COMPO 54 Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 you might pull a few heads off to start with but it doesnt take long to get the nack of it and if you practice on dead uns your not goin to hurt any thing! cheers hyperion Yeah, I was wondering if their heads came off if I pulled too hard! And seeing as I'll will be a little heavy handed first time just to make sure I killed it, I guess I'll probably end up with it's head in my hand! The chop method sounds good but how do I know if I've actually killed it or just stunned it? Maybe best to neck it afterwards just to be on the safe side! Any suggestions on how to train the dogs to actually kill the rabbits, then I wouldn't have to face pulling their heads off in the first place! I am quiet good at the chop....but i think thats due to my size and strength........ If you are holding a live rabbit up by its back legs with its body hanging down.....you will notice its ears will lay flat along its back, obviously it will also wriggle and move......but if you hit it and its not dead it may stop wriggling but if the ears dont flop forwards its probably not dead! I have seen women and slighter built lads do the head on the floor, foot on head technique.........it works Try and get someone to show you in person first as thats better than reading it here! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
julie35 0 Posted August 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 (edited) lol! the dogs either will or wont kill them and to be honest if the dogs do it you wont have much usable rabbit left! i never could get the chop right but like i said get some dead rabbits to practice both methods on and you will soon know if your doing it right! and if you do pull its head off it might be messy but at least you know its dead! if your in any doubt the just get a lump of black thorn and make a priest, a couple of good rapps on the head should see any bunny off! cheers hyperion Usable rabbit??? Yet another thing that I don't know how to do! On the occasions that the rabbits have died of fright, my Millie comes running over to me carrying it in her jaws with sheer delight wrote all over her face!! And it's such a shame to waste the kill but I leave it on the field because I don't know how to prepare it. I would love to take it home and give it to the dogs for their dinner, a nice reward for them. Also, is it safe to let the dogs eat any rabbit that has myxi? Edited August 30, 2009 by julie35 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest hyperion Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 lol! the dogs either will or wont kill them and to be honest if the dogs do it you wont have much usable rabbit left! i never could get the chop right but like i said get some dead rabbits to practice both methods on and you will soon know if your doing it right! and if you do pull its head off it might be messy but at least you know its dead! if your in any doubt the just get a lump of black thorn and make a priest, a couple of good rapps on the head should see any bunny off! cheers hyperion Usable rabbit??? Yet another thing that I don't know how to do! On the occasions that the rabbits have died of fright, my Millie comes running over to me carrying it her jaws with sheer delight wrote all over her face!! And it's such a shame to waste the kill but I leave it on the field because I don't know how to prepare it. I would love to take it home and give it to the dogs for their dinner, a nice reward for them. Also, is it safe to let the dogs eat any rabbit that has myxi? myxi is non transferable so should be fine to feed to the dogs but personally if there is any doubt about the health of a bunny i dont! how to prepare cant find a decent vid on how to neck them! cheers hyperion Quote Link to post Share on other sites
greatwhitehunter 47 Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 i wouldnt kiss a rabbit myself....... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
longdog13 36 Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Also, is it safe to let the dogs eat any rabbit that has myxi? yes, even humans can eat myxi rabbits, it's not done often due to the appearence. Myxi is man made and only effects the rabbit gene/species. Also, the advice about holding the rabbit up by its back legs and looking at whether the ears/head drops forward is correct, even a stunned rabbit will hold its head up, if it goes limp and freely wobbles then it is 100% dead. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
julie35 0 Posted August 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 (edited) I am quiet good at the chop....but i think thats due to my size and strength........ If you are holding a live rabbit up by its back legs with its body hanging down.....you will notice its ears will lay flat along its back, obviously it will also wriggle and move......but if you hit it and its not dead it may stop wriggling but if the ears dont flop forwards its probably not dead! I have seen women and slighter built lads do the head on the floor, foot on head technique.........it works Try and get someone to show you in person first as thats better than reading it here! The foot on head technique has been mentioned a few times, I think I'll try it for my first attempt at least if it's head does come off it will be under my foot!! I don't know anyone up my way that either shoots rabbits or has working dogs, shame really because I'd love to join up with someone and learn things that would benefit my dogs. Also, it's safer to be with another person, my Millie recently found a fox hole and dived straight in, I was really worried that she was stuck down there, she was down ages but eventually came out a little worse for wear, she'd had a good scrap and came close to losing one of her eyes, but the little bugger was still keen to go down again and have another go! All good fun for her maybe but it's pretty scary when you're on your own and have no idea what to do. Edited August 30, 2009 by julie35 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest hyperion Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 I am quiet good at the chop....but i think thats due to my size and strength........ If you are holding a live rabbit up by its back legs with its body hanging down.....you will notice its ears will lay flat along its back, obviously it will also wriggle and move......but if you hit it and its not dead it may stop wriggling but if the ears dont flop forwards its probably not dead! I have seen women and slighter built lads do the head on the floor, foot on head technique.........it works Try and get someone to show you in person first as thats better than reading it here! The foot on head technique has been mentioned a few times, I think I'll try it for my first attempt at least if it's head does come off it will be under my foot!! I don't know anyone up my way that either shoots rabbits or has working dogs, shame really because I'd love to join up with someone and learn things that would benefit my dogs. Also, it's safer to be with another person, my Millie recently found a fox hole and dived straight in, I was really worried that she was stuck down there, she was down ages but eventually came out a little worse for wear, she'd had a good scrap and came close to losing one of her eyes, but the little bugger was still keen to go down again and have another go! All good fun for her maybe but it's pretty scary when you're on your own and have no idea what to do. if you want to practice just look up your local game dealer and see if they will sell you a couple of whole rabbits! cheers hyperion Quote Link to post Share on other sites
julie35 0 Posted August 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 myxi is non transferable so should be fine to feed to the dogs but personally if there is any doubt about the health of a bunny i dont! how to prepare cant find a decent vid on how to neck them! cheers hyperion Thanks for the ''How to Prepare" link, much appreciated, maybe if the dogs get to eat their prize it may encourage them to catch a few more!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest hyperion Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 myxi is non transferable so should be fine to feed to the dogs but personally if there is any doubt about the health of a bunny i dont! how to prepare cant find a decent vid on how to neck them! cheers hyperion Thanks for the ''How to Prepare" link, much appreciated, maybe if the dogs get to eat their prize it may encourage them to catch a few more!! lol! no worries! its like every thing the only way to find out how to do it is to do it! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wxm 1,638 Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 hold it in the air and karate chop at the back of its neck works best and as quick as any Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jac 12 Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 i eat rabbits with mixy, not a problem. i make dog toys from rabbit skin. i have never Not had a rabbit die from hitting on the head, but i have had a problem with the young rabbits when i neck them. so i dont neck any more. . look on you tube for help in gutting and skining. rabbits die easy . all the best. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
COMPO 54 Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 if you aint very strong or worried bout the head coming off, haha use a priest(small heavy cosh/bar) this is what i use if the rabbits i have caught are netted an getting used for human consumption a quick hard tap on the head an its a dead bunny, an it looks a bit better than standing on a live bunnys head, lol atb Dotty a priest is a good idea.........it will make the karate chop method a lot more effective for someone of less substantial stature!, holding by the back legs and hit at the base of the ears as hard as you can and job done! It will look better but the people i have seen use the foot on head method are just doing it so they can use both arms and their whole bodies strength to pull and twist and its very quick and its a dead rabbit and not under your foot quick enough Can you buy priests at fishing shops ....dont some fishermen use them for killing fish??? i dont know as my hands are big enoughand hard enough to use in place of a priest or a heavy walking stick could be multitasked! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Malt 379 Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Myxi is man made and only effects the rabbit gene/species. It isn't man made, it is a tropical disease first discovered in South America. It has been released both accidentally and on purpose by man though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kay 3,709 Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 I really struggled doing it , maybe i am not very strong but it bothered me that i did struggle & i would rather not do it if it means prolonging the kill , much more humain if someone else does it quicker imo Quote Link to post Share on other sites
COMPO 54 Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Myxi is man made and only effects the rabbit gene/species. It isn't man made, it is a tropical disease first discovered in South America. It has been released both accidentally and on purpose by man though. bang on It was naturally occuring in the native sub-species of rabbits in south america It was however refined a little and the strain made more virulent in a lab, then released into wild rabbits in australia and as you say spread both accidentally and intentionally spread accross the rest of the world! we have a french doctor to blame for bringing it to europe to look after his garden! it was then only a short hop accross the channel by an English farmer Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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