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We finally got our first litter of kits done today. 6 rabbits. Definitely not easy , but we didn't expect it to be. Shaygetz forbids the kids to name the kits any more. Understandably, he didn't like it when I mentioned the rabbit's name.
We considered not doing them all at the same time, but today (Tuesday) was Shaygetz's last day before he starts his new job, and we just wanted to get it all done and over with. They were already 21 weeks old, because we moved when they were 10 weeks old, and then needed to get a rabbitry and other stuff built before Shaygetz found a job. So the rabbits waited.
We put each bun in a box with a bunch of spinach and a carrot. Shaygetz put the pellet gun at the base of the skull between the ears, and waited for the rabbit to move its head to the right angle, then he shot. No screams, thank goodness. We had read about the nervous system responses, but weren't prepared for just how strong they could be. One of the rabbits just about opened my arm up after it was dead (I touched the eye to make sure). Some lasted longer than others, and some got stronger after decapitation. :shock: It really was very difficult to watch them seize... the only consolation was that the lights were already out (please... I hope they really were! ). I removed them from the box as soon as they were shot, so they wouldn't bleed in the box. I waited for the seizing to stop, and then moved them to where Shaygetz could decapitate them. I then hung them upside-down over a bucket, from twine loops I tied to an iron outdoor chair. After they bled out, I laid them in a box. When they were all done, we took them inside to finish processing (it's hot and the mosquitoes are horrible).
Needless to say, the skins were difficult to remove at this point. Especially on the legs, the skin tried to take the meat with it. We will certainly try not to let them go that long again.
Even though the rabbits looked somewhat slim, there was a good bit of fat around the kidneys. The kidneys, hearts, and livers were all beautiful, though... I couldn't believe the flawlessness of the livers. The gallbladders were difficult to find on the livers at first, but I was able to get them all. We almost missed the chest cavity, it's so far up and so small, and the diaphragm hides it. Shaygetz had to pull his first rabbit back out of the ice water when he realized he may have missed it.
We ruptured the stomachs of a couple of them by accident, and that was the only time we really had any unpleasant smell... since they were full of cecotropes. :x I had fed them pretty lightly last night, but those stomachs were FULL! I'll adjust next time.
The pellet gun (750fps) basically just made a thump sound from what I remember. Very unobtrusive, even outside in the yard of a city neighborhood like this. We did find we need better shears.
The rabbits are in the refrigerator for three days to let them soften back up before freezing. The giblets are cleaned and frozen already. What do you do with kidneys? What do they taste like and what sort of texture do they have? I have never eaten one.
The kids took it well; thankfully, they have known this day was coming from the beginning. Bunny-Wan Kenobi already asked when we are eating rabbit, and his sister Ilovebunnies did too, just much later.
As Garnetmoth said, we are privileged to be able to raise some of our own meat. It was a sad day, and a difficult one, but it was a good one.
We considered not doing them all at the same time, but today (Tuesday) was Shaygetz's last day before he starts his new job, and we just wanted to get it all done and over with. They were already 21 weeks old, because we moved when they were 10 weeks old, and then needed to get a rabbitry and other stuff built before Shaygetz found a job. So the rabbits waited.
We put each bun in a box with a bunch of spinach and a carrot. Shaygetz put the pellet gun at the base of the skull between the ears, and waited for the rabbit to move its head to the right angle, then he shot. No screams, thank goodness. We had read about the nervous system responses, but weren't prepared for just how strong they could be. One of the rabbits just about opened my arm up after it was dead (I touched the eye to make sure). Some lasted longer than others, and some got stronger after decapitation. :shock: It really was very difficult to watch them seize... the only consolation was that the lights were already out (please... I hope they really were! ). I removed them from the box as soon as they were shot, so they wouldn't bleed in the box. I waited for the seizing to stop, and then moved them to where Shaygetz could decapitate them. I then hung them upside-down over a bucket, from twine loops I tied to an iron outdoor chair. After they bled out, I laid them in a box. When they were all done, we took them inside to finish processing (it's hot and the mosquitoes are horrible).
Needless to say, the skins were difficult to remove at this point. Especially on the legs, the skin tried to take the meat with it. We will certainly try not to let them go that long again.
Even though the rabbits looked somewhat slim, there was a good bit of fat around the kidneys. The kidneys, hearts, and livers were all beautiful, though... I couldn't believe the flawlessness of the livers. The gallbladders were difficult to find on the livers at first, but I was able to get them all. We almost missed the chest cavity, it's so far up and so small, and the diaphragm hides it. Shaygetz had to pull his first rabbit back out of the ice water when he realized he may have missed it.
We ruptured the stomachs of a couple of them by accident, and that was the only time we really had any unpleasant smell... since they were full of cecotropes. :x I had fed them pretty lightly last night, but those stomachs were FULL! I'll adjust next time.
The pellet gun (750fps) basically just made a thump sound from what I remember. Very unobtrusive, even outside in the yard of a city neighborhood like this. We did find we need better shears.
The rabbits are in the refrigerator for three days to let them soften back up before freezing. The giblets are cleaned and frozen already. What do you do with kidneys? What do they taste like and what sort of texture do they have? I have never eaten one.
The kids took it well; thankfully, they have known this day was coming from the beginning. Bunny-Wan Kenobi already asked when we are eating rabbit, and his sister Ilovebunnies did too, just much later.
As Garnetmoth said, we are privileged to be able to raise some of our own meat. It was a sad day, and a difficult one, but it was a good one.