Chullin 28 – Is Shechitah Required for Birds?

Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak ben Pinchas, “There is no requirement for kosher slaughter of birds in the Torah.” Rather, it was instituted by the Sages. Granted, if the bird dies by itself or from a blow to a part of its body, it does become a nevelah and may not be eaten. However, one can kill the bird by tearing or piercing its pipes, and that would be sufficient. The hint to this in the Torah is found in the requirement to cover the blood of a killed bird, – meaning, covering the blood is all that is required.

Objection to the statement of Rabbi Yitzchak! We learned a rule that “If one was doing the shechitah, and inadvertently rendered it a nevelah, or if he pierces or tears the creature's pipes, he does not have to cover the blood. We see from here that piercing is not considered shechitah, to the extent that even blood covering is not required! What will Rabbi Yitzchak answer? He says that this rule is only about a wild animal - since covering the blood is also required for a wild animal - and not about a bird.

Art: Jan Fyt - A cat stalking dead songbirds on a ledge