We have no halal butchers in our area. Slaughtering animals for food is something that I have no problem doing - I actually prefer to do it myself when I can because then NOTHING goes to waste. I've never done a halal slaughter but since my conversion, I'd really prefer to do this than continue going to the grocery store, for obvious reasons.

Is this something that anyone can do (by anyone, I mean anyone who is used to working with a struggling animal and is confident that they can do it properly with instruction), or should it be done only by a male, or only by someone with a certain amount of schooling in it? I've found several instructions on mammals, but how would you do it for fish, as we do a lot of fishing? I know you are not allowed to touch the animal until it has died, but are you allowed to catch the blood for *****ng and other uses? And when doing it yourself is not an option (I can do fish and chicken in my backyard, and sheep and goats in my garage, but I think the neighbors would get more than a little upset about a cow!) what are the rulings about kosher food? I know various schools differ on this, some saying it is okay, some saying it is forbidden.