Effect of Indigenous Slaughter Methods on the Behavioural Response, Bleeding Efficiency and Cardiac Arrest of Nguni Goats

Resource-limited farmers slaughter goats without stunning. The objective of the current study was to assess the influence of indigenous slaughter methods used by resource-limited households on slaughter stress-related behaviour, bleeding efficiency, and time to post-slaughter trauma of goats. Thirty clinically healthy castrated Nguni goats aged between 15 to 18 months old with body condition score of three were randomly assigned to three non-stunning informal slaughter methods, (1) transverse neck incision (TNI); (2) suprasternal notch piercing in the direction of the heart (SNP); and (3) under-shoulder-blade chest-floor point-of-elbow (CFP) sticking in the direction of the heart. Ten goats were slaughtered using each method. Slaughter method had no effect (p < 0.05) on stress-related behaviour. Rate of bleeding efficiency was highest (p < 0.05) for SNP slaughtered goats. Time to lose sensibility was lowest (p < 0.05) for goats slaughtered using the CFP (55 s) when compared to SNP (68 s) and TNI (75 s) slaughter methods. Time to post-slaughter trauma was highest (p < 0.05) for SNP (247 s) and lowest for TNI (195 s). These findings suggest that goats slaughtered with SNP experienced rapid death when compared to TNI and SNP slaughter methods. It was concluded that the SNP slaughter method is the most effective slaughter technique because it is associated with higher bleeding efficiency and lower time to lose sensibility before death.