So I just acquired a new doe who is possibly pregnant and has a few litters under her belt, and my other two does are just getting to be breeding age. I figured that since I should have kits in a month or so, and then have to process them a few months after that, I might as well make sure I know how to do it and am capable of it. I've processed chickens before, but never had to kill something so cute and fluffy and wanted to make sure I'd be able to before being over run by rabbits 
I happened to see someone nearby advertising rabbits for sale, either processed or live. I asked them if I could come and help with the processing and learn how to do it. So, today I drove up there and chose three rabbits to hopefully soon become three dinners for my family. He uses a few different methods for processing, but I asked we do it with a pellet gun because thats the method I intend on using. He shot the first rabbit and I did the other two. Honestly, it was not as difficult as I thought it would be, given I've had pet rabbits most of my life. I admit, its not easy for me to take a life, but I really want to be able to raise food for my family and know it was treated humanely and lived a happy life. With that thought in mind, I was able to take their lives with respect and sadness for their deaths, but also a bit of happiness that they lived better lives then most of the meat I buy from the grocery store. The thought of delicious rabbit dinners and looking at some recipes I wanted to try the past few days also definitely helped.
After the rabbits were slaughtered, he showed me how he skinned and gutted them on a sheet of what I believe was some sort of fiberglass or plastic that could easily be washed and sanitized before and after. Before beginning he rinsed off any blood or dirt that had gotten on the fur. His way of doing so involved slitting the skin over the belly and making a cut up towards the neck and down towards the genitals. He then peeled the skin of, cutting off the last joint on the feet and leaving them attached to the hide. He also cut through the neck and left the head attached to the hide. Then he took out the organs by making a small incision and letting them begin to spill out, before carefully tugging them away from the carcass. After he was done he rinsed off the rabbit again and then I put it in a bag and into my cooler. I did the second rabbit that way, but the third I tried cutting the skin around the feet and peeling it down over the body. I much preferred that way, and think it would have worked even better if the rabbit had been hung out. Thats definitely how I plan on doing it in the future.
All in all it was a great experience. I was very glad to have someone there to guide me through the process, because the last thing I wanted was to try doing it on my own and causing a rabbit more pain then necessary. I kept the hides which still have the head and feet attached, most of the organ meat, and of course the rabbit carcass. I'm very much looking forward to some delicious dinners once the meat has rested.
So, some questions. Does anyone have any advice on how to tan the hides, and what I might be able to do with the feet and heads? (I assume I should cut them off before tanning.
Until I figure it out, will freezing the hides keep them from going bad in any way?
Is there any way to cure the feet or something so I can make some lucky rabbits feet? I know its an odd idea, but I think it might be interesting to try since I cant think of anything else to do with them.
And last but definitely not least, recipe recommendations? I want to make something super delicious for the first rabbit dish for my family!
I happened to see someone nearby advertising rabbits for sale, either processed or live. I asked them if I could come and help with the processing and learn how to do it. So, today I drove up there and chose three rabbits to hopefully soon become three dinners for my family. He uses a few different methods for processing, but I asked we do it with a pellet gun because thats the method I intend on using. He shot the first rabbit and I did the other two. Honestly, it was not as difficult as I thought it would be, given I've had pet rabbits most of my life. I admit, its not easy for me to take a life, but I really want to be able to raise food for my family and know it was treated humanely and lived a happy life. With that thought in mind, I was able to take their lives with respect and sadness for their deaths, but also a bit of happiness that they lived better lives then most of the meat I buy from the grocery store. The thought of delicious rabbit dinners and looking at some recipes I wanted to try the past few days also definitely helped.
After the rabbits were slaughtered, he showed me how he skinned and gutted them on a sheet of what I believe was some sort of fiberglass or plastic that could easily be washed and sanitized before and after. Before beginning he rinsed off any blood or dirt that had gotten on the fur. His way of doing so involved slitting the skin over the belly and making a cut up towards the neck and down towards the genitals. He then peeled the skin of, cutting off the last joint on the feet and leaving them attached to the hide. He also cut through the neck and left the head attached to the hide. Then he took out the organs by making a small incision and letting them begin to spill out, before carefully tugging them away from the carcass. After he was done he rinsed off the rabbit again and then I put it in a bag and into my cooler. I did the second rabbit that way, but the third I tried cutting the skin around the feet and peeling it down over the body. I much preferred that way, and think it would have worked even better if the rabbit had been hung out. Thats definitely how I plan on doing it in the future.
All in all it was a great experience. I was very glad to have someone there to guide me through the process, because the last thing I wanted was to try doing it on my own and causing a rabbit more pain then necessary. I kept the hides which still have the head and feet attached, most of the organ meat, and of course the rabbit carcass. I'm very much looking forward to some delicious dinners once the meat has rested.
So, some questions. Does anyone have any advice on how to tan the hides, and what I might be able to do with the feet and heads? (I assume I should cut them off before tanning.
Until I figure it out, will freezing the hides keep them from going bad in any way?
Is there any way to cure the feet or something so I can make some lucky rabbits feet? I know its an odd idea, but I think it might be interesting to try since I cant think of anything else to do with them.
And last but definitely not least, recipe recommendations? I want to make something super delicious for the first rabbit dish for my family!
