A DIY Sustainability Workshop with Mary DeMare and Dan Shields
Saturday, March 14th, 10am-4pm
Located at 1588 NC-87 North Pittsboro NC, 27312,
The Basic Rabbitry workshop is designed for homesteaders or just anyone who wants to rely less on commercially produced meat. Two does and a buck can provide enough meat for a family of 4-6. Rabbit meat is healthy, lean and very low impact. With the manure you can fertilize your garden and with the fur you can make warm stuff!
During the Basic Rabbitry workshop, attendees will learn the “how” and “why” of raising rabbits for meat. How to choose breeding stock, sex rabbits, breeding, feeding, and how to safely handle the animals. There will also be an extensive Q&A session to cover many other aspects of raising a healthy herd.
The processing portion of the workshop in the afternoon will cover how to safely and humanely dispatch, process and dress the rabbit. Each participant will instructed on how to properly process a rabbit and participate in the processing, if they wish. (Participants may just observe if they are not comfortable with processing, but the cost remains the same).
10 am – 12 pm – basic rabbitry, housing, feeding, breeding
12 – 12:30 pm (lunch) – attendees bring lunch & we will provide a tasting of rabbit dishes
12:30 – 4 pm – processing workshop (required to have attended first part)
Rabbitry Workshop Registration:
Pre-registration is required.
Basic – $40
Basic + Processing – $80 (attendees will take the rabbit they process ~$15 value)
Register online:
Pre-registration is required.
About the instructors:
Fatty Owl Farm got our first rabbits in October of 2012 and we have been learning more every day. Mary has been involved in the local food movement for more than a decade in food co-ops and Dan has been farming for many years. Ultimately, Mary & Dan want everyone to have rabbits to grow and produce their own meat.
Fatty Owl Farm is also trying to build an on-farm processing facility in Pittsboro, NC this year so that they can care for their rabbits from beginning to end while meeting the demand of local chefs around the Triangle. Help them reach their goal of $10,000 by March 21st, 2015 on their Barnraiser Campaign! You can also help spread the word: Are you #ready4rabbit?
