When breeding nutria, in order to get not only meat, but also fur, you need to know how to properly slaughter, and at what time. The farmer must correctly determine whether the animal is ready for slaughter or not. There are several ways to cut the carcass to maintain the attractiveness and value of the skin.
How to set the dead time for nutria?
Taking into account the degree of fur maturity, the timing of the slaughter of animals is adjusted. Nutria skin acquires high quality when the animals reach 9-10 months of age. With the onset of cold weather, the fur becomes much softer and thicker. Therefore, climatic conditions also affect the timing of slaughter.
Taking into account the region of habitation, the time of slaughter of animals is also adjusted:
- north of the European continent - early November-mid-March;
- center of Europe - mid-November-early March;
- south - the last days of November (early December) - the first days of March.
If the nutria wool meets all the quality requirements, slaughter can be carried out in spring or summer.
Before slaughtering, farmers must carefully select animals. It is important to correctly assess the condition of the hairline of the animals. Even if the time of slaughter has come, you need to take only those nutria whose wool meets the following requirements:
- on the back a pile of at least 12 cm long;
- the coat is thick, has an attractive sheen;
- in the groin area, the skin is covered with an even layer of wool, the length of the down is at least 10 cm;
- covering hairs are visible in the lower abdomen;
- no tangles on the belly and ridge.
When all indicators correspond to the norm, the animal is completely ready for the upcoming slaughter procedure. In this case, the farmer will receive excellent quality skin, which will have a high cost.
If there is dirt or tangles on the coat, the animal must first be washed and combed well.
Animals weighing less than 3 kg cannot be sent to slaughter. For rapid growth and weight gain, many farmers use compound feed that is designed for piglets. This feed contains a large amount of nutrients. And nutria, having reached 6 months of age, have the required mass, and slaughter can be carried out. Read about the rules of feeding nutria in the article: "What and how to feed nutria?"
What kind of inventory and equipment is needed for slaughter?
Proper preparation will greatly simplify the slaughtering procedure. To work, you will need certain equipment:
- several containers in which fat with blood will be collected;
- carcass cutting table - it must be sheathed with zinc sheet;
- Cooper's scissors, simple;
- knives for bleeding, skinning, trimming fat;
- metal scraper;
- brush;
- metal and wooden hammer;
- metal hairbrush;
- hanger with a ring;
- a needle with which the skin will be knitted;
- blank, necessary for cleaning the skin from the remnants of meat with fat.
Taking into account which method of slaughtering nutria will be chosen, the tool necessary for killing the animals is also selected - electrodes or a stick. You will also need to prepare rubber gloves.
What are the methods of slaughtering nutria?
Nutria can be hammered in several ways - manually or by electric shock. Each method has both advantages and disadvantages. It does not matter which method will be chosen, the slaughter should be carried out in a properly prepared room with adequate lighting and working ventilation.
Manual
During the manual method, a stick that is not too thick is used, which should be heavy. One part is wrapped in fabric or rubber. This will allow during the impact not to damage the fur with the skin.
The algorithm for manual slaughter:
- with one hand raise the nutria to simultaneously hold the tail with the hind legs;
- put your front paws on a hard surface;
- make a clear blow to the back of the head or forehead - this will kill the animal;
- calculate the strength with which you will strike, since the animal should die immediately, but try not to injure the skull with the skin;
- hang the nutria head down, fixing it by the hind legs;
- with a knife cut the vessels located in the mouth;
- place a container for collecting blood under the carcass;
- 3-4 minutes later, after the blood has completely drained, remove the animal from the hook and turn it over;
- remove urine by pressing in the groin area;
- now remove the skin until the animal's body begins to numb.
To carry out the manual slaughter of an animal requires a certain skill and experience. The first time you can ask for the help of a more experienced person who can give a full briefing on this procedure.
Using electric current
This is a simpler and more humane method of slaughtering animals, since death occurs instantly (no more than 4 seconds). But not every farmer has the opportunity to implement it, because for the work you need to acquire special equipment. Most often, this method is used in situations when a large individual is slaughtered.
The algorithm of the procedure:
- attach electrodes to all legs;
- pass a current discharge (220V) through the carcass;
- After a couple of seconds, suspend the animal, fixing it with its hind legs, to remove all the blood.
Working with electricity is very dangerous, therefore, strict adherence to safety measures is required - you need to work only with thick rubber gloves.
Rules and methods of flaying
Removing the skin from an animal should be carried out in a specific sequence, taking into account the following rules:
- remove the skin first from the lower paws and end with the head;
- first of all, the sex glands are removed from the males - place the animal on a table previously covered with a layer of sawdust, and make an incision in the shape of a circle in the area of the anus;
- suspend the carcass by two hind legs and cut the skin;
- first make incisions next to the hind legs in the area where the border with the edging passes, then draw a line along the inner side of the thigh;
- cut the tail from the inside of the body;
- cut the skin on the front limbs as you did when working with the hind legs;
- remove the skin with your fingers, remove the layer of connective tissue;
- take your time and do not make pulling or sudden movements, as you can ruin the skin.
Sprinkle sawdust on the coat to prevent it from staining with grease and blood.
How to make and store nutria skin?
After the skin is removed, you need to immediately start dressing it. Take care of cleansing the inside of the remains of meat and fat:
- wrap the skin inside with fur on a pre-prepared wooden blank, fixing it against the wall - during operation, it should remain motionless;
- carefully remove leftover meat with fat;
- use surgical blades and scissors to clean the inside of the skin, thereby minimizing the risk of cutting the fur;
- then place the skin on a wooden rule, which you purchase in advance for drying and shaping the skin;
- in the summer, set the rule under the canopy, but the temperature should not be above +30 degrees Celsius, otherwise the debate will begin, which will provoke damage to the skin.
This procedure should be carried out by a farmer with sufficient experience, otherwise there is a risk of spoiling a valuable product and devaluing the skin.
After the skin is removed and processed, it is sent for storage. If it will not be used immediately, preserve it in a salt solution:
- sprinkle the skin with plenty of salt;
- place in a container with a slight slope, along which the resulting sucrose begins to flow;
- after 1-2 days, check if the skin is poorly preserved, repeat the procedure.
Then fold the skin so that the fur is inside, wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap. You can store the prepared skin in a freezer or refrigerator for 6 months.
Carcass cutting
When the skin is removed, you can begin the procedure for cutting nutria, adhering to the following scheme of actions:
- remove the paws with an ax;
- make an incision in the area of the peritoneum and remove the insides;
- work very carefully so as not to accidentally rupture the bladder, otherwise its contents will spill onto the meat, and it will acquire an unpleasant odor;
- bowel with bladder and lungs - discard;
- rinse all remaining organs well with warm water;
- rinse the carcass well;
- wipe the meat and perform the same procedure for offal;
- Place prepared organs inside the carcass if you plan to sell the carcass.
The procedure for slaughter and further cutting of nutria requires some experience. If there is absolutely no idea how to do everything correctly, it is better to entrust the work to a more experienced person, since there is a high probability of spoiling the skin and fur, which will lose its value.
After studying the theory, it is worth a little practice, it will ideally be stocked up with the support of an experienced miner. It is enough just a few times to perform the procedure under the guidance of a specialist, and the necessary experience and confidence will be obtained. In the future, butchering animals can easily be done independently.