Raising Rabbits Course.....SO rewarding.

[Jessykah]

I found this article on Facebook. Thought I would share. I think it was well written.
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/ ... tsxml.html
I guess a lot of people are starting to teach courses on raising rabbits for meat. I taught one Sept. 14th, and am doing another this Saturday. It is so rewarding, and helps pay for some feed. But much more than that, it encourages and teaches people to raise their own meat, and makes it so there's more meat breeding stock in the area to buy/sell/trade....Unlike the lady in this article, I slaughtered and processed a rabbit for the students to see, then they had to pick a rabbit and do the deed as well. They can choose not to do it if they want, but this part of the course helps you to decide if you can do the deed, BEFORE you get into raising them.
I have things I would like to add to the course, such as building a cage. But that takes time, and would have to be a full day event. For now, my course starts at 10am and includes lunch and beverages. There is no end time because it varies based on how many students are here and how many are processing a rabbit, which takes a lot of time for a beginner as you know.
For lunch I served Rabbit Stew, sandwiches, veggie tray, pickles, chips, etc.
Students left with the rabbit they processed in hand, some printed materials, a DVD on raising rabbits, and some breeders contact information (given with permission).
The students said it was well worth it, and they learned so much. They were excited to get started, and proud of themselves for "doing the deed". They even hugged me when they left. They said they wish they had time to learn to build a wire cage, but they had to get home to their children.
It was very rewarding for me.
Opinions and constructive criticism are welcome.

 

[Diamond]

I have been holding "Meat Rabbit 101" classes about every other month here at the farm, it is very fun to meet folks who are interested in rabbits and it brings a lot of business back to the farm. I keep the class small, and charge $40 to $50 per person (affordable) so I am helping cover the feed bill but not much else. The benefits are long-term, in establishing relationships with the community and having people come back for more rabbits and spread business by word-of-mouth.

It is fun to share the passion, and put together a user-friendly version of "things I have learned the hard way". The first part of the class is hands-on handling with explanation of conformation, anatomy, and "how to" inspect for general health, which then leads to in-depth discussion of common illnesses and treatments that you will find in rabbits; again hands-on demo's of OTC veterinary products, giving oral boluses, ear drops, eye drops, subcutaneous injections, etc. After that we discuss rabbit nutrition, with an overview of "how" the rabbit gut works and then the rabbit's nutritional needs (I refer to a 'triangle' that balances between fiber, starch, and protein). From there we go into rabbit husbandry with live breeding demonstrations (gladly performed by me herd bucks), doe and kit care, etc. I do processing demonstrations at the end, where we also inspect the internal organs and key parts of the digestive tract.

 

[skysthelimit]

I wish I had an audience for that. It seems like a really cool thing to do. I had one person ask about coming to see my urban farm, but I am so concerned with having people on my property, even though city zoning laws allow me to do what I'm doing.

 

[grumpy]

I cannot even 'begin' to remember the number of people who've visited
my rabbitry's over the last four decades. Many are still close friends
and rabbit owners.

I've never charged a penny and it's doubtful, at this late stage in my
life, that I will. But....that's just me. I truly enjoy helping folks.
That's my reward.

Grumpy.

 

[Jessykah]

I charge to cover costs of the rabbit they are taking home, the huge meal I make them, and the materials I give them to take home. I cannot afford to give stuff away. The reason I do it is to teach and encourage. I do not make a profit on it, that is not possible...I have another course Saturday. I hope it doesn't rain.

 

[Diamond]

I have a class this Saturday, too! And the house/ yard/ barns are all a mess. The 'open farm' type class sure gives me an incentive to get the place cleaned up!


I have absolutely no qualms about charging $50 for a well-organized class. And I don't include a rabbit in mine (I would have to raise the cost for that). My time is a commodity, and I have never had anyone leave the class feeling let down by the experience.

There is a "Portland Meat Coalition" that charges $200 for a PROCESSING class, where all they do is butcher a rabbit (but people get to take it home after the class). I know this because I have sold rabbits to them.

