I fully understand the situation and what we call the "food math" . The cost of feed vs the food in return. It was good to hear someone else say almost the exact same thing that my husband and I have discussed. Thank you and your brother for these great videos.
Great video and very apt as I have quail and am looking at going into rabbits. Interesting to hear how you think the quail win out - though as you mention, there's not a lot of meat on them. Still, the turn around is pretty quick. I also began giving away boxes of quail eggs to start with because people just didn't know what to do with them. Now, however, they're some of the bestsellers!
I have thought of this same thing several times. It takes a lot of quail to feed a family. Quail eat a lot of food and require high protein. Rabbit on the other hand take little food can live on hay if you have to, the quail though they will eat hay but not so much. In a SHTF type thing I think rabbit may be the better choice. Also with quail you have to constantly replenish them, and they have to be incubated.
i was thinking the same in a SHTF situation (grid down) . Quail couldn't make it on there own because they are not know to be broody. May be if you had chickens too and used a broody hen to hatch them??? Shannon
We have 19 Rabbits, (5 of which are our breeders), 12 Chickens, and 12 quail now. The buns really don't cost that much to feed per month, 100 lbs of kibble plus 2 bales of hay a month comes to about 45 dollars and the meat we get from them is ALOT and is fantastic. Have you priced rabbit in the store? I saw them for almost 18 dollars frozen in a Major store and that was for HALF a bun. I sell them for up to 20 dollars apiece for what ever purpose they want them for and people cant get enough. Even got my son involved in it. He's making rabbit jerky and can't keep enough on hand. Everyone loves it. We only breed the buns 3 times a year to let the bun's have a rest and we have a full freezer always. Quail feed costs about 24 dollars and that lasts us around 2 months. The price in the supermarket I saw for quail was almost 14 dollars for 4 frozen. Never mind all the eggs. We will be hatching our own soon as well. Just have to sock away about 40 more dollars for the incubator. Chickens we use only for eggs and we get from 6 to 12 a day. We always have a few dozen eggs around and give / sell enough to cover the cost of the feed for All the other animals. No rooster but they are only coming up on a year old so we wont have to restock them for another year. To wrap it up, I think you should keep both, they offer a variety in your larder and we all know variety is a Good thing.
I'd have quail here but in Maine you have to apply for a special permit every year to legally have them. I've been raising rabbits for three years now and just recently I came across your channel and it has helped me get more out of my rabbitry and I'm making plans on expanding a little hopefully in the coming spring. 👍
The only thing that causes me hesitation on quail is that they don't go broody. If you want to propagate your flock you pretty much have to have an incubator.
I'm only getting a little over 50% hatch rate from the two cages that I've been using, so I'm thinking that a couple of The males at shooting blanks lol. next time I'll hatch from one cages, then the next to get a more accurate sense of the birds.
You are correct. However, you can get a viable incubator for around $50 give or take on Amazon/Ebay. I have the Janoel-10 which of course holds 10 checked eggs but currently I have 36 quail eggs. I've put as many as 33 previously. So it's doable and not terribly difficult.
Your video is great for the comparison. The fast output is great, but I am homesteading. There's always a up and down side to everything. It's good to know that that quails are faster, but their food cost money. Rabbits don't cost me anything to feed. I can cut greens around the house. I also dump rabbits manure in my pond. The rabbit manure act as a fertilizer for plants in the pond for food for the fish. I have 2 different kind of fish. Tilapia and carp. That will cost me nothing to feed.
Sorry bit late watching. Ive just found out lee doesnt like eating rabbits so they are out. But Im doing my research on quail to see if it would be a viable option for us.
Eddie, quail won't hatch their own eggs, so how are they useful in a SHTF situation? Are you assuming there will be reliable electricity in a SHTF situation? Or how will you continue to hatch?
