It is still rough

[hucklekree]

It has been three years since we started this rabbit journey. We have found them to be full of surprises both good and not so good. We have bonded with them as we feed and check on them eveyday. We play with them in their and our spaces. And when the time comes we thank them for their life and take it. We just butchered eight youngins today and it is still a rough thing to do even after three years. Does it ever get easier?

I am not contemplating quitting nor have I lost my purpose for keeping them. It can just be so emotionally draining to know that I am responsible for ending something's life. It is such a responsibility to make that ending worth something. To give that death purpose so that it wasn't in vain. This is a huge part of why we got into producing our own protein so that we wouldnt take it for granted or waste what was given to us. Our kids know what the cost is foer eating meat and know that happy animals make happy meat.

Even with these reasons and more we still have a hard time. What helps you guys get through?

 

[3mina]

The fact I know exactly what went into my (and my dogs) food, there's no way I could afford to buy the amount of rabbit I produce and there is a not inconsiderable pride in being self sufficient.
I know my rabbits had a very good life and a quick, humane death. That's the best anything can hope for

 

[Marinea]

Huckletree, I think most of us who raise meat rabbits totally understand what you're feeling.

I try to flip it around. I thank the rabbit for what it provides, and then I focus on the sense of fulfillment of providing food for my family in these uncertain times. I think about the meat recalls for e coli or salmonella, I think about the people who might be hungry this day, and I send up a prayer of thanks that my family is taken care of.

 

[grumpy]

A lot of emotion comes into the equation of processing an animal that is
specifically raised for consumption. I think some of that logic is lost when
one becomes attached to what will eventually be "supper".

Consider the fact that when you consume protein that you've purchased
from some other outlet, you have absolutely no idea what is "in" that product.
Who's to say how much "growth-hormones" have been introduced. GMO
grains fed. Feed laced with antibiotics. Protein boosters from animal by-
products that may or may not be free of disease. The list goes on ad infinitum.

grumpy

 

[mothergoosemagic]

I think it's actually a good thing that it's still tough. Just goes to show that you don't have a callous disregard for life.

We're pretty soft-hearted here. Even spiders & bugs get escorted outside most of the time. We don't eat our bunnies, and even our laying hens die of old age. The bunnies give us berries for the garden, & the hens give us eggs. So they're more like useful pets.

A few years back, there was a local news story about a young family raising meat rabbits. They solved their problem by sending their rabbits to another family, and vice versa. That way they weren't sending their own bunnies to "freezer camp," and the kids were okay with that. Worked out very well as once the deed was done, both families got back their original critters.

When we lived on the farm, we just sent the pigs, sheep & steers to the butcher. They picked up the live animal, & we picked up the packaged version. Not such a personal connection.

If only bunnies weren't so darn cute....

 

[Ramjet]

I thought about a rabbit wringer but its just easier for me to shoot them in the back of the head. Less effort on my part and I don't have to look at them when I do it as I place them in a box that is designed for the purpose. All I see is a box with a hole in it for the barrel of the pellet gun.

It still isn't easy for me even doing this , I often put it off for weeks at a time.

Once its done I have no problem butchering the carcass , cooking , eating or using the hides.

 

[SA Farm]

I was raised on a farm and I made a distinction for my peace of mind when I was just a child - if the animal had a name, I wouldn't eat it. I learned early on how to emotionally distance myself from an animal that was to be sold or slaughtered and to only get attached to the ones I could keep.
Like others have said, there is also a great deal of satisfaction knowing that you are providing healthy and humanely raised animals for your family and that the death was swift and as painless as you could make it.

 

[hucklekree]

Thanks all for speaking up. I agree and believe all your points are valid and are reasons why we have chosen this path. I too grew up on a farm but never had the distinct responsibility of being the one to feed and care and also wield the knife. Cattle and sheep are just a bit different than rabbits for me. I agree naming some but not others helps a lot and I am already looking forward to all the delicious dinners we will be eating. Just last night was rough so again thanks <br /><br /> __________ Sun Jul 27, 2014 4:05 pm __________ <br /><br />

It still isn't easy for me even doing this , I often put it off for weeks at a time.

Once its done I have no problem butchering the carcass , cooking , eating or using the hides.

The same goes for my husband and myself only this backfires for us because we pay more for feed and get that much more attached in the process.

 

[grumpy]

After butchering literally thousands of fryers, the process is just a job.
Cold-hearted??:: No. I don't think so. Just enough of a realist to know what
I'm doing is helping someone else get a good, healthy meal.

I refuse to allow myself the luxury of attachment. I reserve that emotion for
family and a selected few animals. Except for "Chip"...he's my ugly bunny. :lol:
He can hang around for awhile.

grumpy.

 

[6riversfarms]

For me it comes down to respect for the animals. If they are wild animals or animals we raise for food, I feel as if as long as I am respectful of the animals life and death, and also respectful during the process of slaughter and processing then I am doing the best I can as a carnivore to minimize any pain or sufferring for the animal and for myself.

Life feeds on life. That is just the way it is. No getting by that fact.

