Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!

[dutchbunny83]

I've been wanting some meat rabbits... but I am not sure if I could kill them. I would have to buy a live one and try, before I invest time/money into it.

I absolutely HATE cutting grass, so the idea of a pretty tractor with some rabbits in it sounds great to me... just scootch 'em over one tractor lenght at a time. Never have to cut the grass weeds again.. and get some meat to boot.

I've never eaten rabbit. My husband is a country boy he grew up hunting wild rabbits & squirrel. He says its good, so I guess we will find out!

The link shows a rabbit being dressed without being gutted.

So I was searching processing rabbits to get a better view of a piece of equipment used and got lost on YouTube

but...I came across this video. "For Wussies" he said. Made me laugh

doh, and is quick and I can see clearly how he did it.
*WARNING* He's butchering a rabbit. Don't watch if your squeamish, although if you are squeamish, and your still curious THIS might be the video for you!

Very helpful, thanks!

 

[Tomtommom]

I've never eaten rabbit. My husband is a country boy he grew up hunting wild rabbits & squirrel. He says its good, so I guess we will find out!

I've had it twice and I loved it. It's like a mild gamey (venison-ey) chicken flavor, a little sweet..

To me the hind quarters are the best.

Fun fact: in Europe you can buy skinned rabbit at the market, but they have to leave the hind feet on, to prove you're not buying a cat.

 

[chiqita]

You know after seeing him having issues with that bird staying still in the video I am wondering if the washable rubber shelf liner would work good for processing and precut you can switch it out several times too.

That stuff is the bomb for everything. It is the chien people equivalent of duct tape.

I'm 700 posts behind on this thread, there's no way I can read everything, hope you all are doing well!!! Haven't processed in awhile. Unfortunately have to do my favorite ducks today. Of course the loudest ones are my favorite ones I got attached to- the White Pekins. They QUACK all night long though for no reason, louder than any tom turkey or roo we've had, so they've got to go since we're in town. Has anyone used wax to pluck before? Read an article on it curious if anyone had success with it?

I have not used it but a lot of duck people swear by it. The rest skin heh.

Would a pot big enough to boil a lobster do?

Should do. You can always scald top then feet in a pinch.

I buy bruised produce and meat nearing the "sell by" date... I'm afraid I just can't afford the prices, even when they are so low. But, I do the store a favor, and I keep food from going to waste. I just came home with mushrooms, bananas, apples, wonton wrappers and romaine lettuce, all marked down because of looking a bit bruised up and limp (although I saw NOTHING wrong with the romaine... it just had a "use by" date). Now to figure out what to make with it As much as I would love to buy to support local farmers, there is reality, and that is that we're a lower income family. I grow what I can, but I am still learning too.. and we are in town. Every year we grow a little more food ourselves. But, I did *gasp* bought some store eggs (my chickens don't lay white ones... and I needed them for dyeing), and our eggs are produced in locally in Alabama.

I play a game buying the sale marked items and see what I can figure out to make. Howrver my dh pointed out for a lot of it the sale price of the mark down is often more then the price of the flier specials so its a false ecomomy. Spoiled my game!

 

[Tomtommom]

I play a game buying the sale marked items and see what I can figure out to make. Howrver my dh pointed out for a lot of it the sale price of the mark down is often more then the price of the flier specials so its a false ecomomy. Spoiled my game!

I've gotten bell peppers for 50 cents a lb, apples 50 cents a lb, bananas at 30 cents a lb. I had a pack of pork rib ends for 69 cents a lb recently, after cooking they were just like a rack of ribs, just skinny. Our local supermarket marks down steeply when it comes time for things to go.. but, they do let things go a little longer than at other stores.

 

[dutchbunny83]

I've had it twice and I loved it. It's like a mild gamey (venison-ey) chicken flavor, a little sweet..

To me the hind quarters are the best.

Fun fact: in Europe you can buy skinned rabbit at the market, but they have to leave the hind feet on, to prove you're not buying a cat.

Oh no!!!
Haha now I'm going to think of cats when we're processing them.

 

[tjo804]

My husband just holds our birds while processing. Taping them seems like it would add stress?


Any one have experience with the waxing I posted the other day???
Can't get a response here or on the duck thread

What I have read about waxing is that if you are doing 1or 2 birds it is a great thing.
However if you are doing more than that the wax gets to be a very expensive way to pluck your birds.

 

[Amina]

Does anybody have advice on making the decision to cull a bird? I've got 4 chickens, and one is a three year old barred rock who mostly (maybe exclusively?) lays wind eggs. Some of the wind eggs are poorly formed, and end up making a mess in my nest boxes. I believe she's got to go. But she is pretty friendly and lets me pet her, which is making this decision harder. To make it harder still, I am an ex-vegan. I totally avoid factory farmed animal products, so I am basically just eating eggs from our hens at this point in time. I have not eaten meat since 2005, so there is the added decision of whether to eat her or give her away.

I am really struggling with this decision. Any thoughts? Encouraging words? Thanks!

 

[Amina]

I will add, a fox recently killed my fifth chicken, and I got to it right afterwards and processed it and gave it away to a friend of a friend, who hunts. Unfortunately I don't think I could make arrangements to give the barred rock to the same person, so that's probably not an option again. The processing went just fine, but then, I didn't have to kill that chicken. The fox did the hard bit for me. :/

 

[Coralietg]

Does anybody have advice on making the decision to cull a bird? I've got 4 chickens, and one is a three year old barred rock who mostly (maybe exclusively?) lays wind eggs. Some of the wind eggs are poorly formed, and end up making a mess in my nest boxes. I believe she's got to go. But she is pretty friendly and lets me pet her, which is making this decision harder. To make it harder still, I am an ex-vegan. I totally avoid factory farmed animal products, so I am basically just eating eggs from our hens at this point in time. I have not eaten meat since 2005, so there is the added decision of whether to eat her or give her away.

I am really struggling with this decision. Any thoughts? Encouraging words? Thanks!

I had a chicken who constantly laid poorly formed eggs, very thin shells. At the time we had 20 layers and I couldn't figure out who was laying the bad eggs. It became very clear when a buff Orpington got egg peritonitis from one of the soft eggs bursting inside her. She ended up passing away while I was trying to help her recover.

She was only 8 months old when she died though. The only thing I would add is yours has made it to 3 years old without having any health issues from her eggs. Personally I would cull if I came across this again, and knew who it was.

 

[Tomtommom]

Does anybody have advice on making the decision to cull a bird? I've got 4 chickens, and one is a three year old barred rock who mostly (maybe exclusively?) lays wind eggs. Some of the wind eggs are poorly formed, and end up making a mess in my nest boxes. I believe she's got to go. But she is pretty friendly and lets me pet her, which is making this decision harder. To make it harder still, I am an ex-vegan. I totally avoid factory farmed animal products, so I am basically just eating eggs from our hens at this point in time. I have not eaten meat since 2005, so there is the added decision of whether to eat her or give her away.

I am really struggling with this decision. Any thoughts? Encouraging words? Thanks!

You can actually get a contraceptive implant for chickens so they stop laying. If you are attached to the bird and don't mind the expense.. it could be a good way to go.

It's just how you look at chickens: pet? lifestock?