In an earlier post I conveyed my conflicted thoughts on eating meat, and on eating meat from certain animals so I won’t go into that fully in this post. If you think ill of me because I choose to eat meat, or in particular to eat rabbit please read that post before commenting. We need to eat in order to stay alive but I am compassionate in my food choices and assume full responsibility for them.
After learning more about how much food it takes to bring a pig to market weight I have to question how sustainable eating pork is. It’s not something I’m likely to give up given how tasty the meat is, but we will eat it in moderation going forward. We also are reducing the amount of chicken we eat since I am also conflicted about supporting the Cornish Cross breed and don’t want meat that has been fed corn or soy, which makes it too expensive to eat frequently. This leaves us with local grass fed beef and lamb, sustainably caught (and sustainably transported) wild fish, local cheeses and legumes. And local, sustainably raised rabbit.
The more I learn about rabbit the more convinced I am that it’s the ultimate sustainable meat. Also achingly cute, soft and cuddly. Rabbits are highly efficient converters of food to meat, requiring little in the way of space or special processing equipment. It’s possible to have a responsible breeding operation with just 3 cages – one for the buck, one for a nesting doe and one for the current litter. You can choose how frequently to breed your rabbits and keep on hand only enough to satisfy your meat needs. Processing is easy and quick and can be done on an as-needed basis so as not to require an extra freezer. And processing can be done in such a humane way that the rabbits have no idea what is happening and suffer no emotional or physical trauma.
In short, it meets all my criteria so I arranged a rabbit processing class with a local farmer. The rabbits are from Abundant Acres Farm in Toledo, Washington but could easily be from your back yard. There were 7 of us in total who wanted to learn more about how to process rabbits, many of us middle aged women like myself, parents of children of all ages or owners of dogs who eat raw meat. Whatever our reasons for wanting to learn, each of us approached it with dread.
In Washington state small farmers can only sell live animals without special certification and permits – either you need to do the killing or hire someone from a butcher to do it for you. I’m not intimately familiar with the entire law or it’s intent but I do know that it prohibitis small farmers from processing their own meat, which would help keep local meat prices down. It prevents the majority of people who want to purchase meat already processed from being able to do so at the farm and in so doing it helps separate us from the source of our food. However many good things it may also do in the name of public health, it also prevents us as consumers from connecting that live animal in the field with the bundle of meat we purchase for dinner.
Thus, in order to retain that connection, we had to slaughter our own rabbits. Every one of us questioned whether we could actually go through with it when confronted with the sight of fluffy bunnies. In the end we each chose to try.
The farmer explained to us how to do it, showed us how to carry the rabbits so that they would not become frightened and gave us a demonstration. He watched and answered questions but ultimately it was up to us to complete the task.
The technique is very simple – set the rabbit down on the ground while stroking to keep them calm, place a broomstick handle across the back of the neck, step down solidly on each end of the handle, firmly grasp the rabbit’s feet and pull straight up on the hind legs until the neck is dislocated. The rabbit goes from calmly sitting to dead in the blink of an eye with no apparent emotional reaction. There are steps following but this is the emotional part.
I take that back – for me the emotional part was physically removing the rabbit from the cage. When I went up to get my future bacon I chose to have someone in my group shoot the pig and slit the jugular while the pig was still stunned. Pigs are large and I have no experience with firearms. The opportunity to botch either part of the process is immense and if done improperly the pig will certainly be under emotional or physical duress. I joined the process after the pig had been slain but I was complicit in that I wanted the meat and to that end was willing to process it.
This time it was my hand from start to finish. It’s one thing to eat meat – it’s another altogether to be the one that decides the future of this animal. Are you a killer because you eat meat even if you don’t do the killing? There is no question now that I am solely responsible for the death of this rabbit.
I hesitantly grasped it by the scruff of the neck and it immediately hopped to the other end of cage. Twice. I finally decided that I was tormenting the rabbit simply by chasing it around the cage so I managed to summon up the courage to get it out. It requires virtually no strength to broomstick a rabbit and I was easily able to pull the legs up until I heard that familiar snap, crackle and pop that I hear when I visit my favorite chiropractor. The rabbits eyes changed immediately, signifying that it was dead.
I took my kitchen shears, removed the head at the point of dislocation and held it up to bleed out for a few minutes. The next step is shockingly easy. You simply cut a small opening around the navel, insert both thumbs and separate. The rabbit skin and fur rips off the body, leaving you with a suddenly naked rabbit. You very carefully pinch the stomach to lift the skin up and away from the organs and cut a small opening, then widen it down the length of the abdomen and remove the organs. We cut the feet off using dog toe nail clippers, gave the rabbit a quick rinse and in a matter of minutes we had rabbits dressed for dinner.
