Cost of Raising Rabbits on Pellets?

[KelleyBee]

C

an I ask, how do you process your hides? I am running a small meat rabbit operation to feed my family and we are invested in using the whole animal. I have tried the salt and egg yolk method and the hide ended up rotting but I suspect my log cabin home has poor circulation and this was the issue. Do you have a tried and true tanning recipe?

im sorry to deviate from the topic: for us we feed hay, and a natural non GMO no grain pellet (not sustainable long term) it is expensive and kits are so wasteful!! (We have suspended self cleaning wire cages) we are moving towards growing our own feed, and that looks to be the most sustainable option. I want to move away from pellets all together but we are in norther Canada and the winters are harsh and extra calories do help the buns stay warm. So during the winter I don’t raise kits and just sustain the does and bucks. Then in the spring I give each doe two litters for meat.

So far all I’ve done is successfully dry them on hide stretchers. This keeps them as raw hide for processing into something later. I haven’t figured out the something yet, but at least they are flat and dry.

 

[Burelka]

So far all I’ve done is successfully dry them on hide stretchers. This keeps them as raw hide for processing into something later. I haven’t figured out the something yet, but at least they are flat and dry.

I found a super cool youtube video regarding pickling to process hides: I will try to find the link. Essentially she uses 1 cup alum and 1 cup non-iodized (kosher salt is non-iodized) and soaks 16 hides in a Home Depot bucket for 5 days. she then squeezes them and peels the flat and excess flesh, then re-soaks in the same water with an additional 1cup of each alum and non-iodized salt for 14 days. then comes washing, stretching, and drying. I think I will try this method come late summer when I process my young buns. I will keep you all posted. It is my intention to use every part of my animals and what an honour it would be to snuggle up to their pelts in the colder months and remember their lives were never in vain.
Also if this method works I assume it could be used to preserve larger hides, which would be fantastic if our family is successful hunting this year.

here is the link: