Rabbit 101 class?

Shop deals on ebay
Advertise with us
shop deals on amazon
Rabbit Talk Forum

Help Support Rabbit Talk Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Diamond

Diamond

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 8, 2012
Messages
684
Reaction score
0
Location
Wilamette Valley, oregon
My husband and I are thinking about hosting a "Rabbit farming 101 class" in response to all the emails we get from people who want to come over and learn how to 'do' meat rabbits.

The curriculum would include:
Animal husbandry: conformation, sexing, breeding, nursing, weaning
Health: Feeding, treating common illnesses, nail trimming, etc
Housing: Cage building basics, cleaning cages/ bottles/ feeders
Butchering: different ways to butcher rabbits: neck wringer, .22, jugular bleeding
Dressing a rabbit

Right now it is all in the idea stage. Would like to hear your input.

Plan to charge about $40 for the class, with maybe 10-15 people and complimentary rabbit stew for lunch. Thinking the class would probably run at least 4 hours.
 
If you have people requesting this I say go for it. I would be careful about advertisement however. I have heard stories lately about crazy stuff happening when people who dont agree know the when and where.
 
How bad is the AR situation where you are? If its nuts, can you hold these classes off your property? I like the idea but I'd hate to see you harassed for it.
The curriculum sounds right :)
I want to see pics of the first class
 
What I need help with is developing curriculum - things YOU think would have helped you out, had you known about them BEFORE starting rabbits...

And what you think is 'essential' for newbies to know.

I am not too concerned about the PETA crowd. My rabbitry exceeds minimal standards for cage dimensions, etc and I have a darn good defense attorney in my pocket. A liability waiver, of course, is essential. Any butchering will be the last part of the seminar (after lunch) and people could opt out of that. There is a local processor who I will refer folks to if they don't feel like they want to actually kill the food they eat.
 
lissapell":2oqh8mh9 said:
If you have people requesting this I say go for it. I would be careful about advertisement however. I have heard stories lately about crazy stuff happening when people who dont agree know the when and where.
Click to expand...
:yeahthat:
It's unfortunate that you have to worry about crazy people when you advertise but be sure to be careful. I think it would be a great idea to host it and if I was close I would probably try to come.
 
Diamond":1q15bjvv said:
I am not too concerned about the PETA crowd. My rabbitry exceeds minimal standards for cage dimensions, etc and I have a darn good defense attorney in my pocket.
Click to expand...
The concern would be that they might come when you're not home and steal your rabbits, like has happened to some others.
 
That's a legit concern, but I think I would still take the chance. I have lots of people come by the rabbitry in good faith and buy rabbits from me, and so far no problems. Keeping contact info is important - first, last name, phone number and address. In fact, I think I will start keeping a "Guest log" from now on - so if something suspicious did happen, there would be a way to find out who has been here and when.

So far I have only had one encounter where someone was questioning the meat rabbit thing. A lady came to buy a pet rabbit and popped the "So if I didn't buy this rabbit would you eat it" question. I answered quite frankly that I raise rabbits for meat. I asked her if she was a vegetarian, she said no, but she was an animal lover. I told her I love animals, too, and love them too much to buy meat from the grocery store. That my husband and I raise our own meat animals so that we know that they had a good life, were kept in a clean, humane environment and ate healthy feed from local sources. After that she seemed rather interested and asked what made the New Zealands were a meat breed, so from there I was able to discuss conformation, temperament, productivity, etc. She really knew nothing about rabbits and by the time she left she knew how to catch, hold, sex rabbits, trim nails, check teeth, etc.

From then on I stopped marketing "pet" rabbits. Too much conflict.

The meat rabbit people I have met have all been down-to-earth and generally pleasant to visit with. The folks just starting up want to see 'how its done' and have all kinds of questions, and the folks adding breeding stock to their existing rabbitry like to exchange information and see how the other guy does rabbits. Folks who come to the farm to buy dressed rabbits either don't want to see the fuzzy bunnies at all or are completely interested in seeing how the rabbits are raised.
 
I think it's an excellent idea. All but the butchering would be useful for anyone raising rabbits...the "pet" people could just skip that part. My only thought is...would 4 hours be enough? I should think you'd want at least an hour per topic because people are going to have questions too. I would think that what works out to $10/hour is very reasonable for the instruction...4 hours at $40 or 5 hours at $50. Would also recommend no more than 6 people per class...most folks learn best by being able to really see and touch and do.

A guest log is also a fabulous idea, as is the waiver which would explain all to be covered so nobody can come back at you later.

I'll be really interested to know how it goes for you. Good Luck!
 
I definitely think you should do it and not let the fear of someone coming and ruining your flock bully you away from the idea. We just don't want anything to happen to that happy bunch of bunny's of yours. :bunnyhop: :bunnyhop:
 
when you teach your first class, making the point that using mutts for home use production would be a good thing to put in.