Once we each overcame our emotional difficulties and began processing, the job was relatively easy. Even Jess, who did not think she would be able to complete this task, came to terms with the process and agreed this was the most humane and responsible way to eat meat.
I personally feel that at some point in the future, once my family is emotionally ready for this, we will have a meat rabbit operation in our backyard. It’s the most sustainable way for us to eat meat, and as I’ve said before, it meets all my ethical, nutritional, and environmental criteria.
What saddens me is that I know that my Foster Farms-eating neighbors may consider me inhumane for this. It will be perhaps the final rift between me and many that I care about. I conduct a fair number of garden tours and we constantly have kids over here playing. Most people would not understand my reasons for raising my own meat yet they would never question me wanting to raise my own vegetables. I know I may be painted as a brute, or at the very least, as radical – a bunny killer.
In reality that could not be further from the truth but most people are not ready for the truth – that they are complicit in creating distress, terror, and pain, that they are responsible for more adverse impacts on the environment, and that they are feeding their family sick animals.
It’s sad that something so right on so many fronts is culturally so wrong on so many others. This is a part of trying to live sustainably as possible in the city. It’s radical.
28 responses so far ↓
1 El // Jun 8, 2010 at 1:11 pm
It’s radical only if you’re an American born after 1950 and only know meat if it’s an unrecognizable chunk of flesh on a plastic-wrapped styrofoam tray. If you’re from any other part of the world, eating rabbit is pretty standard fare. In other words, it’s about what you’re used to.
Isn’t it interesting to be considered forward-thinking if you’re looking backward in time for inspiration?
More power to you, Annette.
2 meg // Jun 8, 2010 at 1:22 pm
Wow Annette! Go you! I 2nd what El said!
I have thought about rabbits…wasn’t sure if I would like the taste or not. They do seem to be the most sustainable for backyard meat eating.
I don’t see what your neighbors should care one way or the other! None of their business what you eat/don’t eat!
I can’t wait to see how this progresses!
3 Sarah // Jun 8, 2010 at 3:40 pm
I am a vegetarian who would probably be eating meat if I had seen it done right, the way you are doing it. It is the disconnect from real animals that made me ashamed and saddened to eat them. When you know that their lives were good, free of pain and fear, and their bodies were not wasted or thrown away as leftovers, you have been responsible toward them.
4 Angie // Jun 8, 2010 at 5:20 pm
I’ve often thought of how I could be closer to the food chain, and what it would actually mean if I were, how it would impact my eating habits. I’ve received the gift of 1/2 a deer that I’ve had to process, and let me tell you…I’d not think twice about tossing some bit of grocery store meat, but this deer…*everything* I received I turned into food. It really puts a new spin on eating.
5 Elizabeth // Jun 8, 2010 at 5:47 pm
I’ve followed your foray into rabbits for meat with a rock in the pit of my stomach… not because I disagree with eating rabbits, but because I know what raising rabbits entails and I won’t do it anymore. I grew up raising rabbits and, although I wouldn’t eat them, I knew how to and had butchered them and tanned hides. That part I don’t disagree with. It is very easy to humanely process a rabbit. Probably easier than any other meat animal. The one BIG issue that I came to in watching and studying rabbits for many years is that it is cruel to keep them in small cages. So, the idea that you are eating an animal that lived a good life is a mute point if it is a rabbit that was kept in a small cage all of its life. It isn’t practical to have a rabbitry without caged confinement, but once you’ve had a free rabbit (which I did the moment I moved out of my parents house) you see that rabbits are more like cats than you can imagine and their joy at running free is enough to make you cry. If you do this, please consider giving them the space to truly live; something like a chicken run, but for rabbits. Honestly, rabbits become depressed when caged for life and people mistake it for a lack on intelligence. Its heartbreaking.
6 Myrnie // Jun 8, 2010 at 8:39 pm
I’ve wondered how rabbits can be happy in such small cages, too. My sister’s favorite grocery store in CT had rabbits from the farm the store owned- she regrets not trying them. Our HOA covenants preclude raising animals for meat, so I guess I won’t have to think about this.
7 Robin Taylor // Jun 9, 2010 at 9:19 am
One of our recent batch of chicks has turned out to be a rooster, and this will be the first chance we have at killing our own dinner. I’m immensely grateful for the experience, but I find myself wondering and thinking about many of the same things you have written. How will others view this action and my decision to butcher my own “pet”? If we had children, how would we explain all of this? I’m certain that El is right. Those of us born after 1950 are very disconnected from our food, especially meat.
