2,614. Covering the Blood

Hilchos Shechita 14:1

There’s a positive mitzvah to cover the blood of a kosher wild animal or bird after slaughtering, as per Leviticus 17:13, “If you catch a wild animal or bird that may be eaten, you shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth.” Before covering it, one must recite the blessing that Hashem has commanded us to cover the blood.

Hilchos Shechita 14:2

The obligation to cover blood applies both to animals that are kept and those that are not; the Torah only says, “If you catch” because it addresses the normal order of things. This applies to secular animals but not to consecrated animals – neither to those that were sanctified for the altar nor to those dedicated to the Temple treasury. If one violates and slaughters a sanctified animal, he need not cover its blood.