Recent content by ramblingrabbit

I was surprised when I got a notification, as I'd entirely forgot about this thread and actually haven't kept rabbits now for over a year. :) But in fact, part of why we quit the project was because of related issues. After experiencing some disheartening health and welfare problems traced to...

Haha! i dunno, :shrug: theres always a little i guess, but after i make the first little cut and tear at middle and the skin turns inside out it seems to contain it pretty well, and most rinses off (i always rinse really well anyhow, rubbing with my hand, to get as much as possible of the blood...

We have never really found hair getting onto the meat to be a problem... Seems an easy, handy trick though for those who do. :)

I have used the skinning method on rabbits slaughtered at almost four months without trouble (which is the longest i would ever keep a grow-out anyway). When we used it on an old buck, it was a lot harder, and my wife had to hold one end (i think we may have had to use a knife a wee bit too)...

:lol: i have often described it similarly (tho that also sometimes seems to creep certain kinds of people out). personally we dont much care for withholding feed or water with the rabs. just doesnt seem necessary, so id rather let them enjoy a few last nibbles and such. with chickens or ducks i...

So I've gradually developed a method for slaughtering that seems a bit different from most of the descriptions and videos ive seen, so i thought id do a quick outline in case somebody finds it, or just part of it, helpful or interesting. id like to publish a little video at some point, but so...

yeah, so its been going quite well for the last few days. basically i end up walking by and checking on them in the morning (because i feel better that way), but its a 3 min stop at most that one can do after breakfast, rather than a 20 min, first-thing chore of cleaning, gathering and...

thnx for the replies! we dont a actually have hay on hand, since its harder to get here and probly hard to keep it from going moldy quickly too--and also just because we have green things yearround i guess! thnx for the idea tho--it could come in handy down the line, you never know. we use ti...

Just fishing for a little feedback... background: We've been feeding the meat rabbit herd twice a day forever. We feed mix of pellets and fresh forages in the am, much larger helping of fresh forage and pellets, plus a little bit of roots, fruits, or sugarcane in the evening. they also get...

thanks for the resource. i will look him up! i will happily share the results of our project on RT when we settle on something and get it going--and esp if it is sustainably successful. :) plan to get started with actual construction in october...

thanks truck! that's encouraging. i am thinking separate buck area. just one less variable to worry about, but also i do just really like to KNOW exactly when litters are due, for support--and be able to control their timing. hopefully we can have something where they can still see and...

I've also been considering as plan B, something like a small pole barn, with paving stones or tiles or similar on the bottom, and placed vertically around the sides, covered with straw. I guess the advantages are that this requires less space (Many of the "indoor" colonies I've seen and read of...

Hmm. No hawks, but we do have occasional owls. barn owls mostly. Our ducks and ducklings are out in the open on full moons tho and are never bothered. And a barn owl can only nab an exposed small bunny thats not paying attention or fast enough... right? i think id be more worried about the rats...

Hi folks! It's been a while since I've visited Rabbit Talk. We've settled into a routine with our rabbitry recently that has been working well, and so other projects have been taking more of our attention and R and D. Recently, though, I've been dreaming of transitioning to a colony type set...

oh, yes--so for an update. pulled him back out of the fridge a few days after (10th day after slaughter), and rigor was gone. He cooked up nicely in the slowcooker on low. RIP Mr. Pinky! and thanks all for the advice.