The big change in my attitude about killing Rusty the rooster is the thought that someone else could do the same thing, but that it would not be done from the same position of respect and love that I have for him. I raised him from three days old, I fed him well, and I’ve watched him enjoy the freedom of a grassy, sunny yard filled with seven other friends. Somehow it feels right that I should be a part of the end as well as the beginning. I only hope I don’t “chicken” out.
8 Adam Stevens // Jun 9, 2010 at 10:47 am
Thank you so much for posting this! I had similar thoughts when we began raising turkeys for T-day a couple of years ago. Would we end up with a handful of pets, or could we do “it”. In the end we did, I am glad for the experience, and hope to do it again this year. But order chicks later, as the tom weighed 48lbs once dressed and almost didn’t fit in the oven.
9 Anne // Jun 9, 2010 at 1:19 pm
What I would love to know is how that rabbit tasted! : ) And how you prepared it.
I remember seeing awhile ago that Central Market in Shoreline sold rabbit but I’m not sure if they still do.
Thank you for giving such a thorough description of what it was like to go through the slaughtering process.
I know what you mean about wondering what the neighbors would think… my neighbor has very cute pet bunnies beloved by the children of the neighborhood. Hard to imagine us taking that step right now but I will definitely keep it in mind.
10 Trini // Jun 10, 2010 at 6:09 am
What a great post, I’ve been waiting for this, thanks! I’d read about the broomstick method and am glad to hear that it is quick and painless. Can one person by herself hold the rabbit and step on the broomstick at the same time? I had read about a captive bolt but that’s a pricey piece of equipment.
11 admin // Jun 10, 2010 at 9:47 am
El, you are so right. Foodies seem to get it. We need more foodies.
Meg, I live in Stepford. I love my neighbors dearly – don’t get me wrong. The kids roam from yard to yard freely, parents sometimes following with wine. Rabbits would not go unnoticed, nor would the fact that they rotate.
Sarah, I was curious if you ended up eating Providence the bully hen?
Angie, we waste nothing now that we are fully vested in our food. It pains me when guests come over, load up plates and later discard food. How lucky to get venison! That is like my eggs – money cannot buy that kind of food.
Elizabeth – as I said in my mail I’m really grateful for your comment. I’ve never raised rabbits so I’m not familiar with them. Until I can design an acceptable living arrangement for them I won’t raise them. It bothers me that free range meat birds are raised in such close quarters, even by Joel Salatin. Perhaps I need to rethink my garage tillapia plan…
Myrnie, rules like that irk me but I understand why they exist. It’s lucky for the Beverly Hillbillies they didn’t have HOC.
Robin – one of our first chickens turned out to be a rooster so I found a home for him out in the country. Two weeks later the lady emailed to tell me she had found him dead. She relied heavily on forage for the birds and he wasn’t able to find enough. It saddens me knowing that his final days must have been terrible, being separated from his family and then starving to death. Butchering him would have been more humane.
Adam, what a celebration that meal must have been! If the city of Seattle changes the # of backyard birds you can have I want to get two turkeys. I doubt my neighbors would have a problem with me raising 2 turkeys unless it’s from noise.
Anne, it tasted wonderful! Remarkably like chicken, lean meat just made for cream or butter based sauces, the thighs are perfect for stuffing and the flavor is very neutral. I’m looking forward to getting some more in the freezer.
Trini it was so easy to do by myself. I weigh about 120 I think and it took very little muscle strength at all. It’s not something I would want to do every day but then we aren’t meant to eat meat every day, right? It’s a nice natural sort of portion control. I prepared by watching youtube videos which were mainly hunters and frankly some folks who frightened me. I wish this was on youtube because you could see how gentle and calm it was and that it was done by mainly compassionate women with some trepidation and complete reverance for the animals. But darn they were cute. And so was the pig.
12 Trini // Jun 11, 2010 at 6:43 am
I’ve noticed a lot of the meat rabbits are albino breeds, so maybe (just maybe) your neighbors wouldn’t notice the rotation as long as you had a variety of sizes at all times.
As far as meat birds ranging free – another blog I follow, Nature’s Harmony, decided in February to open up the chicken tractors and see how free-range broilers might choose to spend their time. Their recent update post is here: http://www.naturesharmonyfarm.com/grass-fed-meat-farm-blog/2010/5/28/update-pastured-broiler-production.html and it links to their original post. Cool stuff!
13 admin // Jun 14, 2010 at 10:57 pm
Trini that’s interesting. I didn’t see on that post if it was the Cornish Cross breed they are raising or some heritage breed. Do you know? Thanks for posting that.