I intentionally reserve the 'end' of the class for processing for two reasons - first, that is truely the last step involved in raising rabbits, and my goal is to educate people about the holistic needs of rabbits; second, some folks want to know how to raise rabbits but are not interested in doing the processing part. There are a handful of processors scattered across the region who are glad to do that part of the job for such folks.

 

[GBov]

How do y'all advertise for a class adn have you had any crazies object to your hurting a cute fwuffy bunny?

I have taught several people at our last 4H group how to butcher and process and while that was fun I would love to teach a wider audiance and get a bit back from it but my family is so afraid of us getting noticed by the animal rights crazies that I have been afraid to start.

 

[Jessykah]

I have not had a problem yet, but then I just started doing the classes. I advertised on kijiji in the Livestock for sale category, NOT in the Pets for sale category, just to avoid problems.
In the advertisement, I just gave the details of the course, the price, the date, time, and what they are paying for (information package, lunch and beverages, processing of a rabbit and taking it home, etc.)
I did not advertise the location; I included that in a private email to those who were interested in attending, just to be cautious.

 

[DogCatMom]

Jessykah is in Ontario, Canada; GBov is in Florida, USA. Unfortunately, as the world knows, Americans are much more willing to force their own views on other people than Canadians or almost *anyone* else is. (Having been to Japan, Mexico, Belgium, Panama, and--yes--Canada, and having spoken to scientists from several additional countries in Belgium, I know this is the case.)

I still wonder how much of the confiscation that yielded my (probably) American Chinchilla rabbit was motivated by a family doing independent meat-raising vs. the lack of shade and ventilation/water in 108* F heat, as I brought up on another thread a couple of days ago....

Are these "rabbit-raising and -processing" courses given at the instructors' homes?

That would be a real risk in the U.S. Just ask anyone whose facility has been infiltrated and photographed/filmed by ARAs. Although most of us probably support bad practices being brought to light (dead/dying cows being fork-lifted onto a slaughterhouse ramp), even good practices can be made to look terrible! Science research labs which comply with the Animal Welfare Act have been photographed/filmed in ways that made it seem as though they were completely indifferent to animals' pain and suffering and their need for water, food, shelter, and warmth. Some scientists have even had to terminate life-long studies due to harassment of their families and/or neighbors, destruction of their personal property (homes, cars), and on-campus vilification that simply would not stop.

If the rabbit-course instructors *are* using their own property, how are they protecting themselves from would-be activists? A fee of $50, although a barrier to most honest people unless they seek the knowledge offered, may not deter truly zealous ARAs. And what's to keep someone from forwarding the "address enclosed" email elsewhere? Bleah.

If the rabbit-course instructors are using a neutral property, e.g., a restaurant or 4H building, I'm sure that would-be instructors would appreciate knowing how to handle the preliminaries. Myself, I'd probably sign up and then, like someone else on this thread described, leave right before "The End," in terms of both the rabbit and the class. Reading books and on-line stuff is good, but it's nothing like having a real rabbit in one's hands!

 

[ckcs]

In that article she mentions $25 for feed to raise a rabbit from birth to four months. That seems ridiculously high to me.

 

[Diamond]

I advertise on Craigslist. And do not send my address in the first response to the ad. I also use a "Hold Harmless Agreement". And also choose to have faith in the world. There is no evidence that my rabbits are being inhumanely housed or treated, as they live in large, clean cages in well-ventilated spaces with fresh water and daylight. I live in an agricultural zone and there are no state or county laws that forbid the practice of slaughtering livestock for home consumption, and Oregon allows poultry and rabbits to be bought by the end consumer directly from the farm in which it was raised without certified processing facilities.

Here is a copy of the Hold Harmless Agreement. I believe that if a person chooses to be an active participant in the class after reading and signing the document, then they are doing so at their own risk:

Rabbit 101 Seminar Hold Harmless Agreement

Greetings from Sleepy Creek Farm! You have expressed interest in attending our Rabbit 101 seminar in order to learn more about raising your own meat rabbits for food. The next event date is …….h. As a formality, we would like you to review the following information before attending the seminar. Mailing a signed copy of the Hold Harmless Agreement will reserve a place in the classes for you. Our address is 1…….. Dates are subject to change, we will notify you if this occurs.

