Pics on how I butcher our rabbits. WARNING (graphic)

[houndit]

I thought this might interest people. I know there are other ways to do it but I thought I would share my way.

First I whack them in the neck. I usually have someone hold the back legs. If I am doing it myself I find it easier to put their back legs in the ropes. We have a board mounted with two ropes that hold the legs.

Than I cut off the head quickly!
I hang them up with their stomach facing me. I find it useful to hose them off well so the hair does not blow as bad.

Than I cut through the skin around the legs.

Than I cut a large V between the legs.

Than I start to peel the skin around the legs down.

I peel the skin down a little farther.

Than I take the knife and stick it between the fur and the rabbit, underneath the tail. You need to cut this free of the tail so that the skin will peel down.

Peel the skin down a little more.

Pull the skin down the rest of the way. You can then either cut it off so it just has fur in the front feet or, pull it off the front feet.

Now you have a mostly skinned rabbit.

I than slice them straight down the middle. This causes a lot of the intestines to hang out immediately.

I remove all the guts that hang right out. I than very carefully cut the large intestine carrying the manure out in a spot free of bunny balls. Than you will find a membrane. I remove that and than you can take out the lungs, heart, and esophagus.

Once it is gutted I set it on the table. I remove the feet.

Than I cut them the rest of the way between the back legs. I remove the tail at the same time. You will have to cut through some bones. This will allow you to safely peel out the bladder etc.

You than have a dressed rabbit.

I than take it in the house and do a careful inspection to make sure that there is no hair stuck to it.

I hope this helps somebody.
Questions and comments are welcome. If you have suggestions/pictures of how to do it better please do not hesitate to post them!
Thanks!

 

[blk90s13]

I cut them at the throat with one pull of the knife make sure I get the main vein in the neck before anything. I can't whack an animal on the head.

Then cleaning is pretty much the same process without the hosing off at the beginning.


I will try to hose mine off and see if it works better


How heavy was that rabbit ? it looks like a nice size

 

[houndit]

I cut them at the throat with one pull of the knife make sure I get the main vein in the neck before anything. I can't whack an animal on the head.

Then cleaning is pretty much the same process without the hosing off at the beginning.


I will try to hose mine off and see if it works better


How heavy was that rabbit ? it looks like a nice size

I think that one weighed 1.96 pounds.

 

[blk90s13]

1.96 ? I hope that is a typo and you mean 11.96

 

[houndit]

1.96 ? I hope that is a typo and you mean 11.96

No. That is what it weighed. I have much smaller meat rabbits than the New Zealands. They are seldom over 2.5 pounds.

 

[norcal]

Thanks, I will refer back to this in the fall. By the way, MIGHTY fine greenhouse you have!!!!! I'm jealous.

 

[houndit]

Thanks, I will refer back to this in the fall. By the way, MIGHTY fine greenhouse you have!!!!! I'm jealous.

Thanks! That greenhouse is a wonderful blessing the Lord sent us!

The only problem is we do not have a stove for it yet so it freezes inside in the Winter.

 

[anthonyjames]

Very nice and thanks.

houndit,

11.96 lbs. I can't get any of my rabbits to that size at 10 - 12 weeks. Mine are in the same range of 2 - 3 lbs. Plus, at 6 weeks mine are moved to moveable pens through out the pasture. So they get pellets all they want plus pasture. Biggest rabbit I have had has been 3.2 lbs at 12 weeks. That was a Satin.

I have 1 doe (White Satin), 4 (does) New Zealand Whites, 1 doe (californian/new zealand mix) and 1 buck (broken satin)

My Buck is maybe 8 lbs and he is a year. And it took that long to get him to that weight.

 

[Ninny]

Does that kill them quick then? My friends dads did meat rabbits and he would take them by the legs spun them around his head and whack them on the ground. Your way seems more humane.

 

[houndit]

What I was told, and how it seems is that the rabbits are rendered unconscious when struck on the back of their head. They than should not feel the knife. My thinking was when they woke up they would be dead therefore they feel no pain. One time I was doing a old buck. He revived quickly. Fortunately I was able to dispatch him quickly. I think it is a pretty quick death. I find it helpful to use a serrated knife when cutting through the neck bone. That is the hardest part.