Animals for meat setup help (likely rabbits)

[Anoni Mus]

Hey, new to rural life and am looking to raise an animal for meat right now I have 4 chickens for eggs and am debating between adding a male chicken and also raise chickens for meat, raising quails or raising rabbits.

If I add a rooster and assuming my chickens are for egg production (2 of them seem quite meaty maybe they are apt for meat too) would their descendents be fine for meat?

I live off-grid, in the winter I wouldn't be able to spare electricity for incubators so I'd have to let the chickens (or quails) raise them naturally, maybe get one of those chickens that are always broody. But that's the main reason I'm more inclined to rabbits, which brings me to further questions:

I've read that they can't handle the heat, summers here are quite hot (Portugal), often above 30°c and every couple of years heat waves that reach 40°c, local rabbits are likely more adapted to heat that elsewhere but even then it's too hot, how could I cool them in the summer other than shadow? Would one frozen bottle be enough for a rabbit for a whole day? Should I create a controlled earth environment so they can dig to cool themselves?

Which brings me to my second question that should've been my first: what kind of setup is better? I've read about cages and colonies but I'm inclined to something mixed like I have with my chickens but I don't know how viable it is. My chickens have 25m2 space to roam + 4m2 protected, of those 4, half is shelter from rain and perch and the other half is earth and access to sunshine, so they spend the night or days I'm away in those 4m2 while giving them access to the larger space during the day. I was wondering if I could do something similar for rabbits, but a smaller space for the male, and larger one for does or doe, I think I only need a couple considering I live alone and their babies (but then the rabbits grow and need further spaces for them which is an issue).
I heard chicken wire is bad for rabbits but I wonder if they chew because they are bored and they have no space or they chew everything anyway even if they have other things to chew, I was considering making hutches with strong welded wire but use leftover chicken wire for the perimeter of the larger land area during the day, but will they chew through it even if they have enough space?
What about digging, is it inevitable that they dig? If I had to cover all the area with something so they don't dig it would cost some money and for now I can't think of a solution.

While googling I landed on a vegan page that claimed most rabbits were killed at 3 weeks right after weaning but from what I've read that's rare and most people process them between 8 and 12 weeks but it did make me think, can I process them after weaning as they claim? Has anyone here done that? We do eat suckling pig at 2 months which affects meat texture and flavor (most consider it for the best). What size is a 4 week rabbit? Maybe the right size for a single meal? It'd be some work to prepare one rabbit for just one meal but I could see myself spending a couple of hours dispatching and preparing many rabbits every once in a while and freezing the excess for later consumption. That would also save on feed because you'd only need to feed the couple, not to mention not needing to sex the rabbits and having further hatches (unless when replacing the reproduction couple).

If I do want to dispatch between 8 and 12 weeks how much do they eat between when they start eating feed until slaughter?

If I choose to leave for a week will rabbits be ok by themselves if I put enough water and feed? Can they control what they eat and save it or would they overeat and then have no food for later? In the summer if I need frozen bottles it'd be an issue...

Post ended up being quite long, sorry about that.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

@U_Stormcrow reminder to self - come back to this after work.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Chicken genetics are odd - yes, if you add a meaty rooster, most of the offspring will tend towards meaty - but some won't. and if your meaty is a Cornish Cross (a special kind of semi hybrid at this point), my experience is that half the offspring will get a measure of larger size and fast growth, but half won't - and my the second generation, almost none of the offspring will have any of the Cx traits, except perhaps dominant white. I have a culling project going, its a couple generations in, nothing spectacular to show for it. I get an ok to decent amount of eggs, and edible chickens - but they aren't huge when young.

