I am a 19 year old gal making a living by working at a small, family-run slaughterhouse. AMA!

Do you use that thing from “No country for old men”? Lol just curious.

If you're talking about the captive bolt gun, then yes, that's what we use prior to slaughtering!

When you say “small”; how many livestock do you process in a day, how many does the slaughterhouse process?

We actually only do killings on Wednesdays and Thursdays. On Wednesdays, we kill beef, and we usually only do about 20 to 25 at most which is nothing compared to some of the big slaughterhouses. on Thursdays we kill pigs and goats, and even then we only do about 20 or less. All of the other days it just consist of cutting the beef, pigs, etc. for customers and preparing their orders!

1)What are the things you had to adjust yourself to and what are other things you were already comfortable doing?

2)Do you take the skin off too?

3)How often do you work with your hands and how often do you use a knife? And what for?

Thank you!

Edit: words

I used to work in a grocery store as a meat clerk, so using knives and slicers were already something I was accustomed to!

Yes, we skin the animals and the hides are used by the customer (if they want them).

We're always using knives! It's a very hands on job, constantly cutting, trimming, etc. As well as wrapping, which is actually my main job.

How tall are you? Because that thing in your picture looks massive

5'2!

What’s the strangest parasite you’ve found in an animal?

Since I've been working there I haven't found any, but worms and maggots are common. You're more likely to find a nasty big abscess.

Did you get more comfortable over time?

For sure. When I came into this job I was really worried that I'd end up quitting due to not getting comfortable. even though I've always had a strong stomach and I'm very desensitized to gore, it's different when you see it in real life. But I wouldn't be where I am now had I not gotten used to it and understood there was a reason we do what we do.

What’s your favorite and least favorite part?

Do you get to pick special cuts to keep for yourself?

Is there anything that you’ve butchered and were like, ah hell naw I will never eat that again?

Do you primarily eat veggies?

and yes, we are allowed to take whatever we want and we get a nice discount on it. We also get to try free samples of all our meats, and we do get some special things for ourselves such as smoked pig ears for our dogs, or specially made sausages ;)

Personally there's nothing I've tried that I wouldn't eat again, however my coworkers told me that one time they found a bear that had maggots in it, and that made them never want to eat bear again.

I actually do eat really healthy and not just meat. I honestly eat more fruits and vegetables and more vegetarian-based foods rather than meat, but that's just a personal preference and nothing that's based off of my job at a slaughterhouse. I've always tried to eat more plant-based foods just because I'm not a big meat lover in general!

Personally there's nothing I've tried that I wouldn't eat again

Would you try a sheep's head served with goat testicles?

'cause we can make that happen.

welp, haven't tried that one, so can't say!

Hold up. Where did your coworkers get a DEAD BEAR

LOL customers will go up north to hunt them and bring them back to us to cut up!

Like answered before to a previous comment, the worst part is the smell during kill, as well as the blood. Due to getting so dirty, we literally have to shower every single day or bring baby wipes to work to clean ourselves, LMAO. but my favourite part is definitely my coworkers, I probably wouldn't even be working here if it wasn't for them, and if I was, it wouldn't be nearly as fun as it is. Every month we have dinner together at a designated restaurant, we have parties, work trips, and overall they're just family to me!

we literally have to shower every single day

And here I just choose to shower EVERY SINGLE DAY for no reason whatsoever

My dry ass hair hates when I do that

Try using some ass conditioner?

I can't tell if you mean shitty conditioner or actual conditioner for your ass

we literally have to shower every single day

Wait... what?

Listen, I normally shower every other day :P

How did you get started off in that line of work?

I got let go of a job for breaking my wrist. My friend was working at this place at the time, and someone had just been fired, so she asked me if I needed a job. Due to meeting the money, even though I had absolutely no experience, I agreed and began working full-time! Luckily, as weird as it may sound, training was pretty straightforward and it's not something you need a certificate or schooling to get the job unless you want to run your own business yourself.

What steps do you take to ensure the animals feel little to no pain? Or are their deaths pretty painful?

