New to the forum

[ScarletAcres]

Hello, thank you for the add to the website. It's nice to be somewhere other then fb what with all the changes going on there.

I run a simple small homestead, seven rabbits (three
bucks with one being mini rex, one lionel head, and the other palomino, and four does one mini rex, two palominos, and a suspected mini satin). I also have a breeding trio of guinea pigs which I am very new at. The rabbits I have been working with for at least five years with show and meat.

 

[SableSteel]

Welcome! I'm a show breeder (Himalayans) myself, nice to see other breeders on here. Palominos are lovely

 

[michaels4gardens]

welcome...

 

[ScarletAcres]

welcome...

Welcome! I'm a show breeder (Himalayans) myself, nice to see other breeders on here. Palominos are lovely

Thank you for the welcome, it's always nice to meet fellow breeders. I considered Himalayans at one point myself. I'm still fairly new to the show world and considering entering a local show on Nov. 2 with my Mini rexes. Though I'm not sure about my buck. I caught it before it could get severe but he is still regrowing fur on his feet from a near sore hocks case

 

[Ghost]

I also have a breeding trio of guinea pigs which I am very new at.

What are you plans or lack of plans concerning the guinea pigs?

 

[ScarletAcres]

I also have a breeding trio of guinea pigs which I am very new at.

What are you plans or lack of plans concerning the guinea pigs?

My main plan is to use them as a new source of protein in my cat's diet

 

[Ghost]

What are you plans or lack of plans concerning the guinea pigs?

My main plan is to use them as a new source of protein in my cat's diet

I am interested in GPs as a source of food. My involvement with a GP herd is best explained by this POST

Are you keeping your GPs live in a single communal area, or are you keeping the boy separated from the girls. I like setups where GPs are kept in a single bunch. However, If you are only wanting to produce enough GPs to feed a single cat then a single group would be tricky. The population "can" increase rapidly, if you are not careful (leading to a freezer full of GPs).

I like the single group setup because it lets the GPs live in a situation that is (natural) to them. If watch a group of GPs such as this VIDEO you can see the group dynamic at play. Odiously you would not want a group this large, because a group this size requires a massive amount of culling to maintainer population stability.

I suppose that if you were to keep 1 male and 2 or 3 females in a herd you could move the babies to a grow out pen/herd as soon as they were 'weened'.

If you are interested in a detailed GP discussion, we could start a separate thread on GP breeding, and call it "raising guinea pigs as feeders", or something like that.

 

[ScarletAcres]

Ghost that would be an amazing idea! I currently have the Male housed with two girls. Both should be due around Dec about a week apart. I definitely want a main small herd and then a grow out herd where I can monitor individuals for keepers and culls. I do want to keep genetics fresh though so I may set up one other small herd so I can swap in some fresh genetics when needed. I really like roan and would adore getting a roan
/dalmatian boar to pair up with not roan or dalmatian females to safely produce more.