Barry Epstein asked:
Do we inspect after every animal, or only after all of them? If after all of them, and there is a nick, are all but the first animal invalidated?
Who does the inspection today?
Barry Epstein, Dallas, USA
The Kollel replies:
It is not necessary to check after each animal unless there is reason to believe that something happened that might have nicked the knife. Generally, when slaughtering large animals (cows, sheep), we check after each Shechitah, whereas when slaughtering chickens, we check only periodically. However, if a nick is found on the knife, then all of the Shechitos that were performed since the last inspection are invalidated.
It is the Shochet himself who checks the knife.
D. Zupnik