Rabbit Central

[ERNIEB]

Bird, Yes it did close up, and in fact last year I helped haul off the rubble after the building was demolished. I lost track of the rabbit raisers I knew back then, so I don't know what they are doing with them now. There were some raisers that didn't like the idea of this one plant being the only game around. The plant set the price they were paying at that was it. Take it or leave it. Some of them talked about a co op and starting their own plant, but as far as I know it never materialized. They even got some guy from Houston to visit with a plan he had for shiping a boat load of frozen rabbits to Japan. Supposedly the Japanese were paying huge sums for rabbit meat. As far as I know, that one never got off the ground either/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Ernie

 

[Bird]

The folks I bought my first buck and does from, here in my area, said that a truck used to come pick up their rabbits to take to San Antonio. I don't know whether it was the processor's truck or someone else, but they said not only did the truck quit coming, but also stiffed them for over a thousand dollars they were owed for rabbits. If there was a local processor (or two) to buy rabbits and there was any profit in it, I'd still be raising them.

Bird

 

[ERNIEB]

<font color=blue>Any ideas on how to round them up? </font color=blue>
This is going to sound silly. Take a box, prop it up at one end with a stick, tie string to the stick, and put something under the box that rabbits like to eat. Don't /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif. I bet it will work.

Ernie

 

[TBone]

Ernie, I have a dumb question for you or Bird. What is a quick, humane way to kill the rabbits for processing? I have shot a lot of wild rabbits but have never killed tame ones for the dinner table. I had a neighbor who sold his rabbits because he couldn't bear to kill them. He tried a hammer to the head but would miss the head occasionally and hurt the rabbit instead. Then would have to run him down and kill him. It bothered him so bad he just got rid of them.

 

[Bird]

TBone, I hated that job of killing the rabbits myself. I've even forgotten the name of the rabbit growers association, but I joined it and got their magazine for a couple of years, and also bought a book on raising rabbits at Tractor Supply Co. They showed to hold the rabbit's hind feet with one hand, put your other thumb on the back of it's neck right between the ears, with your fingers under it's neck and with a quick jerk, break it's neck. Only tried it once; didn't work for me. I used a heavy half inch steel rod about a foot long and hit the back their heads right at the base of their ears.

Bird

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

Ernie,

"Silly Rabbit"? /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gifYour right, box traps work great. Do a web search on "figure four box trap" it's a clever way to carve three sticks to trigger the trap. A big heavy box on a piece of plywood and your good to go. I use apples for rabbits.

Al

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

ErnieB

If the box and stick trick doesn't work, maybe you can get 'em with an ACME jet powered skateboard /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif.

SHF

 

[looch]

Thanks for all the input.

I went and took a peek inside of the neighbor's barn last night. He still has a 50# bag of feed, two water containers, and a semi-portable wooden cage. I think I'll catch them, and then decide later whether to continue raising them (I've got a book on order from Amazon). I'll offer the neighbor a few dollars for his equipment/supplies. I don't want to wait any longer to catch them, I have a feeling it won't be long before a fox decides to visit.

 

[ERNIEB]

Paul, I hung em up by their hind legs, and gave em a good solid hard whack to the back of their head.I used a small stout bat. Watch out for their claws/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Ernie
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by ERNIEB on 07/31/01 02:52 PM (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[ERNIEB]

SHF, Naw, I've tried all the acme stuff trying to catch roadrunners, nothing those people make ever works/w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Ernie