Adventures with Stanley: Step 1: Skinning Your Pig

After you pick out your pig, you have to figure out if it is a male or female. In order to find this out, look at the umbilical cord. If your pig has a hole below the location of the umbilical cord, then it is a male. If there is a hole located below the anus then your pig is a female.

Arrow pointing to area where males can be identified

Area for scrotum on male or area for female identification

Once you know if it is a boy or girl, you should name it! You're going to be working with your pig for a while so get to know it!

Meet Stanley!

Now you can start skinning!

Start off by laying down your pig with its belly facing upwards, and its head closest to you. If you are working with a partner, it is helpful to have someone hold its legs and arms open so you can easily access the abdomen. If you are working alone, wrap a piece of duct tape around one limb, and continue it underneath the dissecting tray, and attach it to the other limb. This should also work to hold your pig's limbs out of the way.

Pinch a small bit of skin and make a very small superficial incision in the middle of the ventral surface.

Slowly and carefully continue to snip, pulling the scissors upwards as you cut, as to ensure you are only cutting the skin, and not the muscles underneath.

Start at the chest and cut until you reach the anus, stopping along the way to make sure you're only cutting the skin. Once you have reached the anus, go back to the chest and cut upwards until you reach the chin of your pig.

Then use your blunt probe to ease the skin away from any muscles and connective tissue. Do this on one side of your pig. The other side is there in case you mess up.

When you reach the legs and arms, cut down the limb vertically until you reach the wrist or ankle. At this point you want to cut around the limb so the full limb is exposed.