How many do you butcher in a day?

[Jacob]

How many rabbits do you guys and gals butcher in a day?
We got a big butcher day coming soon for us. 25 to 30 or so. It's going to be an all hands on board kinda day for the family. The kids are young but they've shown they got grit. No issues the last couple times.
If you got one trick up your sleeve for butcher day, what is it?
For me it would have to be my rubber mallet to strike my butcher knife for splitting the hind quarters to loin, loin to ribs, and splitting the pelvis.
Jacob

 

[eco2pia]

Pruning shears. And lots of pans, buckets, containers.

 

[jaxmarblebuns]

That's a lot for one day. The most I've butchered in one day is 7 I believe. I get physically, and mentally drained at 5-6. The one thing I have found helps the best for a smooth process is having everything set up and organized. I mean everything, butcher station and buckets washed and fill with ice water, knives sharpened and placed neatly where I can swap them, even the sinks inside emptied and sealAmeal bags cut and 100% ready to be vacuumed.

 

[Graciela]

I've done nine all by myself in a morning - I've got the dispatch, skinning, gutting, and cleaning down to about ten minutes each.

We breed for hypoallergenic dog food, so they go in a pot to boil the meat off the bone for shredding and freezing.

It's not a lot of extra work, thanks to use case; if I had to quarter them it wouldn't take me much longer, though.

I'm a string and broom handle gal and the only tool I use is a pair of sharp hefty kitchen shears. Cuts through the spinal cord and ankles to remove head and feet easily.

Slide the tip up the belly skin from throat to taint, cut around the anus, stick a finger in the butt hole to shove any poop out.

Scoop and dump entrails, separate the good sweetmeats and save.

Circle cut each paw, strip skin down from back paws all the way to neck, cut head off, cut paws off.

Wash carcass, dump in pot. Boom, done.

 

[Preitler]

I don't do more than 4-5 in one go, I'm not quick at it. I follow Grumpys video, which works very well.
Setting everything up is key: Food dish to distract them, captive bolt gun, get the knives sharp, garden shears for neck and feet, pliers for the gall bladder, bowl with freezing water for liver, kidneys, heart, bowl for washing hands and tools,...
When I keep pelts a rinse them right away and put them into the prepared pickle, takes some minutes too.

I keep them in a bucket with salt water for 3 days in the fridge, not sure if that actually does much.

 

[ThunderHill]

I don't do more than 4-5 in one go, I'm not quick at it. I follow Grumpys video, which works very well.
Setting everything up is key: Food dish to distract them, captive bolt gun, get the knives sharp, garden shears for neck and feet, pliers for the gall bladder, bowl with freezing water for liver, kidneys, heart, bowl for washing hands and tools,...
When I keep pelts a rinse them right away and put them into the prepared pickle, takes some minutes too.

I keep them in a bucket with salt water for 3 days in the fridge, not sure if that actually does much.

I follow Grumpy's video, too (well, as much as I can - I still can't manage to get that first cut right, straight across from one foot to the other, but I guess practice makes perfect)! For anyone newer here who hasn't seen it, this video is awesome: Thread 'Processing Video.' Processing Video.

 

[Olbunny]

With our 4 does we average 32 friers per batch so 32. It's a 1day affair. I will do the slaughtering n then wonderful daughter takes over. She can butcher 6 per hour.
They get to the kitchen n Nana is ready. We don't wash much and just a pat down with paper towels cleans them up.
We process several ways for variety. Belly flap n sweet meats, my new word for the day, ground. Some of the larger ones are left whole. Most are portioned out. We started by 1 rabbit per vacuum bag. But cooking is difficult because of portion size. Now front legs, saddles n rear legs for more even cooking and preparing as they each have different textures.
Our process is patting down clean. Portion, put into a produce bags so no juices leak n adds a vapor seal, then double wrap butcher paper or vacuum sealed. For canning cutting the pieces in half helped pack them in the jars tighter. We did bone in to capture the nutrients that the bones supply but have to clean to serve. This year we will do boneless in 1/2 pint jars.

 

[Jacob]

Thanks for all the input. I'm gonna check out that video.