The club I’m in wants to slaughter a cow in front of the administration building. Now, we think we know someone who knows someone who knows someone who could get us a cow for free (don’t ask.) Here’s what I need to know:
In order to get funding for this event, we need to kosher-butcher the cow as an “educational experience.” And we need to bring in a professional butcher. How much would this cost?
The president has done some research on kosher butchering, and he knows that the cow needs to be off the ground. Can we do it in the open air and still have it be kosher? What equipment do we need to rent for a kosher butchering? How much would this cost us?
I don’t know a thing about kosher butchering, but I’m really interested in what sort of club you’re in.
Hell, just in case it ever comes up, I’m interested in the rules for doing it in public, too.
One more question : why, exactly, is the club doing this? If you could tell me, but then you’d have to kill me, feel free to keep it mum.
Milwaukee has a sizable Orthodox Jewish community, and, of course, Chicago has one of the biggest. I’m pretty sure that there are a number of Kosher slaughterhouses in northern Iowa.
I really have no idea as to the answer to your questions about cost, but a Rabbi in one of those locations ought to be able to help you.
One further point: a “kosher butcher” is not the same thing as a ritual slaughterer. The slaughterer is the guy you want to slaughter the cow (he would also check the lungs for blemishes and the like, if the animal was to be considered kosher). A butcher would be the guy who slices up the meat, removes forbidden parts etc.
Good luck getting a slaughterer out where you are. Back in the old days there were slaughterhouses in or near all major areas. But since the invention of refrigerated transportation, slaughterhouses have become concentrated in a few locations in the country. As cmkeller noted, there are slaughterhouses in Iowa, but I doubt if you’ll find any slaughterers in Chicago or Milwaukee.