How to Butcher a Goat- WARNING- VERY GRAPHIC PICTURES W/Blood

Goat butchering day: a graphic photo documentary

Warning: This post contains graphic photos of the butchering process. Do not read anyfurther unless you are genuinely interested in learning how to butcher animals.

Leading Sundown to her meeting with hermaker.

Well, I had thought I would have to wait until hunting season was over in order to muster the courage to do inone of my goats; but after butchering the rest of my ‘Jenny Craig’ Cornish Crosses (25) and all of my turkeys(32) this week, I found I was in the mood to keep going. My friend Clarence called last night to see if Iwanted to go for breakfast this morning, “A pick up and delivery,” he said, letting me know he would do thedriving. He took me for pancakes at the local diner, and over breakfast we talked about various things, theupcoming moose hunt being one. “You know, I saw a big bull moose on Wednesday on my way home fromWilliams Lake. He crossed the road in front of me right there at Louis Creek,” hands moving out in front ofhimself from left to right, “and he had your initials on his ear, my dear.”

While on the subject of meat, I asked him if he’d help me butcher one of my goats,”Why sure. Any time.When do you want to do it?” “Today, after breakfast.” He said he had a few things to attend to first but thathe’d be back later in the afternoon. When he dropped me off he called out, “I’ll be back at 2pm to help youout, OK!”

When I asked him if he would mind helping, I imagined that he would do the actual killing part; after all, thatwas the part that I thought I would have the trouble with. However, when he arrived there was no discussionabout whether or not I’d be doing the shooting. “OK my dear, place the bullet right here,” he gestured withhis left finger-tip-less hand to her forehead. “You only need one cartridge to do it right and she’ll go down,just-like-that.”

I was surprised by my own matter-of-factness. After all, I’d named and tended to Sundown for nearly fiveyears. But my only concern was that I shoot her well so she wouldn’t suffer–I certainly didn’t want to have toshoot her twice or, god forbid, a few times. She was pretty calm as I led her to the ‘gallows tree’ but everynow and then kicked against the rope that held her. I was a bit concerned that she would kick up a fuss just asI was about to shoot so I got in close, took aim quickly and fired. She went down instantly, “That’s it. It’s allover.” Before I really registered that I’d done it, Clarence was already slitting her throat and she was bleedingout.

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We went to work on skinning her front side before hanging her from the tree so we could spill the entrails. Hetalked me through most of the work–I like that about Clarence: he doesn’t take over and do the job for you.Rather, as a good teacher and mentor he’s happy to watch over his apprentice and even endure a fewmistakes. “Oh my, she is fat… I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much fat on an animal I’ve butchered before!”he said, cutting through the beautiful white lard that was between her body and her skin. Indeed she wasfat–too fat. I’d been feeding the nursing goats a lot more in order to keep their weight on, and the other goatswere clearly taking advantage of the extra grains, hay and forage.

Once we had the goat butchered out, I sawed her in half and split her into two sides until she looked like twominuscule sides of beef. Clarence helped me rinse her off and bag her up, before he left. I then put her in thetruck and drove her to the local butcher for hanging. On the way in to the store, I barely got a second look.On the way out, however, I stopped to talk to a friend then as I went to leave a stranger nodded politely atme. “After you,” he said gently motioning to the doorway, looking me up and down, “A bag of blood in yourhand, and blood spatter on your pants… I’d hate to think what happened to the guy that cut you off!”

Step one: shoot the goat in the forehead. If you do not know how to do this, or do not have a goodunderstanding of the animal’s anatomy, then get someone experienced to help you. This should be a clean killso the animal does not suffer needlessly. Although this was my first time, I had Clarence watching over me asI did this. Also, I now have a lot of animal butchering experience and know exactly where to place the bullet.

Get close to the goat with the gun so you don't miss in the event she moves.

Step two: slit throat being sure to cut through both jugular veins so it bleeds well and completely.

Be sure to slice through both jugular veins on either side of the windpipe toget a good bleed.

Step three: slit skin from ankle to anus on either back leg and then slit the skin up the belly to the neck. Beginto skin the goat separating the skin from the meat.

Make a cut through the skin from the ankle to the anus on both hind legs.

Carefully separate the skin from the animal leaving the meat with the carcass.

Step four: When the skin is off the front of the body, make two cuts in the ankle between the tendon and thebone with your knife. These holes are for slipping a rope through in order to hang the goat. Hang the goat highenough to continue working comfortably.

Cut hole between the tendon and bone of each hind leg then slip a ropethrough for hanging.

Rope threaded through legs for hanging.

Step five: Finish skinning the goat completely and cut the head off the goat.

Once the skin is completely off the animal, you can sever thehead away from the carcass.

With a knife or meat saw, remove the head once you get the animalcompletely skinned.

Step six: Cut the belly open carefully making sure not to cut the intestines. You want to just cut through theskin. When you get to the breast bone you will need a meat saw to finish cutting to the neck.

Carefully cut open the belly of the goat being diligent about notcutting any of the innards.

Step six: Begin to let some of the contents fall out of your way. Take the meat saw and cut through the pelvis.Grab a hold of the rectum with one hand and cut the anus away from the inside of the goat. Do not cut theintestine or rectum! Let the contents spill out of the cavity.

Open the belly up completely being careful not to let the innardsbegin to fall as the rectum will rip and spill fecal contents throughoutthe belly cavity.

With a meat saw (or in my case my knife) cut through the breastbone right up to the neck.

Cut through the pubic bone and around the anus so it can come free as you pull outthe rectum along with the innards.

Step seven: Save the heart and liver. Cut the heart open and bleed it. Wash the liver and heart well and put incold water until you can refrigerate them.

Cut open the heart and rinse the blood out of it.

Step eight: Cut the esophagus and trachea away from the neck and throat area.

Esophagus and trachea removal.

Goat carcass cut into two sides. We are not cutting off the extra fat before taking themeat to the butcher for hanging.

Step nine: With the meat saw, cut the carcass in half from tail to tip. You now have two sides of goat readyfor hanging in a meat cooler. Wash them with clean water and hang for several days to cure.

How to Butcher a Goat- WARNING- VERY GRAPHIC PICTURES W/Blood

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