# How Do You Butcher?



## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

Last year we butcherd my one whether...not so bad. We pulled him out of the pen, walked him around the corner to the carport and a friend shot him. As I said, not so bad. He was the only kid I had and mom didn't seem to mind his bawling as we took him away from her. It was fast and easy.

This year I have two kids and we want to butcher the whether. Now, we can stilll do it the same way, walk him out and around the corner where the others cannot see him, but they will hear him! I do not know how his sister will handle this. I am wondering if this will tramatize her at all. He is LOUD and will be bawling I am sure. Plus they do hear the shot.

How do you all do the initial dead? Do you take them far,far away or do your other goats hear/see what is going on? I am sure I want a shot to the head rather than a slit to the throat like some ethnic groups do it. I just have to find a gun as we do not own one.

I want to make this as painless and quick as I can. So, please, tell me your stories!


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

My husband takes them around the side of the barn where the others cannot see. Giving them grain to nibble helps cut down on the noise. The last one gave him trouble and was fighting and yelling. Mom and sis seemed upset; for about 15 minutes. :scratch: Then they just went on with their daily routine. And we do use a bullet to the head.
We have done this numerous times now. We had mostly boys this spring. It gets easier and we have gotten much more proficient at it. I do not do anything special as to cuts of meat. If it looks like a roast; it is one. Sometimes a whole front leg will go on the barbeque. Left over pieces become stew meat.


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

Great question! I'd like to know about this too!


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Have never butchered a goat but have done a deer. We actually take our deer to a game butcher now. Here is a link to their instructional DVD's. http://www.gamebutcher.com/


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

Freedomstar... that's a great site! I think I'm gonna buy the dvds even though we dont hunt.. I would like to get one or two meat goats in the future...


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

I would think the butchering would be the same. The one thing that made it hard for me with the deer was our knifes were not the best. If you will be butchering a good set of butcher knifes would make the job way easier.


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

Well. It is my husband, brother and friend who do all the butchering from the beginning to the end. I do help with wrapping/packaging the meat. They know how to handle guns and are very wise with safety. 

They bring the goats to a treat bucket and shoot it in the back of the head. The other goats do not hear or see it die. Its life is over quickly without a big stress. It is extremely important to end this animal's life quickly and humanly. A wounded goat will scream its head off causing enormous stress to all humans and animals on the farm. I would not let the dogs around at all when this is being done. It causes confusion to them. 

Ideally; it would be good to have a two sided plywood area to bring the animal into out of site from ALL the other animals(even dogs). Give it a treat bucket and shoot it from behind the horn/area. It is not ideal to shoot from the front side. A bullet can zip around inside a goat skull and not kill it or can richoshet off and hit someone. Be sure you know how to avoid the hard skull part. Aim at the midline of the back of the goat's skull. - Richochet is a very important thing to know about when shooting hard headed animals. It can be very dangerous with firearms if not done correctly.


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## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

Merry hit it spot on!
Shoot right behind the horns in the center (from rear) and they go down very fast.

I walk mine behind the barn and shoot.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I haven't butchered any of my own but I do think that the process would be very similar to butchering a deer and I agree with Logan, sharp knives are a must!
I'm with you Katrina and Merry....single shot to the back of the head would be the best and quickest and knowing how to safely shoot a gun is #1 priority.

Around here theres enough target shooting that my goats are used to hearing gun shots...Itchysmom....if you think that the gunshot will bother your goats, get them used to the abrupt noise by using firecrackers on a daily basis....not in the pen or close to them but where they can't see you but will hear the noise.


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

Our friend, who shot him last year, did do it behind the head. He knew what he was doing! And yes, butchering a goat is the same as a deer! Only thing is I hear you do not have to hang the goat for 5-7 days like a deer.

Last year they did not seem to mind the one shot. Altho, they did not particularly like the fireworks on the 4th of July. I think because they could see flashs and hear the noise!

I will definitely use a grain bucket this time. I diod not think about that! It would make him quiet at least!

Thank you all for your replies! :wave:


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

We never hang our deer unless maybe for a night.