Sleepy Creek Farm is owned by Harris and Susan ……….t. We are offering the Rabbit 101 Seminar as a response to the many inquiries we have had about ‘how to’ raise meat rabbits. We are not affiliated with any organization or commercial enterprise. Sleepy Creek Farm is private property owned by Harris and Susan ,,,,,,,,,,t. Persons attending the Rabbit 101 Seminar are considered guests on our property. We reserve the right to ask persons who display inappropriate behavior to leave our property.

Guests who visit Sleepy Creek Farm must be aware that they may be exposed to unsafe environmental conditions, such as but not limited to: uneven ground with poor footing, objects with sharp edges, farm animals that may behave unpredictably, surfaces that may have pathogenic microorganism present. To put it simply, Sleepy Creek Farm is a farm – with animals, mud, manure, and infrastructure that is built to meet the needs of livestock management, not human comfort.

Handling rabbits comes with its own set of risks. Persons who handle rabbits may be bitten or scratched. Rabbits can carry infectious diseases which may compromise human health. Rabbit cages can have sharp wire ends which may scratch or cut. Those who attend the Rabbit 101 Seminar will have the opportunity to handle live rabbits. Harris ………..t and Susan ………t cannot be held responsible for any injuries, illness, or damage to personal property that may result from guests who handle any animal on Sleepy Creek Farm.

A live butchering demonstration will be included in the Rabbit 101 Seminar. Butchering of animals is graphic and may not be appropriate for children or sensitive individuals. The live butchering demonstration is for educational purposes. Butchering of rabbits on Sleepy Creek Farm is done as humanely as possible, however there is always the exceptional case where a rabbit may scream and struggle during the butchering process. Guests will have the option to not participate in the live butchering demonstration.


Sleepy Creek Farm Hold Harmless Agreement

I, _________________________________, am aware of the inherent risks associated with being a guest at Sleepy Creek Farm. By signing this Hold Harmless Agreement, I agree to hold Harris ……..t and Susan ……t harmless for any accident, illness, death or injury to my person, or to minors in my care which may occur during my visit to Sleepy Creek Farm; I agree to hold Harris and Susan ……..t harmless for any damage or loss to my personal property which may occur as a result of visiting or participating in activities at Sleepy Creek Farm. I hereby waive my right to sue Harris ………….t or Susan …………t for any reason whatsoever.

Signed ___________________________________ Date ________________

Minors in My Care:

__________________________________


__________________________________


___________________________________


My Address:______________________________
______________________________
______________________________

My Phone Number:
______________________________

My Email Address:
_______________________________<br /><br />__________ Fri Oct 04, 2013 12:24 am __________<br /><br />......and I also know an awesome defense attorney

 

[grumpy]

Opinions and constructive criticism are welcome.

We all view things differently. We place values on items differently.

Be it time, or some other item, all have value of one form or another.
My 'time' is the most precious commodity/item I possess.
Yet, I give it freely without regret.

I am extremely cautious as to who visits my property and rabbitry.
Those that do visit, are warned of 'what' and 'what not' to do.
However, mine is a business. Pure and simple.

To have people milling around wouldn't be a positive with my herd.
I've got does kindling two to three days a week at odd hours.
They pay little to no attention to me. Yet, let a stranger enter,
and you can 'feel' the change in their behavior immediately.

Grumpy.

 

[Jessykah]

In that article she mentions $25 for feed to raise a rabbit from birth to four months. That seems ridiculously high to me.

Yes a lot of people think that is high. I agree. But I guess it depends on what you are feeding and where you're getting your feed. Example: Buying at a pet store is crazy expensive...buying at a feed tore in bulk is better.

Thank you for sharing Diamond. Most helpful.

