Urban Survival Livestock: Raising Rabbits Part 5

[m081779]

can you grind the bone up as well for feed? I know when my cat gets a hold of a whole rabbit, there is very little left over when they are done

[retsaoter]

@thenewsurvivalist Doc, have you considered adding a set of kitchen shears to your butchery kit? I have never cleaned a rabbit, but I know kitchen shears are fantastic for breaking down a chicken. They give you a lot more power and control. They also need a lot less sharpening.

[b26maurader]

Have you ever tried rendering the fat? I wondered if would be useful like lard or tallow?

[thenewsurvivalist]

@b26maurader Yes, you can render the fat, although I never have (yet.)

[dramey03]

what do you do with the heads? it was creepy seeing the head in the thing under the body after you cut it off in one video, lol i hate to say it but it reminds me from that old part of the doom game when you fight the killer rabbit

[etrnldrk]

@dramey03 Extract the brains and proceed to brain-tan your new rabbit hide.

[merlincod]

You are AWESOME Doc! Great videos and there are lots of us out here preparing and being responsible like you. Please keep up the great work. Thanks for giving your time to produce great information. You are a true human being!!!

[mikeymike77123]

6:41 and there you have it, Mr.Rabbit...then the rabbit twitches lol

[dramey03]

@mikeymike77123 i cant believe you caught that, i had no clue till i went back and looked close at what you said

crazy stuff

[vanbreefilms]

I was wondering have you ever made rabbit jerky?

[thenewsurvivalist]

@vanbreefilms I have never made jerky but is sounds like a good idea.

[YiuTeub]

our cat loves eating the birds it catches so eating raw rabbit would not be a shock.

[spawacz000]

such a great video, thank you.

[paulpellicci]

...thank you for your videos on rabbits, you are a real professional....

[duuudee1]

hey man nice video i learnt a lot. could you do a deer or elk butchering video.

[MrAnthonyRizzo]

Very informative videos. Why is it that you cut out the galblader?

[starandanchor]

Thank you for your videos...

[ChuckCh9]

Wow. Thank you for the videos. I'm inspired.

[bmoporboy69]

I love rabbit one of my favorite foods. I like the kill board I normally use my hand. Anyway I'm European and we remove a nerve in the lags of the rabbits that will make the meat taste much better. Its the never in between the two thigh muscles. Its like our siadick never. Remove it and you will find that the lag will taste much better.

[kellydjelly]

my cat got my pk of pork chops and was eating it raw and ate my corn bread on the counter. i think my pets wouldnt have to get used to eating raw meat...lol nice vids thanks for the tips

[cubaniton74]

A million thanks for all your experience and hard work shared in here. May God bless you.

[1985aberry]

Real quick questions: 1) Why did you rinse off the rabbit? It seems to have made it really slippery. And 2) Since you did rinse it off, could you pat it dry to keep it from sliding around on the board, or use that shelf-liner stuff to better 'grip' the body? I'm just always wary of slicing myself by accident when cutting up things.

[thenewsurvivalist]

@1985aberry You don't have to rinse it. I rinse it to remove hair, blood and if any feces from the gut happened to get on it.

[OopzyDayzy]

@1985aberry

you can pat dry, but the best thing is to practice your knife skills, and use a knife that is comfortable for you. i use a medium sized (maybe 8inch blade) santoku for 90% of my cutting, but my dad has a long chefs knife i dont feel comfortable using. i also use a good sharp paring knife for breaking down meat, and good kitchen shears, which might be even easier for you to control. just make sure shears come apart for thorough cleaning.

[nls151]

Very informative videos! Thank you very much for posting!

[pike12345selmo]

dude that grinder makes muush use the hand grinder its way better

[414Gianna]

you could smoke the belly meat and make Rabbit Jerky out of it

[huntingsurvival]

love the video series and im thinking of getting my self some rabbits. my question is is how many rabbits you keep for breeding?? just two? and when they have babies do you butch the parents so that the babies can replace them?

[Ttalos]

Thank you for your video series, they were very interesting. I have a few questions for you. I have read that survival off of rabbit as the only source of meat can lead to health issues. Due to low fat content in the meat if I remember correctly. With this in mind, have you considered raising hens for eggs/meat? Have you heard of aquaponics for raising tilapia and vegetables? GardenPool (dot) org has an interesting set up. Thank you for your time.

