Butchering Day

WARNING THIS POST WILL HAVE GRAPHIC PICTURES. They will be posted just in case anyone else would like to learn to butcher.
We awoke to frost on the ground and 31 degrees outside. A perfect day for butchering.  The farmer delivered the pigs to Fedi yesterday.

With the packing companies shut down because of the Covid 19 virus, meat is in short supply. Rachel found a local farmer that was HAPPY to sell and deliver 18 pigs. Each family that wanted a pig needed to provide the labor, knives, wrapping and seasoning for their own pig. The plan today was to butcher 11 of these pigs. Fedi and Ruth borrowed tables to keep the assembly line going.
Fedi and Jozsef would separate a pig, bring it to the second enclosure where Fedi would humanely kill it by sticking a knife in the main artery. The pig hardly made a sound and bled out quietly.

At that point the skid steer was used to lift the pig off the ground. These pigs weigh between 270 and 310 pounds. 

Fedi would use the torch to burn all the hair off while Jozsef would keep the water running on it washing the pig down.

The Beth's family ordered 5 pigs and once they were scorched and gutted put 3 of them in big coolers to take home to do. The other 2 were processed at Ruth and Fedi's house. Below Chad is guiding one of their pigs into a cooler.

The next step is put the pig on the table belly up.

 The leg joints were removed then Fedi removes the head.

 The heads were thrown in a tub for later. Fedi is going to remove the brains once the rest of the work is done.

Next the rest of the leg joints are removed. 

 Below Rebekah is holding a shoulder.

 Rebekah is removing the skin on the shoulders. She will end up with 2 nice shoulder roasts.

 Below they are removing the skin and then will removed the intestines and organs then start cutting up the meat.

 Irma and her daughter Chila are removing all the meat from the back bone and other bones. Nothing is wasted. Although Irma was moaning about not being able to save the bones to make broth. She just doesn't have the freezer space. 

The scraps of meat taken off the bones is then taken to the grinder where sausage is made. Beth's family have 2 commercial meat grinders which really helps with this job.

 Livie was working this grinder.

It was a perfect day for this big job. Irma used some of the meat scraps to make stew for lunch. That was served with bread. Everyone was tired but happy to have meat for the lean times. 

Back at our place Mark was busing mowing and weed wacking.

If there is a blessing in this quarantine time it is the yards are looking good. Mark is keeping up and that usually doesn't happen this time of year. Lily and her colt are spending the nights in the indoor then during the day let out to roam and graze at will. Lily is 18 years old and knows where she lives. Today she decided to park herself and her colt right in front of the apartment door.

We have guests moving in Sunday afternoon so we will need to lock her up as I'm sure they won't understand WHY there is a horse in front of their front door!  Colic surgery is why Lily has such a big belly. She had Colic surgery 10 years ago when she was pregnant with Ayanna.  

I thought the colt was taking a nap but instead he was tasting the grass as he was laying there.

Tori was taken out to check her udder and then left loose to graze a bit. I was pleased to see Tori's udder is not bagging up. She isn't due until May 26th and I am hoping she will hold off until she is much closer to that date. Lily went to join her but then decided she is still not ready to let another mare get too close to her baby.

Lily was given a groom and her mane untangled. Today I used a scissors and ended up cutting out the knots. Usually I used cowboy magic and carefully de-tangle but just didn't want to take the time today.

Mark got the snow tires off of his car this afternoon and changed the oil. Mom called, they are all on their way home from Gulf Shores and should be here before 10:00 pm. We will probably have an early night.