# Humane way of dispatching rabbits



## jdexter

I plan on raising rabbits for the meat and have heard of many ways of dispatching them. Everything from shooting them in the head to using a pipe to the head. Is there any ideas of doing this without "missing" the instance kill.
Thanks
Jdexter


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## Madame

I killed my first rabbit about a month ago. I held him down with one hand, lined the gun up with the jaw, and pulled the trigger. He died instantly and he never saw it coming. I'll use that method again.


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## Caprice Acres

We use a pellet gun aimed at the back of the skull. Worked great. I don't like the broomstick method because for a couple seconds the rabbit is terrified and in pain from having all the weight on their neck. Plus, it bruises the shoulders.


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## Briza

A gun is very excessive for such a small animal. 
Hold the body between your knees grab the ears and pull the head up so the neck is stretched and slice with a very sharp knife. This is fast and you can miss with a gun and do some real harm. A bullet will pass through a rabbit and you have problems with that too. Don't plan to get attached to your meat rabbits- spend all your love on the breeding stock. If you are willing to eat meat...you have to accept that it is something that was alive that died so you can eat it.
B~


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## katduck

A pellet gun is not excessive and works very well. We put ours in a pen on the grass and they are vey happy right up to the last instant. They never have any idea. 

Kat


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## cnvh

I broomstick... actually I use a piece of rebar, which is much thinner than a broomstick and I don't end up with a whole lot of bruising. Time from rabbit being held, to being put on the ground, rebar placed and cervical dislocation is MAYBE two seconds-- hubby helps out, so I have a second set of hands and we pretty much have it down to a science.


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## SaratogaNZW

A pellet gun, right up to the base of the skull below the ears. I pump 8-10 times, and have never had it exit the skull. Painless, the bunny doesnt get alarmed, and is instantly dead. An eye reflex test 5-10 seconds after the trigger is pulled always fails for me. This method also causes very little bruising in the shoulders.

1> Pellet gun is loaded and pumped. Bunny is pulled from cage and set on the table. He may be able to smell blood at this point but isnt to excited or scared.
2> With my left hand, I grab the ears between my thumb and index finger, and hold them up and forward, while holding the bunnys head steady and covering their eyes with the rest of my hand and fingers.
3> right hand holds the pellet gun, muzzle touching the base of the skull, angeling down towards the jaw and underneath my hand of course.
4> pull the trigger, set down the gun. The rabbit fails a eye-reflex test at this point and is dead the moment you pulled the trigger. Grasp the rear legs and let go of the head. Hold up like this untill the kicking stops.
5> lay them back down on the table, decapitate, and hang up by rear feet to bleed out.

Even though the rabbit was dead the moment you pulled the trigger, decapitation usually elicits more nerve conduct response kicking, dont let it alarm you, he really was dead a long time ago. 
The cons of this method is that death was so instant, the heart stopped immediatly, and there may be more blood left in the tissue.


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## SaratogaNZW

And now, to make light of a dark subject, heres Alan Arkin!
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UPhOCYbhzg[/ame]


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## Bonnie L

We have a .25 calibre handgun - dh was wondering if that would be overkill. He has no problem with the hitting over the head method (does that with chickens) but he'd rather shoot them.


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## Macybaby

Dh is now using his .22 revolver with CB shorts. They are very low velocity rounds. He has a wide range of choices, and if he has one that is real worked up, he'll break it's neck and then shoot it to make sure. I'm much happier letting him bring me dead rabbits than dispatching them myself. I also don't have the hand strength to break a neck - or maybe I just don't have the guts to do what it take.

When I do it, I use a pellet rifle from a bit farther away. 

Cathy


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## kareninaustria

I am using a dispatch method that I have not seen discussed here. It is small kill bolt, around 8 inches long. You load it by pulling the plunger on the back end until it locks, then you press a button on the barrel to release the bolt from the front end. It requires careful placement between the ears, but when used correctly it is an instant, humane and easy dispatch method that requires no firearm. I would probably use a pellet gun if I could, but where I live guns are extremely difficult to acquire. This method is a good alternative for those who cannot or do not wish to use a gun.


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## byexample

I use a 1/2 steel pipe. One hit just behind the ears and they are instantly dead. I immediately take off the head and hang to bleed out. Other than having to strike the rabbits it seems as peaceful as death can be. Doesn't even take a large amount of force. There is a little bruising at the base of the neck... but I just trim that off and toss it to the cats or chickens.

I may give the pellet gun a try... I like to keep my options open. A fire arm seems a bit over-kill for small animals to me. But I totally understand the desire to make the process as humane and easy as it can be. Like all things there's no one right answer.