[thenewsurvivalist]

@Ttalos There is no problem with eating rabbit as your only source of meat. That is completely false. There is plenty of fat. But of course a varied diet is always good for many reasons. I think having hens for eggs would be a great idea and I have looked a little into aquaponics and would like to look further into it.

[Ttalos]

@thenewsurvivalist Thank you for the response. Keep the videos coming!

[topguntin]

@thenewsurvivalist i had the same question and also do u need to clean the liver in anyway? since it's where the rabbit filters out toxins from the blood right? btw i love my rabbits spice. thanks for the vid

[thenewsurvivalist]

@topguntin There is no way to clean the liver (other than removing the gall bladder.) Healthy animals will have healthy livers. That's the bottom line. Grow your own meat and you can enjoy the livers with no worries. Eat factory farm foods and you can see how diseased the livers are!

[topguntin]

@thenewsurvivalist that is so true thanks for the reply!!!

[Ebrech]

@topguntin just be careful to never open the gall bladder as it can be toxic to you.

[decendant1776]

Excellent video series. I've been wanting to learn. Now I know how, thanks to you. God Bless you for sharing this.

[TheKeefeStone]

@decendant1776 i agree. i have always wanted to know how to butcher an animal for food and your vid has been absolutely most helpful!

[NcoleyCP]

Do you recomend the Holland Lop breed? Or is it too small?

[HomeMadeGunNut]

Hey i've got a question, can you use the skin to make clothes how it was in the previous video or do you have to do somthing with it?

[thenewsurvivalist]

@HomeMadeGunNut Yes, you can make very warm clothing with rabbit hides. You have to tan the hides of course. There are how-to books available.

[HomeMadeGunNut]

@thenewsurvivalist okay thanks, im thinkin about starting up a little rabbit farm in my backyard but parents are kinda against it

[bumblegoat]

Don't grind the food for your cats and dogs! The best thing you can do is to feed it whole. Gives them a good teeth workout, and keeps their mouth healthy. Plus, you could also feed them the head and the rib cage!

[trqfreak350]

@bumblegoat

I'm watching this to raise them strictly for dog food ><

[trqfreak350]

@bumblegoat

I'm watching this to raise them strictly for dog food ><

But whole prey, And watching the rest so i know in case we want to try it ourselves :P

[thehammernator]

@bumblegoat i here that but my dog will swallow it whole

[Twisted86]

@bumblegoat

Indeed. My moms Maltice LOVES it as the rib is damn near as big as both of them. She gets pissed though as they are white so they look like axe murderers when they finish.

[Peter7Paul]

Be prepared, or be prepared to be what???

Good video, I can't wait to start raising my own rabbits.

[thenewsurvivalist]

@Peter7Paul Be Prepared, or Be Prepared to be Fleeced!

[futurefarmfinger]

Thank you for all of the time and work you have put into educating the public about raising rabbits! Well done. I am thinking about raising rabbits for meat and will be watching your videos again I'm sure to double check my work.

[Shiftshock]

So...how disappointed will you be if you go through your entire life and never have to actually rely on these survival techniques to survive? *wink* And what exactly is your catch phrase at the end? I can never figure out what that last word is...

[Da12kL0rD]

@Shiftshock Well I wouldn't be disappointed at all;

1. The rabbits are very healthy, with no chemicals of any sort(It's proven that the chemicals degrade the meat)

2. Fresh meat when-ever you want it(Depending on how many rabbits you have)

3. Saves a lot of money; Selling the rabbit fur pays for the feed... In short, you don't buy meat from the super-market as much. Over a life time that's alot of money.

[starandanchor]

I wanted to get chickens and was shut down by the Home Owners regulations where I live. After watching your video, I found out that rabbits are allowed. I am planning to start in about 2 months. Thanks for your video.

[redbarn11]

Great video but why go to the trouble of grinding the meat , why not feed it whole ?

Don't mean to be critical just curious .

[boldviolet]

Thank you for this video series! I plan on getting a pair of rabbits to breed for meat here in the near future, and these vids have helped get me more familiar with butchering.

[MarkSheeres]

Thanks for posting a great series.

If people don't have dogs or cats or want to make rabbit burger, there's no need to waste any of the meat. Every bit--belly, ribs, etc--can go in the slow cooker. After a few hours it all pulls off the bone and it's like having pulled pork. Nothing goes to waste.

