Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
tackle also can be used. Lead or drive the animal close to the area where you plan to hang it.
You should also have a source of clean, running water in place near the butchering area.
Sheep should be shot in the back of the head. As soon as the animal is shot, sturdy ropes or
chains should be placed on its rear legs, and it should be hung upside down. The jugular vein
and carotid artery on the side of the throat should be slit to allow the blood to drain. The
testicles on an uncastrated male animal should be removed next by cutting the attachments
against the body. Next, the head of the animal should be removed. Remove sheep heads by
cutting around the neck with a knife and then severing the tendons and ligaments holding the
head to the neck. Remove the front feet by cutting through the first joint on the leg.
Remove the hide or skin next. Use a pointed knife to make a circular cut in the hide around
the rear legs. From each leg, make a cut through the hide down the leg to the body. Join these
cuts at the midline of the pelvis, and extend the cut through the hide all the way down the ab-
domen to the neck. Skin the hide away from the body by removing the hide at the rear legs
and working your way down the body. Pulling the loose skin as you make your cut will help
peel the hide away.
After the skin has been removed, begin to remove the intestines. Use a pointed knife to cut
around the anus to free the end of the colon from the attachment to the body. Give it a slight
yank to completely free it, then tie it closed with a piece of clean string or twine. Use your
knife to make a cut into the lower abdomen, but be careful not to puncture any internal or-
gans. Extend the incision to the tip of the breastbone. Remove the penis in male animals at
this point. Use a tub or a wheelbarrow to catch the intestines. Cut through the fat and tissue at-
tachment holding the intestines inside the abdomen. Pull the anus out through the abdomen,
and gently, yet firmly, pull the intestines and bladder from the body. At this point, you can
save the liver and kidneys for your use. They can be used for cooking. Once the intestines are
out, you will need to sever the esophagus. This tube that runs from the mouth to the stomach.
Try to cut it as far away from where it enters the stomach as possible. Once this is cut, the in-
testines should now be out of the carcass and in your container.
Next, cut through the diaphragm to remove the heart and lungs. Cut through the tissues at-
taching heart and lungs (the pluck) to the body, and sever the windpipe at the top of the lungs.
The heart can be saved, while the lung and windpipe usually are discarded along with the in-
testines. The heart is another organ from the sheep that can be used for special dishes, espe-
cially in some ethnic cuisines. You will need to remove the rest of the windpipe by cutting