I had this conversation with Gordon. The Janoel 12 incubator I have is 60 watts, and I have a 75 watt solar panel. So I'm hoping that's enough to get me through. I'm also hoping that the shtf won't last more that a year.
in a SHTF if you have space you could grow some small grains milo or sorgum or areamuth there is the option of growing foder or sprouted grain also in a SHTF how are you going to preserve the meat ? canning rabbit seems like a option or going realy old school smoking it or making Jerky figure out what you can grow in your area
I am just about to start growing fodder indoors, so I'll let you know how that goes. I can grow pretty much anything in the garden, even in the middle of the city. The cages are all moveable so I can get them indoors to protect them in a shtf time I hope.
We raised quail for eggs & meat. Our family didn't care for the meat so we ended that chapter. Processing time is quick however for the quantity of quail needed to feed a family it would take approx. the time to harvest a couple rabbits. Which meat does your family prefer? tfs
for my rabbits i only have to give them 2 cups a day. then i suppliment the rest with hay and a 25lb bag lasts me about 4 weeks or so. i go through 1 bail of hay in 7 weeks
I prefer the rabbit meat but I get more eggs in the same amount of time. This is my dilemma. I get food every day from the quail. I have to wait weeks for food from the rabbits.
very interesting topic. i snare a lot of rabbits in the winter and have layer chickens. Never considered raising rabbits but did think about quail or pheasant. Thanks
a hen pheasant only produces about 30-40 eggs a year and pheasant need large cages they can fly in. so to get enough to eat your are going to need a lot of breeding stock if you have the room have considered ducks? some breeds like the khaki campell can lay upwards of 250 eggs per year per hen the runner breeds are good egg layers also
Great video and thank you for spending the effort to share with all of us. In comparison you mentioned what if SHTF situation. Rabbits win hands down. Quail are so domesticated that you will either need a broody hen or an incubator in order to hatch.
Feather Wind Agreed. To continue with expanding your flock, you would need to hatch. Both are good in a short term shtf as eggs are daily and the rabbits are every few months.
I agree on the quail coming out on top. But to have both gives you some variety. And if you had to live without electricity for a while, you wont be able to use an incubator, unless you have a alternative source of power. But others have been able to make quail go broody, but then they can not be kept in small cages. (They need more space with some vegetation, like a green house for instance)
Interesting video. I'd be interested to know the feed conversion ratios for each. Also in a SHTF situation I would think it would be easier to grow your own rabbit feed than your own quail feed. Would be interesting to actually stop buying feed and groceries and see if you could really grow all of your own food. It would be very educational and I suspect it's much harder than most people think.
I know for a fact I couldn't do that, even though I grow very in my small yard and obviously my rabbits and quail. it would be interesting to take a couple weeks vacation and really try at feeding the family (me, the wife and three boys) from what I could fish, hunt and forage for. Quail are harder to feed, but at least they produce for every day.
Love the videos keep them coming. Have you not added chickens? Useable eggs and more meat ? :) back here in the U.K. we daren't' talk about eating rabbits :)
The broody-ness has been bred out of coturnix quail. Wild gamebirds like bobwhite quail will still go broody. However, in USA, special license required and take longer to mature. Not as economical.
Hi Eddie Ahhh same choice I am looking at Coturnix quail eggs higher in protein lower in cholesterol than chicken eggs Japanese doctors have prescribed for hypertension for centuries The eggs sell them selves in to days market I find them easier to clean up after than chickens or rabbits, less smell and no urine or spraying like male rabbits What you say about multiplying is so true in a short time I have 30 in the grow out cage 35 in the brooder and 117 eggs at day eight in the incubator Cutting back on all my other animals is just more cost effective for me.
+John Webb That's excellent John. I've just been working out the rabbit meat versus eggs. Just have to work out the meat weight, or might just have that as added extras.
I would love to get some quail but my father doesn't like getting animals that don't benefit him. I have tried telling him the nutritional value of the eggs but he thinks there just a waste of money. Does anyone have any other facts that might help my case? Any suggestions are welcomed
+Canaan GARDNER You sound like you have all the health benefits from the eggs covered. I would point out to your father that chickens take on average 6 months to start laying eggs, but quail only take 6 weeks to lay eggs. That was the biggest check on my list. You can also keep them in smaller cages, making them easier to keep.