The hardest time for me is when it comes to culling mature stock. I have to conciously force myself to make the best decisions when it comes to selecting animals to be culled without letting emotional attachments effect my decisions. It is something I have always struggled with and still do at times even after 36 years of being involved with livestock.

Of course I have a couple of "pet" rabbits and chickens that I value for their "personalities" that I don't mind feeding whether they are productive or not.... And don't even get me started on the dogs and cat... I have one dog I am pretty sure I would take a bullet for if it came down to it.. Silly I know...

 

[grumpy]

For me it comes down to respect for the animals. If they are wild animals or animals we raise for food, I feel as if as long as I am respectful of the animals life and death, and also respectful during the process of slaughter and processing then I am doing the best I can as a carnivore to minimize any pain or sufferring for the animal and for myself.

Life feeds on life. That is just the way it is. No getting by that fact.

The hardest time for me is when it comes to culling mature stock. I have to conciously force myself to make the best decisions when it comes to selecting animals to be culled without letting emotional attachments effect my decisions. It is something I have always struggled with and still do at times even after 36 years of being involved with livestock.

Of course I have a couple of "pet" rabbits and chickens that I value for their "personalities" that I don't mind feeding whether they are productive or not.... And don't even get me started on the dogs and cat... I have one dog I am pretty sure I would take a bullet for if it came down to it.. Silly I know...

Hey Six............
Amen to the old stock having to be replaced. My two old does that built this
rabbitry finally began failing earlier this summer. I have NO CLUE how old
they were because they came to me as producing adults to begin with.

Old #C-01 had her last litter and went downhill drastically as she struggled
to raise her final litter of 8 kits. I honestly didn't think she'd survive after I
pulled the litter. She did, but was extremely slow in recovering. I knew her
time was at an end.

Her next door neighbor #C-02 had began slowing down last fall. Her litter
numbers began a rapid decline until her last litter had only One kit being born.
It was time to say good-bye to my old does. These two old bags are on
nearly every pedigree to some extent for every rabbit in the barn. But, as I
said, it was their time and there were up and coming young descendants
ready and willing to take their place. Their original cost to me was $10.00
a piece. Their eventual value was priceless.

Their legacy will live on as their offspring continue to carry on their spectacular ways. It's always tough to say good-bye to the great ones.
But, we must.

BTW: C-02's last kit was earmarked with a single tattoo dot in her ear, as
her mother helped raise a neighbors extra kits. I gave "Dot" to a young
lady just starting out with meat rabbits. Dot's first litter was 13 kits and she
raised every one of them. "The proof is in the pudding."

grumpy.

 

[hucklekree]

Thanks for all your perspective and input helps me refocus. I went and did another five tonight after dinner. It made it easier to keep my purpose in mind and not look at them as the cute little popples I had just watched grow for three months. Which is still so weird to me that I have this big of a problem seeing as I did grow up with meat animals and am doing this for all the reason you all and I have stated. So again thanks for stopping by and leaving your two cents it helped and was appreciated.

 

[Ramjet]

Enjoy them while you care for them .... Enjoy dinner.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Hucklekree, how many working does do you have? If you only have a litter or two growing out at one time, I can see it being harder when it comes time to butcher them.

When you are dealing with higher volume, with multiple litters in differing stages of development, it gets a lot easier. Killing rabbits still hasn't made it onto my "Top Ten Favorite Activities" list, and I tend to have a hard time actually starting... but once I am in the processing mode, it doesn't bother me.

I do still pet them for a bit before delivering the fatal blow. I could undoubtedly process them a lot faster without doing so, but it just feels better to give them a bit of affection first so they are relaxed and know that they were cared about.

What helps me the most to emotionally deal with it is knowing that they had a stress free life and were safe, well fed, kept clean, and provided with entertainment in the form of chew toys, balls, etc. Although their lives may be short, they are of the best quality I can provide.

 

[hucklekree]

We have seven working does and three bucks with 57 kits at the moment in various stages of development. Two more litters are imminently due. This is the first year we have really gotten serious about scheduleing and a routine with regards to breeding. The previous years in between moving twice and adding a child we were testing this rabbit business put as a way for me to replace my beloved sheep that I had to give up due to moving to smaller (albeit ours, finally) property. I will admit I never had problems sending sheep off even those that I bottle fed but it was such a different story as the butcher took care of it and I just sold enough to cover costs and recieved the rest cut and wrapped. Our cattle growong up was the same story.

And also off topic but I had such a market for lamb and mutton. Not to mention the hides and the wool (still have a ton of that!) But we can not seem to find a market for any rabbit products. I know a lot of it has to do with the fact that I dont have a butcher handy with certification to sell retail. But i thought maybe someone would be adventerous enough to buy live rabbit from us and take care of it at home. But no bites what so ever for anything. Rabbits are turning out to be far more expensive then any livestock I have raised. Even our horses ultimately had cost less. the barn was preexisting and we made our own hay for the winter and the horses had ten acres pastures.

Sorry long story!

