The bladder will also be smaller since the rabbit won’t be eating which generally means they aren’t drinking as much water either. If it’s your first time it’s a good idea to withhold food so the digestive track is smaller and easier to work around.
Some people don’t take anything away from them others don’t even leave water. I prefer to leave them with water but make sure they don’t have any feed the evening before butchering. I’m not going to get into the art of sharpening knives in this post but it is an important skill to get under your belt that I cover in this post. If you are doing three or more rabbits you may need to sharpen knives midway, you will only likely need to run it over a steel to straighten up the burr but it’s good to have a stone handy while butchering just in case they end up needing a little more work. It won’t be pretty and it won’t be a good experience. If you are using shears you should test them on a chicken wing or neck, if they can’t cut through that easily they are not going to work and you shouldn’t even try to use them. There are endless uses for feedbags I tell you!
You can always staple or drape a clean feed bag over the area to keep everything clean. Whatever you attached it to and whatever you attach it with need to be strong enough to stay put if a good tug is put on them.Īlso make sure if the rabbit is going to rest against a wall or fence that the area is clean and paint or rust isn’t going to rub off on the rabbit.
BROOMSTICK METHOD CHICKEN SKIN
You want a fence, hooks in a wall or ceiling so you can easily hang rabbits while you skin and gut them. You on the other hand may not have an over active mind and have a much easier time.
I come face to face with my own mortality and that is never easy. The mental cost is always the same for me though. With practice the acts of slaughter do get easier to do. I will never lie and tell you it’s easy, at least it shouldn’t be if you have a properly functioning sense of compassion. You don’t want to freeze up and not be able to follow through, that will cause your animals more pain and distress than anything. You need to be able to act- not freeze- when the time comes. I really really encourage you to find someone who will let you watch the whole process if you haven’t been around slaughter before. While I might disagree with that naive view of rabbits I also have to argue that chickens, sheep, cows, goats, turkeys and all the rest are cute too! I think most folks just aren’t around them enough to realize how cute they actually are. People I talk to often have a hard time with just the idea of eating rabbits because they think of them as sweet little pets. I think how meat animals are raised and treated is very important, if you think more on that topic would be helpful read this post. You need to make sure you are being honest with yourself about that fuzzy rabbit turning into dinner. As soon as you have rabbits that might end up being eaten you should start thinking about them in that light. Metal or strong wooden broom stick, length of conduit or rebar.Ī flat area of ground such as cement, soil that isn’t sopping wet or super squishy, or a good solid board on flat ground large enough to fit a rabbit on.īeing mentally prepared is just as important as having all your knives sharp and equipment laid out. Something to tie a rabbit to or hang it from Necessary EquipmentĪ Sharp short knife you are comfortable working with, such as one of these that my husband makes.Ī large cleaver like this, butcher knife ( This one is shaped just like mine ) or high quality pair of meat shears, I would love to recommend a pair of shears to you but unfortunately I have yet to find a brand I’m happy with. If you aren’t sure my way is right for you I can promise there are many other ways, this is what I’ve found works best for me.
I want to start off by saying there are many different ways to dispatch, slaughter, butcher (whichever you prefer) rabbits that work just fine. I 10000000% guarantee it is worth it! Butchering a Rabbit: Part One This is one of many first steps in a long often difficult journey to being more in touch with, responsible for and appreciative of your food! Maybe have a litter of rabbits that needs butchered soon, maybe should have already been butchered, and you realize you really aren’t too sure about this whole ‘turning an animal into meat” business and could use a little honest advice and information. Or, you’ve already taken the plunge into rabbits. Translation: can I really kill and eat something so cute and fuzzy?! You are (probably) here for one of a few possible reasons: either you have decided that you want to raise something for meat and are trying to decide if rabbits are right for you. Since you are reading this I want to congratulate you.
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