On-Farm Slaughter System Makes Butchering Easier

On-Farm Slaughter System Makes Butchering Easier LIVESTOCK Hogs (33) 23-1-8 "It saves a lot of time and makes the job a lot easier," says Joel Waldner, Lethbridge, Alberta, who lives on a Hutterite colony farm that butchers its own animals. Colony members designed their own slaughter system that includes an electric-powered hoist, gas-powered scalder, and electric-powered hair re-mover. The 15-ft. high hoist has a 10-ft. long arm on top that's free to rotate 360 degrees. The arm is made from 4-in. channel iron. The hoist rolls back and forth on the arm. The scalder consists of a stainless steel tub equipped with a gas burner at the bottom made by drilling 4 rows of holes into a 3-in. dia. stainless steel pipe. Smoke from the burner exits through a 16-in. wide, hollow steel plate at one end of the tub. The hoist lifts the carcass out of the scalder and into the hair remover which consists of a 10-ft. long steel tub. There's a powered shaft at the bottom of the tub that's fitted with rubber flaps. The carcass is lowered to the bottom of the tub by a steel cradle with rods spaced 3 in. apart. A 10 hp electric motor turns the shaft. The rubber flaps come up through the bars on the cradle to remove the hair. Once all the hair has been removed the cage is lifted back out of the tub and the carcass is unloaded onto a wheeled table. The table is then rolled up to an opening in a building that's equipped with a steel track along the ceiling. The carcass is hung on a pair of hooks suspended from a wheel that rides along the track. The carcass is then gutted. "The electric motor on the hair remover is geared down to about one fourth its original speed so the batts don't rotate too fast," notes Waldner. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Joel Waldner, 67 Tudor Crescent, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada T1K 5C7.

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.