If
you raise meat rabbits for you and your family as a meat source, as a
small commercial venture or a combination of both, there will come a
time when you will need to butcher some of your rabbits. Here at the
TAP Rabbitry, we primarily
raise meat rabbits as a healthy food source. We do sell breeders when
we can to help pay our feed cost, but that is not our primary focus.
While we will keep a small amount of inventory past 12 weeks of age,
most of the livestock that we do not sell gets butchered at about 12
weeks (3 months of age). That means that we butcher on average about
three or four times a year depending on the number of breeders we
have active at the time. The number of rabbits that are butchered
during each session depends of the size and number of litters that
our does have produced during the last few months.
In addition to
butchering young rabbits, every breeder will have occasion to butcher
older rabbits that have for one reason or another just earned
themselves a place in the freezer. We have had to butcher a doe who
no matter how many times, or with which buck she was bred, only
produced 2 kits with each litter. We have also had to butcher both
bucks and does that just would not breed for whatever reason. And of
course you may have to dispatch a sick rabbit on occasion. So as I
mentioned three or four times a year we send the rabbits to 'Freezer
Camp'. Not a term I coined, but one my wife saw somewhere so we
adopted it and that is what we call our dispatching and butchering
process.
Breeders Note:
While I have seen on some of the rabbit breeding and homestead forums
on the world wide web that some people butcher sick animals and then
consume them, we do not nor would I ever recommend this process.
Regardless of the illness, sick animals are not recommended for human
consumption.
So,
welcome to 'Freezer Camp'. In this article I am going to talk 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. I am by no means a professional when it comes to
butchering rabbits. I have probably butchered somewhere between 50 to
75 animals, not really a huge number. Rather my skill comes in the
form of breaking down the carcass and cooking of the animal as I
preformed a lot of this type of work in my 18 years in the restaurant
business. I mention this only because there are a lot of different
ways to dispatch and butcher rabbits and many people have their own
specific techniques or style that they prefer to use. I am a firm
believer that you find the process that works best for for you and
eventually with a bit of practise you will become quite proficient at
butchering your own rabbits.
Tools Of the Trade
A couple of tools that have become integral parts of my butchering
process are my fillet knife, a pair of pruning sheers, and my rabbit
gambrel (animal hanger) in
addition to a sturdy, portable table and a cooler with ice in which
to pack the freshly butchered rabbits. When we first started raising
rabbits I tried an assortment of traditional butchering knives before
I found a knife that I was happy with. After watching my friend and
fellow breeder Ronda Jones dispatch a few rabbits using a
Rapala
fish fillet knife, I knew I had found the knife for me. I chose the
smaller 6-inch knife available for about $13.00 at my local
Wal-Mart
and it has been the best knife I have used for butchering rabbits and
small game. A fillet knife has a long thin flexible blade, and while
Ronda uses a longer more flexible knife, I find that the 6-inch
version has just the right amount of strength and flexibility for my
needs.
To remove the front legs and split to pelvis (makes it easier to
remove the
gastrointestional
tract), I use a pair of Corona bypass hand pruning sheers. These
sheers are all steel construction and cut through bone cleanly and
with ease. In addition, I use these sheers in the garden and they are
fantastic. You can find them online or at your local Lowe's for about
$21.00. My friend and fellow breeder Steve
Coyne
author of the '
Texas
Rabbit Barn',and '
I
Grow Vegetables'
blog's
turned me on to these sheers, and they are worth every penny. One
pair will truly last you a lifetime, unless of course you lose them.
One tool, two uses, gotta love it!
There are many ways to hang your rabbits after you have dispatched
them so that you can actually start the butchering process. The tool
that I use is a home made version of a
gambrel
(animal hanger) that my friend Steve
Coyne
was using when I first got into raising rabbits. After using the one
that Steve had I knew I could make my own out of scrap PVC and some
wire, and that is exactly what I did. The
gambrel
uses the weight of the rabbit to tighten the wire thereby holding it
securely in place, and it's unique design allows you to rotate or
turn the carcass as needed during the butchering process. I find
using the gambrel is earier and faster for me than trying to make a
cut in the leg and then hanging the rabbit by it's tendons. If you
are a hunter or know someone who is then you have probably seen or
used a
gambrel to dress out
deer or wild feral hogs.
Dispatching
Techniques
There are a myriad
of different ways to dispatch your rabbits and they all have one
specific goal and that is to quickly and humanely kill the rabbit
with the least amount of pain and stress as possible. My father grew
up on a farm, and my grandfather raised rabbits as an additional food
source for his family. When I was growing up, I watched my father use
what I call the 'Karate Chop' method to dispatch rabbits. He would
take the edge of his hand and holding the rabbit by it's hind legs
deliver a swift blow to the back of the neck of the rabbit right
behind the head. I have never been comfortable with this technique,
but my father and grandfather were quite proficient at it. A
variation of this technique is to use a steel pipe or heavy wooden
rod or broomstick in place of your hand. My issue with this technique is that if
you miss, or do not deliver a fatal blow, the rabbit not only
suffers, but makes a painful crying noise much like that of a baby.
Miss once and you will never try this technique again.
Cervical dislocation is another effective method employed by a lot of
breeders. The cheap and simple method is to place the rabbit on the
ground holding it by it's hind legs then place a large wooden rod
across the back of it's neck then place a foot on each side of the
rod as you pull back on the rabbits hind legs to dislocate the spine
and instantly kill the rabbit. My friend Ronda Jones dispatches her
rabbits this way and she is quite effective at it. I found this
technique to be to cumbersome for me especially if you have a
frightened or spastic rabbit on your hands. I like the idea of
cervical dislocation and it is quite popular. There is a commercial
product called the 'Rabbit Wringer' that many breeder use to dispatch
their rabbits, but it is quite pricey at $70.00. If you can
DIY,
you can find a number of plans to make your own version of a rabbit
wringer on the
internet.
