# Chicken coops.



## BarbaraClark (Oct 23, 2011)

Is there anyone here that maintains their own chicken coop in order to feed their dogs? Is it difficult? Cheaper? Easy? Do chickens breed quickly?

Also, I see people scoring free meat on Craigslist all the time...what section are you guys searching in? :lol:


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## BarbaraClark (Oct 23, 2011)

Or rabbits....I know rabbits breed like crazy.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Well, I want chickens. I'm not sure I could kill them, though - I just want them for the eggs. I'm going to try to get to the feed store in the next couple of weeks and ask them about building a coop. Not sure I know how.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

We have 27 laying hens and 2 roosters. We are getting at least a dozen eggs per day that go mostly to the dogs. The only time we will use them for meat is if the roosters are fighting in which case we will get rid of the meaner one OR if the hens stop laying or take a liking to their own eggs. 

I'd think a much larger operation would be needed to sustain meat chickens as they take a few months to mature. 

It also depends on what you feed your chickens. We feed ours the equivalent to a "raw" diet for them of whole grains (cracked corn, barley, wheat, black oil sunflower seeds, millet, flax seeds, lentils, split peas) as well as some fresh food everyday like spinach, lettuce, squash, kale, pumpkin, melons, etc and any food scraps we produce from meat, dairy, cooked foods, etc. 

They're free ranged over about a 1/4 acre area and we let them out to roam the rest of the property later in the afternoon and they always put themselves to bed. 

Our coop is rather large with a roosting area for sleeping and 6 laying boxes we made out of old cabinets. We use deep bedding for them with cedar shavings that need to be turned and added to every once in a while. 

As far as spending $$ on them.... I would say like $100 per month for everything not including building costs.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

i originally wanted chickens to eat the grasshoppers that come through here in the summer and eat all the leaves off the trees. 

But my dad told me I would need 6000 chickens at least, to be successful. So I have lowered my sights to eggs and getting rid of a few of the grasshoppers.

So Natalie, the chickens don't lay an egg per day?


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## BarbaraClark (Oct 23, 2011)

Hmmm, sounds like rabbits for meat would be a better deal?


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

We have a rooster and hens for eggs at the moment. We have alo had meat birds as well, and the older they got the more they ate. They are eating machines, literaly more than layer breeds. 40 broilers were out eating our horses by the time they were 9weeks old, which is when Wayne slaughterd them. I don't think we will do those again. I'll just buy the best quality chicken I can find at the store.

As far as breeding and raising, they lay eggs daily and if you have a rooster you are likely to get fertilized eggs daily. Incubating takes some work as far as getting temp. and humidity just right for a good hatch. Then they stay in a brooder with heat lamps until they are fully featherd in. Meat birds don't have a long life even if not slaughterd, and I have heard they can be hard to get to live long enough to breed and lay. Our only experiance with hatching has been layers, not meaties. Look into it alot first, because it can be a headache. JMO.


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## BarbaraClark (Oct 23, 2011)

How many fertile eggs do a breeding pair lay each month?


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## BarbaraClark (Oct 23, 2011)

Tried to ask this on another forum and got flamed for being an "animal killer" wow.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

BarbaraClark said:


> How many fertile eggs do a breeding pair lay each month?


A chicken will lay almost every day, with or without a rooster, and I see our roo jumping on the hens several times a day. When we were incubating, we collected eggs daily, and after five days candled them, and most were fertile. 

A good site to go to to learn about only chickens, is backyardchickens.com. (I don't know how to post links!) They have forums on every kind of chicken related everything! They could probably tell you a lot more about them.


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

I am planning on building a chicken coop this spring  I originally wanted to raise my chicken from chicks but realized that it would take forever to get any eggs off of them. Also, I do not want chickens throughout the winter, so my plan is to purchase 17 week old chickens, get eggs from them throughout the summer and fall, then slaughter them all for the freezer in late fall.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

Are you planning on getting meat birds, or layers? I don't know that meat birds would live to 17 weeks. They are usually slaughterd at about 9 weeks. I can't remember what the life expectation is on them. I guess they would have to be able to live that long to lay, but they wouldn't be getting around to well I don't think. They grow at such an incredible rate, heart attacks are common.


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

I was thinking of getting a flock of Barred Plymouth Rock's. They are suppose to be dual purpose and are known to be friendly  They can also withstand cold temperatures, so if I decide to keep some over the winter I can.

What meat birds did you raise that only lived to 9 weeks old? That might be another option for me as I could keep my egg layers and raise separate meat chickens.