[18wheeler76]

your the most self suffient man on this earth,i envy you,and have learned so much by watching your videos.im going to do my first garden this year,but im absolutly lost.i have slow drianing clay soil,should i do a raised bed?i already have my hierloom seeds,i also have a humungous backyard.i also want to plant some friut trees but i just watched your vid on that and you said to plant in the dormant season.any help would be appriciated.thanks doc.

[thenewsurvivalist]

@18wheeler76 Now is a good time to plant your trees. There is a pretty huge spread of opportunity. Ask your tree expert (sellers.) I have grown fruit trees quite well in clay soil. Mine was fairly well drained. A lot of standing water is a problem though. You can improve your soil gradually by adding compost to it each year. In time you will have excellent soil. Save your leaves, grass etc. for the compost. If you have plenty of sun, then you can grow plenty. Check with local experts/agents.

[frekijsimpson]

Let's GRILL..!! haha

totally loved the entire series!!

Rabbit is one of my favorite meals!!

PS: I feed my cat and dog raw as well..!!

[marlin187]

Great series.

[isofaster]

would it be ok to freeze the burger in zip-lock bags ? thanks for posting , i have watched the whole series and enjoyed .

[thenewsurvivalist]

@isofaster Yes you can freeze it in zip-lock bags. To prevent freezer burn try to press the excess air out of the bag.

[voxna]

Just wanted to say thank you so much for your video and taking the time to show people how to survive on there own you have done a good/great thing in sharhing your knowledge and helping other ..stay safe you and your family ,once again thank you so very much

[ThePrivateJoker]

Is this a hobby? Nice meat, but it seems like a lot of work for a small amount of meat.

[thenewsurvivalist]

@ThePrivateJoker No, it is cost effective. People have been eating small animals like this for centuries. We have been spoiled by factory farms that do it so "efficiently" (but not humanely or healthily, hence salmonella, e.coli, etc.) that our meat is so cheap. But people who want healthy organic food know that it costs more, partly because of better ingredients (e.g., feed for the animals, larger living quarters, etc.) But this is about survival-being able to grow your own when all else fails.

[shmoopsy87]

@thenewsurvivalist 6:36 Top left corner of the back meat/loin. Watch closely, It twitched! Thats creepy but rabbit sure is good! Is that normal?

[thenewsurvivalist]

@shmoopsy87 That happens. It is a muscle twitch or spasm due to ions leaving the muscle and nerve tissues, similar to what happens in rigor mortise (the muscles spasm up.)

[farawayletters]

you've got some great videos! thank you for making them.

[bigjoezip]

I've been raising rabbits since I was a boy. Enjoyed your video. I would make one suggestion though, before you grind the meat up, put in the freezer for 20-30 minutes, it makes it a lot easier to grind.

[mountainclimber78]

At the end of this video, during the rabbit burger process, is all that from one rabbit??

[PreacherPrepper]

Hello Doc, Thanks for the great videos on rabbits. I am going to buy the wire soon to build the cages. Tractor Supply seems to be a good source for feed and wire. Any suggestions?

[ramblinwreck77]

Great series. We are considering raising rabbits come Spring. We have plenty of land, 135 acres, so space isn't a consideration but most big animals, like cows, present a problem come processing time.

What is your opinion on "free range" rabbits or is that even feasible? We're building a chicken tractor but I would assume rabbits are a bit smarter and harder to corral than chickens.

[thenewsurvivalist]

@ramblinwreck77 I have no experience or knowledge about free range rabbits. I know that they are harder to keep free of parasites than those kept in a wire cage. Personally I would rather keep them in wire cages and then use that land for better use. But some experimentation on a small scale might be practical. Do some more research and see if anyone else has some experience with that.

[MrHeadlessmusician]

Hey survivalist guy you awesome man!

[abdieltheservant]

try giving your cat cherry fruit snacks. they'll live ridiculously long.

[abdieltheservant]

yes, topmost is correct, cat's have small livers, and cannot tolerate high fat and salt as well i believe. simple biology.

[abdieltheservant]

Rabbit starvation? It's pretty much the atkins diet. get said package btw?

