How many hours, 12? 24? do you have your rabbits go without food and drink before dispatching? Is it even necessary?
Thanks!
Kelley
Thanks!
Kelley
So, if I have an unexpected opportunity to process one or two rabbits, it's OK to process even if they have eaten and drank that day?Overnight was usually what I would do. It is very helpful to have the bladder less full, because you have to deal with trying to get that outta there, and when full, that can be a mess. Basically, it is just nicer to gut them with less in their systems! I haven't been keeping them off feed and water lately, but I prefer to do that whenever possible.
And, it’s the wild game factor that has actually caused me to question. Truthfully, I’m not so sure I will withdraw food and drink moving forward. Even criminals on death row receive a last meal and adequate hydration. I do know, however, one reason to withdraw is to increase the live weight to dressed weight ratio. I think if I were a commercial establishment trying to sell the meat, then that would be a deciding factor so that live weight is not inflated by a belly full of food and a bladder full of water. But, I am raising and processing for family and friends, thus no need to have high percentage dressed weight.I believe so; I have never heard anything that suggests another reason for the overnight withdrawal of feed and water other than making it easier. And there is definitely no withdrawal when you hunt and gut wild game.
I leave the fluffy tail and genitals on when I skin, then I open the abdomen from the sternum UP (carcas is hanging) to the pelvic girdle, keeping my fingertips behind my blade inside the abdominal wall, which exposes the bladder and ureters, colon, and etc. Then I carefully score the pelvic bone on the front, and sever the spine at the base of the tail. Then I place my thumbs on either side of the score I made and bend the pelvis backward, which cracks it open easily right along the score I made. I follow that by cutting away the tiny muscles within the pelvic channel that are obscuring the intestines, etc--keep your blade scraping along the inside of the pelvic channel along the bone to free all the tissue without nicking anything messy.Just curious- how do you all remove the bladder and tail end area?
I have been saving the livers for my dog recently, so I should give that some tries (although, he doesn't seem to like them raw. I may have to start him out on slightly cooked ones to get him to like them?).
Alright! Maybe I can get him going with them after-all. Thanks for the tips!Yup, I've seen that a lot -- where dogs are a bit standoffish to livers. A light sear on either side where the center is still raw is a common technique to get dogs to like them. I grind it up 1:1 with a protein I know the dog likes so it is just appealing enough to the dog and still tastes like the liver so it'll be more inclined to try straight liver next time.
Oh man. No way I would relinquish the liver to a dog, no matter how much I loved him. The liver is literally the best ever in my opinion. Both the best type of liver, and best part of the rabbit. I like rabbit and I raise them for meat for me, but after a break from rabbits, it was the memory of the livers that convinced me to build a rack, and stock rabbits again.
Enter your email address to join: