Alum "tanning" Rabbit Skins

I do rabbits, not less then 18 weeks old. Not more than 6 months. I flesh on a pvc beam with a 2 handle knife. Before putting in salt alum soak. If your rabbits are fryers, less then 16 weeks old... they will be too thin to flesh very easily, they will tear easily. I had no success with soaking a few days then fleshing, but my hands are not tough. After hand fleshing, 14 hides, my thumb nail came off. I grow them older and do it on a beam.

 

Average age to butcher a domestic rabbit is 10-12 weeks. I have tried fleshing at 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22 weeks... plus 6 months 9 months and one year. I might do one 17 weeks, but for me to do them on the beam.. I need them not less then 18 weeks. Most of them I do about 20 weeks. Bucks 6 months and up are too hard for me... does are doeable after 6 months. I have "rex" rabbits, they are a meat/pelt duel purpose rabbit. They have thick skins. I also have Rhinelanders which are not a meat or a pelt rabbit. Their skins are very thin.. they have to be 22 weeks or I just tear them up.

I open them up, clamp one end on my beam, take a scalpe type knife. Cut through the membrane only and carefully across the middle of the pelt, flesh down.. flip the pelt do the other end.

 

This is totally not about tanning, but I do have a question for you. I, too have rabbits for meat and skins. The issue -Ironically- is getting them to breed. Do you raise your own rabbits? If so, what does your setup look like? Do you keep them indoors, outdoors, in cages, or 'freerange'? I'm very curious. Looks like you have exactly what I'm striving towards. Any pointers are very appreciated.

P.S. I absolutely adore that rabbit blanket. I have wanted to do something just like that. It's stunning.

 

More th

More than happy to talk rabbit !!! Lolol
Inside, but open wire covered, half wall to the south. Winter time, plastic the openings , hang double tarps, and several heat lamps. Lamps are not over cages. Try to keep it above 32 degrees, so waterbottles dont freeze.. I am in Iowa. Summer open the half south wall, run 42 inch floor fans. Have ceiling insulated against sun heat on metal roof.and vented.

All in cages. ..Breeding requires "light".. as fall comes, days get short, breeding comes almost to a stop. Spring, days get longer breeding starts again. Artificial light helps keep the does willing. I and my rabbit friends always have big issues trying to breed in Oct and Nov. Its just a fail. Might get a couple litters.. but most of the time nothing.

Most of my friends have "insulated rabbit buildings" with heat. I do not know anyone with colonies, and only kids pets are in outside hutches. We have too many predators to not have rabbits locked up and protected. Spooked rabbits panic and break their backs binging in the cage.

 

We have coyote, owls, eagles, raccoons, opussum, skunk, feral cats, and even mountain lions. Rabbits need lots of protection. Not even my own barn cats can get in with my rabbits.

Right now, I have 3 litters ready to wean this week. And 6 litters in nest boxes all born last 3 days.

 

Spring cleanong starts Friday. All cages get taken out side and pressure washed.

 

Lolol.. I am the lady of the house. Hubby made me the fleshing beam. I sit in the living room to flesh rabbits, they are not messy. I do the deer hides outside.

I use knoblocks liqua soft paint on tan after 10 day soak in " 2gallon of water with 6 cups of salt and 8 oz weighed on a scale- not measured --ammonium alum."... have to be very careful to use a very thin coat of liqua soft, it will soak through and gum up the hair. Then break

 

Wowee... That is a phenomenal setup... Does it stink much in there? Or does the open air system help with that?

I see that you have each cage set up with its own pellet feeder. Do you feed all your rabbits solely on pellets or do you supplement with hay as well? What type of pellet/hay do you use?

You also keep the bucks and the does separate, right? We keep ours together(We don't have issues with aggression) and they seem unmotivated to do the dirty. We sometimes have to separate them, then put the back together. Im really leaning toward your type of caging system.

For what ever reason, our rabbits seem very fickle. We have had about 2 dozen litters and we cannot seem to get them to full size. We've only ever had 3 get to full size... I know, awful statistics... They seem to get just about the size of your fist and then they start dying rapidly. We have done an autopsy on several and noticed that their guts seem to look irritated/green and have a foul odor. Sorry if this is TMI but I'm just very saddened by our rabbit losses. If you have had anything like this, Id be sure to hop on your advice.

 

I put pine shavings down. Clean about every 5 days.. so no it doesnt smell.. only smells if I am behind on cleaning. Shavings in the trays.

Pellets, quality ones. ADM pen pal show 16%. Home grown grass hay, but not full feed on the hay. NO LETTUCE or other foods, NO GRASS.. Rabbits need to have the right bacteria in their gut to be able to digest what you feed them.. wrong feed, no bacteria, bloat and gas with diareahii.