I tried the snap the neck method once... and that was really horrible. Way, way more difficult than the books make it out to be. I definitely don't recommend that method to anyone looking for a humane and simple means of dispatching rabbits.

Be well,

Patrick Harris
http://ByExample.com


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## smilesnsunshine

I have a rabbit wringer http://www.therabbitwringer.com/


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## MaggieJ

smilesnsunshine said:


> I have a rabbit wringer http://www.therabbitwringer.com/


Can you give us some kind of review of the Rabbit Wringer, Bryan? I've seen the video, but it's not the same as having commentary from someone you know.


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## Beulah Gardens

We use a pellet gun..quick and effective.


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## moonkitten

I used to use the Laura J device (precursor to the Rabbit Wringer) but I recently purchased a Zephyr bolt gun designed specifically for rabbits. http://www.livestockwelfare.com/topics/06sumstun.pdf

It is *INSANELY* expensive and I'm sure a blunt pipe is a more economical device, but my first concern is to be as humane as possible, and my second is to follow the government guidelines as closely as possible (yes, that's my paranoia as a small home grower being forced out by the big corporation farms).

I find a whole lot more twitching going on with the stun gun rather than the cervical dislocation, but less blood from the nose and ears and no bruising of the neck or shoulder area. 

Now if only I could find a few people to rent it out to to offset the cost


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## Wisconsin Ann

Yah...I was right. I won't be able to kill the rabbits myself. Ah well. At least Artificer doesn't have the same qualms. He's planning on using a .22. With the outdoor colony rabbits he'll use a .22 rifle from a distance.

That rabbit wringer is like the S-shaped iron bar Cathy has (CathleenC) in her barn. I believe she said it worked really well, but needed to be REALLY secure on the wall so there's no wobble. 

If you know anyone who has a welder, that would be super simple for them to make. It looks like a piece of angle iron, holes drilled in for screwing onto a wall, with a piece of iron rod bent slightly and welded on.

And I LOVE the muppets  Alan Arkin is always a plus!


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## smilesnsunshine

MaggieJ said:


> Can you give us some kind of review of the Rabbit Wringer, Bryan? I've seen the video, but it's not the same as having commentary from someone you know.


Ummmmm . . . uhhhhhhhh . . . I haven't actually used it yet!  (Though I might send a certain doe to freezer camp soon if she stays "unresponsive")

I can tell you it appears to be very sturdy and well made, though!


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## Island Rabbits

Moonkitten, 

Where did you get the Zephyr? I'm hoping they're available in the US.


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## MaggieJ

smilesnsunshine said:


> Ummmmm . . . uhhhhhhhh . . . I haven't actually used it yet!  (Though I might send a certain doe to freezer camp soon if she stays "unresponsive")
> 
> I can tell you it appears to be very sturdy and well made, though!


When you've had occasion to try it out a few times, I hope you will post about it. With regulations tightening up, we are going to need approved methods of slaughter to stay within the government guidelines. Cervical dislocation is considered the most acceptable method by many.


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## moonkitten

Island Rabbits said:


> Moonkitten,
> 
> Where did you get the Zephyr? I'm hoping they're available in the US.


Well I first heard about them from a woman in Cincinnati who has one, so they can definitely be shipped to the US. They are made here in Ontario by the University of Guelph under contract to the Ministry of Ag & Food. Contact info is here: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/food/inspection/ahw/zephyrstungun.htm

The contact guy said something about how they had changed the law after this was developed in 2005 so that it would be the only acceptable method of commercial slaughter. I'll admit, I didn't ask about the Canadian laws too closely, so I'm not sure which law he was referring to. I try to keep under the radar as much as possible, so just calling the Ministry up and giving my name and address was a big step for me


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## Truckinguy

> Now if only I could find a few people to rent it out to to offset the cost


Too bad we don't live closer, I might take you up on that! I find the pellet gun quick and easy.

Unfortunately there may be a time in the future when we can't slaughter at home, even for our own consumption. Best to keep under the radar.


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## moonkitten

Truckinguy said:


> I find the pellet gun quick and easy.


I would probably go with a pellet gun if I could, but the majority of my customers are looking for whole, intact rabbits as feeders (snake, hawk, dog, etc). I'm looking for a bloodless solution that doesn't create leaky holes or leave pellets inside. That doesn't give me too many options  

I was going to try C02, but the only place that rents gas canisters says you MUST have a pickup truck to transport them since regulations will not allow him to lay them inside a van or car. Gas canisters must be transported upright in open air and I just don't have that kind of vehicle.


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## smilesnsunshine

MaggieJ said:


> When you've had occasion to try it out a few times, I hope you will post about it. With regulations tightening up, we are going to need approved methods of slaughter to stay within the government guidelines. Cervical dislocation is considered the most acceptable method by many.


Will do, Maggie!


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