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## BarbaraClark (Oct 23, 2011)

How much do they eat? I am now thinking of having two males and 8 females. What precautions need to be taken throughout the winter to keep them alive? Also, thanks for the advice


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## BarbaraClark (Oct 23, 2011)

My boyfriend also suggested ducks....and goats. But idk yet.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

I live in town but the rules say that I am allowed 3 hens. I have 2 hens and a rooster. 

A few months ago I had 4 days off of work so I decided to make a chicken coop. I found old fence boards for free on craigslist and went to a fencing company to get scrap 2by4s to use. I spent 2 days making it and 3$ on a set of hinges for the door. Everything else we had laying around. It has 2 hinge doors in the back that open up to 4 nest boxes. The doors swing down so I screwed in some wooden tabs loosely so I can swing them around and lock each door. 

She may not be pretty but she does the job right  

















The thick plastic is just a giangantic bag that I found.









The ladies, Pork the light Brahma and Checkers the plymouth (no I didn't name them )









The nameless Rooster









I probably spend like $20 a month on feed, plus they get veggie scraps and other edibles that come from the house. I let them out sometimes as well, to eat the bugs and stuff.

We get 2 eggs a day right now and the dogs eat most of them. I sometimes get other hens but if I don't like them, they become dog food. Roosters too.


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## BarbaraClark (Oct 23, 2011)

I've done some research and I'm excited, regular chickens seem pretty cheap to maintain. My problem will be getting them to produce enough babies to meet my quota. If you were allow your eggs to live and grow into full grown chickens, how many chickens do you think you would produce a month?


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

BarbaraClark said:


> How much do they eat? I am now thinking of having two males and 8 females. What precautions need to be taken throughout the winter to keep them alive? Also, thanks for the advice


I dont think you need 2 males, I have a feeling they will fight. In the winter they need a shelter thats heated as I have read there feet and cones can freeze and fall off! Some ppl just use a heat lamp.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

twoisplenty said:


> I dont think you need 2 males, I have a feeling they will fight. In the winter they need a shelter thats heated as I have read there feet and cones can freeze and fall off! Some ppl just use a heat lamp.


Mine didn't have any heat but we did have quite a mild winter. I am sure colder places would require a heat source.


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

I actually have been researching both chicken and rabbit raising and I fully intend to start both in the spring. I think breeding rabbits sounds exciting for both my tummy and the dogs. Rabbits are prolific and healthy all white, high protein meat. They breed fairly quickly, easy to raise, and can be raised anywhere because they are not considered livestock. 

I only want a few hens for eggs for me. I don't think my dogs like eggs. However, if I enjoy it enough, I may try raising some broilers for the freezer. I don't know, one step at a time. I think in a former life I was a farmer or something. 

I think, if you are serious about raising meat for your dogs, rabbits would be a better option.


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## jdatwood (Apr 13, 2009)

twoisplenty said:


> In the winter they need a shelter thats heated as I have read there feet and cones can freeze and fall off! Some ppl just use a heat lamp.


Actually, you do NOT want heat in the winter. Artificially heating their coop in the winter can make them very sick due to increased humidity, etc in their coop. Buy cold hardy breeds and make sure their coop is well ventilated BUT no direct drafts on them while they sleep. If you do the deep litter method for the coop they decomposing litter will generate heat as well as the chickens themselves. I know people in Alaska and Canada that don't heat their coops.


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## Cliffdog (Dec 30, 2010)

You could also consider rats. They're smaller so you can breed multiple of them and feed them whole, plus they mature faster than rabbits (right?) so they breed more can be fed sooner. Not to mention they're red meat, which is (from what I've gathered on this forum and elsewhere) better than poultry.


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## BarbaraClark (Oct 23, 2011)

Didn't think of that Cliff, that's a good idea.

I've been reading all day and I think I've come to my conclusions. Rabbits sounds AWESOME. They breed fast, aren't hard to maintain, and mature fairly quickly. As far as chickens, breeding is out, but it may be easy for me to buy 15-20 chics, raise the up, then slaughter. Keep the cycle going so I have newly matured chickens to slaughter each month. If you do the math, it ends up being about $2.50 for 7lbs of meat, which is better than I've seen anywhere else! Lol. My boyfriend also hunts and fishes, so that will cover that. I'll be feeding venison ribs and turkey necks...

I'm also debating goats...I've always wanted one as a pet and if I had a breeding pair or two, I would enjoy that and so would chevelle's belly when the occasional kid matures.