I also have rabbits, and 30c isn't that much. 40c we hit a couple times each summer, but I spend a lot of time around 36-37c. My rabbits did fine. I'm currently raising them in large pens, individually - they will fight and kill one another, they can be quite territorial - one of my girls recently killed my only adult buck. Anyhow, I followed guidance from the livestock conservancy, the pens are on the ground, I had to dig trenches and fill them with cinderblocks to keep them from digging out, 16" deep. The pens themselves are roughly 5' x 8' each, and they use the tunnels and the shade I've offered to keep cool during the worst of it. That said, because they have tunnels, its an absolute pain for having to handle them - they run away and disappear down their holes. I'm currently building hanging cages - 2.5' x 4' x 2'. Will let you know how that goes, but I'll ensure plenty of airflow and plenty of shade, plus plenty of fresh clean water.
I take rabbits at around 8-10 weeks, my last litter was seven rabbits, each rabbit is a narrow meal for two, but my wife and I eat as lot of protein - technically, each rabbit is more than two servings. They are EASY to butcher. I did five in the time I'd normally do two or three chickens. Definitely easier than birds in that respect. For you, I'd recommend three pens - a buck in one, a doe in each of the other two, then alternate breedings. That's what my wife and I have done, and it worked well till our doe killed the buck, "snu snu". Alternating breeders allows you to eat rerasonably well (freezer space) and keep a steady supply. I would not cull at 4 weeks, too much effort for the meat. Same amount of work at 8 weeks, but then they are much closer (70%????) to full size.

I don't know how much they eat - we go thru about 50# of rabbit feed a month (at $14/bag) but a lot of it get wasted on the ground, we get a lot of rain. I routinely throw small amounts of greenery from my pasture, too - not enough to affect how much they eat, just for variation. and like all rodents, they need things to chew on.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Hope that helps a little, we are still learning by making mistakes.

 

[ChickNanny13]

I raised rabbits for meat (1990's) ... Due to the "heat" here Hubby put misters in the cage area but then got humid, then we set up a fan system.
I went with hanging wire cages; welded wire 1/2" x 1" for the floor & went up 6" to prevent kits from falling out, 1" x 2" for the sides & tops, think the over all size of the cage ended up 36" square x 24" height. Frame work for the cages were about 10' x 3'.
Two stories with heavy plastic under the top cages funneling the poop in the lower screen. Under the lower cages I hung screen to collect the poop (sold for fertilizer, never touched the ground). (1) 3 cages on the top with a sizable wean off cage at the bottom. (2) 3 cages on the top & another 3 at the bottom.
Nest boxes 18"L x 10"W x 10" H. I raised meat rabbits (New Zealand), all you need is 1 buck to service 10 - 15 does, but good to have at least 2 buck just in case. Nest box goes in after palpating does to ensure she's bred. Gestation about 31 - 35 days with about 6 - 12 kits. I cull the wean off cage at 2months, after that they start putting on fat which is minimal. I'd rebreed my doe after a month rest, just me.

Like chickens they need good ventilation and air circulation. In my opinion they are a better source for meat turn around. Chickens are versital but if it's eggs/meat you should stick with the dual purpose breeds. Cockerel can be culled once they come to weight, whereas the pullets/hens are kept for egg production until they slow down laying ... NOTE: Don't mistake their slow down in laying during molt and other environmental issues as they're ready for the stew pot.

Chickens are better for roasting or stewing. Rabbit meat is versatile and very lean. I sold rabbit meat, the poop, the fur and even Rabbit Burritos. It was a very good business which I sold when we moved to the Mainland. When we returned 13yrs later, the business was gone but those that knew me asked about more burritos. It was something I always wanted to do, raise and do the full circle.

Enoy your venture but the most important thing to so I RESEARCH and do your homework before you start out. I did alot but gave everything to those that bought my business and apparently didn't keep up.

 

[cassie]

Just a suggestion. Get the book Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits by Bob Bennett. It is an inexpensive book that covers all phases of raising rabbits. From buying breeding stock, to feeding, to housing, to butchering, to showing, and everything in between. It also has a description of the breeds of rabbits. It is available on amazon.com. That is where I got my copy.

 

[ChickNanny13]

This was my "bible" raising rabbits ...
https://rabbitbreeders.us/american-rabbit-breeders-association/

 

[Anoni Mus]

Well, I talked to a potential rabbit seller and he told me rabbits would quickly die if I raised them outside unless I vaccinated them all which would not be economically viable. He mentioned two diseases but I only remember one of them, which is quite famous here, mixomatosis, apparently it's a much bigger concern here than in the US.

And I have seen wild rabbits near my property so I'll have to quit this isea or make some changes.

I lack space indoors so what I'm thinking is just normal cages, outdoors with protection from rain and mosquito netting.
Heat would still be a concern, I don't know if shade and water is enough during a heat wave.

Or I could turn to quail...or turkeys.

 

[The Birb King]

Rabbits are probably the best option. Quail are really too small for meat in my opinion so its not even worth it to process them.

 

[U_Stormcrow]