Bunnilicious Stud

Faye · **Posted:** Sun Oct 02, 2011 9:52 pm

They have to be cuddled and loved so that don't stratch you to bits when the time comes, you know :sad2:

Faye · **Posted:** Sat Oct 22, 2011 12:13 am

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Well the time came and the rabbits have been processed :thumb:

We were very pleased with the weights of the rabbits and surprised. 6 out of 7 weighed above 1kg and one was around 900g, the first weighed was 1246 grams, another over 1300 grams, that was Peters take home treat. Joel, Peter and I (respectfully) processed them in about 1 hour.
We have another 5 healthy sized rabbits coming along that will be processed before Christmas. I think it is fair to say that we have learned a lot and I must say that I have enjoyed the process gratly, thanks to Deb and Mac for getting us started. :thunbs:

bushy · **Posted:** Sat Oct 22, 2011 10:03 am

Excellant.....this is going to be my long term project...growing bunnies to eat !!

TheNative · **Posted:** Sat Oct 22, 2011 4:11 pm

Wow, that's awesome. Thank you for posting your bunny experience. I have wanted to raise rabbits for a long time, but my wife would never eat them. My mom on the other hand is not so squeamish; I might raise some with her.

Is it okay to eat them sequentially rather than one big cull? I would probably only be able to eat 1 per week (?), might as well leave them alive and eat them fresh.

Peasants · **Posted:** Sat Oct 22, 2011 6:14 pm

Good job Faye :thunbs:

I bet you are relieved to get that first experience done!

TheNative, there is nothing to stop you doing one a week, except that it is less economically viable. After about 12 weeks/1kg, they tend to put on more fat rather than meat. Plus a 1kg rabbit is really big enough for a good meal for a family.

We do ours always at 12 weeks and then put them in the freezer for rabbit dinners when we feel like it all year round.

Faye · **Posted:** Sat Oct 22, 2011 7:50 pm

bushy wrote:

Excellant.....this is going to be my long term project...growing bunnies to eat !!

Raising rabbits for the table is short term Bushy. 31 days from conception and then 12 weeks to the freezer. I reckon the second batch of 5 will probably outweigh last nights harvest as they were born bigger and no losses.
I think the mindset preparation and approach from the outset (getgo) made last night doable.
Eddy (dear husband) and children would not have a bar of it and think I am mean and cruel, as do many other people. It is not for everyone but our approach was much like the fish relationship and we know that they are well cared for and humanely dealt with. After all we do eat meat. My advice for people thinking about this sort of thing is to be careful who you share the concept with and keep it away from those who are clearly not interested.
Joel managed to dress or should I say undress the last one in 2 minutes :whip:

I think that summer is a good time to rest them as feed is not so abundant in our summer and keeping them cool will be a bit more of a challenge. Mosquitoes could be more of a problem and the heat over the xmas period and summer can be fierce. Reducing the workload over summer will give us a chance to recharge the batteries and start up again around autumn, when I would like to get a little pig :shock:

oops did I say that out aloud!

bushy · **Posted:** Sat Oct 22, 2011 9:30 pm

Yes, I have lots to learn b4 I take it on [dressing side is ok, been there done that] was interesting what Peasants said about the 18% protein, I was sort of hoping to feed the waste vegies, maybe grow some green legumes for them and some home grown cracked corn or similar.

Better do my homework......hulloooo Mr Google...

Too late, I heard ya Faye....hehe, I want to get one or two sows of a rare breed, prolly Berkshires.
In another lifetime I used to own a 110 sow piggery.

TheNative · **Posted:** Sun Oct 23, 2011 2:28 am

Are there smaller pig varieties that can be grown in a suburban backyard? How much space does a pig require?

Yeah the cute and cuddly thing is an issue with rabbits. Many people start out with the idea to eat them but never do. Or they would never sell you their pet rabbit if they knew you were going to eat it.

I don't have a problem with it, even if they had names. What can I say, I am just a cruel and heartless meat eater. I was taught that it is your responsibility to put down a sick, injured, suffering, or harvest sized animal.

When I lived with my friend on his 2.5 acre farm, he had the butcher come out to take the cows. The cows left the farm dead because my friend wouldn't let the butcher kill his cows. That was his responsibility.

Faye · **Posted:** Sun Oct 23, 2011 4:06 pm

TheNative wrote:

Are there smaller pig varieties that can be grown in a suburban backyard? How much space does a pig require?

There is such thing as a tea cup pig which I am trying to track down a bit more information on. When I find out more I will keep you posted, Christmas is not too far away :wink:

earthbound · **Posted:** Mon Oct 24, 2011 7:42 pm

What do they taste like Faye? :thumb:

earthbound · **Posted:** Mon Oct 24, 2011 8:08 pm

The processing of the rabbits wasn't so bad, took a little bit to get the hang of it and there were a couple of things we need practice at. Firstly the rabbit hanging board (i would have taken a picture but it looks like someone has put it away somewhere), you have to get the angle right when you pull the back legs, and don't pull so hard that the head comes right off.. :blush:

Then I think we should have bled each one as we dispatched them rather than dispatching the whole lot, then head off / cleaning / skinning, there wasn't a lot of blood then... Another tip we picked up pretty quickly, be careful when removing the bladder, don't squeeze. And the the intestine might look like a lovely string of brown pearls, but it's not...

haznoshadow · **Posted:** Wed Nov 02, 2011 6:35 pm

Hi Faye n Joel well done on your first harvest of tasty bunnies. I have been so busy with work have not been able to post any helpful advice of late. Joel i use 2x S shape meat hooks through the back legs of bunny between the achiles tendon and the bone to hold them up and it makes it so easy to remove their fur coat. (heaps of stuff on you tube to watch mate) I see you mentioned the bladder being a little interesting to remove without spillage?! another advantage of hanging them upside down is gravity takes all the hard work out of removal of innards and helps to drain much of the blood. I have a few good recipes that i will post as soon as i get 5 mins to spare

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