Recent content by katievictoria

Thanks both Random Rabbit and Sarnia Tricia! I appreciate all the time you both took to give me great answers. Yes I was suspecting that at least part of the problem was due to infrequent breeding. I guess it was just that there were so many different issues that it didn't seem like that could...

I raise rabbits for 4-H kids, and this is my fifth year doing so. I've generally had really good luck, and have pretty good stock rabbits......not spectacular, but good enough that one placed 3rd among about 200 rabbits a couple of years ago. This year I have had every problem with my litters...

Dood says rigor will pass in the freezer, so that must be why I've never had a problem with it. When butchering I always keep the cleaned rabbits in buckets of cold water until I'm done with them all. Then they get a good washing and straight into the freezer. (I have a sort of weird quirk about...

A couple have mentioned they don't bother looking stuff up, the just come here for the correct answers. Well I feel the same. I DO start out with a little research because I don't want to sound like a complete idiot by the time I get here. :shock: And it never hurts to learn several ideas...

Zass, I don't think I would have used the acid anyway. Just sounds too dangerous to me! My mother used alum in her pickles, so I felt safe with that. LOL As for the date of the article, that year seems pretty recent to an old timer like me who was born in '55. :D Now I admire you even more to...

Hello. I'm a newbie at all this, so feel kind of uncomfortable offering advice or opinions. I certainly don't have the experience of Zass and many of the others here. But I've recently tanned some pelts, and they turned out great. I'll post the link here of the article I used for directions, but...

Well I'm brand new at all this but from my limited experience so far, I would have to totally agree with Zass. I made a few items for my grandkids for Christmas, and when they opened them up the orders started rolling in! Seems like no one wants anything white. So I have a batch of white pelts I...

Thanks, alforddm and Zass for the compliments on my projects. I've sure had fun during the whole time. It's very satisfying to know I raised those rabbits, butchered those rabbits, ate those rabbits and kept the hides, and then turned them into something the kids really love. Sure feels a lot...

I want to try brain tanning at some point, but this was my first venture ever so I just followed a recipe I found in "Mother Earth News". I have to say they turned out really nice, but of course I won't know which way I like best until I try some other ways. I'm drawn to the brain tanning though...

Saw a post about this, but the latest response was over a year ago. Thought I'd ask again, but have a slightly different twist. I didn't do the brain tanning. I soaked my pelts in a pickle of salt and alum water. After breaking I worked the hide with mink oil. They turned out really great. My...

Thank you so much Zass for your quick reply! I feel like a kid in school whose science teacher just gave me an A+. :lol: I've been trying hard to learn all this genetic stuff as I find it just fascinating. My dream is to keep perfect breeding records and someday come up with complete genotypes...

Hello. Well I like to experiment with colors in my rabbits when not breeding for the 4-H season......especially with my REW's as we never know what might be hiding in there. So I crossed a REW doe with a Broken Black buck (both NZ) and I think I ended up with a couple of Steels. Please correct...

Thanks everyone! Preitler, I'll probably try some that way and see how it goes. I can see these would be delicate areas during breaking, so I'll take care. Zass and Ramjet, my hides are still cased, and I found it really easy to flesh them that way. I've never tried it any other way, but seems...

Thank you. I was beginning to wonder if I'd get any replies. Thought I had asked a really dumb question or something. LOL That does make a lot of sense. Maybe that's what a lot of folks do. I can see that no matter how I'd cut them, it would take away from the overall size of the pelt with...

Hi All. I'm working on my first batch of rabbit hides, using the alum and salt pickling solution I read about in "Mother Earth News." Everything is going great so far....just finished fleshing the skins today after letting them soak the first few days. My pelts are still inside out, and they've...