Rabbit meat and fur, step by step
Interactive lesson: when to harvest, getting ready, dressing and inspecting the carcass, chilling, jointing, the freezer, pelts and waste.
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The whole lesson as text
1. When to harvest
Rabbits are harvested regularly, every month or two, not all at once in autumn.
- Age of the growers — Medium-breed growers are harvested at 10–14 weeks. On hay and greens they grow more slowly, so they go to 16 weeks.
- The scales decide — Live weight at harvest is 2.3–2.8 kg (5–6 lb). Weigh the litter every week; the carcass is roughly 55 % of live weight.
- Not too long on growing — Youngsters don't stay in the hutch longer than 14–16 weeks, apart from those you keep for pelts or breeding. Bucks start fighting after 3½–4 months.
- Withdrawal period first — If the growers had pellets with a coccidiostat or any medicine, check the withdrawal period and write it down. No killing before it is over.
Why: One 12-week-old grower gives roughly 1.3 kg (2¾ lb) of carcass, just right for a meal for a family of four. Growers kept on too long eat more and more feed per kilo of meat, and the meat is no better.
- When the youngsters stop gaining 25–30 g a day or reach 2.5 kg, it's time to harvest. Growth after that is expensive.
- A family needs about 1.5 growers a month, which 2 does provide.
2. Preparing for slaughter
Good preparation means less stress for the rabbit and clean meat for you.
- No pellets the evening before — No pellets for 8–12 hours before slaughter, so from the evening before. Water and a little hay stay until morning.
- Catch calmly — No chasing round the hutch. Carry the rabbit against your body, never by the ears.
- The cool part of the day — Kill in the morning, before the heat and the flies. In summer, keep cold water and ice to hand.
- Tools and records — A sharp short-bladed knife, a hook, buckets with lids, clean cloths and gloves. In the records, note which rabbit, how heavy, and that the withdrawal period is over.
Why: A full stomach and gut make dressing harder, and stress spoils the meat. A clean place, a sharp knife and cold water to hand mean you work quickly and without flies.
- The day before, clear the fridge or cold room for the carcasses and get bags, labels and a marker pen ready.
- Don't kill in front of children who don't want to see it, or in front of other rabbits.
3. The kill and dressing · Locked
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4. Inspecting the carcass and organs · Locked
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5. Chilling and storing · Locked
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6. Pelts and waste · Locked
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