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

Really? I thot you had to in orderfor the meat to cure. Sure would be nice not to have to as the cats can get into the garage where we hung the deer and tried to get at it. Guess I still have things to learn!


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

I know people that hang their deer for a while. The thought is that is gets more tender as it hangs since the enzymes are actually starting to break down the meat. I never think ours is tough. Give it a try and let me know if you think there is a texture difference.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

We don't hang ours either....When I was at home, my parents would hang theirs with a white sheet wrapped around it as high up in our "skinning tree" as they could get it, and usually only overnight as long as the weather stayed cold and usually only because it was a late shot and no daylight left to see by to quarter it. Never thought it was "supposed" to hang for tenderizing.


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

e hung our deer doe for 5 days. I will try just hanging over night nezt time and see if there is a difference. That is if Hubby will let me!


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Itchysmom said:


> e hung our deer doe for 5 days. I will try just hanging over night nezt time and see if there is a difference. That is if Hubby will let me!


 :thumbup:


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## GingersMaMa (Aug 4, 2011)

You don't have to hang it , unless you want to age it ( We did last year 'cause it was snowy and cold so we didn't have to rush to put it up :greengrin: this year we had to hurry and get it in 'cause it was too warm :greengrin: ) DH likes to let any meat age providing it's cold :greengrin: it tastes pretty good either way


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

Just saw that my spelling in my last post was whacky!

We had our last years deer hanging for 5 days...it averaged 40 during the day and below 30 at night.

Do any of your notice a difference in taste/texture between a wether and a doe goat? I ask because when eating a deer buck it tastes slightly gamey and bit tough, but the doe we got last year was awesome tasty and very tender.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Eating a buck deer would, I think, be like an intact buck goat. So it will have that gamey taste from the musk. But a wether does not have that. In my experience does and wethers taste very much the same.
(Does anybody else get confused that does and does are spelled the same?)


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## GingersMaMa (Aug 4, 2011)

(Does anybody else get confused that does and does are spelled the same?)
Yes :slapfloor:


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

^ YES! 

I only notice a gamey taste to deer meat when it is overcooked. I really like the taste of the meat buck or doe deer.


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## RMADairyGoats (Jun 20, 2011)

Why do you not want the other goats see you shoot him? Just wondering onder: Will it stress them out to see their friend killed?


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

Lost Prairie said:


> Why do you not want the other goats see you shoot him? Just wondering onder: Will it stress them out to see their friend killed?


Yes, it will stress them out. They understand more than a lot of people think but maybe not as much as some people might give them credit for. A lifeless animal being dragged away by the humans they trust is quite confusing to them. They understand that something awful just happened to their herd mate but not sure if they put the connection that it was shot by humans unless the human goes chasing a wounded goat screaming its head off around the yard. If you want to do things humanly, my personal preference is to be out of site from ALL the other animals.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Not sure if this was mentioned anywhere, didn't get a chance to read all the replies <sorry!>. 
I watched my husband's uncle butcher a whether early this year. He duct taped it's mouth so it couldn't yell when he seperated it from the others. He duct taped it's front feet and back feet so it wouldn't hurt him or itself. He used a sharp knife, and did a quick slice to the neck, and the goat slowly lost conscience. IMO it was as humane as he could do it, and the slit was quick. None of my girls saw what was going on as we kept them busy elsewhere.


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## Farmgirl675 (Oct 21, 2010)

We do ours right with the others...any stress to an animal shortly before death will cause adrenaline rush and produce "dark cutters"...meat will have a different taste and not be as tender. 

When shot they still need to have the neck slit immediately afterwards so that the animals will bleed out while the heart pumps for short time, then hung by back legs to continue to drain blood, skin immediately to cool meat quickly, we allow to hang for 5 days allows meat to relax and stretch and is more tender (cows hang 7-14 days) also less gamey taste.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

As far as a "gamey" taste in meat...We've always done an overnight soak in a white vinegar/water solution after the meat has been cut the way we want it, a good rinse and trim any undesirables away, patted dry and wrapped for the freezer. When I butcher deer, I'm watchful of areas in the carcass where there are glands, usually around the hindquarters....I cut those areas away as they do cause a gaminess when cooked.

