Meat Rabbits

[iddee]

Killing rabbits is quick, easy, and bloodless.
Take a 2X4 18 inches long. Cut two triangles off one 2in. side, to make an edge. the edge should be about 3/8 in. wide, not sharp. The other end of the 2X4 can be cut down to fit the hand. Hold the rabbit by the scruff and strike just behind the head at a 45 degree swing. It breaks the neck instantly. The rabbit muscles tighten, then relax. It's over.


Most people then cut their throats and let drain, but for personal use, it isn't necessary.

PS. I can dress a rabbit in 2 to 3 minutes.

[Bizzybee]

I saw a video not long ago where a woman used a rig that may or may not have been set up for dispatching a rabbit. It looked to be two pieces of angle iron attached to a 4x4 post in a triangle. She carried the rabbit to the device and simply slipped the neck into the vee of the iron and pulled back against the body and legs in a quick motion. I can't find the link again but just as well. Would be rough for some folks to watch I'm sure.

I have one pet rabbit that will never see the chopping block, once they get a name they are off the menu!

That in mind the rest are never handled so they aren't happy to be handled and there natural instinct to freak out takes over when they are picked up. So if you have bee gloves they can save you a lot of pain from scratching if you use them. Hence my thinking about using an air pistol? I would like to spare them the trauma of being rough handled on their way to death. You could just walk up and give them one shot without their knowing what was coming or what ever happened.

Maybe I'm a little over the line, but I don't think any creature needs to endure undue suffering. That's the biggest reason I stopped hunting years ago. I'm not opposed to it and won't say that I'm not going to go tomorrow, but I would prefer not to.

[iddee]

Hey, Biz...Next time I'm in Ga. I'll be glad to change little mopsy's name to Ms. or Mr. Hassenpfeffer for you. Won't take long at all.

Most meat rabbits can be lifted by the scruff with very little resistance, even if they haven't been handled more than 2 or 3 times.

[J-Bees]

PS. I can dress a rabbit in 2 to 3 minutes.

I can dress one in a minute: kill it in 10 seconds; grab by rear feet and make sure the ears are on the ground step on them an give a quick pull: neck cracks real easy you can cut thru the neck to bleed it if you wish too.

as for skinning it cut fur on the back in the -___|___-middle pull each way trim off the feet, innerds and it's done.

[Bizzybee]

Guess that would work iddee, that would be the one living next to the Welsh's and the Creole's

The little dutch girl that lives in the house with us and terrorizes my cats is called Flit. Cuz that's what she does best, flitting from one place to the next. I wouldn't trade her for anything, she's my cat payback!!! Blasted cats!!

[Zane]

J bee's pull a little harder and head comes off too bleeding is then in progress automatically! Quick and easy. Maybe not for everyone I''m sure but it works great.

[Bizzybee]

Sounds like we's about to schedule us the first annual Beesource Wabbit Whackin Contest!! Whoohoooooo!!!

[MapMan]

After reading these accounts, I am proud to say I eat only chocolate rabbits. Chew the ears off first.

MM

[Bizzybee]

Yeah but it takes so long for them to hatch and even longer before the are eating size. That is unless you want to eat them while they are still Kisses. Then the cost per pound is about the same! Not to mention they are so danged messy and almost impossible to roast in the oven without them falling apart!

[riverrat]

Sounds like we's about to schedule us the first annual Beesource Wabbit Whackin Contest!! Whoohoooooo!!!

yea haw a true redneck competion. Im in. You think PETA would be a co-sponsor along with Budweiser on this one

[Zane]

I didnt know them kisses was bunny ummm well you know? I'll never eat another chocolate kiss again


until next time!

This rabbit thing sounds interesting. Anyone reccomend winter housing for them? What dimensions should a shelter bee for one bunny(which we have now) and for say 10 bunny's
Thx

[Bizzybee]

2X2X2 is sufficient for a rabbit, and it is typically better to keep adult rabbits separated. They are not social animals and prefer their own space.

Mine are housed outside but I'm in the south with mild temps. My biggest concern is more shade from heat in the summer than cold in winter. Up north they should have better shelter or kept inside, like a barn maybe or at least covered.

[Mosherd1]

I was wondering if anyone who raises or used to raise meat rabbits could answer my question. I am considering getting a buck and 2 or 3 does and to utilize the kits for my own consumption. Ideally I would like to have this "hobby" pay for itself and make me some profit as well. In CT. I can slaughter a rabbit for a customer without a permit. If I were to sell the surplus rabbits for meat, pets, etc. can a small profit be turned? Again, not looking to get rich but kind of like with bees, give me some play money throughout the year. I just do not know if there is enough of a market for pets and rabbit meat and exactly what the market is willing to pay for a rabbit, as food or pet? Thanks,

[pascopol]

Mike,

Any reason I can't feed rabbits my own alfalfa??

