quickly as possible, you need to cut the main artery - it is near the heart.
How to slaughter ostriches is described in the video below:
Plucking
The specialist is engaged in plucking - it is recommended to invite him precisely for this work. If you entrust the plucking to non-professionals, the feathers will be of poor quality - it will not be easy to realize them.
Primary processing of raw materials
In order for the skin removed to be of high quality, you need to remove it strictly by technology - it is advisable to watch a special video explaining all the subtleties of the process. The main thing when skinning is the form of the raw material obtained and the absence of defects on it. Dimensions are not as important as quality. To achieve the correct shape, cuts are carried out along certain lines.
Skinning Rules:
- To remove skin from the wings, it is cut from the outer edge of the first wing to the outer edge of the second wing. The incision should be continuous, it is carried out through the stomach.
- The main incision is from bottom to top - from the anus to the beak. It is also ongoing.
- On the legs, the skin is cut - from the distal joint of the fingers to the stomach through the thigh.
The skinned is sent to cool - for 15 minutes.
If the skin is excreted or blood, it is thoroughly washed in running water. The remains of meat and fat are carefully cut with a blunt knife - so as not to damage the skin.
Next, the skin is canned. This is necessary to prevent the breakdown of protein structures before the raw materials are tanned. Salt is used for preservation - it removes excess water and kills bacteria. But you must not allow complete dehydration, the water content should not be less than 15%. Otherwise, the fragile skin will begin to crack.
Conservation Process:
- The skin is spread on a wooden surface. Inner side up. And sprinkled with salt - its weight should be 2 times the weight of canned raw materials.
- Salted skins are placed in a refrigerator for 60 hours. Cool, but do not freeze.
Ostrich skin is very delicate, and if you disrupt the technology of dressing, the raw materials quickly deteriorate. Well-crafted leather is valued expensive.
Varieties of skins
Raw materials after salting are sorted and their quality is evaluated. By size, skins are distinguished:
- Adults
- Sub-adults.
- Juvenile.
The skin of the male has a size of about 1.5 square meters. m. The larger the skin, the more expensive it is. The raw materials received from adolescents and chicks are much smaller in area, and the price for it is lower.
Crafted skins are also divided into grades. Grading depends on the quality of preservation, shape, correct removal, size, and the presence of defects.
Varieties of ostrich skins:
- First grade. Well-preserved raw materials that retained their original freshness. On the inside there are no traces of meat, fat, fascia. Dimensions and shape - full. No defects.
- Second grade. Similar to the first, but one of the following defects is allowed:
- incomplete withdrawal;
- Inaccurate cuts made - do not coincide with the lines established by the technology;
- poor preservation;
- fat spots;
- defect of the “red cap”;
- damaged bulbs.
- Third grade. It is similar to the second grade, but two defects are allowed at once, from the above.
"Red hat" - a defect that occurs when the skins for a long time are rolled up at high temperatures or in a humid environment. Red microorganisms multiply - spots of this color form.
If the raw material with signs of decomposition, and smells bad, it is incorrectly mothballed. Such hides do not belong to any grade, this is non-sorted raw material.
Skin dressing
After going through the conservation process, the skin is subject to dressing. It is carried out in several stages:
- Soaking. The raw material is immersed in a special composition that completely covers it. This stage lasts 48 hours. The composition is changed during this time 4 times.
- Hanging. They take out the skin from the composition and hang it so that the solution completely drains from it.
- Stripping. On both sides the skin is cleaned with a scraper or a blunt knife.
- Acid soaking. Its purpose is to make the skin soft and supple. The raw materials are placed in an acidic composition that softens collagen fibers. The process lasts at least 24 hours. Readiness is checked by folding the folds - if the fold turns white, the skin can be taken out.
- Tanning. The goal is to make the skin resistant to adverse factors by immersion in a special tanning solution. For tanning leathers use chrompeak, alum chrome alum or oak / willow bark. The process lasts at least 24 hours.
- Drying out. The skin is hung in a dark and cool room. Dry for 2 days. The dried skin is straightened and stretched to make it smooth and even.
- Polishing. Special oils are used for this procedure. The goal is to give the material smoothness and shine, to make it beautiful.
During skinning, potent chemicals are used that are dangerous to humans and may harm their health. To work with tannins, you must have the appropriate experience.
Cutting and Gutting
Gutting ostriches, like other poultry. It is suspended by the wings, so it is convenient to gut it. After cutting the abdominal cavity, push it apart and remove the insides. The carcass freed from giblets is washed and sent to the refrigerator.
Gutted carcasses are carved on wooden surfaces. Cutting provides for the division of carcasses into:
- boneless meat;
- lower legs;
- hips;
- half carcasses;
- quarters.
Cut the carcass so as not to hurt the muscles - this allows you to get the perfect meat for steaks. Cutting is fast, so that the protein structure of tissues does not have time to break. The remaining scraps and small muscles are sold as low-grade meat.
The yield of pure meat from black ostrich is 30-40 kg, from rhea - 9-12 kg.
What mistakes can be made?
Slaughter of ostriches is a responsible event that requires comprehensive training. Mistakes that farmers may make due to lack of experience:
- Slaughter in front of the herd. This categorically cannot be done. Ostriches will get stressed. Rushing to run, they are able to break the corral fence.
- Attempts to drive ostriches into a slaughterhouse. If you use force, show aggression, it will cause panic in the whole herd. And individuals destined for slaughter will receive stress, because of which their meat will be less quality.
- Wrong stunning technique. If the hammer blow is not strong enough or not in the center of the head, the bird can start to run, show aggression, and given its strength, the outcome of the fight is unpredictable.
Slaughter of ostriches cannot be entrusted to a beginner - this process requires professional experience. Usually this responsible procedure is entrusted to farm workers caring for a bird from birth. Ostriches get used to them and trust. Inexperienced people should not be allowed to slaughter, it should be remembered that with one foot kick the ostrich kills a person.
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Russia. City Novosibirsk
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