I only breed enough lambs for my family to eat and for replacements. Only legal to home slaughter if they are for you own consumption. Lambs are shot in the head and bled. I am now getting to the point of producing more lambs than we can eat so this autumn will be my first when i have to take some lambs to the abattoir, not looking forward to it.
Regarding cattle, they are stunned and bled on site, tractor and loader used to hang them, then they go in our neighbours cold store for hanging for however long we want before they are butchered. I am undecided at the moment as whether to sell calves later as stores or to keep them and sell for finishing or to finish myself and either sell or home slaughter. Serious lack of good beef around here for sale which is why i would like some of my own.
I am of the opinion that the meat from my home slaughtered lambs is so good because they dont go through the stress of transport and then going through an abattoir system. They come into one of my stable over night which they are used to, have 12 hours + of no food and on a straw bed, then i take a lamb out one at a time for my slaughter man to shoot and bleed. none of them have a clue whats going on and they are all chilled and relaxed.
And as far as halal and kosher meat is concerned - there is a law in this country that ALL ANIMALS SHOULD BE RENDERED UNCONCIOUS BEFORE BLEEDING how is it that religion can overide a law which is in place for the welfare of animals?