I would think that deer and goat would be very similar in the handling, I've not butchered a goat before but have eaten it.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Interesting read! :thumb: I've always wanted to raise up and butcher my own goat...hmm...maybe i'll get a boer wether next year...I think the nigerians are a little to small. :lol:


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

KW Farms said:


> Interesting read! :thumb: I've always wanted to raise up and butcher my own goat...hmm...maybe i'll get a boer wether next year...I think the nigerians are a little to small. :lol:


You might find that you like the taste of goat. It isnt strong like lamb or deer; at least our Boer meat isnt. I find no strong taste in the meat at all and some people think they are eating beef. I would personally have a hard time eating a Nigerian Dwarf and any of these goats if they were around me all the time. For myself, our Boer wethers are in a separate pasture area together where we do not spend time with them. They are still happy and do like human attention. I also dont see that wethers make the best of pets as they are pushy and always trying to figure out what their purpose in life really is all about. I know that in Africa, having a small ND was ideal for them to have so as not to butcher a large animal with no refrigeration. We have quite a few different ethnic friends. South Africa, India, and some Hispanic. They all want some goat.


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

HoosierShadow said:


> Not sure if this was mentioned anywhere, didn't get a chance to read all the replies <sorry!>.
> I watched my husband's uncle butcher a whether early this year. He duct taped it's mouth so it couldn't yell when he seperated it from the others. He duct taped it's front feet and back feet so it wouldn't hurt him or itself. He used a sharp knife, and did a quick slice to the neck, and the goat slowly lost conscience. IMO it was as humane as he could do it, and the slit was quick. None of my girls saw what was going on as we kept them busy elsewhere.


Yes, I think many people do this method a lot. I think it would be an experienced person to do it properly and many people do not like to use firearms so prefer this method. The life of an animal is respected and valued which has made me not want to waste my food ever again. I actually dont' like meat much, but found that I am much healthier when I eat red meat.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

packhillboers said:


> You might find that you like the taste of goat. It isnt strong like lamb or deer; at least our Boer meat isnt. I find no strong taste in the meat at all and some people think they are eating beef. I would personally have a hard time eating a Nigerian Dwarf and any of these goats if they were around me all the time. For myself, our Boer wethers are in a separate pasture area together where we do not spend time with them. They are still happy and do like human attention. I also dont see that wethers make the best of pets as they are pushy and always trying to figure out what their purpose in life really is all about. I know that in Africa, having a small ND was ideal for them to have so as not to butcher a large animal with no refrigeration. We have quite a few different ethnic friends. South Africa, India, and some Hispanic. They all want some goat.


I wouldn't doubt it...I love beef and gamey meat too. We usually have elk or deer meat every year from hunting. I know a gal who butchers some of her nigerian wethers so I guess you could get something off them. I tend not to get to attached to the kids...especially wethers, so maybe i'll try this sometime if I have a couple wethers that don't sell. Also...it would take up less freezer space. :thumb:


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

packhillboers said:


> but found that I am much healthier when I eat red meat


Amen to that. :dance: 
We love our goat meat and have not bought beef for some time now. We had a surplus of bucklings this year and our freezer was getting full. So I read up on canning. It takes a pressure canner but I cut the meat in cubes, pack it raw and process. If I am making a stew or tacos or such I just add a jar. I have done turkey, rabbit and goat and all have come out great.


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

KW.. looks like you may have a wether for your freezer.?


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

Wow! I had some very close friends living here in America from India for a short while. They are now back home. They really wanted some goat meat so I gave them some and they kindly cooked it back up and gave me goat meat (India style)over rice. Ooooooo very very hot and spicy but very unique taste of spices. Very good. I loved it. Hot Red Curry that I cant find here.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Mmm...sounds good!


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

Also, as I do not see it mentioned...make sure you rinse LL the hair off the meat before butchering into cuts. We were told this can taint the meat, so we rinse the carcuss very well then wipe it down with vinegar water to make sure all the hair is gone. Of course, a really good butcher can take the skin off will no hair getting to the meat! 

