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["Melody O." <melody AT crecon.com>]

At 10:58 AM 1/5/05 -0500, Denise wrote:
>As to butchering, the most important thing is to try to have what you'll 
>need ready -- sharp knives!  Shoot then cut the throat right then and bleed 
>(which also makes sure they are dead and not just hurt).  Hang by back 
>hocks.  After that it is pretty self-explanatory and the first time is the 
>hardest.  Cut around anus -- be careful with an intact goat's balls.  Be 
>careful with urine, feces, etc.  Mostly just try to keep the carcass clean 
>which generally isn't too hard.  An extra set of hands can be helpful.
>
>Once it is gutted, depending on weather, hang for a min of three days.  It 
>needs to go into rigor mortis and back out.  We had to kill our calf in 
>JULY! this year which was a trip itself and we cut her up into six pieces 
>and "hung" them in an empty fridge for 5 days.  Hanging is what really makes 
>meat edible, and what it is doing is allowing it to rot just a bit (I mean, 
>realistically).  With chickens you can brine them to let them age which 
>improves them.  Anyway. . .

Wow.  Not only does it sound awful and like a whole lot of work, but to
think of my goat hanging from a tree makes me sad.  Maybe it isn't too late
to be a vegetarian.... :-)

>Well, that's some description.  John Seymour's books also have decent 
>descriptions of jointing a carcass.  We've got to do our pigs soon.

Good luck!  It's got to be easier than a calf in July, though!  

Thanks for the info.  Sorry I am such a wimp.  I need to either quit
raising animals for meat and realize I am a wimp and simply use them for
the eggs & milk or just get over it.  Hum.....  Anyway, thanks so much for
all of your help!  I appreciate the tips.  

Best wishes,
Melody