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[dynamite8100]

Help!
Hi, I'm relatively new to dwarf fortress, only having played for around 4 months now. I've mastered fortress mode, and am doing pretty well on adventure mode, except for one thing: I cant butcher animals! Because of this my last 3 adventurers have starved to death. I did as the wiki said, I held a bronze dagger in one hand and a buzzard corpse in the other, pressed x, went down to butcher, pressed right arrow key, but there are no corpses listed! This still doesn't work when the corpse is on the ground. Is there something I missed? Is this the right place to post this? I dont know! Please help.

Dynamite8100

[GoombaGeek]

I think animals like ravens and buzzards are "too small" to butcher.

But I'm probably wrong... I've had the same problem

[XXSockXX]

I think animals like ravens and buzzards are "too small" to butcher.

This. That is also very annoying in fort mode with hunters wasting bolts...

Kill something a bit bigger, like a turkey.

[dynamite8100]

Ive had the same problem with larger animals though, like boars.

[XXSockXX]

Just re-read your first post...You don't need to have the corpse in your hand, it can just lie on the ground, maybe that's it...

[EnigmaticHat]

I think the gameplay questions forum might be a better fit, but close enough.

Make sure you're standing directly on the corpse which is itself on the ground, and make sure you're actually holding the dagger (it should be listed as in one of your hands on the inventory screen.  If it's in your backpack, use 'r' to take it out).  Also, try killing something bigger like a horse or a wolf, maybe buzzards don't have enough meat products to be butchered?  Try not to play as an elf, vaguely remember they have ethics that prevent them from butchering animals.

If all else fails it might be a glitch and you should redownload DF, but I don't think that's the case.

[GoombaGeek]

Also, you can use bolts and arrows for butchery, which is pretty handy because they're light-weight and easy to find.

[Thecard]

Just re-read your first post...You don't need to have the corpse in your hand, it can just lie on the ground, maybe that's it...

This, from my experience. 
Also, I think if you cut it up too much, it'll be useless.  I cut off almost all the limbs from a crow once, and couldn't butcher it.  I smashed the other one with the haft a bunch of times, and could butcher that one.