.

By all means feed them all alfalfa, some hay, and some dried bread and if you want super quality meat NO COMMERCIAL RABBIT FEED.

That's all they need.



Here is my personal experience raising rabbit for meat.

In early nineties my wife brought few baby bunnies home, we put them in wire cages fed them with veggie scraps, carrots, some grass clippings, dried bread, cooked potato peels dusted with little bran.

They grew fast and healthy, we butchered them, meat was delicious cooked, fried any way you prepared it. So I bought a pair of Californians and a pair New Zealands, started to breed them. Soon I was buying bags of commercial pellets relatively cheap at the time since there was no way to obtain sufficient amount of veggie scraps and other good stuff I fed my first rabbits due to their numbers now.

Did not take long until I had 40 or 50. Then we butchered a few and big disappointment .... meat was much lower quality, woody, tasteless and tough unlike the meat of first rabbits raised 100 procent organic and natural way.

Commercial pellet feed was rseponsible for low quality meat now. Nobody in my family wanted to eat my rabbits anymore, I sold them all.

End of the story and my rabbit adventure, if I had a pasture and small farm I'd raise them again, but NO rabbit pellets.

[Mosherd1]

Did you ever attempt to sell them (before getting out of the hobby) or just for your own use?

[pascopol]

I raised them for my own use (meat) not for selling.

[Laurence Hope]

Mosherd1, I own a pet store and raise meat rabbits. Mostly the meat rabbits (NZ & Calis) don't sell the best for pets except when they are young and very small. Pet owners desire Dutch, Lops (preferably Holland lops) and other small breeds.

A good method is to sell baby 4-5 wk old NZ or Cali bunnies to a pet store and offer to trade them out when they get too big. Typically this is about 8 to 10 weeks of age. The pet store has raised them to this size for you. They are now about the size feed stores like to stock for their customers.

Sell the half raised bunnies picked up from the pet store to the feed store. Any that get too big, replace. This is about 12 or so weeks. Just about the time that bunnie is ready for the frying pan. Finish whatever bunnies are returned to you with a good alfalfa or timothy hay and enjoy
them yourself or sell them as fryers to whoever wants them.

This system can usually handle a lot of bunnies if you have several pet and feed stores. Sometimes the pet stores will keep them until they reach fryer size and you can trade them out
with only one stop. Meanwhile, many will have been sold as pets at both the pet store and the
feed store. You will have saved a bundle on feed.


Pascopol, All commercial feeds are not equal. We have access to some that make tremendous fryers and, I agree with you, some should be left on the shelf. If you have good alfalfa or timothy hay available and can give them a little ground grain - we used wheat - it was cheap-
you can produce some fine eating animals. Carrots are a wonderful addition to their diet, but can be expensive. Watery vegetables like lettuce and the such should only be fed in very small quantities because they can cause scouring which can be fatal.

I have just embarked on a new endeavor: I have some New Zealands which have been bred with a little Flemish Giant some generations ago. They run about 20% larger than straight N Z's. I will begin breeding soon. I hope to get some tremendous size meat carcasses from this mix. Time will
tell.

Laurence

P.S. Pascopol, did I ever tell you about the summer my brothers and I fished Orange Lake in NPR
and if the bass didn't weigh over 4 lbs, we threw them back. Over 4 lbs went to the frying pan.

[pascopol]

I agree the feeds are not equal, I was feeding Nutrena at the time and that was my first rabbit experience, I did not know to finish them with alfalfa and hay only.

Now I am raising game birds and other poultry for meat and eggs, perhaps I would try rabbits again but my grown kids would not eat "bunnies" , although I know rabbit meat is all white lean meat and very healthy diet.

[Fishman43]

...I am considering getting a buck and 2 or 3 does and to utilize the kits for my own consumption...

The recomended numbers is 1 buck to 5-8 does, otherwise you are feeding that male a lot for just a little "service"

...In CT. I can slaughter a rabbit for a customer without a permit. If I were to sell the surplus rabbits for meat, pets, etc. can a small profit be turned?

It is the same here in NH up to 1000/animals/year processed. Selling the rabbits for wholsale distribution you can get $10-12 per processed animal at 8-10 weeks which doesn't leave much margin when you consider labor and costs to raise and process. If you have enough of a market to sell retail you can about double that price in NH.

[Mosherd1]

I appreciate your feedback. I have started to ask around and there seems to be more people interested in rabbits than I thought? Some people seem to almost be ashamed or embarrassed that they like rabbit and are happy to know someone who could provide them with fresh rabbit meat.