Butchering

Butchering is performed automatically at a butcher's shop only if there is an edible carcass created somewhere on the map, whether by hunting or by specifying an animal to be butchered using [z] -> [enter] on the "Animals" tab, and then hitting [b] to mark an animal for slaughter. Their status will say "Ready for slaughter." Animals taken as pets by someone cannot be slaughtered, which poses a problem for reducing the number of animals, or trying to get food. You can circumvent this by killing the animal, by having it thrown into a deep pit or off a high cliff, using zones -> pit/pond. But this is not recommended unless you really need food, because losing a pet lowers happiness two whole units (Meaning going from exstatic to content, or happy to unhappy, or from content to miserable.)