[thenewsurvivalist]

@Topmostpop Where do you get that information about cats & fat? Is that based on your experiences or do you have other sources for that? My experience has been that when a cat kills a wild animal it eats it all, fat & all (although admittedly there is little fat in wild animals.) If cats didn't eat fat I would think they would leave the fat out. Eating bacon grease one time will not kill a cat. When cats eat poison they vomit. Never had a cat vomit up fat. Cooked fat is not the same as raw.

[flyod26]

Thanks for the video! Outstanding! I have a few questions, with the six cages, how many rabbit can you raise a year? Also what can you feed rabbits becides store bought rabbit food and the iconic carrots? Thanks again for all the videos!

[burden2thecrown]

thanks for posting, very informative videos.

[burden2thecrown]

thanks for posting, very informative videos.

[burden2thecrown]

thanks for posting, very informative videos.

[reverendxlt]

made one of the boards, worked excellently. Made the wide end opening a bit wider, worked as well as any video I have seen of the rabbit wringer...and essentially free. Thanks for the idea!

[melardkey]

Great videos, thanks for posting.

[TheMrsVolfie]

That rib cage would make nice soup stock.

[sergeantsailorman]

Nice and informative. Do you ever hang and age your rabbit meat (maybe a week in the refrigerator before freezing, or cooking)? For those who don't know, the belly sides you cut off would be bacon if taken off a pig. The rib sections can be used in soups or stews. If you want good tasting rabbit meals, don't cook it like chicken. Then it just tastes like chicken. Try using recipes that would be used for veals. You might be surprised at how much better rabbit tastes with veal recipes.

[reverendxlt]

would you mind posting the dimensions of your cervical dislocation board? I know it will vary somewhat, but just a starting point.

[thenewsurvivalist]

@reverendxlt I have Florida Whites which are a smaller breed. I used calipers to measure the width of my rabbits neck and then subtracted one inch and used that for the small end of the slot. Then I just drew my mark freehand from the end of the board. The wide end of the notch I cut is 2.5 inches and the terminal end is 1 inch. The notch is 10 inches long. I used a board that is 5.5 in wide and 3/4 in thick because that's the piece of scrap lumber I had on hand.

[reverendxlt]

@thenewsurvivalist Thanks, that helps!

[kartchner7]

I have read in a older Southwestern french cookbook the rib and front back sections are used for stock just like you would with the backs and wing tips of chickens.

I am used to wild rabbits and not seeing such a large loin area like you have for the domestic rabbit.

what is the yield like for a younger rabbit say an 8-10 week old?

[thenewsurvivalist]

@kartchner7 That depends on the breed of rabbit. My Florida Whites are a smaller breed. Each rabbit dressed out will produce about 2 lbs of meat, maybe 3 from a larger one.

[reverendxlt]

I enjoy your videos, one thing I was noticing though is that boning knife is the same size I use for a deer (and it's a bit big even for that)... might be easier with a smaller knife?

[iwantosavemoney]

i watched all of you rabbit videos you put out alot of great information and did not leave nothing out from the cages to breeding and butchering and all the eatable parts and what to do with the rest cat and dog food 5 stars this is good stuff im subscribing

the cheap guy

[FishyMoe]

@iwantosavemoney he left out some good recipies... video 6, recipies :)

[thenewsurvivalist]

@FishyMoe You can use any recipe for chicken.

[strykersigma]

if you also have some rice stocked up i guess you could have some stire fried rabbit

[lllewe2009]

Really enjoyed your raising rabbits series. You did a really great job of describing the process from birth to death and I especially liked your calm unemotional approach. For those of us who do not have occasion to butcher the animals we raise it was a little disturbing at first. Which I realize is silly. You provided some really useful information. I thank you.

[ladykarli]

I think it will take a bit the fist couple times for me to get to the point the Rabbit is skinned & cleaned but after that I will be okay. I love the idea of using what your not going to eat to feed your other animals.

[skywalkeruk84]

i agree doc - your channel is very under rated. such great information. Once you get over the "pet" factor of rabbits, there are an excellent live stock animal and tasty too!! keep it up brother

[KainanRa]

Great series. Just got into rabbits about six months ago. Got a steady harvest going and even have enough to sell some and pay for the feed. I will start saving the scraps for the dogs now. The manure make great fertilizer also. Might have enough of that to sell some also. I have been saving the hides but have not tanned any yet.