In my article 'Freezer Camp', I talked about the tools we use and
some of the specific techniques we use when dispatching and
butchering our rabbits here at the TAP Rabbitry
and Homestead. In this article I am going to talk about how we
process our rabbits and the the amount of meat yield on the four 16
week old New Zealand Cinnamon Tipped Steel's that I butchered when I
was writing the article 'Freezer Camp'. I have probably butchered
somewhere between 50 to 75 animals during our three years of raising
rabbits here on the homestead and during that time my processing
techniques have changed somewhat. When we first started out raising
rabbits I broke down the whole carcass dividing it into four separate
categories: 1) front legs, 2) hindquarters, 3) back loin or
tenderloin, and 4) the belly meat. The remaining bones of the carcass
were then boiled down and the meat removed from the bones. This meat
was then pressured canned in it's own broth for use in soups, stews,
casseroles, and cold rabbit (chicken) salad. Over the last year I
have somewhat changed my focus and now simply break my carcasses down
into three basic categories: 1) hindquarters, 2) back loin or
tenderloin, and 3) de-boned meat for sausage. The front or fore legs
are added to the pot with the bones after they have been de-boned and
are then boiled down and the remaining meat and broth is pressure
canned for future use. I still on occasion keep a couple of whole
rabbits for the freezer, but for the most part this is how we process
them here at the rabbitry.
Breaking Down The
Carcass
If you have ever
broken down a whole chicken into edible portions, then you can break
down the carcass of a rabbit. To be honest there is not really a
whole lot of difference in the way the two types of carcasses are cut
up for cooking. I have been fortunate in that I have more than
eighteen years of restaurant experience and culinary training and
have broken down the carcasses of chicken, turkeys, ducks, goats,
sheep, pigs, and small game such as squirrels. If you have done none
of these, then finding a mentor or someone with butchering experience
is a great way to learn this necessary skill. If you cannot find a
mentor or anyone in your area that raises rabbits, then ask the
breeder that you bought your breeding stock from if you can help them
the next time they butcher. Be proactive, do not make the mistake by
waiting until you have rabbits that need to be butchered before
asking for help to learn how to butcher and or breakdown a carcass
efficiently.
Meat Yields
The one question I
seem to get asked most often and one I see most often on rabbit
forums and on Facebook rabbit groups is “how much meat can I expect
to get from a meat rabbit?” This entirely depends on the age of the
rabbits being butchered and how they are processed. So to that extent
I will try and explain to you how the determine the possible meat
yields of rabbits processed at home. So as I mentioned earlier, I
butchered four pure breed New Zealand rabbits (2 bucks, 2 does) and
the carcasses were broken down into hindquarters, loins, de-boned
sausage meat, and the bones were then boiled down and the meat
removed. When I talk about meat yields, I am talking about the actual
weight of the meat after all processing is completed. I am not
talking about “hanging or dressed” weight which is the weight of
a carcass after it has been gutted and cleaned and weighed with the
bone-in. What I am talking about is what is called the “retail or
edible” weight of the animal. The edible or retail weight is the
the actual amount of usable meat removed from the carcass which may
or may not include some of the bone after processing.
The four rabbits
that we butchered averaged just over 5lbs each (total weight of 336
ounces). I will admit up front that I did not weigh the carcasses
after they were dressed to get a hanging or “dressed” weight,
rather my focus was on the final retail or packaging weight. Once
processed, the final amount of usable meat or retail yield of these
four rabbits was 164.2 ounces or 48.8% retail weight (164 / 336 x 100
= 48.8%). I have included the following list of portions and their
weights for you to examine.
8 Hindquarters,
vacuum sealed into 2 packages of 4, total weight 68.8 ounces.
8 Back or
tenderloins, vacuum sealed in 1 package, total weight 19.4 ounces.
Meat
de-boned and vacuum sealed to make sausage, total weight 54.0 ounces.
Meat removed from
bones after boiling to make soup 22.0 ounces
I have listed the
industry average yields of processed cattle, pork, and poultry just
for comparison. There will be some slight variation related to the
breed and age of the animal but on average these yield percentages
are highly accurate and considered the industry standard. I have
included these examples so that you can compare and contrast your
rabbits yields with that of other animals. As you can see the final
retail weight of the rabbits (164.2 ounces) that we butchered is
comparable to that of commercially butchered pork and beef. If you
butcher and breakdown your own pork and beef carcasses your yields
may vary.
TAP Rabbitry New
Zealand Rabbits, hanging weight unknown, 48.8% retail or packaged
weight.
Cattle produce on
average 55 – 65% of hanging weight, and 45 – 50% retail weight
Pork produce on
average 65 – 75% of hanging weight, and 50 – 55% retail weight.
Poultry produce on
average 70 – 75% of hanging weight, and 70 – 75% retail weight.*
* Poultry is the
only example listed which is sold completely bone in at your local
supermarket, therefore their retail weight tends to be the same as
their hanging or dressed weight. Portions of chicken that are de-bone
and prepackaged have a retail weight of approximately 60 – 70%.
Raising livestock to help feed your family or supplement your income
is not difficult. It does take some hands on work on your part. On
average you can expect the rabbits you raise to produce the same
percentage of meat yields as pork or beef (about 50%). Because rabbit
is all white meat it is very lean and healthy when compared to beef
and or pork. And because of it's size, rabbit is a whole lot easier
to manage than pork or cattle and they take up quite a bit less room
which is a “win win” situation in my book. I hope this article
has shed some light on the kind of meat yields you can expect from
your New Zealand, Californian, and American meat rabbits. As always,
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