 

[Ramjet]

And also off topic but I had such a market for lamb and mutton. Not to mention the hides and the wool (still have a ton of that!) But we can not seem to find a market for any rabbit products. I know a lot of it has to do with the fact that I don't have a butcher handy with certification to sell retail. But i thought maybe someone would be adventurous enough to buy live rabbit from us and take care of it at home. But no bites what so ever for anything. Rabbits are turning out to be far more expensive then any livestock I have raised. Even our horses ultimately had cost less. the barn was preexisting and we made our own hay for the winter and the horses had ten acres pastures.

Sorry long story!

Most people don't want to do the deed .... they want someone else to do it.

As a society we have gotten to a point where we are "far away" from our food supply , I wonder how many people would starve if the grocery store all the sudden closed its doors.

There are other avenues for profit in rabbits in selling to snake keepers or as pets.

I do pretty well selling my Rex as pets but I'm in a highly populated area with lots of potential customers. This will also depend heavily upon the breed you keep - Rex are a jack of all trades rabbit , reasonable meat producers , fantastic pelts and they come in pretty colors for the pet people. My original intent was meat & pelts. Later I found they sold well as pets which covers all my costs.

I haven't knowingly sold to snake keepers ... as I eat what doesn't get sold as pets or brood stock. They probably wouldn't pay the price I ask anyhow ($40+ a rabbit).

I know someone mentioned they sell the skulls & skeletons at one time ..... what people do with those is beyond me.

Gardeners cant get enough rabbit poop .... Might be a market in that if you advertise in the right places.

 

[hucklekree]

Gosh it feels good to have an actual keyboard to type at. I can't believe how frustrating a phone can be. No matter how hard I tried I made typos!

Anywho, I have thought of selling to the reptile market and wouldn't mind selling by-products. It's the selling for pet market that I personally have a breech of ethics. No judgment for anyone who does though. I prefer to not deal with the kind of people that the pet market brings around here and the consequences of subpar pet owners.

Another problem is that I also don't live in a very populated area and many people probably keep their own stock around here. Where as with the sheep we lived in dairy country and the surrounding pop was much more affluent.

And I suppose it is a bit hypocritical or shortsighted, what have you, to be surprised that others don't want to do the deed themselves when the whole reason I started this thread was because I was having a hard time with the butchering..

Aw well, I come from stubborn, resourceful and scrappy folk and don't plan on giving up quite yet.

Since having children, I've had to reorder how things get done and it's just a bit harder to devote much time to anything(advertising rabbits in particular) when I am willingly pulled in so many directions. With this I know I am not alone on here

 

[Zass]

If you can't find a market, consider creating a new one.
I was doing very well selling completely deboned and tanned pelts to taxidermy students and collectors for $35 each.
(I stopped because of too much demand, and because I didn't have a shop to devote just to tanning)

Also, my state allows the sale of rabbits by live weight, butchered as a free service.

Not sure for your state, but there might be a loophole somewhere to allow for the sale of meat.

Some will buy butchered rabbits for raw feeding or homemade dog and cat food.

Rabbits feet, oddly, can be hard to find now days. I get a lot of requests for them. The internet allows for some massive potential markets.

 

[Ramjet]

Anywho, I have thought of selling to the reptile market and wouldn't mind selling by-products. It's the selling for pet market that I personally have a breech of ethics. No judgment for anyone who does though. I prefer to not deal with the kind of people that the pet market brings around here and the consequences of subpar pet owners.

I had no intentions of selling any rabbits as pets and had significant reservations about selling to those "crazy pet people" too but so far .... I've not had any issues.
I do screen them some prior to meeting and have told a few they needed to find an animal elsewhere.

I also don't mention that I eat them .... what they don't know they cant start a ruckus over.

If you can't find a market, consider creating a new one.
I was doing very well selling completely deboned and tanned pelts to taxidermy students and collectors for $35 each.
(I stopped because of too much demand, and because I didn't have a shop to devote just to tanning)

Wow .... that's a pretty good deal - Eat the rabbit & make off the hide nearly what I get for a live rabbit.

Also, my state allows the sale of rabbits by live weight, butchered as a free service.

Not sure for your state, but there might be a loophole somewhere to allow for the sale of meat.

I'm sure you can get away with this in most places ... Obviously there is profit in it if you can find the demand for meat with the added benefit of retaining the hide.
Then again many don't want to see the animal or connect that meat they eat with an animal.

Some will buy butchered rabbits for raw feeding or homemade dog and cat food.

Rabbits feet, oddly, can be hard to find now days. I get a lot of requests for them. The internet allows for some massive potential markets.

I don't know of any breeders who feed raw but I'm certain there are many .... again , just a matter of finding customers & better than reptile breeders as you can retain the hides.


Rabbits feet .... Ebay! .... and get flamed by the PETA nuts! (not that it matters)
I've seen a rabbits foot for sale in ... ages. I may start processing those I butcher , just to see what happens.

I always wondered why a rabbits foot was suppose to be good luck , sure wasn't lucky for that rabbit.

You are right Zass .... If there isn't a market , create one. Rabbits have so many good traits that they are easy to profit from should that be your goal.