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

jdatwood said:


> Actually, you do NOT want heat in the winter. Artificially heating their coop in the winter can make them very sick due to increased humidity, etc in their coop. Buy cold hardy breeds and make sure their coop is well ventilated BUT no direct drafts on them while they sleep. If you do the deep litter method for the coop they decomposing litter will generate heat as well as the chickens themselves. I know people in Alaska and Canada that don't heat their coops.


Really, no heat???? I read on a chicken forum to have a heat lamp at night. It can get pretty cold here in Ontario but if ppl in Alaska arent heating then I should be able to too. Interesting... I think I need to continue on my reading, lol.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

twoisplenty said:


> Really, no heat???? I read on a chicken forum to have a heat lamp at night. It can get pretty cold here in Ontario but if ppl in Alaska arent heating then I should be able to too. Interesting... I think I need to continue on my reading, lol.


I personally would never put a heat lamp in with Chickens. Fire safety is one reason but I also believe that they don't need it. They have breeds bred for cold weather and they stay warm just fine if they have a suitable enclosure. Growing up, we never had heat lamps for the chickens and we never lost one, except to skunks.


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## BarbaraClark (Oct 23, 2011)

I live in southern Louisiana, so I don't think the cold will be a problem.


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

If you do start chickens/rabbits/rats, whatever, TELL ME ALL ABOUT IT. I am so excited to start myself.


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## BarbaraClark (Oct 23, 2011)

I definitely will post a thread here to mark my progress, since my motivation for doing it is my raw feeding.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

We did both for a while. I kept 6 chickens for just eggs and they were barred rock and rhode island reds. They did great int he snow and layed all winter long. They layed well four about 4 years or so then they were stew. We also raised the meat chickens in two rounds spring/summer for our own meat for the year. We did 2 rounds of 18 chickens. Not a fun day for slaughter but a neighbor showed my husband how to skin instead of kill and pluck and that was ever so much easier.


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## Makovach (Jan 24, 2012)

I used to raise chickens and rabbits untill recently. But they were for people and I got into trouble when id sneak it to the dogs.

For meat chickens, we would buy 25-50 broilers. Raise them up till 12 weeks and butcher. It cost us about $150 a month to feed them. but it was for three months. They were kept in cages once they were so big they could hardly move. they weighed 7-10lbs generally. so i guess if you broke down the cost, like $0.90 per lb or so. I didnt do alot with them besides feed them (they were my uncles)

As for the Rabbits, My friend and I had a heck of a time with our New Zelands. We used breeding hutches. It was a constant pain in the butt and the litters hardly ever survived. The moms wouldnt care for their babies. Or something would get into their hutch (some how) and let the rabbits loose. We decided that if we were to breed rabbits agian, we would want a ground pen. 20x20ft dog pen. We would put in two bucks and 6-8 Does and let them go at it naturally. But rabbits are burrowers so if you use a ground pen, you have to dig down and put in wire so they can not burrow out. They need shelter (we used the top half of dog houses), water, food (for 12 new zelands we usualy fed about 50-75lbs a day. Along with sweetfeed & oats horse food in the winter to keep more weight on and help with warmth. They also got carrots, melons, various other veggies and friuts and rolled oats every day. We managed to get rabbits, but after takeing it out for people, there usualy were not enough left for the dogs

Rats. They breed like crazy. They can get pregnant as soon as they deliever their last baby! They can have from 5-15 babies at a time. They eat anything. I have a pet rat, his name is Stewart. He eats what ever i eat, what ever my dogs eat. He gets raw friuts and veggies and oats along with raw meat and RMBs. He is 3 months old, full grown (may be a little bigger) and weighs 1.5lbs! Rats breed like crazy, but i cant do it. Because Stewart is my pet and he is around my dogs. They like him and never hurt him. I wouldnt want them to mistake him with food.

As far as ducks, I have no clue. Never messed with them. Goats, I've helped raise them, but don't know when they would be ready for butcher or anything like that. I look on CL and find people who want to give them away. I hold them for enough time incase they had meds i wasnt told about, and take them to butcher.

Good luck on your raising experience!


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## Cliffdog (Dec 30, 2010)

Makovach said:


> Rats. They breed like crazy. They can get pregnant as soon as they deliever their last baby! They can have from 5-15 babies at a time. They eat anything. I have a pet rat, his name is Stewart. He eats what ever i eat, what ever my dogs eat. He gets raw friuts and veggies and oats along with raw meat and RMBs. He is 3 months old, full grown (may be a little bigger) and weighs 1.5lbs! Rats breed like crazy, but i cant do it. Because Stewart is my pet and he is around my dogs. They like him and never hurt him. I wouldnt want them to mistake him with food.


