I've been lurking around here for a few days just soaking up some good info. I joined a quail forum awhile back but the group was pretty dead so I got this link from a friend and love all the new posts and info constantly coming in.
So here's my intro- My name's Heather and I'm getting ready to close on my first home at the end of the month. There are 4.6 beautiful acres that I plan to utilize for rabbit, coturnix quail and possibly some ducks. I hadn't planned on raising chickens but I think it would be a very good investment. I'd like to get some of the rangers to put in tractors and move them around every few days. I'd like to pasture raise the rabbits and finish my quail out in tractors as well. I am still figuring out the details in my head. Now, the weird thing is is that I don't actually plan to eat the animals I raise or even sell them. I have 2 beagles and now 2 cats (I've added a new boy just last night) that are raw fed and that I would LOVE to provide the healthiest meat possible that is raised and killed as humanely as possible. I'm going for self sustaining here.
I was a vegetarian for 9 years until my health began failing and I needed more protein and other things than I was getting. I started eating fish and then decided I'd eat some occasional poultry and even more rarely some pork. Unfortunately I have gotten very, very ill (and it's definitely cooked properly) each time I have tried to eat any meat other than seafood.
One of the factors I cannot decide is if I want to keep breeding animals to hatch/produce from or if it'd be cheaper to buy the lot for the year and stock the freezer once and be done. I'd like to have quail and chickens for eggs but I am not sure that would warrant feeding hens year round. Only good part is it would save me from buying more chicks or rabbit trios the next year. I'm afraid I'm going to get too attached and not be able to send them to the freezer when the time comes (no longer producing well). If I know they're all going at once then it might be easier. I'm likely going to use CO2 for the rabbits and quail.. however I am not sure if you can do that with the chickens and ducks. I would like to as I can already tell I could not slit anything's throat or bash it in the head. Since I am feeding dogs and cats I would like to have everything as intact as possible and usable. I was certain I'd use a pellet gun for the rabbits but my dogs and cats eat the entire thing- no waste (minus the skin and intestines/stomach) and I don't want them ingesting metal or lead pieces. The carcasses don't have to look pretty so the whole bleeding out or bruising meat issue isn't an issue for me. I'd rather have all the blood there as it contains valuable nutrients.
Anyway, that's about all I have. Back to reading!
So here's my intro- My name's Heather and I'm getting ready to close on my first home at the end of the month. There are 4.6 beautiful acres that I plan to utilize for rabbit, coturnix quail and possibly some ducks. I hadn't planned on raising chickens but I think it would be a very good investment. I'd like to get some of the rangers to put in tractors and move them around every few days. I'd like to pasture raise the rabbits and finish my quail out in tractors as well. I am still figuring out the details in my head. Now, the weird thing is is that I don't actually plan to eat the animals I raise or even sell them. I have 2 beagles and now 2 cats (I've added a new boy just last night) that are raw fed and that I would LOVE to provide the healthiest meat possible that is raised and killed as humanely as possible. I'm going for self sustaining here.
One of the factors I cannot decide is if I want to keep breeding animals to hatch/produce from or if it'd be cheaper to buy the lot for the year and stock the freezer once and be done. I'd like to have quail and chickens for eggs but I am not sure that would warrant feeding hens year round. Only good part is it would save me from buying more chicks or rabbit trios the next year. I'm afraid I'm going to get too attached and not be able to send them to the freezer when the time comes (no longer producing well). If I know they're all going at once then it might be easier. I'm likely going to use CO2 for the rabbits and quail.. however I am not sure if you can do that with the chickens and ducks. I would like to as I can already tell I could not slit anything's throat or bash it in the head. Since I am feeding dogs and cats I would like to have everything as intact as possible and usable. I was certain I'd use a pellet gun for the rabbits but my dogs and cats eat the entire thing- no waste (minus the skin and intestines/stomach) and I don't want them ingesting metal or lead pieces. The carcasses don't have to look pretty so the whole bleeding out or bruising meat issue isn't an issue for me. I'd rather have all the blood there as it contains valuable nutrients.
Anyway, that's about all I have. Back to reading!
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