The kind of food the hog gets during the last six or eight weeks of the fattening period largely determines the flavor and the character of the meat. During that period, it is best not to feed very much of rice bran, or peanut cake, as when such feeds are given they produce very soft, oily fat. Wheat bran and corn produce a firm fat, and one or the other, or both together, should constitute a large part of the grain ration for the fattening hog.
§ 10. Age and Size for Killing
It is a well known fact that meat from an old animal is very likely to be tough and difficult to cook sufficiently to make it tender. On the other hand, meat from very young animals is watery and often lacks flavor. An old animal in good condition is to be preferred to a young one in poor condition. Hogs can be killed for meat any time after six weeks, but the most profitable age at which to slaughter is from eight to ten months. Hogs at that age have a higher dressing percentage than when younger. Gain in weight is made at a lower cost in young animals than in older animals. For this reason, it is not advisable to keep a hog much longer than twelve months, or a beef animal more than two years, unless feed is very cheap.
If the pork is to be cured, the hogs for butchering should weigh from one hundred and thirty to two hundred pounds. Larger hogs can be butchered conveniently, although a hog much heavier will be more difficult to handle.
In southern China, where the day temperature is seldom below sixty degrees Fahrenheit during the butchering season, a difficulty in cooling the meat will be experienced, unless ice is used, and if the meat is not properly cooled it will not cure well.
Chickens have the most tender meat at the age of three to six months, depending on the variety, and at that age sell for the highest price. Poultry that have just reached maturity are best for curing.
Preparation of the Animals for Slaughter
It is important that the animal to be slaughtered should not be given food from twenty to thirty hours before slaughtering. If kept on full feed until just before it is killed the circulatory system is gorged, and the blood, loaded with assimilated nutrients is driven to the extremities of the capillaries. In such condition, it is impossible to drain the veins thoroughly, and a reddish colored, unattractive carcass will result. Food in the digestive tract decomposes very rapidly after the animal is killed, and when the dressing is slow the gases from such decomposing food are apt to flavor the meat.
Water should be given freely up to the time of slaughter, as it helps to keep the temperature normal and helps to wash the waste matter from the system, resulting in a nicely colored carcass.
The care of the animals before slaughter has considerable effect on the meat. They should not be excited in any way sufficiently to raise the body temperature. Excitement will prevent proper draining of the blood vessels, and, if extreme, will cause souring of the meat on curing. An animal should never be killed immediately after it has been heated by a hard run. It is better to let such an animal rest until the next day rather than to run the risk of the meat spoiling, as the meat of an animal that has been overheated will not keep well. Such meat is usually of pale color and very often will become sour or putrid within three or four days after it has been dressed, even though kept near the freezing point while it is being cured.