Food For Thought I told him that but he said the eggs are way too small too even bother. So if I got like 7 or 8 hens would that work. Ps. he is only home on weekends and is only really when we fix eggs, so would that feed him
Canaan GARDNER Yes, 8 females would give you about 40 eggs per week. That's about a dozen chicken eggs. Yes, they are a little bit of a pain because they are so small but you can buy quail egg scissors which makes it so much easier.
I have 11 quail now a friend gave me the eggs and i hatched them in a home made incubator. Just started to get eggs. Hoping to raise some meat birds too. Good points I would consider rabbits too but the wife and kids would not eat them dont get me wrong because if they were hungry and the situation called for it they would. Thats not waffle. Cheers
Rabbits are great for long term, but the quail are better shirt term. two or three rabbits being kept for the garden (poop) is always a good idea, then if you need to breed, you already have them.
Christian Leonardo I haven't worked out the figures as it would be different to both. work out per bird, per cage, egg production against meat production etc. shirt term gain per cage, eggs have it, long term rabbit weights have the points. I think it has to be thought of in using both for short term and long term food. You can't wait 2 months for rabbits to be a good food source. it's like growing vegetables, you have to have things to harvest through the year, not all at once.
Yeah but pheasants are a pain. They need lots of land, they need blinders or else they'll kill each other, and there are more laws (at least in the US) that govern them.
I like the rabbits because the manure is cool and you can use it directly in the garden. The 'protein' is fine but you can't live on meat alone! I go the route of chickens that mostly feed themselves by free ranging and rabbits. I don't get bored with what I'm eating. I have to know... where do you live that your feed is that expensive? My feed is $12 for 50 pounds!
Feed is about $15 including taxes for a 50lb bag. I bought three bags, hence the $45. I get my foot in Thorndale, ON. Freerange is the way to go but quail don't freerange well, like chickens. Plus, my bylaws won't let me have chickens, of let me have quail that are not in the cage.
I have both and I prefer the variety. But with the rabbits breeding time, raising time and such is way off and the cost of feeding is way off. if you have any yard at all, Put them things in a tractor and let them mow your yard for you. 50 lbs of pellets is $19 at tsc and feeds my 4 breeders for about half a year. I get a bail of hay for $5 that's half Timothy and half alfalfa.
I agree with free feeding in a tractor, however I live in the middle of a city and my bylaws don't allow for that. Feeding weeds every day in the spring, summer and fall also cuts down in pellet feed. I have a video on my weed garden for the rabbits. Bylaw officers don't like that either, but as I keep cutting them down, they can't say much lol.
@@FoodForThought. hahaha, I would get rid of the city life before I did anything. I have to work in the city but drive a hour to home in the country. It's hard enough that way. I can't believe that we have such ridiculous county laws. I'm currently fighting with my planning commission because they just make up laws and most are unconstitutional but no one says anything about it. I agree with things being safe and clean but they over step their boundaries and I'm surprised that you get to do what you do. I think that the cost of building a building needs to be figured in living in the city. Rabbits or quail can be figured as pets or farm animals letting you get away with rules or charged with breaking them depending on where you live. Good video and luck 👍
Food For Thought - I know, it's true, I'm SORRY, I didn't mean for it to happen. I stuck my hand in the cage and they started snuggling my hand wanting attention....then the one started licking my hand and sticking it's nose under my hand trying to bump it up ontop of it's head. I can't help it, it was cute, I'm so ashamed :( lol
Susan Frometa Meal worms for meat in a bad situation. If you really want to survive when shtf go vegan. That's where your food sources will come from. Eat dirty foods to get b12 and you're good.
raising minnows is pretty easy and cheap. it would be a good way to supplement the quail's high protein needs... the rabbit food i buy is 20 kg of 17% protein for $13 a bag, locally made, plus hay my 4 mature rabbits cost me less than $20 a month total. they eat all of our veg scraps, weeds, and apple tree clippings as well. but in any true SHTF scenario you will need to find an alternative food source for most animals, cant just go to the store and grab a bag of dog food, rabbit food or antibiotics so all those inbred cows don't get sick.. its all about raising/growing things for your animals to eat so they thrive and you can eat them. also here in north america we tend not to eat a lot of animals because they are cute/smart but elsewhere they raise guinea pigs and horse or donkey for meat.(all three are apparently great) meanwhile pigs aren't eaten in other places because they are actually very smart animals but some don't eat them because they are dirty and will eat absolutely anything... Anything.
