I just started raising rabbits for poo/meat this year. I have a buck and doe californian. They are a large breed, uber sweet and easy to raise. They are generating plenty of fertilizer for my garden. They are still young so we are a ways off from breeding. I am also raising meat chickens this year. The differences in raising the two are incredible!!!
I have to be completely honest here. This is my first time either. The rabbits are so much cleaner. I have several friends who don't like the idea of raising their own meat. I have to say, until you do, you have no idea what you are buying in the store. The meat chickens that I am rasing are poo-machines. As a matter of fact, it seems to be the only time they want to stand up. And what do they do, they plop right back down, belly in the poo, and lay down to eat. They are quite stinky. If all of my friends who firmly believe that buying your chicken at the store in a neat little cellophane package could see these birds, poo caked in their feathers (and yes, I clean out their area every day) they would probably never buy any chicken, period! I can certainly promise you that I have been thinking twice about it, and not because I have gotten attached, but because I am a little put off by them. If I ever decide to do this again, I will definitely go with a dual purpose bird, simply because they are cleaner. The rabbits on the other hand are a very clean animal.
