First Rabbit Butcher **Very Graphic**

[animalsRawesome]

Quote:
Hi Rufus, I have some good sounding recipes online and in a rabbit forum I am on. I have not cooked either of the rabbits yet. I have such a busy weekend so I just put the small rabbit in a gallon Ziplock bag whole and the larger, cut-up one is also in my freezer in two gallon Ziplock bags. I will certainly post pics and recipes of how I cook both these rabbits.

Quote:
That is the method I chose over hitting them in the head with something, or dislocation of the spine. Both of these more hands on methods made me cringe out of fear that I woudln't do it right the first time and the rabbits would have to suffer for my learning experience. I don't think that would have been fair, especially since, for me, a gun is a much more familiar way of dispatching an animal. As you saw in the video he was in a box--what you might not have seen was I had some fresh dandilions in the box to make sure he stayed still. To ensure he'd be interested in the fresh food I had only given him, and the other rabbit, water and a small handful of hay that morning. They both died cleanly and doing something they both loved--eating fresh dandilions.

Thanks!

 

[rickerra]

Thanks for the tutorial Jamie! Glad it went well for you.

Sorry about your breeding stock. Hope your new breeders perform better.

My first litter is 10 days old today... all 8 are doing great... good momma doe.
My other doe is due today. She is in full nesting mode. We'll see how her litter goes.

In about 7 weeks, I'll be reviewing your thread here for tips.

Cheers!

 

[Magic Birdie]

You Kiwwed de wabbit?

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Quote:
Glad you found it useful Rick

LOL I kinda laughed because this was my first time doing this...so I don't know how much of a tutorial it is

The only really useful thing I think I said was "don't cut the tendons on the back of the leg". hehe

 

[Steph Martin]

Wow! Thanks for the pictures and information. I've been toying with the idea of raising meat rabbits but was scared of the "end" result. I would probably use a rifle too. I'm not too "hands on" when it comes to death. Rabbits are the best meat to feed ratio out there. I will probably go through with the raising now that I've seen this. Thanks again.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Hi Steph

The thing that made up my mind on having rabbits as a meat source was a Youtube video where a guy uses high powered pellet guns for each of his rabbits. The very idea that I didn't have to hit them over the head or wring their necks made me say, "Ok I CAN do this". And so I have. I will get a good pellet gun soon, when I can research that option a bit more. I have time though as my next rabbits I process will be my own home bred one's. I have two litters due, one litter in about 10 days and the other in about 25 days.

 

[ChickenAlgebra]

I have been trained to do cervical dislocation - and will do so with mice/gerbils/dying hamsters - but anything bigger and the fact that I'm bantam sized at best (ok, fine, I make a Serama look big - I'm 5'1" in shoes and don't come over 100 lbs unless 8 months pregnant with a single kid, and I'm at 98 lbs right now at 23 weeks and 6 days with twins), and I can't get enough of an accurate grip. My DH is a military trained sniper. My 14 y/o DD has a very accurate shot also. So the rabbits get the head shot, it's instant and they don't suffer. Ours go thinking "OH! YUMMY, treats!!!!" because they are put in a plastic tub with some banana. They are too busy inhaling the treat to think anything else is wrong.

My DH could likely do a cervical dislocation if requested. But that idea is upsetting to him, he worries about if it goes wrong and the rabbit suffers. So the .22 works.

 

[Connorrm]

http://www.fortune3.com/ARBA2007/Publications-Cook_Book.html


Bob Whitman is literally a legend when it comes to rabbits. Very nice job Jaimie!

Also, just so you all know - interesting thing about Rabbit meat and blood

If you're Catholic and do the no meat on Friday thing - what constitutes flesh, according to the pope is anything that bleeds when you cut into the muscle. Rabbits, and most species of fish, and shellfish do not. In he 3rd century AD pope Benedict decreed rabbit meat could be eaten during Lent.