Best, Cleanest, Fastest Dispatch?

[Zass]

I just read some truly horrible suggestions for dispatch on a taxidermy site. Those people have no souls. :shock:

Please don't judge all taxidermists from that.

The popularity of my taxidermy skins had much to do with the humane methods of raising and dispatch that I employ, along with the fact that the pelts were a byproduct of rabbits raised for human consumption.

I have also read some horrible (to me) methods of dispatch being mentioned on a facebook rabbit raising group, and occasionally here on RT.

(Freezing kits comes to mind.)

 

[EnglishSpot]

^^^^^^^
That was sheer ignorance on my part for tentatively suggesting it, but never put into practice EVER! The saying "I'd rather freeze to death than XYZ" had come to my mind when I thought of it.


@Zass, how did you dispatch for quality taxidermy skins?

 

[Zass]

^^^^^^^
That was sheer ignorance on my part for tentatively suggesting it, but never put into practice EVER! The saying "I'd rather freeze to death than XYZ" had come to my mind when I thought of it.


@Zass, how did you dispatch for quality taxidermy skins?

Cervical dislocation (make sure it's been killed and not just stunned), and then skin immediately without cutting the throat. You can use either a dorsal or ventral cut.

Most of the blood will be pooled in the neck anyway.

When you go to remove the feet, cut the wrist and ankle bones from the inside, leaving the feet attached to the pelt. The same goes for the tail, as those small bones will be removed using relief cuts later.

Skinning out a face without damaging the eyelids or lips takes a little practice, but it really isn't very hard.

The best choice for the initial cut (dorsal or ventral) really depends on the type of mount the skin is intended for. I prefer as short of a ventral cut as possible if it's for soft sculpture. For laying over a form or even using a foam head form, a ventral cut is likely easier.

Neither matters if you want to sculpt the pose with wood wool, but there didn't seem to be much interest in using that method with domestic skins.

 

[TF3]

If people only knew (or maybe good they don't!) the specific skills behind 'that lady/gentleman who breeds rabbits'. I am continually impressed!

 

[Zass]

If people only knew (or maybe good they don't!) the specific skills behind 'that lady/gentleman who breeds rabbits'. I am continually impressed!

Rabbit raisers do tend to be the hands-on, do-it-yourself types.


You know, I've never really mounted a skin, only worked through some of the steps in the various methods in order to get a feel for what would produce an easier product for a taxidermist or taxidermy student to work with.

 

[Celice]

Dispatching rabbits is hard on any newbie. I've tried bopping, and broomstick but I personally like a pellet gun. I aim for the brain - higher up on the head and between the ears; the rabbits can't feel the pain if it has no brain to register it with. My pellet gun is strong enough to dispatch my large jumbo does with no problems. And I've found that I don't get much kicking this way too.

I do taxidermy work on my rabbits if I can safely dispatch with minimal damage is the best! domestic rabbits tend to be thicker skinned than wild ones so its easier to sew up holes that I make.

I've mounted your rabbits before Zass! your skins are AWESOME!!

I do have skinning tutorials for taxidermy on rabbits.

 

[Zass]

Dispatching rabbits is hard on any newbie. I've tried bopping, and broomstick but I personally like a pellet gun. I aim for the brain - higher up on the head and between the ears; the rabbits can't feel the pain if it has no brain to register it with. My pellet gun is strong enough to dispatch my large jumbo does with no problems. And I've found that I don't get much kicking this way too.

I do taxidermy work on my rabbits if I can safely dispatch with minimal damage is the best! domestic rabbits tend to be thicker skinned than wild ones so its easier to sew up holes that I make.

I do have skinning tutorials for taxidermy on rabbits.

Ohh, can you post one? I lost most of mine when I wiped out my DA for that.

I've mounted your rabbits before Zass! your skins are AWESOME!!

Thanks. I've always especially enjoyed seeing your rogue taxidermy.

 

[Celice]

Ohh, can you post one? I lost most of mine when I wiped out my DA for that.

I've mounted your rabbits before Zass! your skins are AWESOME!!

Thanks. I've always especially enjoyed seeing your rogue taxidermy.

Hehe! sure I'll post the link 'cause it is graphic.

here is how I case skin a rabbit (died for human consummation):

http://tricksters-taxidermy.deviantart. ... -394512161

and how I Half-Dorsal skin (rabbit was sickly):

http://tricksters-taxidermy.deviantart. ... -430663283

 

[Susie570]

I just read some truly horrible suggestions for dispatch on a taxidermy site. Those people have no souls. :shock:

Please don't judge all taxidermists from that.

The popularity of my taxidermy skins had much to do with the humane methods of raising and dispatch that I employ, along with the fact that the pelts were a byproduct of rabbits raised for human consumption.

