Here’s some basic info about humanely harvesting meat rabbits.

At our farm, we use ‘cervical dislocation’ to dispatch rabbits. This method is very fast & humane. It is also called the “broomstick method”, however, we do not recommend using a broomstick. Broomsticks can break and often bruise the shoulder because they are too wide. We use a 3/8″ metal rebar fence post that we purchased at Tractor supply. Cervical dislocation works equally well for rabbits and chickens. Instant lights out and brain death.

This video shows the dispatch method we use (first 10 seconds of video): Butchering a Rabbit Fryer

If you need to cull a young kit, visit How to Humanely Dispatch a Baby Rabbit.

There are lots of ways to butcher rabbits, some humane and some not. If you see a rabbit screaming in a video, you can be sure that they are not using a fast, humane method. Other humane methods you may consider are shot to the back of the head with an air rifle (use hollow point pellets and point towards the nose), the Rabbit Wringer, or Ballista Penetrating Bolt gun.

We do not recommend the ‘Hopper Popper’ or hanger. We have one and have had many failed attempts trying to use it even after trying all of the suggestions from the people who designed it. The neck crotch is too wide and set at the wrong angle. The rabbits head often slips through and it is very difficult to get the back feet in and out of the hanger because they need to be woven in to stay put. We use loops of cord to hang the rabbit for dressing out instead.