You can’t surprise anyone by breeding ducks or turkeys, and the profitability of such an economy is not great due to the presence of high competition. For this reason, many are taken for the breeding of ostriches, which provide several types of products. In this article we will consider the main problem of breeders - the slaughter of birds. Further you will learn about the preparation and the stages of the killing of animals.
How much does an ostrich grow to slaughter
Ostriches are slaughtered after they gain enough weight. Since this process depends more on the food supply, rather than on age, they are guided precisely by body weight. Males are sent for slaughter after they gain 120 kg of live weight. Since they are not used to produce eggs, there is no point in their further content. Females are considered ready for slaughter if they have a mass of 100 kg. 
To get high-quality meat in the required quantity, ostriches are grown for about two years, after which immediately before slaughter they are actively fed with high-calorie feed.
Did you know? Ostriches can be attributed to omnivorous animals, because, in addition to greenery and seeds, they can also feed on insects or small rodents.
What you need to know before slaughter
An ostrich differs from a chicken not only in size, but also in character. If you have just started breeding these birds, then you need to learn a few important rules that will help not only quickly perform the operation, but also not get serious injuries.
Video: how to kill ostriches
- Do not underestimate the power of ostriches. Animals differ not only in large size, but also in the presence of well-developed musculature, so in no case do not frighten and beat the bird just before slaughter. An adult ostrich may well break your bones, as well as damage internal organs.
- Who grows, he scores. In rural areas, there is always a person who kills boars. A specialist in his field slaughters a pig quickly and without any problems. It will not turn out like this with ostriches, as these birds become accustomed to one host, who is forced to engage in slaughter. At best, the bird will not let a stranger to itself, and at worst - it hurts a lot. For this reason, it is necessary to make so that the ostriches are used to you, otherwise you will have to arrange a real hunt.
- Stress and its consequences. The slaughter is always carried away from the place where the livestock is kept, otherwise you will be faced with the fact that the ostriches that are used to you will never allow themselves to come near. If the birds see you mocking their "fellow", then in the future to get from them any location will not succeed.
It is interesting to get acquainted with the basics of breeding ostriches at home.
How to score an ostrich
Consider the features of slaughter, as well as preparation for this procedure. Tell about the massacre, which is carried out in slaughterhouses, as well as methods of slaughter at home. 
Training
You need to have the following tools:
- special stunning hammer;
- sharp knife;
- large metal hook for hanging;
- thick rope.
Slaughter process
The killing of a bird is divided into several stages, which must be carried out sequentially in order not to spoil the product and not to spend extra time.
Important! Before slaughtering the animal should not be stressed, otherwise the quality of meat will deteriorate significantly.
Stunning Bird
In large workshops, ostriches are stunned with the help of an electric current with a voltage of 240 V, which is served for 6-7 seconds. This allows you to immobilize several individuals at once. At home, a stun hammer is used to hit the bird on the head. The blow must fall exactly in the center of the head so that the bird can be turned off. Otherwise, you will not have to sweet, as an enraged ostrich will try to get out of the room or attack you.
Exsanguination
After stunning, the ostrich is cut by the jugular vein, which is located on the neck, or the head is completely cut off. Then, using hooks, the carcass is hung upside down, so that blood is faster than glass. Only after all the blood leaves the body, you can proceed to the next stage. Experienced breeders cut the main artery, which is located near the heart. This allows you to speed up the whole process, as the liquid comes out under pressure.
It will be useful for you to get acquainted with the technology of slaughter and processing of chickens, ducks, quails, geese, turkeys.
Plucking
After slaughter it is necessary to properly pluck the ostrich. To do this, it is recommended to invite a specialist who will conduct this procedure, allowing you to sell an intact product in the future. If the plucking will be carried out by a novice, then the collected feathers will be of poor quality, which is why it will be difficult to sell them.
Video: ostrich plucking It is important during plucking not to damage the skin. Even the slightest strain will significantly reduce the cost. Since leather is sold in squares, you can lose profit altogether.
Important! During the plucking, boiling water is not used, otherwise the feathers will be spoiled.
Leather dressing: processes
After plucking, it is necessary to remove the skin so that it can be further processed and sold. Nobody will buy small torn rags, therefore it is important to familiarize with specifics of separation of a cover from meat and bones.
Skin removal
Immediately after removing all feathers, you should immediately proceed to the separation of the skin:
- To do this, make incisions in the center of the abdomen, as well as on the inside of the legs and wings. Remove carefully using the blunt side of the knife. The skin should have a shape close to the square.
- If it contains excrement, fat, meat, or remnants of unprocessed food, then all of the above should be removed before canning.
- Next, the skin spread on a clean surface to cool.
Canning
After cooling, the skin should be preserved as soon as possible so that it does not start to decompose. The usual stone or sea salt serves as a preservative. If the decomposition process starts before tanning, then you will not be able to sell the product.
Important! Each unit of product must be weighed.
The process looks like this:
- The skins are spread out on a flat clean wooden surface so that the inner part, which is adjacent to the meat, is on top.
- Then evenly covered with salt. The weight of the preservative should be twice the weight of the skin.
- After that, all the skins are piled up and sent to the refrigerator for 60 hours. Freeze is prohibited.
Note that the less moisture inside the product, the harder it is to transport, because it becomes too fragile. If the skin is very dry due to the fact that the salt absorbs too much water, then it will begin to crack and become useless. It is important to maintain a humidity level of more than 15%.
It will also be useful for you to find out if you can eat ostrich eggs.
After conservation, an evaluation phase follows, during which the size and quality of the product is considered. By size, the skins are divided into adults, subadult and juvenile. Adults are the most expensive, and juvenile, respectively, the cheapest. 
Varieties of skins:
- first grade (perfect preservation, absence of defects, the presence of patches taken from the wings and legs);
- second grade (well canned skin with one defect);
- third grade (product of normal quality with two defects);
- not varietal (disgusting quality, poor preservation or the presence of "sponginess").
Did you know? Ostriches need wings only for mating games and protecting the young. They use powerful legs to attack.The process of slaughtering ostriches can not be called easy, so this work involves specialists who are engaged not only in plucking and skinning, but also in growing. This allows you to exclude financial losses, as well as increase turnover.
