Talmud Bavli
Talmud Bavli

Halakhah for Chullin 54:53

אין שחיטה לעוף מן התורה שנאמר

But why do you choose to apply the latter verse to birds rather than to wild animals? - It is more reasonable to do so since [birds] are mentioned last.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The law derived from the words: And he shall pour out the blood thereof, would most likely refer to that which immediately precedes these words in the verse, i.e., birds.');"><sup>26</sup></span>

Arukh HaShulchan

Shechita (Ritual slaughtering as dictated in Jewish Law) is a "positive" mitzvah. Shecita is not obligatory (as the case with obligations of Shofar, Succah and Lulav) since if one does not want to eat meat, there is no need to shecht (slaughter) . However, if someone does want to eat meat- there is an obligation to eat the animal only after shechting it, as the verse says, "You shall sacrifice your cattle and sheep like you have been commanded"(Deut. 12:21). Similarly, the shechita of a wild animal (that is kosher) is dictated by Torah law as the verse says regarding a firstborn animal that has a blemish, "...the same way he will eat the deer and the buck" (Deut. 12:22). One learns from this that a wild animal is alike to a domesticated animal in terms of Shechita (See the Sifrei HaMitzvos of the Rambam and the Smag). Furthermore, the shechita of birds is dictated by the Torah since the verse says, "that he will hunt a hunted animal or bird and will pour its blood" (Lev. 17:13). It is concluded from this verse that the pouring of the blood of a bird (which is part of the shechita process of that bird) is the same as that of an animal (see Sifri on Parshas Re'eh). It was taught by Bar Kafra- "This is the set of rules for the animal and the bird and anything that lives in the water" (Lev. 11). 'The bird' has been placed in between 'the animal' and 'anything that lives in the water'...
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