How do you humanely slaughter a cow?

Answer 1

It has been years since I knew the answer to this, but at that time chikens were electrocuted. To do that, they had a large metal mesh floored cage, for which the top was so low that the chickens standing on the floor were so tall, that their heads contacted the "ceiling" grid. Then a very high voltage was connected between the two grids, which instantly killed the chickens, or so I was told. That was long ago, and maybe technology in the chicken slaughter industry has found another, better way. Knowning big business, I suspect that whatever method being used is the cheapest in cost, regardless of whether it's more humane or not. As for cattle, the last I knew of the killing method was the use of a pistol which used a blank cartridge, and shot a kind of "bolt" against the forehead of the animal, stunning it [sort of, or partially knocking it out] at which time it was hung from a hook by a rear leg, and then it was "finished off" by cutting the juglar veins, allowing the animal to quickly bleed to death. I was never in a hog slaughter house, but country friends killed their hogs for slaughter by shooting them in the forehead with a large caliber pistol. First, they are put through a sort of burning tank to singe the hair off(sometimes when they are still conscious!) Then they slit the animals throat by sawing through the animals throat like its some kind of tree. Finally, the animals are hung by a leg to be drained of their blood. Sadly, through every one of these processes, the animals may be fully conscious.

Answer 2

was told by a meat packager they electricute them and that stuns them enough to cut the throat and bleed them, chickens are also electricuted after they are strung up wet down with water.

They use what is called a humane killer or captive bolt (gas charged rod that enters the brain and kills them instantly), they are then exsanguinated by cutting the carotid arteries/jugular veins.

Answer 3

The best way and most common way of killing a bovine is to put a bullet or capbolt to its head. Imagine a line drawn from the ear down to the opposite eye, then again from the opposite ear to the other eye, and the center of that X is where you aim. Make sure you aim in such a way that the bullet is going to penetrate the spinal cord which is located in the back of the head, which means being at a position where you are aiming at a downward angle to the animal. You need a rifle with a slug that is going to penetrate the thick skull. If you have a shotgun instead, a deer slug is enough to kill. With a rifle, a .22 shot at a few feet away will be enough to kill a bovine. However, with a more powerful rifle like that of a .30-.30 you can shoot the animal from several yards away. With a pistol or revolver though, you have to have the muzzle within a few inches away from the skull.

Shooting an animal is a messy job, and you have to make sure the first shot counts in order to get a humane death. If you miss, you will prolong the pain the animal is in and would have to take a second shot.

Answer 4

Cattle are rendered unconscious by applying an electric shock to the back of the head, or by a captive bolt pistol to the front of the head. The animals are then hung upside down by both hind legs on the processing line. The cartoid artery and jugular vein are severed with a knife, allowing the animal to bleed out. This results in death of the animal, if the animal hasn't already died from the shock or bolt to its head. The legs, head, and tail are then removed, and care, when removing the offal, is taken to cut around the digestive tract to prevent contamination to the rest of the meat. After skinning the carcass, it is cut in half, which allows the butcher to remove and discard the spinal cord. The carcass is then allowed to hang and cure for several weeks before being cut up for meat.

Answer 5

For a complete description of how it's done, please see the related link below.

Otherwise, it's a process that involves the cap-bolt gun and a quick slash to the jugular to bleed the animal out.

Answer 6

It's all in the killing: if you do it as quickly and painlessly as possible, that is as humane as it gets. Aim right in the middle of the forehead (drawing an X from the inside of the ear to the inside corner of the opposite eye and the same for the other ear and eye), and angle the gun so that you are almost level with the cow's brain and spinal column, not angled too sharply in such a way that you'd completely miss the brain. Ideally, the cow's head should be secured with a halter and in a box chute, but since the vast majority of farms don't have the same facilities as the average slaughtering facility, it is best to time your aim and you shot for when the cow's head is not moving at all. Then, all you have to do is squeeze the trigger.

If a cow is still jerking and moving its legs after you shoot (and after making the cut to the throat to bleed it out), do not take this as the cow still being alive. The ONLY way to truly tell if a cow is still alive after you take the shot is if she is still breathing, and her eyes are responding to light and/or a touch to the corner of the socket. The aforementioned actions, if the animal is not breathing and eyes not responding to the touch to the eyeball, then you are merely seeing involuntary muscle contractions. The cow is even more dead after being bled out, which should be done immediately after the shot is made. Do not heed the "facts" by certain extremist groups or persons when they say that a cow is still breathing or moving after being bled out or if a cow "dies piece by piece." When a cow is bled out, it is dead. It cannot possibly still be living when all of its life fluid has left its body. It cannot feel anything--be it being skinned, gutted, and/or its limbs removed--after it has been shot and bled out immediately after. Also, it's pretty obvious if a cow hasn't been bled out properly by the amount of blood that comes out after the initial cut is made to the arteries in the neck.

With all that information above, this should be a good guide in how a cow is slaughtered humanely.

Answer 7

A well placed bullet, or, sometimes, they call a veterinarian to do it.

Answer 8

shot placement

Answer 9

horrible.