I know I take a risk when I let people come to my place for the course. I don't have a safe place to do it in town. I also think it is very beneficial to have it on the farm. They can see your set-up, examples of how to do things and improvise, etc. I like to serve a rabbit meal so they can taste it, and that would be more difficult to do in another location. I don't think it would be legal for me to butcher a rabbit in a public place. It is ok for on my farm though, and is very remote. I suppose if I were close to a big city and had a lot of people regularly attending, I may want to do the seminar somewhere else. But for now this works. Before the class I check everything over, make sure everything is 100% tidy and all buns have been fed already, so that I can remain blameless.
Like yesterday my Sister-in-law came over. She said "these rabbits have no feed!", making it sound like I am not caring for them. So I explained that they are on a very specific diet. They have eaten everything, and are going to be fed supper soon, just like your dog is on a diet; she eats a certain amount per day. She seemed to understand then.
So I feed all buns before they get here for the course, so that I don't have people pointing out that there's no feed in the feeders. I can explain later how I feed them and how much...
Like I said, I like to remain blameless.
But I can understand why the lady in this article would hold the class elsewhere. She also didn't have the students butchering their own rabbit. To me, that's a very important part of the class (if they choose to participate in it), so that they can see if they are able to do the deed, BEFORE they get knee deep in rabbits. My students are very proud and relieved after performing the task. So it is work the on-farm risk for me, since I don't have as many ARA people here as others do...
sorry for rambling on....very tired here.

 

[Frecs]

Diamond, parts of that "hold harmless" agreement sound familiar. There is a sign posted outside the entrance of a farmers market operated by a farm that is a paraphrase of the "this is a farm, the ground is uneven...animals act unpredictably...things happen...you accept the risk." I get a chuckle out of it everytime I see it. And, then, I get sad that people actually have to be told something so obvious.

 

[skysthelimit]

In that article she mentions $25 for feed to raise a rabbit from birth to four months. That seems ridiculously high to me.

To me that seems low. At $15-19 a bag, I go through 1 bag every 2 1/2 to three days. At $240 a month (midrange at $16), It's $6 a month each to feed 40 (I have more) rabbits, so one rabbit for 4 mos eats $24 worth of food. Not counting weanings, who eat more than their share of food, 4 x what I feed adults. Not counting Angora's who either need 18% at $19.99 a bag, or twice as much food as the other adults, and Angora weanings and jrs, then eat twice as much as Angora srs, or 8 times as much as Rex adults.

Somewhere I did the calculations by cup and lb, and there is another site where they did the calculations by lb for an average litter of 7 or so, and basically worked up how much you should charge per lb for fryers based on feed consumption.

 

[Jessykah]

Skysthelimit, do you think it possible for you to dig up that info you read? It would be most helpful. Thanks.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

Jessykah,, I think it is a great idea for our area.. It will help allot of people out there if they want to do this or not.. It takes allot of time to get all the information to put together.. And getting them to eat rabbit stew was the best idea of all.. because if they like it ,, they will really think on going ahead with there own stock.. and once they see it isn't a big deal on cleaning one and if they get the convended (Sp) with it. :goodjob:

 

[Diamond]

In that article she mentions $25 for feed to raise a rabbit from birth to four months. That seems ridiculously high to me.

To me that seems low. At $15-19 a bag, I go through 1 bag every 2 1/2 to three days. At $240 a month (midrange at $16), It's $6 a month each to feed 40 (I have more) rabbits, so one rabbit for 4 mos eats $24 worth of food. Not counting weanings, who eat more than their share of food, 4 x what I feed adults. Not counting Angora's who either need 18% at $19.99 a bag, or twice as much food as the other adults, and Angora weanings and jrs, then eat twice as much as Angora srs, or 8 times as much as Rex adults.

Somewhere I did the calculations by cup and lb, and there is another site where they did the calculations by lb for an average litter of 7 or so, and basically worked up how much you should charge per lb for fryers based on feed consumption.

My math comes to about 30 pounds of feed for a 5 to 6 pound live rabbit, as my rabbits generally get 8 oz (1 cup or 1/2 pound) dry pellets per bun per day from weaning time to processing time, if you process at 12 weeks. I often push mine out to 14 weeks when they are 7 pounds (to get nice 4-pound fryers) so we are looking at 35-40 pounds of pellets; appx $14.

I also feed grass hay, the whole rabbitry goes through about a flake a day (BIG flakes from 120 pound bales) with the majority of that being consumed by the growouts.