Great reply. I agree 100%. Do you breed your minnows for your quail? I've never heard of that before, that's cool. I was thinking about fishing for the protein.
hey, thanks. No I have been looking for quails to buy but there are none around which is weird because there are a lot of farms here on Vancouver Island.. I know that some people feed their chickens minnows as well but i am raising them for bait fish to catch trout..
Stephen Barwick this is true. I live in sweden and here the wire bottom cages has become illegal. I have had a wire cage before because I did not know that it could hurt them. :(
+q Yeah I know I talk to much, but I like to have a conversation with my subscribers. There are lots of other channels that maybe get more to the information
Quail are to small and boney to eat. Kill 8 quail lives to equal 1 rabbit life. I'll stick to rabbits and get 2 chickens for eggs. Also hate brooding chicks.
I have an idea: don't eat either as they kill you. I hate to bring it up, but you don't look super healthy man. Nothing that can't be changed by foods like greens, beans, whole grains, tubers, and fruits. Algaes too. Eggs aren't too bad so I'd say raise the quail but ditch the rabbits and by some angora rabbits.
Just grow a huge ass garden and you will be good. Shit hit the fan scenario the garden is gonna save you. Potatoes sweet potatoes peppers and perennial fruits grow like crazy. Amaranth is an ez-process food.
I fully understand the situation and what we call the "food math" . The cost of feed vs the food in return. It was good to hear someone else say almost the exact same thing that my husband and I have discussed. Thank you and your brother for these great videos.
I've been working it out and will do a lb for lb rabbit vs quail video respond to these great comments.
Agreed. I love my quail. It's not just the logical reasoning behind it, they are simply more pleasant to raise.
Great video and very apt as I have quail and am looking at going into rabbits. Interesting to hear how you think the quail win out - though as you mention, there's not a lot of meat on them. Still, the turn around is pretty quick. I also began giving away boxes of quail eggs to start with because people just didn't know what to do with them. Now, however, they're some of the bestsellers!
I think that's the biggest think is educating people to new things.
Read my mind.. I was just talking to my wife about this.. Great video and great insight!!
Very educational video I'm definitely going to tune in.
I have both
I have thought of this same thing several times. It takes a lot of quail to feed a family. Quail eat a lot of food and require high protein. Rabbit on the other hand take little food can live on hay if you have to, the quail though they will eat hay but not so much. In a SHTF type thing I think rabbit may be the better choice. Also with quail you have to constantly replenish them, and they have to be incubated.
You have a good point with the incubator. Also, rabbits can just eat weeds and hay
i was thinking the same in a SHTF situation (grid down) . Quail couldn't make it on there own because they are not know to be broody. May be if you had chickens too and used a broody hen to hatch them??? Shannon
Thanks for sharing your thought process.
Thank-you. For the input
We have 19 Rabbits, (5 of which are our breeders), 12 Chickens, and 12 quail now.
The buns really don't cost that much to feed per month, 100 lbs of kibble plus 2 bales of hay a month comes to about 45 dollars and the meat we get from them is ALOT and is fantastic. Have you priced rabbit in the store? I saw them for almost 18 dollars frozen in a Major store and that was for HALF a bun. I sell them for up to 20 dollars apiece for what ever purpose they want them for and people cant get enough.
Even got my son involved in it. He's making rabbit jerky and can't keep enough on hand. Everyone loves it.
We only breed the buns 3 times a year to let the bun's have a rest and we have a full freezer always.
Quail feed costs about 24 dollars and that lasts us around 2 months. The price in the supermarket I saw for quail was almost 14 dollars for 4 frozen. Never mind all the eggs. We will be hatching our own soon as well. Just have to sock away about 40 more dollars for the incubator.
Chickens we use only for eggs and we get from 6 to 12 a day. We always have a few dozen eggs around and give / sell enough to cover the cost of the feed for All the other animals.
No rooster but they are only coming up on a year old so we wont have to restock them for another year.
