Do you guys debone rabbit before it goes into the pot or leave them in?
I wanted to give the raw bones to the dogs, left overs to the chickens or any cooked bones w/bits of meat to the chickens.
What do you guys do?

I put it all in the crock pot and the meat just falls off afterwards....no real need to debone!

Bones add to the flavor of the broth too! I freeze all bones to use as a base for stock, stored separately according to type of animal. Some I use more than once. Yum- now I want to make soup or stew!

Maybe then I'll debone one and see if the dogs even like the bones enough for the effort.

Still several weeks away from rabbit dinner. =(

Though the ducks, which showed up after the kits, should be done at 7wks, and they are 25 days old today, half way to butcher day! Yup, even faster than rabbit...hehehe.

Also, 50lbs bag lasts 8 ducks 30 days, so they are also pretty dang cheap to feed. Chickens waste at least 50% of crumbles, ducks, near 0! Love it! Hate the mess, but they are by far, better than chickens or guinea fowl.

Ducks are great... and the meat is superb. They are highly prized meat birds in France. Don't waste even one ounce of the fat... It is excellent for baking and also for making such delicacies are rillettes.

The downside of waterfowl, for me, is the processing. I find rabbits so much easier to process than fowl of any type. I can do chickens if I must, but the one time I tried to process a goose (really mean gander!) it took me hours just to pluck it. Of course, I wanted to save that wonderful down... but it was a big job... and then I ended up skinning part of it.

I find plucking very easy, just pull with the direction of growth. Grab a small amount at the base, jerk and done. Wings and neck are the hardest, flight feathers being a real struggle. I don't scald, but always hearing that is the easiest way. You can also skin it, unless you want the skin on. Or, just send it to me, I'll pluck it for you. =D

Maybe it was because it was such a large goose... but it took forever. I used the same method you describe, but it was a big job and not one I am in a hurry to repeat. Rabbits are so EASY!

Maggie... you need to build one of these!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofrRPVBCfzA



__________ Thu Feb 02, 2012 10:25 pm __________

About deboning -

The bones do certainly add much depth of flavor. You do want to be careful, though, if you allow the rabbit to get to falling-apart tender before deboning. Rabbits have quite a few tiny bones -- some of them ribs, some of them vertebrae. Once the rabbit is falling apart, it is more difficult to make sure you remove ALL of those little bones.

My mom always dipped the chickens in the hot water too make plucking easier.

Looks like a great machine, Miss M. I dry-plucked the goose because I wanted to save the down and small feathers from that goose... I'm still using them for emergency bedding in rabbit nest boxes six years later! Our current two geese are Pilgrims - much nicer temperaments! - but unfortunately they do not seem to be fertile together, so are mainly pets now. Chickens, I just skin.

Here is the one you REALLY need....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=tC051HphyvY

Looks very efficient... and the bird is nice and clean afterwards!

Could you just dry the feathers after a scalding?

I like the chicken washer! Tenderizes, plucks, and cleans all in one easy step!