Wow, you give your rat RMBs? I never thought of that! I had to euth my old boy not too long ago, and I love rats as pets... but I know I'd have no problem CO2 euthing rats as feeders because that's how I did my pet rat. I doubt I'll have them as pets ever again (lifespan is just too short... too much heartbreak) but I could easily breed and feed them.


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## Makovach (Jan 24, 2012)

Cliffdog said:


> Wow, you give your rat RMBs? I never thought of that! I had to euth my old boy not too long ago, and I love rats as pets... but I know I'd have no problem CO2 euthing rats as feeders because that's how I did my pet rat. I doubt I'll have them as pets ever again (lifespan is just too short... too much heartbreak) but I could easily breed and feed them.


Yes! He is an omnivore! He needs meat to! and they are very canibalistic! The male will eat the whole litter most times if left in the pen. I bred rats for the local pet store and to feed my 7 snakes for about 6 years. He loves his RMBs. They also help keep his teeth from growing too long. 

I never co2 euthed rats :/ They were fed live. the ones that wouldnt eat live, we just nocked em out w/ a hammer... i know how terrible that sounds  but thats just what my dad did. If i fed rats to the dogs (which i dont think i will), i dont think i would be able to do it. I was never able to even stand and watch my dad do it. I would def. have to build a co2 chamber and do a bunch at one time. Does c02 affect their organs or the meat?


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## Cliffdog (Dec 30, 2010)

Makovach said:


> Yes! He is an omnivore! He needs meat to! and they are very canibalistic! The male will eat the whole litter most times if left in the pen. I bred rats for the local pet store and to feed my 7 snakes for about 6 years. He loves his RMBs. They also help keep his teeth from growing too long.
> 
> I never co2 euthed rats :/ They were fed live. the ones that wouldnt eat live, we just nocked em out w/ a hammer... i know how terrible that sounds  but thats just what my dad did. If i fed rats to the dogs (which i dont think i will), i dont think i would be able to do it. I was never able to even stand and watch my dad do it. I would def. have to build a co2 chamber and do a bunch at one time. Does c02 affect their organs or the meat?


I fed my rats meat, but never thought to give them bone before. I don't know why I never thought to, it seems like it would have been something good for him to chew on. I know they're cannabalistic... my other rat died overnight (of what nobody knows, he had been a bit lethargic beforehand but nothing really alarming...) and before I woke in the morning my boy Plague had eaten half of him.

I've killed rodents with a blow to the head before and I much much prefer CO2. More peaceful. And we would whack their heads on the table and sometimes they didn't die, that was just godawful.

Most feeder rats are killed nowadays with CO2 as it's seen as the most humane way of putting them down without damaging the meat. I'm fairly sure that it doesn't affect the organs. I've been told that they actually just suffocate to death in a CO2 chamber... which sounds horrible, but it's much more pleasant than the other "safe to eat" methods of euthanasia. They don't struggle, they just go to sleep.


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

When I get rabbits, I think I might try the rabbit wringer. I hope i can do it as it is not as easy as a gunshot to the head. The problem with a gun is the bullet could still be in the head and I plan on giving all the heads to my dogs. Breaking the neck is pretty quick and many rabbit farmers do it this way. I just hope I can. 

I have a natural hatred for rabbits. Maybe I CAN do it. Every rabbit I have ever met has had this natural dislike for me. I used to work at this mom and pop pet store and since we didnt have a break room, I ate my lunch on the floor in the animal room. I know, not fun. But there was no where else and in the winter, thats what I did. This store rabbit lived back there and had a vendetta out for me. She would constantly steal my lunch when I wasnt looking, attack and bite me for no reason (I tried to bribe her with treats to be my friend!) and she would bolt out in front of me ALL THE TIME, like she was trying to trip me. Rabbits I tried to adopt out at another store I worked out constantly kicked me even though I know how to handle them and correctly hold them. I would hand them to someone else and the rabbit would be a darling. Ugh. So yeah, me and rabbits? Not so much friends. 

