Like many modern homesteaders, I keep rabbits for meat. However, unlike most small-scale breeders (who consign their animals’ pelts to compost piles), I also save the hides, tan them, and use the fur to make beautiful hand-sewn items. I’ve discovered that small pelt tanning isn’t time-consuming, difficult, or expensive. In fact, it’s a source of both pride and great satisfaction, since it enables me to create beautiful, useful fur articles from skins that would otherwise have been discarded.

You probably know that tanning (which is also called tawing or pickling) is the process of converting a raw hide into leather, thus making the skin more pliable, more durable, and more resistant to water, wear, and decay. You may be surprised to learn, though, that home tanning costs very little and requires a minimum of equipment. In fact, you’ll find that your biggest investments in the craft will be your time and energy.

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The availability, convenient small size, and variable colors, patterns, and textures of rabbit skins make them perfect material for the novice tanner. Before I describe in detail how to tan a rabbit hide, bear in mind this important point: No tanning formula is foolproof. There are no shortcuts to learning this skill. You’ll need to practice, practice, practice! However, I’m not a professional furrier. I’m only a homesteader raising some rabbits to help keep my family supplied with meat and extra cash. So take heart: If I can tan pelts, so can you.

Butchering a Rabbit

As most breeders are already aware, once a rabbit has been killed and the head removed, it is suspended by one or both back legs to allow the blood to drain. Thus hung, the animal is then flayed, which is a term referring to the act of removing the hide from the carcass. To perform this task, simply cut the skin around each hind foot and carefully slit (or tear) the hide inside each leg from hock to anus (be careful not to slice into the meat). Strip the skin from the carcass by gently pulling downward toward the rabbit’s head (the motion is somewhat like that used when peeling a banana but a bit more force will be required). Use your fingers or a sharp skinning knife to loosen any difficult spots.

Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: HOW