Slaughtering a rabbit for meat is one of the most difficult tasks even for experienced farmers. It is necessary not only to kill the animal as painlessly as possible, but also not to damage the valuable skin. To do this, you need to know a few secrets, as well as possess certain skills. Skill comes with experience. The main thing is not to be afraid of this procedure and to act confidently, following all the instructions.

Preparation for slaughter: age for slaughter

On the one hand, the meat of old rabbits is not very tasty, but on the other hand, if you kill an animal that is too young, there will be little meat. Therefore, it is very important to know when the right time for slaughter will come. It should be borne in mind that this period may shift, for example, due to animal disease. As a rule, very young rabbits are not slaughtered, as this is unprofitable. Of course, nursing and expectant rabbits are not subject to slaughter (unless, of course, they are sick with a dangerous intractable infection that threatens the entire livestock). If any disease is rapidly spreading among the animals, there should be no time with slaughter.

Preparation for slaughter

Note! The age at which rabbits are slaughtered depends on their rate of weight gain. If animals are gaining weight quickly, the usual period can be made a little earlier. And, conversely, if the animals are slowly gaining weight, there is no need to rush.

How long the rabbit grows before slaughter depends on the breed. Small and dwarf breeds gain weight faster than large ones.

With regard to age suitable for slaughter, the following must also be borne in mind:

  • If rabbits were born in winter, slaughter can be carried out when they are already 4-5 months old.
  • Animals born in summer are ready for slaughter around November, when the molting process is complete.
  • If the animals have been vaccinated (for example, against rabies), slaughtering will have to wait about a month, otherwise the meat may become infected with the bacteria of the disease from which the vaccination was carried out.
  • It makes no sense to kill animals that do not yet weigh 1.5 kg.

Note! The general health of the animals must also be considered.

Slaughter and butcher tools

Rabbit dandruff

For the murder and proper butchering, special tools are needed. These gadgets can be bought at farmer's stores or made at home with your own hands. The main thing is to make it convenient to cut or prick. For this, all blades and points must be well sharpened. All actions of the breeder must be quick. You can purchase tools not only of domestic but also foreign production, in this case the word "rabbit" will be written on the packaging with the equipment. Typically, industrial tools are accompanied by detailed instructions that tell you how to cut a rabbit using a specific device.

In order to easily deal with the rabbit and not deliver him death throes, the farmer will need:

  • Special spacer. On it, the carcass is hung upside down so that it is convenient to skin it.
  • A stick made of wood, round and dense in structure. They beat the animal on the head with this stick to kill without blood. But you need to beat accurately and hard, otherwise the animal will not die for a long time.
  • A sharp knife used by professional chefs in restaurants to cut meat and fish. The same chef's scissors will also work.
  • Plastic or iron bucket. It is placed under the carcass so that blood does not flow on the ground.
  • A plastic or enamel bowl for putting the offal into it.

All this must be prepared in advance so that the whole process does not take much time.

Rabbit Slaughter and Butcher Tools

Preparing the breeder for the killing procedure

Before killing a rabbit, the farmer should not be nervous and worried, because clarity and debugging of movements is required from him. One wrong move - and the carcass, along with the fur, will be spoiled, and the rabbit will suffer for a long time. If slaughtering rabbits causes fear, it is better to invite an experienced rabbit breeder who can easily cope with the task in a matter of minutes.

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To properly prepare for the event, you must also keep in mind the following:

  • The day before slaughter, animals are not fed so that they have no feces in their intestines at the time of death.
  • If the animals appear to be sick, a veterinarian should be called in for diagnosis. Meat of animals suffering from certain infections is strictly forbidden to eat, because it is dangerous to human health.
  • Before stabbing a rabbit, you need to make sure that there are no children nearby;
  • At the time of slaughter, it is also impossible for dogs to be nearby. The sight of blood can awaken the hunter's instinct in them, and the animal's behavior will become uncontrollable.

Note! It is better to wear dark clothes, blood is not so noticeable on it.

Methods of killing an animal

You need to kill in such a way that later there are no difficulties in the skinning process. Killing a smaller animal is not always easier than killing a large rabbit. It happens that a small animal is driven into a corner of the rabbitry, from where it is rather difficult to pull it out. In this regard, it is easier to catch a large animal.

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Also, before the rabbits are killed, they immediately prepare everything necessary for cutting and skinning.

The most popular methods of murder are:

  • Bloodless murder by hitting the head with a stick.
  • The rabbit's neck is folded like a chicken or a duck.
  • You can use a special industrial-made piercing pin-syringe.
  • You can also cut the artery with a sharp knife and wait for all the blood to drain from the carcass.

Important! The easiest and most humane method is the first option.

Methods of killing an animal

Skinning an animal carcass

A real farmer should know not only how to slaughter a rabbit at home, but also how to correctly separate the carcass from the skin. If skinned properly, both the rabbit fur and the carcass will look attractive. This is especially important for those who sell rabbit products such as skins and cut rabbit meat. Skinning is the most important stage in the primary processing of dead carcasses.

Before skinning a rabbit, you need to make sure that the animal is already completely dead; when an inexperienced farmer takes on the murder, the animal often dies in painful convulsions, and the contractions of the heart and muscles continue for quite some time.

Skinning is as follows:

  1. The carcass is placed on the spacer vertically upside down.
  2. An incision is made in the skin.
  3. The skin is removed with a "stocking".
  4. The tail and ears are cut off.

Important! You can start skinning only after all the blood has left the animal.

Carcass cutting

Having cut the carcass, it is necessary to divide it into parts: for cooking (frying, stewing, boiling) in the near future and for preparation for future use. It is advisable to butcher the rabbit as early as possible so that a lot of time has not passed since the moment of killing. Before slaughtering rabbits, it would be a good idea to roughly calculate the total weight of the meat you will end up with in order to know how to distribute it.

Before butchering a rabbit, you need to roll up your sleeves so that they do not interfere with the work process and so as not to stain your clothes.

Butchering a skinned carcass can be done in the same way as a chicken or other poultry carcass. Rabbit meat keeps well in the freezer for quite a long time.You can also prepare canned rabbit meat using your home autoclave.

Carcass cutting

What to do with skins and where to put them

You should think not only about how to kill the rabbit, but also about how to deal with the skin. The skins of killed animals can be handed over to special organizations that buy this type of product from farmers. Usually in these companies skins are massively bought for further processing at rather low prices. You can make skins yourself, but for this, the house must have all the necessary equipment.

Note! A furrier at home is a constant unpleasant smell and a risk of allergies in children and adults. Rabbit skins, especially if the animal has been improperly skinned, can retain a bad smell for a long time. In addition, recently rabbit products have not been as popular as faux fur clothing. Therefore, it is best to conclude a contract with a private trader who is engaged in the manufacture of fur products, and sell the skins to him.

The skin is processed as follows:

  1. Suspended in a vertical position.
  2. Removes traces of muscle and fat from the surface.
  3. For conservation, the skin is pulled onto a special device of two slats with a bridge in the middle.
  4. Put away in a place that is well ventilated.

During processing, do not bend the edges of the skin, otherwise it will become unusable.

When slaughtering rabbits and cutting them, the most important thing is accuracy and precision. Then the animal will die without suffering, the valuable skin will retain its presentation, and the carcass will look as attractive as possible for a potential consumer. If you have any difficulties, you should consult with experienced rabbit breeders.