I have considered rats and guinea pigs as well. I like rabbits because this is something I can eat too. Its all white meat and healthy and I want to try it out. It will be hormone, antibiotic free meat that eats well and lives well until its time. I plan to free range them on occassion. With rats, they stink! ugh. I think they make ok pets and know many people who love their beloved rat. But to me, I can not get over the stink of their poop. With guinea pigs, which I have bred before, they do not have as much meat as a rabbit and are not as good to eat for me. They are tougher to skin than a rabbit and more work than they are worth for eating purposes. Make great easy going pets I think. 

Time will tell.


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## BarbaraClark (Oct 23, 2011)

It probably sounds horrible but I don't think I'll have a problem killing anything but a goat. :lol:


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## BarbaraClark (Oct 23, 2011)

I'm really excited about this. It'll probably be a little while before we get down to it, but I will make sure everyone here knows. It could be very beneficial to any raw feeders who have issues paying for their meats. I was also thinking goats might have perfect bones for RMBs...

Right now though, our current project is our soon-to-be assembled 120 gallon fish tank. Idk if anyone here knows much about that, but we are building our own SUMP, stand, and canopy.


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## BarbaraClark (Oct 23, 2011)

Makovach said:


> But rabbits are burrowers so if you use a ground pen, you have to dig down and put in wire so they can not burrow out.


How far down? Rabbits sound like they will be one of the easiest things to do. My family has done it before and the only problems we ever had were from mothers rejecting and sometimes eating their own babies. If you let the does and bucks in the same pen, do the does keep the bucks away so they don't eat their babies? Also, what's a good species of rabbit to try?


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

wolfsnaps88 said:


> When I get rabbits, I think I might try the rabbit wringer. I hope i can do it as it is not as easy as a gunshot to the head. The problem with a gun is the bullet could still be in the head and I plan on giving all the heads to my dogs. Breaking the neck is pretty quick and many rabbit farmers do it this way. I just hope I can.
> 
> I have a natural hatred for rabbits. Maybe I CAN do it. Every rabbit I have ever met has had this natural dislike for me. I used to work at this mom and pop pet store and since we didnt have a break room, I ate my lunch on the floor in the animal room. I know, not fun. But there was no where else and in the winter, thats what I did. This store rabbit lived back there and had a vendetta out for me. She would constantly steal my lunch when I wasnt looking, attack and bite me for no reason (I tried to bribe her with treats to be my friend!) and she would bolt out in front of me ALL THE TIME, like she was trying to trip me. Rabbits I tried to adopt out at another store I worked out constantly kicked me even though I know how to handle them and correctly hold them. I would hand them to someone else and the rabbit would be a darling. Ugh. So yeah, me and rabbits? Not so much friends.
> 
> ...


You can eat Cavy too!!:wink: Ive heard it is REALLY good!!:thumb:

But on to what Babara is asking.....start up cost, and over all maintenance cost for rabbits is generally pretty high. Meat rabbits cost a bit to get into, and if you dont do some of the meat breeds well then your getting a much smaller amount of meat per your cost. So price it all out in your area and figure out what you want to do....I would HIGHLY suggest buying your first stock from a GOOD breeder.....so that you have the health back up of it, and then dont expect to "get back" anything of what you spent for at least a few litters per female/male!:wink:

I know when I was growing up we raised meat rabbits....got lucky to buy from a "going out of the business" sale from a WELL known meat rabbit place there locally, but my parents still spent quite a bit for them.


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## BarbaraClark (Oct 23, 2011)

I'm lucky that my in laws live in and a run a church in a town where everyone breeds their own livestock. Getting the rabbits I need won't be difficult. I may even get them for free. As far as housing, someone will have that for me also. Oh, the joys of having connections in a ******* village. :lol: as far as feeding, that of course we will be covering ourselves.


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

You CAN eat guinea pig (I saw an episode of this on Bizarre Foods on the travel channel) but speaking with people who actually have tried this, I was told its not as good as rabbit both taste wise and amount of meat per animal/ease of dressing and cooking animal. Their gestation times are around the same but rabbits generally have larger litters. 

Great species to start meat rabbits are Californians, New Zealands, Satins, Chamapagne D' Argent, Rex and many crosses. You CAN eat any rabbit, but these are the most commonly used ones. They have a good feed to growth ratio. Something like a flemish Giant DOES get big but it takes a longer time to get there and they have larger bones. Typically at 12 weeks, a fryer is ready (a young rabbit). These rabbits finish out at 5-8 pounds live weight and 2-4 pounds is your dressed weight.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

WE tried to eat jackrabbit a couple of times. i am here to tell you that some rabbits are easier to eat than others


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