need advice on bopping

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katiebear

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I have dispatched 7 rabbits with bopping so far. 2 this morning.
still not getting a clean dispatch, and end up having to cut the jugular...not on all but one or two I don't like that...
I am striking across the forehead using a rounded oak chair leg.
Grumpy has said he switched to doing it on his lap...this isn't practical for me as my lap is not wide enough....Any advice or tips? I am getting frustrated......Thank you in advance.
 
Make sure that they are on a really solid surface. I am lucky to have a short length of a beam that is probably about 5"-6" thick and place them on that. One time I tried bopping them on a plastic folding table, and found that it had too much "give".

I still occasionally have a rabbit that is not quite dead so I just whack them again, but I have also cut the jugular; there was a study done (in Sweden, I think... or maybe Switzerland...) on the Halal method of slaughter (wherein the jugular is cut on a fully aware animal) versus those that are stunned prior.

They placed electrodes in the pain centers of calve's brains and found that in the stunned animals there was no firing of the neurons, as opposed to the Halal method where the pain center was active the entire time until death.

Thus, I am pretty confident that the rabbits are past the point of feeling pain when they have been well stunned. I just make sure to cut swiftly, so always have my knife in easy reach.
 
I set them on the floor in the shop on a piece of carpet. Draw an imaginary line from the right ear to the left eye and left ear to the right eye. X marks the spot to aim for. You may be hitting the thick part of the skull to far forward.

I use a piece of 1" schedule 80 pipe and don't swing very hard at all. If I swing to hard they bleed from the ears and/or mouth. Hang them up and cut their throat (to bleed them out) all in just a few seconds.
 
the way I used to do it is hang them by their feet, wait until they are relaxed and then make sure their ears are forward and bob them behind the ears. The way I was doing it made the blood come out the nose and ears - so no need for bleeding.

there is a video on youtube. you can look there.
 
Blunt force trauma on the forehead will only stun the animals and they must be bled out before they awake up.

Whacking the back of the head/base of neck often damages the medulla oblongata which automatically controls heart and lung function and so bleeding out is often not necessary, but is recommended just in case.

Cervical dislocation causes paralysis which also stops the heart and lungs
 
you can also invest in a airgun if bopping is too uncomfortable for you.

though I have found that the same rules as bopping apply. Make sure you place the pellet behind the ears and not the forehead.
 
Thank you all..I do bleed them out but I was wanting to have them completely out or better yet dead before cutting. I like the forehead because I get no bruised meat. The home made wringer is not very good and I loose alot of meat. All my culls last season were done with the wringer...
I believe that you are hitting a good point in that my surface is not hard enough. I will try on the floor tomorrow when I do the last three from that litter. I may also be making contact to low. I will be more careful about that.
I thought I'd read that blunt force was enough to cause death..thank you for correcting my thinking on that.
Still thinking about a bolt gun but I am processing at 5pounds or more...not my choice...I prefer right at or just under 5..the one I can afford states up to 4.5..there is a thread on it and I along with others are anxiously awaiting test results...
 
I sell cervical dislocation tools, PM me interested. I find it less traumatic for both parties. It takes out a lot of the error.
 
Well..T.T....I am interested I saw your work and it is clearly professional and beautiful..Problem is husband..he built a "wringer " out of an old bike frame...basically cut out a section that comes to a v...ya know right under the seat...left on a three inch pipe where the seat would go,turned it over...and well...(you can quit laughing)....he thinks it's pretty slick. It bruises the heck out of the shoulders...he won't spend any money on me or my "hobby". Even though I am putting meat on the table. :evil:
So bopping is free and I am doing the processing by myself..so I am just trying to find a good method.
Sorry folks didn't want to rant..
 
Grumpy has pointed out before that cervical dislocation doesn't always stop the heart. I think it's cut off from it regular "orders" but it can still reflexively beat for a time.
 
Zass":1yuqbdbk said:
Grumpy has pointed out before that cervical dislocation doesn't always stop the heart. I think it's cut off from it regular "orders" but it can still reflexively beat for a time.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't that be a good thing since it will help pump out the remaining blood?
 
cmfarm":1elnpils said:
Zass":1elnpils said:
Grumpy has pointed out before that cervical dislocation doesn't always stop the heart. I think it's cut off from it regular "orders" but it can still reflexively beat for a time.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't that be a good thing since it will help pump out the remaining blood?
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's not any kind of problem. Even if you don't cut the throat, blood usually pools into the neck cavity.
 
cmfarm":14hxo4fm said:
Grumpy has pointed out before that cervical dislocation doesn't always stop the heart.
Click to expand...

I have seen the heart still pumping when I gut rabbits- head, skin, and feet already removed- so they are definitely dead at that point. The heart just doesn't realize it yet. ;)

cmfarm":14hxo4fm said:
Wouldn't that be a good thing since it will help pump out the remaining blood?
Click to expand...

Yes, I think so. I'm sure that's why animals are bled out immediately after being killed- to take advantage of the last beats of the heart.
 
Processed the last three this morning. I tried to do it on the floor....when I caught the rabbit I moved the carpet to the workbench.. :p hubby cut me a length of gas pipe..it worked out well.
Lots of blood though. .I am not used to the flow from the nose and ears being so strong..... I figure that's good though because it is not pooling in the shoulders.The death throws seemed a bit strong as well.How should one restrain the body?Homer said he just hung his but there was a lot of jerking .It seems that would be a bit messy.
Thank you all for the support and advice..
 
Glad you had success! I still can't picture what bopping is exactly. Someone mentioned a video, but I can only find cute little bunnies "bopping" around the gardens! :lol:
 
I started off with the cervical dislocation method but found even with a bleed out there was still a lot of blood in the shoulders and neck meat. I moved on to bopping, using a tapping block for installing click flooring, and was happy with the lack of blood. Although I had a few that took a couple swings, most got knocked out and bled out with a jugular cut first try.
My method is to hold them by their back legs with their faces tucked into the crook of my other elbow. Then, standing, I move them down around my knees and expose them to the daylight. This seems to disorient them for the second it takes to bop 'em. Then jugular cut, then bacon wrapped deliciousness.

matt
 

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