AND mention there are as many different ways of keeping rabbits as there are people in the world as you talk about the generalities of doing things. You don't want to lock people into only doing things your way. :)
 
ladysown":xi5g2v4f said:
when you teach your first class, making the point that using mutts for home use production would be a good thing to put in.

AND mention there are as many different ways of keeping rabbits as there are people in the world as you talk about the generalities of doing things. You don't want to lock people into only doing things your way. :)
Click to expand...

The whole point of the seminar is to teach what they know and what is working for them! That would be counter productive from a business standpoint. Diamond also has the added benefit here of selling breeding stock if they so choose! Mutts are not necessarily going to be as good or any better so why muddy the waters? Its a good idea but one also needs to keep it simple so as not to confuse or cause people to lose interest if they begin to think its too complicated.Just a disclaimer at the beginning about there being "many opinions" but this is how it works for us.
 
I have purebreds and mutts - also pedigreed and non-pedigreed New Zealands. Will probably discuss pro's and con's. Why I like mutts: hybrid vigor, not tempted to sell the offspring = more meat in freezer, variety of colors in the nestbox. Why I like purebreds: Consistency of production, ability to improve breeding program. Why I am upgrading to pedigreed stock: more consistency with breeding improvements, increase value of sale animals, and potential to dabble in showing rabbits.

Having a few brochures would be helpful. Rabbit housing is as individual as the person raising the rabbit, and a pamphlet with some different styles would be helpful. I also have a mixmatch of hutches and cages, with 3 main styles that 'work for me' plus some Cragslist deals that are equally functional.
 
why? add mutts and other ways of doing things?

because Diamond is teaching folks. yes.. Diamond can merely teach the way Diamond does things.
But to me part of the point of teaching people is to say.. there are lots of ways of doing this, THIS is the way I do it, so that's what I'll focus on, but yes, you can do things differently as long as you focus on keeping the best stock you can. (in whatever form that takes).
 
Print out some good pictures of common illnesses as well, to show them what to look out for.
 
What about having some supplies on hand to show and sell, such as cages, feeders, nest boxes, water bottles/crocks/systems. Not a huge supply, but a few things that someone could load up and take home if they wanted, but would store easily if they don't sell immediately. I know as a newbie getting into this, building my setup has been the most worrisome part of the deal, poring over sizes and styles and where to buy supplies or cages from.
 
Diamond":10lfdgp3 said:
Why I like purebreds: Consistency of production, ability to improve breeding program. Why I am upgrading to pedigreed stock: more consistency with breeding improvements, increase value of sale animals, and potential to dabble in showing rabbits.
Click to expand...

right there is why..teach all the different ways you want but if it doesn't add up to what they see at Diamonds OP then there will be some disgruntled customers.Don't discredit people with being unable to learn more as they go along. Having a hands on type class is a good starting point and as the "students" go along in their own operations they will learn to modify to what would be their own ideal set-up.I guess it all depends on how much time there is to cover everything in a reasonable amount of time...I say teach what you know to get them started and leave it up to the individual what they do from there.

Diamond I would really look at sale of pairs/ trios; perhaps just upping production a little more or keeping a couple extra does, as breeding stock like you are describing above is worth its weight in gold sometimes and can carry your whole operation! Thus giving you your freezer full of meat practically free! A seminar at $40.00 is a real bargain to the folks who come and its paying you only $10.00 an hour plus free lunch provided. Breeder stock sales at the same time or just after can cover all that and pay for the rest of your litter. I think you have a great idea/plan, but I also see if it takes off then you will probably need to up production anyways just for the ones who simply want to buy meat and not raise rabbits themselves. Happy folks equal a lot of "word of mouth advertising" for your product. Pamplets or business cards are a good idea as well as a list of where to find recommended supplies etc.
 
Yeah, the "production quota" is the limiting factor.... right now I am holding my purebred growouts to sell as spring breeders. Just added 6 more holes to the rabbitry. Only one of my bucks is pedigreed, so I am looking to add another pedigreed buck or two and a couple more pedigreed does. Slowly selling off the 'non-pedigreed' and crossbred does.

I am going to visit the "Frozen Friends" open rabbit show in St Helens, Oregon on Jan 26th in hopes of networking with some more breeders and taking home a couple nice rabbits.
 
I wish I could go to that course for 40usd :p Just butchering classes are at least 400 here

Will you have some sort of written paper with info to give them? Like recommended cage sizes, summary of what you've talked about, important stuff and so on?
 
Zab":3lwizn88 said:
I wish I could go to that course for 40usd :p Just butchering classes are at least 400 here

Will you have some sort of written paper with info to give them? Like recommended cage sizes, summary of what you've talked about, important stuff and so on?
Click to expand...


I will gather some brochures from the state Ag extension service and also compile a list of references with contact info for organizations like ARBA and useful websites, like RabbitTalk!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top