14 Ethical Eating and Rabbits | Openly Balanced // Jun 18, 2010 at 1:52 pm
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15 RIC // Jun 19, 2010 at 9:12 am
The most vital portion of the broomstick method (speaking as the originator) is that the step-down-on-both-ends-and-pull MUST be done simultaneously. If you don’t get it right, pinning the rabbit’s head and neck to the ground with your full weight is anything *but* humane.
Those wishing to learn more about various methods of humane euthanasia and slaughter are invited to look over the Humane Rabbit Slaughter for Home Use video, which the Rabbit Industry Council has published.
( http://www.battats.com/video )
A quick note on Cornish crosses–it’s not that it’s inhumane to have or to breed them, it’s that poor timing can really have nasty results. Slaughter sooner rather than later to avoid the crippling consequences.
As for rabbits in cages–even minimum industry standard is right around a square foot per pound of rabbit. Most cages seen when rabbits are transported are ‘carry cages’–they’re meant to be small and confining, to keep the rabbits secure and safe during transport.
A square foot per pound doesn’t sound like much, but it most certainly allows for plenty of room to sprawl out and to move around freely. It surely doesn’t inhibit the development of character!
Each rabbit has personality and is very different from the next–something that makes slaughter even harder when the time comes.
Every animal deserves the best life we can give in within the constraints of what we can do on a practical basis. Couches and TVs are not on the list, nor is a Nautilus in every cage–but we can darn sure give them food, water, love, secure housing, and a respectful death.
16 Alan // Jun 19, 2010 at 9:49 am
If we understrand that it’s nonsensical for men to be emoting about dismenorrhea aches and pains, then we shoukld understand that it’s nonsense to be anthropomorphsizing (spelling?) about animal’s feelings.
Reminds me of a true story from when I was stationed in Singapore…. the public housing authority seized 53 cats from a elderly woman’s apartment. She claimed that she had no choice but to kidnap these cats from the streets because she had found them foraging for food in public dumpsters.
Doesn’t she understand that prowling for food is what cats do for amusement? Cats don’t have hangups about eating leftovers.
Lets not even get STARTED about the lives of indigenous Indians in the rainforest. A fairly common typical lifestory of those folk is, pregnant at 13 and murdered in inter-tribal warfare at age 23.
Suburbanites are amazingly out of touch with reality!
17 admin // Jun 19, 2010 at 1:22 pm
RIC – thanks for commenting. There are many sides to the story and I really appreciate reading them all. The thing I struggle with on the Cornish Cross is not just that it’s inhumane – any animal that is not developing in a healthy fashion is not really something that I want to eat. These birds are sick and frequently processing them is a race to beat their own death.
Alan – are you suggesting we eat indigenous rainforest Indians in order to save them from inter-tribal warfare deaths?
I may be out of touch with reality as you say but if everyone thought seriously about the impacts their life choices have on the planet and on other life forces, this world would be a far better place. I make no apologies for being concerned with the emotional and physical well being of my food. Too many people take killing, cruelty and blind consumption too lightly and to me that is out of touch with reality.
18 RIC // Jun 19, 2010 at 10:09 pm
(copied and pasted by request from http://www.openlybalanced.com/ethical-eating-and-rabbits/#comments)
Director, Rabbit Industry Council (yes, that’s me)
I want to inject myself into this conversation as a rabbit-raising professional, and perhaps clear up some misconceptions.
I’ve raised rabbits for almost 30 years. I’ve had them on the ground (‘cage free’ or ‘colony’) and off (cage raised).
IF the cages are well-designed and built, AND the rabbits are selected for health rather than sentiment, there are rarely if ever any foot issues. A good cage contains a happy rabbit sprawled out snoozing, or dancing around doing little heel kicks. No, it’s not the wild–but they’re actually much safer, healthier, and I think content.
Colony raising is not the idyllic life one might think. Rabbits fight over territory; disease can linger in the ground; and predators just love the idea. On the other hand, a well-managed semi-colony setup *can* be made to work, but your costs are higher and risk to the rabbits is still far higher than a caged setup.
The average ‘colony’ usually turns out to be a disaster in short order. Poor husbandry is very common. You cannot simply enclose an area and expect the rabbits to thrive–they won’t.
If the owner isn’t willing to put the work into keeping their chosen setup clean and maintained, they shouldn’t be raising at all.
A quick note on Cornish crosses–it’s not inhumane to breed such animals (although it does seem like overkill)–when they become overage/overweight is when it becomes inhumane not to slaughter them.
Slaughter is never, ever easy, nor should it be. Shooting a free animal seems more sporting, more ‘humane’ to us because it’s not hands-on. When a rabbit or any animal is meant for food, it is our obligation to ensure that it leads the best life we can offer it–caged or colony–and that it dies swiftly and humanely when its time comes.