I have also read some horrible (to me) methods of dispatch being mentioned on a facebook rabbit raising group, and occasionally here on RT.

(Freezing kits comes to mind.)

No, of course... I know there are taxidermists in this forum and I know not all taxidermists are horrible, but geesh. There were people advocating drowning, suffocation, poison gas and a description of how to 'electrocute' an animal using alligator clips fastened to its lip and rectum. :shock:

 

[6riversfarms]

For mature animals I use a .22 rifle loaded with short cartridges. Very effective. For fryers I use the bop and then do cervical dislocation by hand. I realize that these options are not feasible for everyone but it works very well for me and my rabbits.

Absolutely the worst part of raising livestock, hunting, and trapping is dispatch for me.

I am thinking of investing in a rabbit wringer just to see if it may work more efficiently for me.

 

[TF3]

Just re-reading this thread as I likely need to dispatch a kit in the next day or so.
It is almost 2 weeks old (Holland Lop)~ as it is big (200g) I am thinking I can do a cervical dislocation by hand?
I am really squeamish about banging it on or with something.

 

[EnglishSpot]

Whichever way you do it, we know you did the best you could for that kit. Hugs!!

 

[Susie570]

I'm wondering the same, what methods do people use to dispatch kits that are anywhere from newborn to junior size?

One person had suggested whacking the kit against a wall, but yeah, that's probably not one I could do. Cervical dislocation by hand? Whack on the head with a heavy stick? In my case, I'd rather not use a pellet gun because any kit I would dispatch would go for wildlife food.

If they're a month or so old, broomstick?

 

[FourRingCircus]

For NBs, scissors work well (cutting the head off)... nothing is going to be "easy" I don't think, but for me that was the easiest.

Not sure for slightly older kits. Haven't had to cross that bridge yet, but I think I will soon (unfortunately).

 

[HansenHomestead]

This is one thread that I HAVE to read. I've raised meat animals all my life, but could NEVER do the actual dispatching myself. I guess I've never been mentally strong enough to do it, but as time goes on I'm realizing that I WILL HAVE to do it myself at some point. My husband works any where from an 8 hour day to a 14 hour day, and I am the sole care taker of the rabbits, and chickens, and I know at there will come a day where one WILL need to be dispatched while my husband is gone.

We had always had the agreement that I would fully take care of them, cook them when time, but he is the one to dispatch them.

We had an incident about 3 weeks back where I had let the chickens run in the yard, and the neighbors dog had ran into our yard, and started attacking my girls leaving one so badly injured that her intestines were hanging from her side. Thankfully (I guess for me,) my husband pulled up as it happened, and took care of her, but it made me really think that I need to tighten my boot straps, and learn to do it myself.

 

[Susie570]

Yeah, I have one, nearly 5 week old kit that I need to dispatch, just not sure how to do it.

There is a kit that's always been smaller than the others, it's become really noticeable in the last several days. It's ears aren't even fully lopped and when I was checking it over today, I realized that it has large, hard lumps in its abdomen, like way larger than poop sized lumps. I have no clue what it could be, unless it's guts are all blocked up, but it does seem to be pooping and eating. I just need to figure out a good way and get it done. I'm actually really curious to see what those lumps are, but I don't have any proper tools or space for autopsy, so I'll probably just have to pop it in the freezer for wildlife food.

 

[TF3]

Don't try the cervical dislocation.
With the relative sameness in size between head and body on my guy I couldn't get enough stretch between them to give a proper pull

 

[Zinnia]

I'm sorry TF3 :grouphug:

My husband does the nestling culls for me. He is always so shaken up. There just doesn't seem to be any easy way.

 

[a7736100]

CO2 inhalation is the most common method of euthanasia used at NIH for mice, rats, guinea pigs and hamsters.

 

[ladysown]

what I have found works best with kits under the age of six weeks.

First pick what you are going to whack their head on. Make sure you have a clear line of action.
My choice is a cinder brick (the old style, not the modern crumbly kind). Make sure you have a large surface to aim for.

Settle kit in your hand so that you are holding the back end. If they are calm they won't struggle. Usually head up on your chest or however works best.

Then quickly with the desire to have follow through... so kinda like the best pitch you are aiming behind your mark...grab the back end of the kit with the back of the head facing down and whack it down hard.

Once does the trick.

important thing to remember if clear, deliberate follow through.

Keep in mind. what you are doing is MERCY. You are not killing a random animal. You are giving mercy to an animal who needs it.

(unless of course you are just culling for the sake of doing so.. dog/snake/critter food order, over crowding etc) then you just want to be clean and quick.

for older animals, it depends on what your preferred style is.