I do not think I could do the cut throat, but if it comes to that I am sure hubby could!


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

Once again... this is a really interesting thread! If I get the property I'm looking at, I'll get a meat goat wether for the freezer!!! Indian food is YUMMY!


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## ruedyranch (Jan 15, 2011)

This was our first year of butchering goats. I had one buck kid (boer/saanen, my saanen doe jumped the fence while in heat) I would have loved to keep him and I tried very hard to sell him to no avail. I thought if anyone was going to eat him it was going to be me. I bawled my eyes out when I dropped him off at the processing place, the guy thought I was nuts. There was no way my husband or I could have shot him or slit his throat. I still have a hard time even seeing a picture of him (he's been my profile picture on my FB farm page for months) without crying. We chose not to wether our goats thinking that people only did for shows. He was entering the rut so I hope he's edible or I'll just feel even worse about it. The moral to the story...don't go out and play with the boys and give them hugs and kisses and then think you're going to be able to eat them. Next year I will keep the does next to the barn and put the boys wwwwaaaaaayyyyyy on the other side of the farm!


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

I totally understand your feelings! I so wanted to keep this wether, but....altho he will not eat that much, it is one less mouth to feed during the winter and it is nice to have dog food in the freezer. Maybe I will try goat again as his banding went well.

The other side is that he is getting really loud! Since I have close neighbors I like to keep the noise level down as much as possible. He is a begger and a talker...so when the time comes it won't be so bad!


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## Froggy (Feb 27, 2011)

We have butchered 3 goats this year so far, and we just walk em up to the front of the house (about 50yards from the closest goat pen, pretty much out of sight of the other goats), we give the goat some grain, then my dad shoots the goat w/.22. So far, this has worked pretty well. It is all done quickly. 
As for the other goats reactions....the older goats have sort of learned what a gun is, but the younger ones & the inexperienced animals don't seem to notice. 

We have 4 or 5 more wethers to do in the next 5weeks, and I only hope it goes as smoothly as the past goats.

Good luck!
Hope this helps,

Froggy


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## SandStoneStable Farm (Dec 8, 2010)

I'm from an Indian reservation in Canada, there we hung deer over night or more (but it's colder). Here in Maryland you can't really.
Hang it for a short while, clean/quarter and chill (dry) partially covered (but not sealed) for a day or 2, then butcher. No difference!!
Never done a goat, but I would do the same as above.


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## GingersMaMa (Aug 4, 2011)

I find that it's less stressful on the goat if they are tamed so they not scarred to death of you . So I handle all the meat goats ( yes you do get attached ,) so they are less likely to freak out when we butcher .


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

GingersMaMa said:


> I find that it's less stressful on the goat if they are tamed so they not scarred to death of you . So I handle all the meat goats ( yes you do get attached ,) so they are less likely to freak out when we butcher .


I agree. I think it is good to go out and pet them if they are already tame. Our little wethers enjoyed a happy little life with their mammas and would run and play with all the other little goats up until about 4 or 5 months when we removed them into their own little pasture. They were tame and did enjoy when people would come out to pet them. They brought a lot of joy watching them run around happily when they were in our pasture by our house. Their lives are happy - but are just shorter.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

For some reason this just popped into my mind. We have a little local amusement park that used to have a Three Little Pigs and a Three Billy Goats Gruff exhibit. The children who visited never knew that the summer in the park was the State fattening up the animals for a farmer who let them use his pigs and goats for free and took them back to butcher them in the fall. I think it was a pretty good arangement.
We only have one more wether to do this season. Hopefully in the next week or two.


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

Sounds like that worked out for all concerned luv!

Ok, next question! I have decided to do both kids. How would you all suggest I do this? Do one one day and the other the next? Or take one, do it, then go get the other? I don't think doing them both at the same time...unless I had two people with twoo guns...is the right thing to do as the second one will see what happens to the first one.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

We took 5 boys to the processor. I got to watch. He did all five, shot one right after the other. They were amazingly calm.
They were hung skinned & gutted in less than an hour. 
You might be able to do two at a time?

