Butchering and bunnies.

This afternoon we went to our friends Matt and Rhiannon Hogan's where we helped butcher 4 chickens and took possession of a rex rabbit.

Butchering the chickens was a chance to try a "power plucker" first hand. The power plucker is a small 30 dollar device that attaches to an ordinary power drill and is designed to speed up the plucking process. It did speed up the process but still left quite a bit of hand plucking.

The four chicken were an experimental breed called "freedom-rangers". This breed, which originated in Burgundy, France, is supposed to produce excellent broilers on pasture and free range diets. The birds were large and heavy breasted with a good amount of fat. I think that we will order some in the spring.

We took the rabbit because it's temperment didn't make it a good pet. Rex rabbits were developed in Paris in 1919 for the velvety texture of their fur. I would like rabbits for meat. The Rex breed is not a meat breed but they are hardy and can live outside. We will see if Bun-bun will make a good sire.

K.