Need advice for new meat source

[Cindy in SD]

Just a general note that game bird feed that is about 30% protein for starter is what quail chicks need up until 8 weeks. Then you can adjust them down to 22%, but the hens really do need the game bird layer. We grind the crumble a little bit for the chicks for the first couple weeks. The adults refused to eat any fines. It's been bad because the feed is really full of powder now! I'm thinking the opposite and wondering if I should sift the quail feed and mix it with the rabbit feed fines and bake it into biscuits for the rabbits.. I just switched the birds to a pellet and they can eat that or starve because I'm sick of them wasting so much food. I also supplement with mealworms for the protein and calcium content, and I give them a grain mix, Kruse Dove and Quail, that is affordable and which they love, and is closer to what they would eat in the wild. That helps the Californias that I have in there with them.

I'm afraid to add up the feed expense now that I'm also up to nine adult rabbits and 30 kits. The growout kits are 7 weeks. I have seven New Zealands and seven American Blues. I want to keep the best doe from each group. A friend wants two New Zealand bucks. So that leaves me 10 to process. The blues are doing great, they are 3.4 to 3.6 lb. The New Zealands are running 3 to 3.2. I have two more litters of 8 each coming up on a week old. I plan to breed two more of my does in about 2 weeks. Then I will be done until closer to the end of October because of the heat.

I'm hoping to cut my pellet use in half since I use Modesto Milling organic, which is ridiculously expensive from Chewy! I'd like to work them up to 50% whole grains with legumes, either lentils or peas for added protein. Plus greens from the garden but minimal on those. They also get unlimited timothy, which is horrendously expensive here as well. About $45 for maybe a 60 lb bale.

Last summer, I didn’t use a lot of rabbit feed (though I kept the feeders full for my grow-outs & lactating does). I have so many weeds! I just chopped and chopped thistles (thistles never give up). This year, Imma try harder on the sunflowers. Last summer everything but the three in the greenhouse didn’t make it past seedlings. We had soooooo many mice. Why don’t friggin mice eat weeds, I’d like to know? The buns absolutely adored the sunflower leaves.

I don’t worry about washing them. The buns did fine, and honestly, I’m not interested in raising rabbits that can’t eat their natural diet. If they make it, they make it and I’ve only ever lost one to what? IDK but it wasn’t weeds b/c it’s been winter here for most of his life, poor little guy.

Alas, the pollinators didn’t seem to find their way into the greenhouse as they did last year, so no kernels in the seed shells. My birds were disappointed.

Another possible option; one could mix the rabbit fines (and any other grain/legume-based feed) with a bit of water and allow it to ferment. It can take a while for the ferment to start, esp in a cold garage, but it will start eventually, so long as it’s not frozen. Once you get it going, it works quickly, even if you empty out the bucket every time.

Two caveats: don’t feed it too wet or the birds will get it caked on their little faces and pick at one another, and don’t fill the fermentation bucket too full or it’ll spill over and make an awful mess. Oh yes, and if you keep it too long, it will smell nasty, but the birds don’t care at all. I haven’t fed it to quail (obviously, as I haven’t got any quail yet), but I don’t see why they wouldn’t love it as much as the other birds.

Also, if it’s too cold, you can’t use the fermented feed because of course, it freezes and the birds physically can’t eat it.

Does anyone know whether I could feed the cots scrambled eggs to supplement their protein?

 

[dlynn]

It gets really cold here in the winter (usually not for super long, but still) This past (hopefully) winter it was in the -30s (Fahrenheit) at night. For a couple of weeks. Worst I’ve seen in living here for 30+ years. (Holy Chemtrails, Batman?)

What would you think about a Cot setup in the (uninsulated, but well-ventilated) barn? Is that just too much for them? I suppose I could pare them down to a breeding group over winter and bring them into the garage on really bad nights…

We had our warmest winter this year. But have had winters like yours. My jumbo pharoes live in a small aviary, in the rabbits yard. I keep the numbers up in winter so they keep each other warm.Wired 1/2 x1" wire under the sand floor. To keep diggers out. Insulated the perimeter 2' in ground with foam board.my aviary is small ,3x8' a shelter at each end with ramps to top so together is36 sq ft useable space. Recommended is 1sq ft per bird I thought that was tight but they like to huddle so is always plenty of room and seem to do better a little crowded. Small space is easier to keep warmer. Glass windows on long east, short south and 1/2 of West let in sun Plywood on 1/2 west and north. 1/2 of windows are screened for summer. Floor is sand with deep litter of chopped maple leaves and wood chips. I spot clean then stir up floor litter with a garden claw. Give them a sand w a little wood ash spot for dust bathes. Between the compost, birds body heat, and sun the ground has not frozen. A 60 watt light bulb is turned on for really cold days. Led Xmas lights on timer extend the light hours to 15 hours for continued egg laying. Had read the kill zone for flushing birds is 3-5' and cages should be short or tall. My aviary is 4' at eave, 6' at peak. The only flushing injury I ever had was in a short 3x8' cage over a garden bed. One lesson. They produce ammonia. It would hit me in face when I opened door. I freak out rip all the compost out and put in new bedding. Sabotaging the composting. Then realized if I bent over it was fine down by birds. Peaked roof was working as it should. Answer was better ventilation at the peak and letting compost work and ammonia escape . I also built a brood box up on wall. I hatch in house give them 1 week in house, then into brood box for several weeks. They can see the covey. When about 1/2 size 4 weeks they join covey. Big enough to hold their own. Small enough the adults don't see them as competition and accept them. I harvest some of the oldest birds adjust ratio of 1 roo for 5-6 females. I spatchcock the harvest. Hubby is pretty good at grilling them 1 per person of the 1# birds. And they give us more highly nutritious eggs than we eat and start laying eggs at only 7 weeks.