As for not making friends with Freezer Camp Destinees it doesnt bother me at all. They were named too. And they get as much attention as everyone else does.
It's gotten so I know who is going there as soon as they are a few days old so making the decision way ahead of time helps. And looking fwd to real meat is certainly a bonus!
I had sold an old doe who never conceived. The owner had her done. I asked for a couple lbs ground. She was delicious!
So sometimes I ask myself, do I wait for this old doe to kick the bucket in the middle of the night and have to drag her useless body out and dig a big hole by hand or should she be meat?
Just thinking out loud here.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

nancy d said:


> do I wait for this old doe to kick the bucket in the middle of the night and have to drag her useless body out and dig a big hole by hand or should she be meat?


We choose meat even if it is ground for sausage or just dog food.



Itchysmom said:


> How would you all suggest I do this? Do one one day and the other the next?


We did two in one day this year. Not at the same time but one and then the next. It was an all day project but we were happy we got it done in one day instead of taking up the whole weekend.


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

Itchysmom said:


> Sounds like that worked out for all concerned luv!
> 
> Ok, next question! I have decided to do both kids. How would you all suggest I do this? Do one one day and the other the next? Or take one, do it, then go get the other? I don't think doing them both at the same time...unless I had two people with twoo guns...is the right thing to do as the second one will see what happens to the first one.


You don't need to shoot them at the same time. Just one at a time out of site from the other one is fine. The loud noise will startle him but he won't know what it is about if it is out of his vision. Butchering 2-4 wethers in one day could make a full day for some who are new to meat cutting. It helps to have a good meat wrapper too that marks the meat cuts well.(That's where I need to be helping) We still have to butcher our goats and havent done it yet. Too much going on around here.


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

Thanks for the info! I wrap my own and most will go for dog food I think. I was not inpresed with the wether we did last year. Maybe becuase he is banded wrong and it tainted the meat? Who knows. I will try it again. but I have to remember to save the heart, lungs and liver for the dogs this time!


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

Yes, I think it is good dog food. I was very worried it would make my dog think differently about the goats with the smell and taste of the meat. She has 2 goats that she just adores as her buddies. She truly loves them. I do cut most fat off. I don't think she has put the connection together that what she is eating is 'goat' but she also does not see or know about the butchering part at all. It is not even done on our property but at a friends house.


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## Totalcolour (Oct 25, 2011)

We have just done a couple - one wether and one doe. They were destined for the freezer. But then we had to euthanize a doeling I was keeping for breeding stock. She got sick and then was paralyzed. I had her in the garage for days, trying to get her well. Poor hubby, he was so gentle with me, even though he knew she wouldn't get well. We finally shot her. It was the first time I had seen it done; I held her and petted her so she wouldn't be afraid. It was very quick. She didn't go in the freezer. 

I like to age my meat a bit. Think about it. When someone dies, they go into rigor mortis. The body stiffens. It take some time for the rigor to pass and the muscles relax. So, I age for about 4 days (under refrigeration), before butchering and wrapping. 

Actually, we vacu-seal all our meat. That way, if I want to cook in a water bath, the meat is already prepared. What a time and labor saver


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

I think I will at least hang over night. 

I Have decided to keep the doeling. I just like the way she looks and I do want three does.


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## francismilker (Oct 22, 2011)

To the OP. I wait until I know I'm going to have a day and a night that's going to stay down below 40 degrees F....

Then, I shoot, hang, gut, and wrap in a tarp from the barn rafters to keep other critters from tampering with the carcass. After the meat firms up, (usually a good 12 hours but the more the merryer) I skin and quarter it up. Next, I rinse it in cool water and put it in the freezer to firm it up to about half frozen. I then debone, cut steaks, and grind what I want. It works a lot better if it's firm. 

Cutting an unfrozen critter up can make a bloody mess no matter where you are!


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## Itchysmom (Apr 3, 2010)

We skinned right away...should I wait after it has hung over night? I mean we had a guy help us that first time and we shot, hung, bled out and skinned all with in an hour. Then hung the skinned carcass in the garage for a few days. I would like to try some meat again, since I know the banding went well this time! But, most of the meat is going to the dogs.


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