Quote: Michael_Wise

... A diet of whole rabbits alone would not make a complete enough diet ... Whole rabbits with some red meat added in regularly(beef or pork), a whole chicken every now and then, maybe some venison...now we're talkin'. ... Whole rabbit is a great food. You could probably knock a huge dent in expenses raising rabbits for food.

This is exactly what I took away from the reading I did do.

Eric, please don't let my above post discourage you from starting back.

Raising small animals, don't forget hunting, to alleviate some of the cost of feeding is a WONDERFUL thing to do. If my wife would let me I'd have rabbits, chickens, LOTS of goats, and a cow if I had room for one.

I wanted to stress again, rabbit alone wouldn't be good.

Raisin' rabbits to lower your dog food bill significantly, while still adding in other foods for variety. Now that would be fine, IMO.

Thanks for the tips and the honest truth.

I knew with the alligator I was feeding that the lack of fat was an issue and I would feed chicken quarters from Wal-Mart a couple of times a week. I hate guessing as to if I'm getting it right or not.

In all of this I need to keep my wife happy. She sometimes has to deal with the dogs for days at a time while I'm gone, so it has to be simple. She wants me to just stay with kibble.

 Quote: Deanna Thompson

Leih, if you asked me if I could ever do this 8 years ago I would have told you no way. You can do what ever you set your mind to. This year I raised 15 ducks, 20 meat chickens, and 25 rabbits. All on 1/4 acre. The longer I have been feeding this way the more I start to question the current standards of factory farming and the true safety of our very own food.

Deanna, or others who raise your own meat, about how much does it cost to start up and maintain your own flocks and hutches of rabbits, chickens, and ducks?

What type of facilities do you keep them in? And where do you kill the animals? Just out in the yard or do you have some sort of designated area?

 Quote: Deanna Thompson

Cervical dislocation is how I do the deed. Raw Dog Ranch has some graphic, but helpful photos of how using a broomstick. Google their site. There are other methods involving CO2 but I have not tried them. Amber Morgan here on the board uses that method I believe.

The Raw Dog Ranch website doesn't work due to a virus. Are there any other websites that help demonstrate different techniques?

 Quote: MeganMcCallister

.... The Raw Dog Ranch website doesn't work due to a virus. Are there any other websites that help demonstrate different techniques?

http://www.tweedrichmond.organicproducers.org.au/library/farmplan/rabbits.htm
has a detailed slaughtering section.

http://www.rudolphsrabbitranch.com/rrrpt1.htm

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/archive/index.php/t-30430.html

http://www.i4at.org/lib2/rabbits.htm

These were just the returns from about five seconds spent on a Google search. I'm sure there's tons more.

Startup costs vary. Cages, feeders, and water bottles are the major expense. If you are able to build you own, you can save a fair bit. Also, startup stock can be costly, depending on what you want. I raise American Blues and New Zealand mix (rabbits) and have several different types of chickens. The Am Blues very quite pricey, but I traded a pair of blues for 8 NZ. You can find rabbits for $5-10, or you can find rabbits for $50+. If you are lucky, you can find some nice stock for free if you aren't picky about type. Really, breed is not as important as litter size, weaning weight, and feed conversion. Same deal with chickens. I have no experience with ducks. Maintenance (per animal) is quite cheap. Rabbit pellets are not too expensive, neither is chicken feed.

I have some of my rabbits in a colony (with our bantam chickens, actually) and they breed at will. I have some in wood/wire hutches and some in wire cages with solid tops and foldable tarp sides for weather protection when needed.

As far as killing? I just do it in the yard, but our yard is somewhat private and I can't be seen by the neighbors (who, in our case, probably wouldn't care anyway). We have a stump that I let them sit on until they are calm so they are still. I am squeamish about breaking necks, so I hit them with a metal rod. Very quick and instantaneous if done correctly (just behind the ears). I saw a link somewhere (I think on one of the meatrabbit yahoo lists) about a device made from 1/4" steel rod that helps with cervical dislocation ... looked much easier than the broomstick method. If I can find the link, I'll post it.

I looked for the link (it was in my faves) and it no longer works. The youtube video is now a private video, so I am afraid I can't help you with that one. It was on the Homestead Today web board under raising rabbits for profit. Lots of good info. If you wanted to register there and ask about Laura's dispatching device someone may be able to help you out.

we covered this a bit in another thread

http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/181786/page/0/fpart/1

Just wanted to comment on the costs (as stated in the linked thread). I started with 5 does and a buck (large breed ... American Blues ... 10-12 pounds grown) and even with several litters on the ground (about 40 rabbits altogether of varying ages) I don't go through that much feed. I think I topped out at about 50 pounds a week ... and I thought my rabbits were pigs. I always joked with the lady at the feedstore about having long eared pigs instead of rabbits. Most of my rabbits are colony kept instead of cage raised, however, so maybe they don't eat as much because they have more to do and are not bored. Makes for a beautifully muscled rabbit when they can free range though ... and lowers startup costs as well.