# Processed my first rabbit today!



## DianeS (Dec 5, 2010)

I am just starting into the world of meat rabbits. I bought three rabbits through a Craigslist ad on Friday. Two NZ reds, and one black Rex. The Rex was considerably smaller than the NZs, would scratch and kick when handled at all, and had an infected cut over his eye. 

I intended to treat the eye, but it needed eye drops and it was simply not possible to hold him still to administer them. After just two days the infection had progressed to the eye itself. I decided to cull him, and process him for eating before the infection spread any further and made it unwise to eat the meat.

So that's what I did today. It was emotionally easier, but physically harder, than I expected. He managed to give me sets of parallel claw marks on both hands just carrying him away from his cage. 

I used the "rabbit wringer" method, but with a tree on my property that has two branches with just the right shape and spaced just exactly the right distance from each other. The videos made it look so easy, but this was a tough old coot! I really had to PULL HARD to make it work, but I think I did it quickly enough. And then my sharpest sharp knife wouldn't go through his skin well, so he bled out fairly poorly. 

Skinning him took a pair of scissors to separate the skin from the meat. So much for just using my fingers! And one leg was so solid I had to get bolt cutters to cut through it - the kitchen shears weren't enough. 

It took 1.5 hours to go from cage to fridge. A horrendously long time. 

He's soaking in brine water in the fridge right now. I don't know if that's recommended for rabbits, but I figured it wouldn't hurt. As hard as he was to process, I figure he is possibly going to be very tough and I hope to avoid that. I have the pelt in the freezer, I intend to try tanning it at a later date. 

He'll be Tuesday night's dinner. I hope he's yummy! It'll be my first time cooking rabbit, too.


----------



## CrimsonRose (Dec 6, 2010)

woot!  congrats on the success! 

As for how hard it was that's because he's an older rabbit... the videos you seen were with younger rabbits at processing age (about 10-12 weeks) 

Since he is older he may be a tad stringy or even a tad tough so the soak won't hurt and maybe even prepare him by slow cooking instead of frying... but he still should be plenty yummy!


----------



## collector (Dec 6, 2010)

WOW, you are not wasting anytime slowly getting your feet wet with meat rabbits, you just did a huge cannon ball LOL. congrats I have butchered many different kinds of animals not a rabbit yet though,. plus like the previous poster said the older animals are more grown into their skin so it comes off harder. congrats on a succesful harvest.


----------



## DianeS (Dec 7, 2010)

Well, we ate the rabbit tonight!

I cooked him in sauteed onions, garlic, carrots, and seasoned beef broth until everything was rather carmelized. DELICIOUS!

A bit tough and chewy, but I'm blaming that on his age.  Definately a recipe I'd try again, with a younger rabbit. 

I was surprised by just how much meat there was on that rabbit! I guess the bones just weren't exactly where I expected them to be, and that left more room for meat. Pretty cool.


----------



## aggieterpkatie (Dec 8, 2010)

Great job! I'm dying to get some meat rabbits....just have to wait until I can save up some money to get the set up going.


----------



## Hooligan Farm (Dec 8, 2010)

DianeS said:
			
		

> Well, we ate the rabbit tonight!
> 
> I cooked him in sauteed onions, garlic, carrots, and seasoned beef broth until everything was rather carmelized. DELICIOUS!
> 
> ...


Do you know roughly how much it weighed?


----------



## DianeS (Dec 8, 2010)

Good question, I did not weigh him. I know he filled the large frying pan full of pieces (some with bone still in, like the legs) even fuller than a chicken does. 

I have maybe 2/3s of him left for tonight's dinner. I'm curious now myself, so I'll take out one of each piece and weigh that "half" of him, and let you know.


----------



## Royd Wood (Dec 8, 2010)

Wish I was tucking into a rabbit supper - sounds great and glad you enjoyed it.
When I was a wee lad  we used to pick em up by the back legs and a sharp wack at the back of the ears did the trick. Is this the wrong way or just cruel ???


----------



## Hooligan Farm (Dec 8, 2010)

Royd Wood said:
			
		

> Wish I was tucking into a rabbit supper - sounds great and glad you enjoyed it.
> When I was a wee lad  we used to pick em up by the back legs and a sharp wack at the back of the ears did the trick. Is this the wrong way or just cruel ???


Surprisingly now a days that is considered one of the humane ways to the deed. I'm thinking of investing in a pellet gun


----------



## Hooligan Farm (Dec 8, 2010)

DianeS said:
			
		

> Good question, I did not weigh him. I know he filled the large frying pan full of pieces (some with bone still in, like the legs) even fuller than a chicken does.
> 
> I have maybe 2/3s of him left for tonight's dinner. I'm curious now myself, so I'll take out one of each piece and weigh that "half" of him, and let you know.


I'm just trying to see what everybody else's are weighing in at to see how mine compare. I'm just starting out and waiting on my second litter to be born and my first litter is only 3 weeks old so I haven't done the deed yet.


----------



## DianeS (Dec 8, 2010)

Well, I weighed half the cooked rabbit, and it weighed 2 lbs. And the uncooked spine that I'm using to make broth weighed almost 1 lb. So that adds up to just under 5 pounds of rabbit meat and usable bones. Not bad at all!

When I picked the rabbit up from the cage, I guessed he weighed around 10-12 lbs. 

Hope that helps!


----------



## DianeS (Dec 8, 2010)

Royd Wood said:
			
		

> Wish I was tucking into a rabbit supper - sounds great and glad you enjoyed it.
> When I was a wee lad  we used to pick em up by the back legs and a sharp wack at the back of the ears did the trick. Is this the wrong way or just cruel ???


I thought about that, but what if I missed by just a bit? I don't think its cruel at all, just takes good aim.


----------

