Want to know how to butcher a rabbit humanely? Whether you're raising them for food or planning to go off the grid, it's an important skill any homesteader who is keen on harvesting their own protein should know.
— This post is courtesy of SurvivalLife.com and shared with permission —
Homesteading Skill: How to Butcher a Rabbit Humanely
In my last article, I wrote about the costs and benefits of raising rabbits for food. I went over the cages, food, separation of male and female, breeding, babies and use for rabbit poop. Now it is time to discuss how to take that cute cuddly rabbit and turn it into a meal. Follow these steps, and you'll know how to butcher a rabbit in no time:
- Preparation
- Leading up to the kill
- How to kill a rabbit
- Removing the skins
- Removing the insides
- Getting ready to cook
- What to do with the spare parts
1. Preparation
Before learning how to butcher a rabbit, you need to prepare your supplies. I need to make sure I have three knives sharpened. This is out of convenience rather than necessity. I need two large bowls and one trash bag. Since I hang my rabbits upside down, I also need my ropes to be ready.
2. Leading Up to the Kill
First, I make sure that my dog is in her kennel. She will go nuts if she sees or hears it happening. Then, whichever rabbit I have selected, I grab by the skin near the back of the neck. Sometimes the rabbit will fight and kick to try to escape, other times not. I tie slip knots around the rabbit’s hind feet just above the ankle. Both ropes are attached to a stick. I let the rabbit hang upside down. At this point, the rabbit will struggle for a few moments, and maybe scream. I take the rabbit over to a tree branch and hang it at a height that is convenient for me, with its back facing me.
3. To Kill a Rabbit
When I first started to learn survival skills, I did not think much about the idea of killing an animal for food. I figured it was something that had to be done, and when the time came, I would be able to do it. The first two times that my rabbits were killed to be part of a meal, my father-in-law handled the killing because he had more experience than I.
After having witnessed a couple of killings and butchering, I got familiar with the process, but the courage was hard to find. I did not like the idea of hurting animals, so I resolved to make it as quick and painless as possible. My initial method was to whack the rabbit on the back of the head with a heavy piece of wood, then cut off its head as quickly as possible after that. It worked well, but sometimes the damage to the skull or neck was such that my wife was not happy with the result. So I moved to another technique. I now place a large knife to the back of the rabbit’s neck and cut as hard and fast as I can. It is quick, without the structural damage that clubbing the rabbit can do. I have looked for other ways to kill the rabbit quickly. I even asked a physics teacher if it were possible to make a “rabbit guillotine”. He was intrigued by the idea, but his wife did not want him doing that.
4. Removing the Skin
Once the head is separated from the body, the best thing to do is wait until the blood stops flowing. Then, make a small incision on each hind leg between the muscle and the skin. Next, peel the skin with the fingers until the top of the hind legs. Cut off the tail. Cut the fur near the genitals and peel it back in both directions. Pull the skin down until it comes off at the front paws. Rabbit skins and furs can be made into clothing or accessory items once they have been processed.
5. Removing the Insides
Once the skin is off the rabbit, the next thing you need to do is remove the entrails. Pinch the meat at the base of the belly and poke a hole in it. Stick two fingers inside and point them towards the rabbit’s chest. Slide the tip of the knife inside the meat and between the fingers, without puncturing any internal organs, and cut the meat to the chest. The intestines, stomach, and liver will almost fall out of the rabbit.
The first thing to remove is the bladder. Pinch it off and cut so that the bladder remains intact and no urine spills onto the meat. Next, pull out the intestines as best as you can. Slice the rabbit open to the anus to remove all of the intestines.
Once all intestines are out, reach into the abdominal cavity and free the stomach, liver, heart, and lungs. On the liver rests the gallbladder. It is a greenish tube. Remove it without breaking it. Cut the rabbit down the middle to the throat. All that is left on the inside are the kidneys. Pull them out.
6. Almost Ready to Cook
The rabbit is now hollow. Cut off the furry paws, wash it off, and you’re done!
7. Spare Parts
It is up to you what you want to do with the spare parts of the rabbit. The stomach can be used as a small container, the skin can be used to make clothing, the brain can be used to tan the skin, etc.
Remember, it will probably be a sloppy job the first time you do it. Make sure that your knives are sharp and do your best to ensure that the rabbit does not suffer. Practice how to butcher a rabbit will make you better over time.
Do you think you know how to butcher a rabbit? Let us know below in the comments!
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Rabbits are not like other small animals (like chickens) that will relax when hung upside down. Nothing about the method described in this article is humane for a rabbit. For anyone new to rabbits that sees this, I would encourage you to do more research before making your first cull. I have been raising rabbits for meat for 5 years, and I can assure you that rabbits screaming during the process is not normal, and should be a red flag that you are causing undue trauma.
Agreed! The killing method described above is far from humane!
Both comments above add nothing to this article. It’s all about sustaining life, human life, not worrying about a protein source making noise. If you’re going to complain about something that impacts your sensibilities, then you need to think about another hobby/lifestyle to get onto. Obviously, this one isn’t in your wheelhouse.
They are right. They just didn’t explain why. It has nothing to do with sensibilities. The manner which the author suggests is unnecessarily painful to the animal and results in an inferior outcome. First off, any extra stress during the kill process produces meat that can be tougher and/or taste less desirable due to stress hormones. Secondly, his method is essentially just sawing off the head. Unless he is using a very large and heavy blade, it’s not going to be one swift cut/chop. The proper way is cervical dislocation; you break the neck and separate the spine from the head in one swift motion; then you remove the head from the corpse. This pretty much eliminates pain/stress to the animal as well as the risk of injury from using a blade on a live animal that might move and cause slippage. There are various ways to do this. Most common one is giving the rabbit a treat to distract them while securing a rod to the back of the head of the rabbit and pulling the hind legs up in a strong and quick manner.
Excuse me Ben, but those people are concerned about rabbits suffering. Vets and scientists have proven animals have feelings. Would you rather pass away peacefully, or have someone torturing you before your death?
This method causes undue pain in that the animal’s are not dead when you start cutting. And, you are carrying the animal’s upside down to a tree? This is horrible. Far to much stress and pain for the animal’s. I have been raising rabbit’s for more year’s than I care to remember. I use the cervical dislocation method. I place a bar across the animal’s neck and put up hard on the legs. It’s extremely fast–there is no screaming, no pain, and it’s a hell of a lot easier on me too.
They use Decapitators (guillotines) to dispatch laboratory animals. Look up a “Large Animal Decapitator” and try to find one online.
My husband insists on a .22 to the head. It is quick and humane, but I’d like to preserve the skulls.
The way described in the article is the best and most humane way, and its the way that has been used for centuries all over the world. I have seen it in Asia, Africa and even Europe. For those too sensitive, i recommend you consider being vegans or vegetarians, and leaving Rabbit meat to the rest of us Republican Religious Right (RRR) wing, Gun loving, Hunting Trump Supporters. You can remain “Hunter Bite-in” Supporters .
Sorry, Gates, but not only is that not a humane way, but just because something is common doesn’t make it right. Also, who says that vegetarians can’t be rebublican? I also find it quite ironic that you are a republican with the username ‘B. Gates’