Chullin 20: Torah or Rabbinic Sources for Slaughtering Birds

Amud (a) focuses on the importance of slaughtering a bird through pinching without using a back and forth motion.  

Amud (b) walks us through an argument between those who believe that there is a Torah-based source for slaughtering birds and those who believe that the source is rabbinical.   In addition, some believe that slaughter must be done very specifically, while others believe that slaughter is valid if it is completed in a number of different ways.  

The rabbis consider the use of a knife, and whether that slaughter might be valid if done in certain ways.  We learn about the unimportance of skin - if skin is not significantly punctured, the slaughter might be valid anyway.  The rabbis also consider how one might validate an invalidated slaughter through pinching.