Laying your hands on a living creature to end its life is incredibly intimate. Its heartbeat, its breathing, its weight and warmth lies in your hands, and your purpose is to make it all stop.
Did you know that most people who butcher their own animals, either apologize or pray for them when the time comes? I know I do, and others have said the same.
In other words, it’s normal to feel awful about putting an end to a life, especially one you’ve raised.
The feeling continues as you store, prepare, and consume the animal, and there’s no shame in that. It shows that you have respect for the magnitude of the actions required for us to live knowing our food.
If killing ever becomes a pleasure, something is very, very wrong.
19 Linda // Jul 9, 2010 at 1:12 pm
I am a hunter. My father raised me to go pheasant hunting in eastern Washington. I look forward to shooting a deer this fall and filling my freezer with meat to sustain myself and my partner.
For some reason, I have no second thoughts about shooting a wild animal. But when it comes to killing an animal that I raised, I feel like it’s going to bring me bad karma. I have three beautiful buff orpington chickens and I will probably never eat them. I plan on enjoying their eggs and company.
But something inside me pulls me toward living sustainably. I eat meat, and I don’t always get a deer. I’d like to KNOW I will have meat without all the travel and license fees. I have been thinking about raising rabbits for meat. (It’s nice to hear about clean, human methods for slaughter.) My problem is, they’ll probably end up with names. And if they end up showing me trust, that will be the hardest thing for me to overcome. I think it’s one thing to kill a bunny you just met, and quite another to kill one that you raised and cared for.
This is my major hangup regarding sustainability. Any thoughts on how to get over the guilty feelings???
20 admin // Jul 9, 2010 at 3:52 pm
Hi Linda, I envy your venison. I have to say that I am suddenly looking at my impact on all living creatures after taking the life of something in my own hands. I feel less guilty than I do eating meat that was killed by someone else’s hand because I don’t know for certain the circumstances around it’s death. I feel like I need to be there to witness the last few minutes in order to ease my guilt for eating meat.
I have to remind myself that many creatures, big and small die daily at the hands of farming equipment or by being displaced when their burrows are destroyed to bring vegetables to the table as well. There is no such thing as no-impact food and anyone who thinks there is is fooling themselves.
21 Producer Profile: Abundant Acres // Jul 10, 2010 at 12:12 am
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22 Michelle // Aug 11, 2010 at 12:58 pm
For years we have raised rabbits, chickens and turkeys to use for meat. The only trouble is I can’t get past their eyes….they just look at me so trustingly. As a result we have alot of pets to feed. Any advice on how to get over this? Our original goal was to be almost totally self sufficient but this has set us way back.
23 admin // Aug 11, 2010 at 1:05 pm
Hi Michelle, You are not alone in this. Do you have a neighbor out there who you can trade duties? Or a local butcher who can come to the farm and dispatch for you? It’s not an easy thing to do – but I feel like if I am going to eat meat I need to be able to do it. I think it’s ok if it’s a difficult task for you to have someone else do it so that you know exactly how it was done and that they didn’t suffer. Sorry I can’t be of more help! Just think how much better it is than buying meat that may not have been dispatched compassionately and maybe that will help you strengthen your resolve.
24 Fiona « Notes From a Country Girl Living in the City // Aug 12, 2010 at 9:08 am
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25 Michelle // Aug 13, 2010 at 9:25 am
No butchers handle the smaller animals. They will process a pig or cow. Mostly geared towards wild game though. I have posted ads on our local boards from time to time with responses limited to calling me a barbarian and other names I wont post. We live in an area thats very into hunting deer, bear and wild turkey so I was really surprised at the negative comments.
26 admin // Aug 13, 2010 at 9:37 am
Sorry Michelle! People are “interesting” sometimes to say the least. The internet definitely opens up sometimes even more opportunities for people to act uncivil since they feel it’s anonymous. I wish I had an answer for you! You may try contacting local farms and not opening it up to non-farmers so that you don’t get comments like that. Where are you located? Maybe someone on here is closeby.
27 Josee // Aug 18, 2010 at 10:29 pm
We’ve been raising rabbits in our backyard for a year now. We were inspired to do this for many of the same reasons as you stated in your blog. Let me know if you start raising rabbits too
28 admin // Aug 20, 2010 at 12:34 am
Josee I’m still thinking on this one. I don’t feel right giving them such a small caged space so in the meantime we will be eating more pastured beef which grow very easily around here with all our rainfall. Someday I may be able to build a setup that gives them more room but I’m just not ready for that right now. I do still think they are a great source of backyard meat!
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