Disposal

[SMR]

I am thinking of butchering some rabbits later on but what to do with whats not usable? Usually when one passes here we burry them in a pet cematary type place on the property but since it may be several on an on going basis it does not seem do able.

 

[akane]

If you've got a large enough property and critters about like possums and coons you can just dump it somewhere and it will be gone in a night or 2. I just leave the heads and intestines where they fall under the tree I tie to for skinning and it's all cleaned up by the next batch of rabbits but I'm doing it on the corner of a 42acre property next to a property full of unmown sheep pastures, a hill full of foxes, trees, and a creek so no one notices leftovers before the critters get it. At the previous house when doing poultry we'd load it all in a bucket and dump it on the edge of the wildlife preserve that backed the yard. Only once when 4 of us butchered 100s in one day did we pile up enough leftovers that it started to smell before the critters got it all. If that's not an option then bag it in some grocery bags and freeze it until trash day, then throw it out like you would any meat. Or just butcher right before trash day if it works with your schedule. It's no different than people disposing of some hamburger that passed it's date in the fridge. Which is not an issue here because either it's still good enough for the dogs or someone lost it in the fridge so long when the smell is figured out it is immediately taken across the property to the critters again.

 

[Iggysbabysitter]

I prefer to leave it for the critters in the woods (there are lots of coyoty and birds), that way none is wasted... however, in a pinch I will toss the remains in the trash. I attempted to start feeding my dog raw to hep clean up the best of the "leftovers"... but he recognized the smell as one of his charges (he guards the grazing does) and got so upset that he had a howling nightmare that night. So, he's no help. I have offered some of the organ meat to my chickens, and the boost in protien seems to improve their feather growth.

 

[Brody]

I don't butcher rabbits but have successfully composted small dead animals as well

 

[hoodat]

You can bury it using a posthole digger if your ground will let you dig two or three feet deep. A posthole digger disturbs less soil than a shovel so there is less chance of an animal digging in the loose soil to see what's down there. Placing a board or big rock on top of the hole for a week or so also helps discourage digging.

 

[DevonW]

I dispose of the items we don't use in the woods on the back of our property for the Fox or whatever else may get to it first.

 

[Dirk Chesterfield]

Here's an unusual idea for recycling the unused bits of your rabbits. It works if you have poultry. It's a little gross.

Maggots for chicken feed

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXWbBC1kQ24[/youtube]

 

[akane]

You can feed the leftovers directly to the chickens without growing maggots if you want. It's good for them.

 

[PulpFaction]

You can feed the leftovers directly to the chickens without growing maggots if you want. It's good for them.

Ditto. Being in town the rest goes in a bag in the freezer and put into the trash on garbage day. Looking into zero waste usages, though. Heads and such are apparently popular for bait.

 

[TeamHillbilly]

yep they make great chumm for catfishing

 

[hoodat]

Here's an unusual idea for recycling the unused bits of your rabbits. It works if you have poultry. It's a little gross.

Maggots for chicken feed

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXWbBC1kQ24[/youtube]

Rather than breed house flies like that you'd be better off with soldier flies. They dispose of meat scaps and guts faster and have several advantages. One is that soldier flies have no interest in you or anything in your house. In fact they have no mouth parts and don't eat after hatching. They are larger, self harvesting and void their digestive tract before crawling out to hatch so they don't carry any bacteria. If you've raised reptiles you may have bought the pupas under the name "Phonix worms". A soldier fly hatchery is easy to build out of a 5 gallon bucket and a few inexpensive pipe fittings available at any building supply store. You tube has several good clips with instructions for building one.

 

[JueLee]

You could check with friends or neighbors, see if they have pets they'd like to feed your scraps to.

If you live in a tolerant area.

-- Jue

 

[Tom E]

Rather than breed house flies like that you'd be better off with soldier flies. They dispose of meat scaps and guts faster and have several advantages. One is that soldier flies have no interest in you or anything in your house. In fact they have no mouth parts and don't eat after hatching. They are larger, self harvesting and void their digestive tract before crawling out to hatch so they don't carry any bacteria. If you've raised reptiles you may have bought the pupas under the name "Phonix worms". A soldier fly hatchery is easy to build out of a 5 gallon bucket and a few inexpensive pipe fittings available at any building supply store. You tube has several good clips with instructions for building one.

Yep! That's what I do. Turns all our waste into chicken feed as well (the larvae). They really are a great thing to have around. No smell or mess and less flies around as well.