We use what is called a captive bolt gun. From my knowledge, it basically stuns animal in a way that they feel no pain as they are completely unconscious. It also preserves the brain and head for use later on when cutting and preparing cuts of meat!

I can't say whether their death is completely painless, but we do what we can to limit that pain to nearly anything. We do not beat any of the animals prior to being stunned, which is a common misconception.

I heard that people in this job suffer more from mental health problems - particularly PTSD. Maybe it is too soon for you, but do any of your colleagues have experience of this?

Absolutely. I myself struggle with a lot of mental issues, but fortunately none have stemmed from this job. Not to say that I'll never be affected in the long run, but I'm hoping I don't.

One of our inspectors actually did go kind of, well, of the walls due to dealing with all the killing. He said that it was getting to him, he didn't think he could do it anymore, and he was scared he was going to snap. Luckily he is no longer an inspector and I'm hoping he's getting the help he needs considering after we heard this we told his job headquarters about it.

What is your favorite and least favorite part of the job? What duties do you have specifically?

My least favourite is definitely the smell. It can get pretty disgusting in the kill room, and in the garbage bins that we keep all the unused meat and bones in since the smell lingers. It's something you get used to though. You definitely have to have a strong stomach as well.

My favourite part would definitely have to be making our locally famous shish kabobs. Super easy, we get to taste the delicious seasoning, and we get to listen to music or Netflix as we do so!

Is it true that often butchers dislike eating meat? Heard from a friend that they lose appetite for any meat due to the whole process.

Most of us love meat, but I don't eat a ton in general, even before working here. But after looking at meat all day, it definitely can cause appetite loss.

I’ve always been told that wild hogs (especially boars), that are the size of the one pictured, have very strong and smelly meat. Have I been told wrong?

Nope, that is correct!

Would you/your employer be willing to film what goes on and share the video online? Just to prove that slaughterhouses are totally humane?

Of course!

Does doing this for a living effect your mental health? I wouldn’t last a minute in a slaughterhouse.

It definitely can have a strong impact and influence on mental health issues. So far working here has not made my already existing mental health any worse, but it all depends on the person. Not to say that I'll never be affected, but in the current time I am not, and none of my coworkers, who have been working there for years and years are affected either. The only person at my job who was ever affected to the point where they quit was an inspector, but his only job was to go to slaughter houses and watch them kill. At least at our job we don't just kill, and we do other things every other day when we are not.

How do you feel emotionally when you kill a sentient life?

it's not fun by any means, and I'm not trying to make it out like it is fun to kill an animal. It's just how the food chain works and how we provide food for the people around us. Overall it is your own choice whether you want to eat meat or not. I have no judgement towards those who are vegan or vegetarian, I actually praise them for it.

Do you or other family members "smell bad" after a day of slaughtering? I've heard that blood smell just doesn't escape your pores no matter how many showers you take.

Not sure what to believe, but I remember having a car insurance client who worked at an abattoir and he always smelled god-awful

Oh for sure we stink, but some animals smell worse than others. But there are some days we absolutely REEK, and others were barely.

I'm not sure how true it is that the smell never goes away, but after I shower my boyfriend always says I smell like roses <3

unless he's lying

I am curious how your job was impacted by COVID. Did you have to shut down completely at any point?

Nope! Since we are considered an essential business due to being food, we never shut down, however we do have rules in place, no one except employees or close friends that we have already been around are allowed inside the building, whereas before Covid anyone was allowed to come inside

We feed our dogs raw food. Ever get any dog food orders?

Yep! We make dog food every Thursday with beef trimmings and/or chicken that we buy from another shop in case the dog is allergic to one or the other

Have you caught any shit from friends and family for doing what you do?

My family and friends are actually very supportive of what I do for work. They understand that this is how I make money and what I choose to do. Most of the people I've met and told about my job think it's kind of cool, which is odd but whatever, at least they're supportive!

Is that a wild boar/feral pig in your picture? My understanding is that domestic pigs don't usually grow tusks.

It's a wild boar!