disapointing butcher day

[JessicaR]

I butchered 5- 12 week old NZW/Cali rabbits today, boy was I disappointed with their weights! None of them even reached 2 pounds dressed out. 1 had a couple of white spots on its liver, so I threw that liver away. This was my first time weaning them to be pasture fed only. I moved the pen twice a day so they constantly had grass and fresh water, just no pellets. I think I am going to stick with grow out pens and pellets.

Also one of the rabbits, when I was removing the skin, the front legs came off and the neck, along with the heart and lungs. :shock: that was very weird, never had anything like that happen before.

 

[coffeenutdesigns]

That is weird. Could it be because they were so little the connective tissue wasn't tough enough?

Sorry you didn't get more meat out of them. Thx for sharing your experience, though. So I can avoid the same mistake.

 

[JessiL]

Sorry to hear how small they were... but at least you didn't sink a lot of cash into pellets, right? I just weighed my pasture grow-out pen residents (these ones have been on pasture all their lives, but do receive about 1/8 cup mixed pellets and oats a day each). At 9 weeks they're measuring around 3.75 to 4 pounds each. I'll definitely wait until they're much closer to 5 lbs. and hopefully dress-out will be respectable.

By comparison, their two tractor neighbors who were born and raised to weaning age in standard wire cages are 5 and 5.5 lbs. each at 11 weeks. They're heading to the freezer today or tomorrow. So I think I'll definitely keep moving the caged weanlings outside - although they take 3-4 weeks longer than the caged only buns, they eat a lot less pellets during that time and seem lots happier.

Good luck if you decide to try it again!

-Jessi

 

[akane]

I've had some that if I pull the skin from the belly side the connective tissue is actually too strong and it pulls the rabbit apart so I have shoulders and ribs with heart, lungs, and liver, and loins with intestines. You can avoid it by pulling down the back of the rabbit so it breaks the connective tissue or take a knife and as you pull the skin tight slice the connective tissue and then continue down the belly.

Pasture raised rabbits are generally butchered at 12-16weeks instead of 8-12weeks. They grow a lot slower. That's why most people do supplement with some grain or pellets.

 

[JessicaR]

Maybe I will still pasture the growouts but add pellets too. Anyways it not really something I can do year round. We have had some really nice temps, and rain so the grass was growing really good.

 

[Secuono]

Are they eating all the grass before you move them? Can you move them more often, not mow, mix other green weeds to grow?
But I agree that grass fed rabbits grow slower, they need so much more green to equal the same amount they get from some pellets.

 

[grumpy]

At 12 weeks, their skin's a little tougher.
That may be part of your skinning difficulty.

While feeding out young on grass is economical,
you'll sacrifice "tenderness" as the stock grows older.

The white spots on the liver are probably cocci.
It's ever-present in the soil once an infected
animal defecates on it.

grumpy

 

[JessicaR]

CnB, I didn't mow the lawn while I had them out there (bet my neighbors loved that :lol: ) The grass was about 4-5 inches tall and I would move them when they ate the grass down short. So I was moving them 2 sometimes 3 times a day. They was in a 4foot by 4 foot dog x-pen, so they had plenty of area to eat. Its no big deal I just wanted to see how they would do with an all grass diet.

So if I have cocci in the yard, is there anyway of getting it out of the yard? I don't want my puppies to get coccidia, when ever I have another litter.

 

[Secuono]

5 rabbits, under 12wks in a 4x4 moved 2-3 times a day. Eh, I'd expect them to eat more and end up needing to be moved a little more than that. Enough mixed 'weeds' for them? I know mine are very unhappy about eating certain grasses and lawn grasses, I have to leave the pen on it much longer before they eat it. :/

Cocci is in wildlife as well. In the chicken world, we say it's always there, so strong, healthy immune systems are needed. I don't think a healthy pup has much to worry about, I wouldn't let it eat tons of poops of critters until all it's baby shots are done. But a few poops here and there or none and just playing in the yard should be just fine.