__________ Fri Oct 04, 2013 6:54 am __________

I know I take a risk when I let people come to my place for the course. I don't have a safe place to do it in town. I also think it is very beneficial to have it on the farm. They can see your set-up, examples of how to do things and improvise, etc. I like to serve a rabbit meal so they can taste it, and that would be more difficult to do in another location. I don't think it would be legal for me to butcher a rabbit in a public place. It is ok for on my farm though, and is very remote. I suppose if I were close to a big city and had a lot of people regularly attending, I may want to do the seminar somewhere else. But for now this works. Before the class I check everything over, make sure everything is 100% tidy and all buns have been fed already, so that I can remain blameless.
Like yesterday my Sister-in-law came over. She said "these rabbits have no feed!", making it sound like I am not caring for them. So I explained that they are on a very specific diet. They have eaten everything, and are going to be fed supper soon, just like your dog is on a diet; she eats a certain amount per day. She seemed to understand then.
So I feed all buns before they get here for the course, so that I don't have people pointing out that there's no feed in the feeders. I can explain later how I feed them and how much...
Like I said, I like to remain blameless.
But I can understand why the lady in this article would hold the class elsewhere. She also didn't have the students butchering their own rabbit. To me, that's a very important part of the class (if they choose to participate in it), so that they can see if they are able to do the deed, BEFORE they get knee deep in rabbits. My students are very proud and relieved after performing the task. So it is work the on-farm risk for me, since I don't have as many ARA people here as others do...
sorry for rambling on....very tired here.

I am with you. So far I have had nothing but positive outcomes from the people who attend the class. The 'Real farm' experience with a functioning rabbitry are what people want to see and experience. The folks who attend have all been down-to-earth do-it-yourself types, some bring their school age children and I had a group of 4-H youth and their group leader attend one of the classes for a different perspective on raising rabbits (the youth get 'credit' for attending events like the Rabbit 101 seminar). I believe that if there were a particular individual involved who obviously was looking to cause trouble, it would be a fairly self-policing situation as they would be in the wrong crowd for such behavior. The fact that they would have to sit through 3 or 4 hours of rabbit handling and health discussion before watching a bunny get murdered might be enough of a deterrant......


I am cautious about the processing part; after a couple demo's I provide people the opportunity to participate with dressing out and sometimes have a brave soul who wants to use the rabbit wringer. I am careful to demonstrate the scars on my hands from slipped knives and make a point to explain how to safely handle a knife.... ALWAYS cut AWAY from your other hand and never 'hack' through anything!

I have attached the 'lecture notes' which everyone gets at the start of the class. Remember that folks get their own live rabbit to handle during the health inspection, sexing, etc part.... once the introduce-yourself part of the class is over and we discuss "why raise rabbits" then we go out to the rabbitry and everyone gets to pick a rabbit to handle. There was a very little boy at one class so he got a very little 7-week old bunny just the right size for him to handle.

 

[skysthelimit]

is-it-really-more-expensive-t8208.html?hilit=price%20of%20raising&start=15

I didn't even count the cost of hay.

My buns to not grow that fast. NZs and Cals are much more efficient when it comes to food ratios. I don't get a 7lb rabbit till at best 6 mos.

__________ Fri Oct 04, 2013 9:00 am __________

I have to correct the MS state link. I will keep looking.<br /><br />__________ Fri Oct 04, 2013 11:12 am __________<br /><br />http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/beef/docs/ ... abbits.pdf

 

[JessiL]

We just had a handful of people over for a Northern Nevada Permaculture Group work bee that involved helping us slaughter a bunch of chickens and rabbits. I really enjoyed the experience and the help, and was impressed how all but one person went from looking a bit horrified during the first rabbit slaughter to finally picking up a length of pipe or broomstick and taking their own rabbit from start to finish (the one who didn't was the first one to jump in to skin and gut, but needed to leave a little early). But I'm not sure if our area would have enough demand to start paid courses. However, I am taking notes from your experiences just in case we feel like trying it out later. Thanks for sharing the lecture notes and Hold Harmless paperwork!

And a quick moment of bragging... 4 of our 11 week old Americans and Champagne d'Argents were already over 6 pounds! And 3 were over 5 3/4! I should have butchered them a week or two ago, but was saving up animals for this weekend.