Pelts are covered, and left to sit 7-14 days. The pelts are weighed down, and topped off with a little extra water if needed. I add another cup of non iodized salt, and another cup of alum to the remaining brine, stir well, and return all pelts. When all pelts are fleshed I leave them inside out. If some is missed it’s okay, because I can scrape it after it dries out. Once I get off the main pieces I go back through, and look for little bits that were left. The younger the rabbit the more fragile the pelt. Sometimes I can get it off in one piece, and other times it comes off in strips. I peel all around the edge, and gently but firmly pull down. The edges are thinner, and can tear easily if you are not careful. To flesh each hide I start at the back tail section, and gently start peeling the flesh layer from the back. It is important to keep this out of reach from animals and children. 5-7 days after the first brine I pull my pelts, and squeeze out as much brine as possible back into the bucket. My pail is stored at room temp for 5-7 days, and stirred twice a day to make sure that all areas are soaked in brine. If needed I top off with a little more water, and weigh down with a plate, and something heavy to make sure that all pelts are fully submerged. I add fresh or thawed pelts to the solution. Add 1 cup non iodized sale, and 1 cup aluminum sulfate (alum) to water. I fill a clean 5 gallon pail (or Rubbermaid tub if you have more than 10) half way with hot water. Once I am ready to process I remove my hides from the freezer, and let thaw about 6 hours. They will keep about a year in the freezer. Each hide is placed in the freezer in a large bag until I have enough to process.
#Tanning rabbit hides skin#
I rinse in cold water to remove as much blood from the neck area, and roll them skin side out. To obtain the hide we cut around each foot, and between the leg, and pull the entire hide off in a tube. The process we use takes around 3 weeks to complete, so I save up hides until I have about a dozen before processing a batch. Also the hides are saved, and preserved the best we can. The ears and feet are dehydrated, and used as dog treats. The innards are buried, and turned to compost. We started raising meat rabbits on our small acre homestead, and wanted to honor the animals that feed us by using as much of the rabbit as possible.
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