No bucks around babies.

Any thing over 10 weeks is by itsself. No group pens. Bucks seperate, does seperate.

Are you feeding scraps and grass?? That could be your baby rabbit loss. What pellets are feeding?? Brand.

Dont feed corn, dont feed sweet feed, dont feed grass.. dont change feeds. Stick with one. Pellets, the ingridents need to say: alfalafa, oats, ... NOT . hay by products NOT forage by products, NOT grain by products..

What type of rabbits ? Breed and colors? Something like "charlies" bloat and die.what are yours

 

Where are your does having their babies? In clean washed nest boxes?? Or??

If you have them together, are they on the ground?

 

First off, I want to thank you for your enthusiasm!! I have posted on many forums and your benevolence is unrivaled. Thank you!

Ok now for the facts:

We feed them 'Producers Pride 15% protein Rabbit Feed Pellets' About a cup per day for all three rabbits(We had more than three, but our adults were dying too! Luckily we found the source for the mature rabbits dying, and have been able to since resolve that issue) and they get unlimited access to all the brome hay they want. No lettuce, no carrots, no treats of any kind. Pellet and hay are all they get. When we have babies around, we cut the pellets out of their diet until they are at least 5 weeks old. We read that pellets can cause digestive issues in young rabbits. HOWEVER, I noticed you said, "Don't change feeds". We are guilty of that. Sometimes we change out their hay because we run out and need to purchase more. We usually toggle between alfalfa, brome, and timothy. We always buy the same pellets though.

We have one castor Rex male, one red NZ male, and one Harlequin Female. I know you're not supposed to have a 2:1 male-female ratio, but as I mentioned our ratios got messed up when we underwent adult rabbit deaths. When I move them to cages, I'm planning on putting the red NZ male down. Are Charlies known for dying easily?

About the separating does and bucks, we had planned on separating the male and females once they got older, but we have only ever gotten three to maturity. We keep a keen eye out for aggression and we've never had any fighting or blood-drawing matches.

We keep all of our rabbits in one colony pen on the ground. They dig in the ground and nest there. We also have 5-gallon buckets inset in the ground for them to have their litter as well. I'm curious that you say "Clean, washed nesting boxes" I didn't know that they needed to be sterilized/cleaned. I will be doing that from now on.

We have been trying to make this colony-style pen work for about 2 years, and I'm throwing in the rag. We have had too many losses and too few successes. I'm planning on making a cage system loosely modeled by yours. I do have a few questions to ask about your cages:

Do you use metal or wood nesting boxes?
Do you suggest keeping rabbits indoors or outdoors? At the moment, I do not have the option to keep them half in half out like yours. If they were to be outside they would have good roofing/wind protection.
Do they get too hot in the summer?

Side note:

My goodness! Your rabbits are adorable! Those rabbits are perfect in every sense of the word. The colors are stunning.

 

Good job on no treats !! Number killer of pet rabbits. If you do wish to give them treats, black oil sunflower seeds referred to as B.O.S.S... about a table spoon 2 or 3 times a week. I lecture new to rabbit pet buyers on the treats and grass. Lolol..

Stick to only grass hay or no hay. Alfalfa is not so good. Too rich, and going back and forth between it and grass is an issue. Gut issues. I put grass hay , a little in the nest box as soon as the eyes are open slits.. so they can start eating something. I remove the nest box around 14 days, give or take.. and they get full feed pellets and small amount of grass hay a day.. not full feed hay. I give the hay for roughage to avoid gut issues. But hay is not nutritious enough.. they really do need the pellets too.. and no changing feed on baby rabbits less then 10 weeks.. about guarentee bloat. Baby rabbits are fragile, stress easily.

Do you know what a charlie is ? A broken (spotted) bred to broken produces.. broken, solid, and charlie.. charlies are a genetic goof up. Not all charlie, but a majority do not live long they have mega colon.. bloat die. I do breed broken to broken, all charlie get pulled out soon as I can tell what they are. Have a friend with a snake.

Wood nest boxes, made out of 1 x12 boards cut them 18 inches.. will send a picture later. I hose them, scrub em... set them in the sun for a week 10 days .. if a nest box is dirty, snd the doe is clean.. she will not use it. She will have her babies on the wire.

Gonna send a picture of a cage I made for grandkids. Son got divorced, they gave me the cage back. So I have it, I made it to be outside and hold 8 pet rabbits

 

We are spring cleaning, and also having a guy come spray foam the area.. so everything is stripped out, still cleaning.

I have about 50 cages, most are stackers. And I have 12 brood does, 6 breeding bucks

Picture wont go.. try later