Excerpts from the report: This study was made to compare the relative efficiency and operating costs of methods and equipment and facility layouts used in slaughtering hogs. The study covered all operations performed from the time hogs enter the stunning chute until the dressed carcasses are weighed, excluding work on byproducts. During the course of the study, it was found that the various methods and equipment were most commonly found in three arrangements or systems. They are identified in this report as the gravity rail, the powered rail, and the chain conveyor systems. The terms are derived from the method by which hogs are moved through the bleeding area. The most efficient methods of performing operations in each system were determined, and the operating costs of the three systems were compared. Layouts were developed to show the most efficient arrangement for each system, as found in the study