 

[ladysown]

I wonder if they would eat dry rabbit poop too..... Now I'm wanting to experiment.... this summer I'll try some things out...

 

[eco2pia]

I wonder if they would eat dry rabbit poop too..... Now I'm wanting to experiment.... this summer I'll try some things out...

Who, quail? I would not think so...Tho they would scratch thru it I think? Now, if you are talking about black soldier flies, then I can say with quite a bit of certainty, YES, and then the quail/chickens WILL happily eat the worms. My problem is that I haven't figured out how to get a self sustaining colony going thru the winter...

 

[dlynn]

I wonder if they would eat dry rabbit poop too..... Now I'm wanting to experiment.... this summer I'll try some things out...

I wasn't feeding them poo deliberately. I just didn't pick the few rabbit balls out of the powdery rabbit feed I gave to quail. I have read of people who have rabbits in cages letting quail run below. Chickens too.

 

[ladysown]

Who, quail? I would not think so...Tho they would scratch thru it I think? Now, if you are talking about black soldier flies, then I can say with quite a bit of certainty, YES, and then the quail/chickens WILL happily eat the worms. My problem is that I haven't figured out how to get a self sustaining colony going thru the winter...

no, I was thinking the meal worms. I raise them for my fancy mice, and if I ever get quail will give to them as well.

 

[eco2pia]

I have had good success with black soldier flies on manure, but I have never raised mealworms. That sounds intriguing. Maybe I should also try a few experiments this summer!

 

[TKT]

Last summer, I didn’t use a lot of rabbit feed (though I kept the feeders full for my grow-outs & lactating does). I have so many weeds! I just chopped and chopped thistles (thistles never give up). This year, Imma try harder on the sunflowers. Last summer everything but the three in the greenhouse didn’t make it past seedlings. We had soooooo many mice. Why don’t friggin mice eat weeds, I’d like to know? The buns absolutely adored the sunflower leaves.

I don’t worry about washing them. The buns did fine, and honestly, I’m not interested in raising rabbits that can’t eat their natural diet. If they make it, they make it and I’ve only ever lost one to what? IDK but it wasn’t weeds b/c it’s been winter here for most of his life, poor little guy.

Alas, the pollinators didn’t seem to find their way into the greenhouse as they did last year, so no kernels in the seed shells. My birds were disappointed.

Another possible option; one could mix the rabbit fines (and any other grain/legume-based feed) with a bit of water and allow it to ferment. It can take a while for the ferment to start, esp in a cold garage, but it will start eventually, so long as it’s not frozen. Once you get it going, it works quickly, even if you empty out the bucket every time.

Two caveats: don’t feed it too wet or the birds will get it caked on their little faces and pick at one another, and don’t fill the fermentation bucket too full or it’ll spill over and make an awful mess. Oh yes, and if you keep it too long, it will smell nasty, but the birds don’t care at all. I haven’t fed it to quail (obviously, as I haven’t got any quail yet), but I don’t see why they wouldn’t love it as much as the other birds.

Also, if it’s too cold, you can’t use the fermented feed because of course, it freezes and the birds physically can’t eat it.

Does anyone know whether I could feed the cots scrambled eggs to supplement their protein?

Yes you absolutely can feed the Coturnix scrambled eggs or hard boiled chopped with the shell. I used to just throw them whole in the blender and then right into the pan with melted butter, but it would still stick. So now I give them hard boiled chopped, shell and all. They can also have rendered chicken or beef fat with oats soaked in it as suet in the winter.

I had high hopes of my fussy Poodles eating quail eggs. I mean who wouldn't right? All the raw feeders show them raw in the bowls. My puppy loved them at first but when he saw the older dog not eating them, decided he wasn't supposed to and now he won't eat them at all! The little ! They love quail but I'm not going to feed them a $20 bird each! Thank God they love rabbits but now that I have multiple thousands invested I'm sure they'll turn their nose up rabbit as well at some point.

 

[Chaos]

Quaill are more work (need incubator to brood/hatch and such) then chickens (who can do that for you themselves) and small bones are fiddely.
Keeping meat on the hoof helps for year round supply, and male goat and lamb can be castrated via Burdizzo ( https://thriftyhomesteader.com/castrating-goats-and-sheep-with-a-burdizzo/ ) to keep hormones from pestering mom, sisters and so on. If you can keep them space wise, the only twice yearly breeding is no problem, just harvest when you need one, the breeding stock will provide enough individuals for them to feel safe numbers wise. Since you already have goats you are planning to breed, might as well eat what you can't keep.

I have slaughtered my own poultry, beef, hogs. Nothing keeps well "on the hoof." If you don't slaughter it young it probably won't be worth eating...tough, poor flavor.

 

[tambayo]

I have slaughtered my own poultry, beef, hogs. Nothing keeps well "on the hoof." If you don't slaughter it young it probably won't be worth eating...tough, poor flavor.

Giving the same response here that the i don't like lamb reaction from family got : then you are not hungry enough. Other than that : cooking techniques does lots for this. Half Afrika makes very tasty fried chicken out of laid out old layer hens we don't want because tough and to much flavour. That our taste buds are used to eating young animals only is a 1st world problem i.e. luxury problem that disappears rapidly with the right cooking technique and recipe.