My Least Favorite Chore

Without a doubt, my least favorite thing to do is to harvest my grow outs (rabbits).  The act of dispatching them bothers me, and if it isn't done immediately and humanely, I am sickened and hurt for them.  However, the reality is, we raise them for meat.  Because we choose to do so, I honestly believe that it is my responsibility to give them a great life and make the process as gentle, quick and stress free as possible.

On Sunday, my husband and I harvested seven 14 week old American Chinchillas. Our local scavengers were given the innards and bones, I dehydrated ears and belly skin as safe, organic

alternatives to store bought pig ears for my dogs, froze the hides for later use in blankets or clothing and froze the rest (15 pounds) for our consumption.

A few years back I chose to purchase a Rabbit Wringer, but have not used it.  I did not have faith that I could use one properly and was not willing to test it out without a back up plan.  On Sunday, my husband mounted the Wringer and Butcher Station and we put it to work.  There are a few variations on this product and I will not reccomend the Rabbit Wringer based on the horrible business practices of its creator, you are up to your own devices on this one.  HOWEVER, it worked wonderfully!  I dispatched all 7 myself with no violence, no stressed rabbits and immediate results.  I could not be happier with the results.

This weekend we will be making both deer and rabbit sausage.  I will post our recipes, our results and pictures.  Once again, thank you for reading.