Recent content by Richard & Tresa

Ooops! Was still on my first cup of coffee... Didn't think about thread derailment. Sorry! I will indeed start a new thread (I've used the search tool but couldn't find what I was looking for.) Thanks! Richard <br /><br /> __________ Sun Nov 30, 2014 5:27 am __________ <br /><br /> The last...

Thanks Miss M! I think we've decided to follow your lead and dispatch and butcher out of sight/smell... We just don't want to risk scaring them... Whether it's our projecting our "human emotions/senses" or not, it wouldn't take that much more prep to set up a different location for the...

Thank you everyone... I agree about the scent... We seem to think all creatures react the same way we do to the same stimulus... We wash out the "kill cage" in between dispatches for that reason... Didn't think of it regarding not only dispatching, but butchering/cleaning to prep for soaking...

Are meat rabbits affected by witnessing "Dispatch? Question came up because we just dispatched some old hens out of sight of our remaining hens... They stopped laying... I asked the same question on Backyard Chicken and the reply was that he dispatches meat chickens right in front of them. They...

Taking a break here and have seen this thread up near the top for a while and thought I'd share. Before dispatching our first (of nine) rabbits destined for freezer camp, I had never killed a living, furry four legged animal ever! For months, I researched different methods for the task and all...

Thanks Zass! We were doing exactly that with regards to BOSS and our lactating Doe... And more! (Tresa researched and came up with a mixture she grinds up in our Cuisinart just for pregnant and lactating does (Don't remember what's in it, but she did a LOT of research) We also added balckberry...

Thanks guys! Unfortunately we don't have a scale yet. Truth is, we don't lift our rabbits. We transfer them from cage to cage by holding up a small have-a-heart trap lined with outdoor carpet to their door, enticing them in with tiny carrot pieces... LOL! Neither Tresa nor I want to be...

Hello, We are working on our first kindle (now 11+ weeks). After harvesting 3 out of 9 total, our average dressed weights (not including Liver, kidneys or heart) was 3lbs, 4 oz. I've read here that average dressed weights are more like 4lbs to 4.5lbs... Rabbit Info: Buck: Papered NZR . Not...

Regarding dressed out weights: Our three dressed out weights averaged 3lbs, 4oz... I did a pretty good job dressing them out with very little to no meat loss. We saved the livers, hearts and kidneys but the weights do not reflect those. They were harvested at 11 weeks. (We don't have the...

Miss M, Thank you for your heart felt post... I was like you wrapped your arms around me... no words... Just re-assurance that I'm not a "bad-man", that I'm not wrong for what I've done, that I'm not alone and that many have similar reactions... As the day went on today, I completed three new...

Hello all... What a day... This was our first time killing a warm blooded animal (Besides our first Quail a month or two ago... Tey seemed easier to do than our anticipation of having to dispatch our "furry" rabbits.). All our creatures here are treated the very best we can (Quail, Tilapia...

Holy Smokes! I disappear for a little while and you have a whole new gun!!!!! BEAUTIFUL! Reminds me of a crossbow! :) Are you thinking about producing it at all? Maybe in the future? Sure looks very manageable! Do you have any issues with the bands slipping inward on the longer retention...

Thanks Sal! I've got a collection of the bands you use. Purchased a few different strengths for a toy prototype I created a few years back... Now if I can only remember where I put them! LOL! (In the line of work I do, I always buy extras of anything I buy for a project and keep them on hand...

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D THANK YOU SAL! So here's what I did: I shortened the bolt from 14" total length, to 11 1/2" total length Mostly at the handle and a little bit at the strike point. The total wight for the bolt went from...

Hi Sal, Thanks for the advice! After the work I have put into this, There's NO WAY I'm starting from scratch! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!! Really laughing my head off in hysterics just thinking about it! :lol: I don't have photos, but I have a stop in place to keep the trigger from...