Fasting before the slaughter...?

I think 24 hours is the extreme.  If you cut-off their feed at 12 hours prior, they will have empty crops, which makes pulling it thru the cavity much easier, but they will still have a fair amount of "stuff" in their digestive track.  I have found that after 18 hours w/ no feed, most of the digestive track is cleared.  If your good at processing, 12 hours is sufficient, but you need to be very careful you don't puncture the intestines.  Make sure they still have access to water until close to the end.

I just take their food away the evening before, and then move the ones I want to process to a separate cage before I feed the others in the morning.

A full 24 hours is too long IMO, they will be pretty uncomfortable.  Consider that you only have to fast for 6-12 hours before you have surgery (they usually say not to eat after 10pm or midnight the night before your surgery.)  I think that's plenty.

-Wendy

I'm such a softie, I never have the heart to take away their food before slaughter.  I am just extra careful during the evisceration process to NOT poke the intestine.  Sometimes, "#%$!" happens, so it's good to have a water source handy for thorough rinsing.

I think these CX would chaw off their own legs if they went without food for that long!    They've already started on their own toes by the time I let them out to forage each morning.....

Nah...just funnin'. 

I just do 12-16 hours also.... there will always be times with a little sugar in the tubes and, as was stated previously, that's why we have water handy.