Among all the other races in this game, Dwarves are the ones who contribute the most towards society in this game. They perform all kinds of jobs and show their magic with stones and gems. One aspect of this game is deeply inspired by the structures of society. Hence, you have to make sure that the Dwarves never develop negative thoughts after being unsatisfied with their job. One way to tackle this issue is by creating more job opportunities. Out of many other jobs, we got nothing else but to talk about butchering. It is important to do because it’s the primary way of obtaining meat and other resources. If you want to butcher animals and obtain the resources from them in Dwarf Fortress, then this guide is all you need. Read till the end and know how to do it.
Steps to Butcher Animals in Dwarf Fortress
Butchering and Slaughtering animals have the same output of Food & Meat. However, the ways to perform them are different in this game. Slaughtering an animal means striking down an alive creature. Whereas, Butchering is done on already dead animals. Keep in mind that you can only Butcher tamed animals in Dwarf Fortress. Although, if you want to Butcher a wild animal, then you will have to assign a Trainer & select butchering at the same time. The Trainer will feed and tame the wild animal and make it ready for butchering. Once ready, a Butcher will come and take the livestock to the butcher’s shop.
Anyways, here’s how you can Butcher an animal manually in Dwarf Fortress.
- While in-game, open the Labor Menu.
- Further, click on the Creatures tab and navigate and select the Pets/Livestock option.
- From there, you can mark an animal that you want to butcher by pressing the Knife icon in Dwarf Fortress.
Also, keep in mind that a Hunter Dwarf will automatically bring a corpse to the Butcher’s Shop. For this to happen, you will have to assign a Dwarf to be a Hunter in the Work Details option in Labor Menu. Moreover, if a Hunter Dwarf is closer to a Butcher’s Shop, then the corpses of Wild Animals will also be butchered.
Here’s what item you get by butchering an animal in Dwarf Fortress.
| Item | What is it used for |
| Meat | Consumed raw or in cooked form |
| Prepared organs | Consumed raw or in cooked form |
| Fat | Cooked to make Tallow |
| Bones | For crafting armor, decorations, strange moods |
| Shells | For crafting armor, decorations, strange moods |
| Skin | Used to make Leather |
| Wool | Used to make Yarn |
| Hair | Used to make Thread |
| Skulls | To make Skull Totems |
Additionally, keep in mind that the piled-up carcasses and remains will pile up if not processed fast by the Butchers. The corpses will eventually rot and will lead to the spread of Miasma. This will reduce the Happiness Level of Dwarves. Hence, it is recommended to place the Butcher’s Shop in a closed space. Also, make sure that you have a Garbage Chute so that you can dispose of the corpse of butchered animals in Dwarf Fortress.
Also Read | How To Build Temple & How To Pray In Dwarf Fortress
That’s everything covered on how to Butcher animals in Dwarf Fortress. If you found this article helpful, then make sure to check out our other Dwarf Fortress guides on Gamer Tweak.