The last technique that I am going to talk about is the one we use
here at the TAP
rabbitry and
that is the process of shooting the rabbit in the head. For this
procedure I use a .22 caliber air rifle with hollow point hunting
pellets. It kills the rabbit quickly and humanely with one shot, that
is of course if you do not miss, but this has not been a problem for
me. The key when using this technique is to have a small area in
which to place the rabbit so that it's movements are minimized ( I
use a tote with straw as a 'kill bucket'). I already had a .22
caliber air rifle so this was a technique for which suited me well
with no additional outlay of capitol. The
Crossman
hollow point hunting pellets that I use are cheap $6.47 for 500ct at
my local
Wal-Mart and are an
effective killing pellet. If however, you do not already have a
hunting air rifle and had to purchase one, I think you would be
better off spending your money an a rabbit wringer.
Breeders Note: When purchasing an air rifle look closely at the
caliber of the pellet. Most air rifles used for hunting small game
are .22 caliber or larger. While brand and quality matter, you can
generally find them at most large big box retailers. The one I use is
an inexpensive Beeman, which
I have found when hunting small game to be not only accurate but
quite effective. I have never used the smaller .177 caliber air rifle
for hunting, while it's higher velocity is effective against
squirrels and small birds, I am unsure of it's ability to make a
clean kill on the larger meat rabbits so I cannot recommend this
caliber for dispatching your rabbits.
This article is not an in depth review on how to butcher a carcass.
While I watched my father and grandfather butcher a few rabbits when
I was growing up, my father never raised rabbits. We simply moved to
often during the 22 years that he was in the Air Force (USAF). Rather
I
learned by purchasing and
reading a couple of books on butchering poultry and small game. In
addition, I looked at the multitude of videos on YouTube on how to
butcher poultry and rabbits. And while I knew how to effectively
break down an animal carcass due to my many years of restaurant
experience, the thing that helped me learn this skill the most was
helping my friends Steve
Coyne
and Ronda Jones butcher. Even before my first rabbits were old enough
to butcher, I volunteered to help Steve butcher some of his animals
so that I could learn from his experience.
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. I helped my friends Steve and Ronda butcher about thirty
rabbits on two occasions before any of my livestock was ready to be
butchered. I was a whole lot slower then they were, and I still am.
However, since that time I have butchered a lot of rabbits, not only
my own by many of my friends as well.
I have included some video links with short descriptions of each of the videos below showing how to butcher and process rabbits. The breeder in each video uses a slightly different technique as well as an array of basic butchering tools. There are a lots of other videos on YouTube, but the ones listed in this article will give you an idea of the options and techniques used to butcher your meat breeders. Be forewarned that these videos contain graphic examples of rabbits being butchered. You should not be surprised as this article is about butchering livestock, but if you have young children, you may or may not want them to watch over your shoulder.
One of the first
videos I watched on butchering rabbits, and one I still like and
recommend. I like this video because it is informative and the breeder uses a
dislocation board to dispatch of his rabbits. Just by looking at the
picture, you could easily make one yourself out of scrap wood. I have
however seen some mixed reviews about using this type of kill board,
but the videographer in this video seems to have the technique down.
A video with more
emphasis on butchering wild rabbits, as opposed to domesticated meat
breeders. Scott's makes this technique look quick and easy and it
could easily be adopted by anyone with a small rabbitry. Not so sure
about freezing the rabbit with the skin on, but if you wanted too,
you could definitely gives this technique a try. There is a reason it
has over 1.5 million views.
This two part video
series shows a man that can butcher some rabbits using simple
techniques. He uses a heavy pipe to stun/kill the rabbits and then
hangs them with simple cord. In this series of videos he is talking
with people who are doing a tour through their organic farm in Virginia and answering
questions while he butchers rabbits. Some good information here and I
like his quick and fluid technique.
Raising livestock to help feed your family or supplement your income
is not difficult. It does take some hands on work on your part. My
wife is an integral part of our rabbitry as she takes care of the
rabbits on the days that I have to work. I do all of the butchering
and the breaking down of the carcasses, not that she couldn't do it,
but because I choose too. If you have ever lived on a farm, or raised
livestock, then you know that butchering an animal is not hard. It is
the process of dispatching the animal in a humane way is the hardest
part about.
Having the necessary tools to perform the job makes the task quite a
bit simpler and more enjoyable. You do not need to spend a wad of
cash to do a through job. My grandfather dispatched and butchered all
of his rabbits using his hands and a simple skinning knife. I choose
to shoot mine then butcher them, others I know use cervical
dislocation, the choice is a matter of personal preference. The
hardest part is getting outside and making yourself do it for the
first time. Once you have taken that step, the rest is easy.
In my next article, I will try to answer that one questions I see a
lot on Facebook and in the Homesteading forums on the internet
regarding the meat yield of butchered meat rabbits. I will also go
into detail about how we break down our rabbit carcasses for storage.
As always, we ask that if you find this information interesting that
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articles or our notices regarding new rabbit's that are for sale.
Books
On The Subject That I Own:
Bezzant, John.
Butchering
Small Game and Birds: Rabbits, Hares, Poultry and Wild Birds.
Ramsbury:
Crowood
Press, 2012.
Burch, Monte.
The Ultimate Guide To Home Butchering: How To
Prepare Any Animal Or Bird For The Table Or Freezer. New York,
Skyhorse, 2012.
Mettler, John Jr. DVM.
Basic
Butchering Of Livestock & Game. North Adams: Storey, 2003.
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