What should I use to kill my rabbits???

[DKRabbitry]

Hello all... Hard to decide where to post this because this question pops up so very much...
anyways, they were talking about this on the meatrabbits forum I am a member of so I thought I would cross-post with you all in case their are some newer people who have never heard of them..
The Rabbit Wringer and the Rabbit Zinger are both supposedly excellent, super easy devices used for dispatching rabbits... http://www.therabbitwringer.com/index.html

 

[Citylife]

I have been using the wringer for a few months now. I am an average build middle age woman with a lower back injury. Today, I got to find out I am very glad I have Florida White rabbits. I had to cull out two adults today and realized they are a bit harder to dispatch then the 10-12 week old ones. Bones are stronger and they have larger muscles. I was not sure I would have the umf to get the job done (so to speak). The younger ones are definately easier and I have had no problems. Today, is the first time I questioned the technique as I was not expecting that. I am greatful that I am quick to realize and got it done fast anyway.
So, for my situation the smaller rabbits work out in a few different ways. And the wringer works well for me with the younger stock.
Hope this helps someone when they are doing the deed.

 

[AZ Rabbits]

With the rabbit wringer, be sure to have it installed fairly low, like at chest or stomach level. Have the rabbit facing the wall, away from you. Slide in the neck, lift the legs so the are almost the same height as the wringer, pull with a small jerk (you'll have to experience it to get the right feeling). The neck will completely separate from the head with just the skin keeping them connected. It kills the rabbit instantly.

Some like to pull straight down, but it's not as efficient and you can break their legs in the process. It takes more strength and isn't recommended. The method I mentioned above is the best I've found. The idea is to dispatch as quickly as possible with as little discomfort for the rabbit as possible.

As a side note, use caution when dispatching both full grown and young rabbits. When going from one to the other during the same session, make sure you compensate your strength. I went from a full grown to a young one and completely separated the head. It's a mess and not a pleasant experience. Culling is never a fun thing, but is the purpose of raising them for meat.

 

[justin]

We use blunt force trauma with a pipe, hold them down firm and wack.

This is considered a legally human method.

I have always held them by there back legs and used a karate chop style blow right behind the ears, rarely do I have to hit them twice. A guy I work with said he uses a pipe and after haveing to hit a rabbit twice a while back I decided to try it. Unfortunatly I hit it to high and shattered its shoulder blades. It was a very painfully death and harder to clean up. Since there have only been two rabbits that my usual methods of karate chop didn't kill with one blow I went back to that and have no intention of ever trying anything else again.

 

[oneacrefarm]

We use blunt force trauma with a pipe, hold them down firm and wack.

This is considered a legally human method.

I have always held them by there back legs and used a karate chop style blow right behind the ears, rarely do I have to hit them twice. A guy I work with said he uses a pipe and after haveing to hit a rabbit twice a while back I decided to try it. Unfortunatly I hit it to high and shattered its shoulder blades. It was a very painfully death and harder to clean up. Since there have only been two rabbits that my usual methods of karate chop didn't kill with one blow I went back to that and have no intention of ever trying anything else again.

My hubs does it this way too, and it works well. I have the Wringer for myself, since I don't have the upper body strength for the "karate chop".

 

[SuburbanFarmChic]

I use the variation of the broomstick method, called the tpost method. I find that the heavier post helps hold the rabbit in position while I'm getting a good hold on it.

 

[oneacrefarm]

Here is my new processing area....

 

[lorihadams]

We use a forked stick to pin the rabbit's neck to the ground and use a .22 short shot deringer to the back of the head, just below the ears. Shoot forward towards the middle of the eyes. Quick, easy, no do-overs.

 

[smiles-n-sunshine]

I'd say it's less important to find "the best method", than it is to find "the best method FOR YOU", and always try to improve your performance.

Personally, I kill rabbits by first stunning them by striking the back of the head with an 18" piece of rebar with grip tape for a handle. Then I pierce the jugular vein with a double-edged sticking knife, and hold it by its back legs to bleed out. This is similar (minus the stunning) to how I kill poultry, so it just seems natural for me.

Bryan

 

[Wabbit Wancher]

WARNING: KILLING AND BUTCHERING TECHNIQUES GRAPHICALLY EXPLAINED: First and foremost, please calm your rabbit. If one cradles the rabbit on it's back, then the rabbit is stroked calmly starting at the between the ears then slowly down to the nose, the rabbit will almost go limp and groggy or almost asleep. Once the rabbit is completely calm, I gently slip it's limp head into the the Rabbit Wringer that is installed inside the wall of my barn and pull. There is some shaking that is purely neurological and I feel the most humane method to use. The Rabbit Wringer hanging apparatus is installed next to the Wringer. I place a plastic garbage bag behind the apparatus with strong duct tape over a clean garbage bag. I move the dead rabbit from the Wringer to the hanging apparatus and put its feet in the slots, then bleed it, cut off the head-you really don't see this much as it is in the bag, cut around the feet and invert and unzip the pelt. From there, the stomach is slit and the innards fall directly into the bag. I retrieve the heart and kidneys for dog food and the liver for pate (be careful to remove the little green gall bladder without breaking it or you will foul the entire liver with bitterness). The feet are severed and the carcass is dropped into a large pan of salt water and soaked for a day.