How did you advertise butchering class?

Joe n TN · Dec 16, 2012

I'm finding more and more people in my area wanting meat rabbits that are complete novices. I like the interest as I feel it will benefit everyone when more people get back in touch with our food. Part of what I am seeing is the novice lacks any experience with butchering. That create a market for me/us to teach.

I'd be happy to teach for trade, cash, etc... but wanted to see how you, that have hosted classes open to the general public, went about advertising it. How did you word your ad? Where did you post it? Do you have any suggestions, tips or advice? Thank you,

Joe

DumansArk · Dec 16, 2012

There was a gal a few months back that posted on Craigslist looking for help with learning to raise rabbits for butchering.
CL posts tend to get flagged a lot, but are you familiar with GoLSN?
Those don't get flagged and it reaches a lot of viewers in the TN/KY area.
Co-Op tag boards wouldn't hurt either.

DumansArk · Dec 16, 2012

There was a gal a few months back that posted on Craigslist looking for help with learning to raise rabbits for butchering.
CL posts tend to get flagged a lot, but are you familiar with GoLSN?
Those don't get flagged and it reaches a lot of viewers in the TN/KY area.
Co-Op tag boards wouldn't hurt either.

MamaSheepdog · Dec 16, 2012

I would like to do this too, but I think the safest option (to avoid ARA attention) would be to offer to butcher rabbits with the prospective buyer. You could charge or not as you see fit, and perhaps send a dressed rabbit home with the buyer. It is a lot easier to eat an animal that you have helped process if you have no emotional attachment to it.

Miss M · Dec 17, 2012

ARAs have been really nasty about butchering classes, and have managed to get some of them canceled.

You wouldn't want to have a publicly advertised class at your home, because you would be exposing your rabbits to potential theft later.

MSD's idea is probably safest, and Duman's would bring more people. It's just a matter of weighing risks to benefits.

jollysrabbits · Dec 17, 2012

like MSD said, i have had probably 4 or 5 people in the last 3 months buy and learn how to butcher meat rabbits from me. its great because i love teaching anyway (i teach judo,scuba,gun safety) so it comes natural to want to help people gain knowledge. I even had one guy email me and specifically ask me if he purchased 2 rabbits could i teach him how to butcher. (he later bought 2 more for breeding stock, payed the feed bill for almost 2 months.