To wrap it up, I think you should keep both, they offer a variety in your larder and we all know variety is a Good thing.
I'd have quail here but in Maine you have to apply for a special permit every year to legally have them. I've been raising rabbits for three years now and just recently I came across your channel and it has helped me get more out of my rabbitry and I'm making plans on expanding a little hopefully in the coming spring. 👍
Thanks Brian. I'd say that you have more experience than I have, that's for sure.
The only thing that causes me hesitation on quail is that they don't go broody. If you want to propagate your flock you pretty much have to have an incubator.
Very good point
The Janoel 12 incubator I have is 60 watts, and I have a 75 watt solar panel. So I'm hoping that's enough to get me through.
I'll be watching to see what kind of results you get. ;)
I'm only getting a little over 50% hatch rate from the two cages that I've been using, so I'm thinking that a couple of The males at shooting blanks lol. next time I'll hatch from one cages, then the next to get a more accurate sense of the birds.
You are correct. However, you can get a viable incubator for around $50 give or take on Amazon/Ebay. I have the Janoel-10 which of course holds 10 checked eggs but currently I have 36 quail eggs. I've put as many as 33 previously. So it's doable and not terribly difficult.
Have you always lived in canada? I swear I can hear some scottish in your accent!
Thinking the same 😂
yes but rabbits can eat only hay and greens and quails need high protein food. In SHFT it will be hard to find that food
I need to try them on fish for protein as I know I can catch small fish from a pond very close to my house.
have You thought about catch some of the small fish and taking them home and growing them to bigger size ?
I don't keep fish, so no, I've never thought about that.
Bluegill and pan fish like to eat Meal worms plenty of you tube vids about it and the Quail like them
Your video is great for the comparison. The fast output is great, but I am homesteading. There's always a up and down side to everything. It's good to know that that quails are faster, but their food cost money. Rabbits don't cost me anything to feed. I can cut greens around the house. I also dump rabbits manure in my pond. The rabbit manure act as a fertilizer for plants in the pond for food for the fish. I have 2 different kind of fish. Tilapia and carp. That will cost me nothing to feed.
Can quail eat cooked rice for all their meals
+shifa hasan I'll be honest and say that I don't know.
Sorry bit late watching. Ive just found out lee doesnt like eating rabbits so they are out. But Im doing my research on quail to see if it would be a viable option for us.
Eddie, quail won't hatch their own eggs, so how are they useful in a SHTF situation? Are you assuming there will be reliable electricity in a SHTF situation? Or how will you continue to hatch?
I had this conversation with Gordon. The Janoel 12 incubator I have is 60 watts, and I have a 75 watt solar panel. So I'm hoping that's enough to get me through. I'm also hoping that the shtf won't last more that a year.
They are in the plan.
in a SHTF if you have space you could grow some small grains milo or sorgum or areamuth
there is the option of growing foder or sprouted grain
also in a SHTF how are you going to preserve the meat ? canning rabbit seems like a option or going realy old school smoking it or making Jerky
figure out what you can grow in your area
I am just about to start growing fodder indoors, so I'll let you know how that goes. I can grow pretty much anything in the garden, even in the middle of the city. The cages are all moveable so I can get them indoors to protect them in a shtf time I hope.
We raised quail for eggs & meat. Our family didn't care for the meat so we ended that chapter. Processing time is quick however for the quantity of quail needed to feed a family it would take approx. the time to harvest a couple rabbits. Which meat does your family prefer? tfs
So far myself and my oldest son have eaten the quail, both prefer the rabbit. We all enjoy the eggs though.
for my rabbits i only have to give them 2 cups a day. then i suppliment the rest with hay and a 25lb bag lasts me about 4 weeks or so. i go through 1 bail of hay in 7 weeks
Joshua Covington How many rabbits do you have?
Have you done more videos recently
No, not really as I was getting horrible comments and threats to my family. All armchair hero's, but enough for me to stop.
Quite interesting,
Which of them do you prefer to eat tho and which is easier to clean/dress
I prefer the rabbit meat but I get more eggs in the same amount of time. This is my dilemma. I get food every day from the quail. I have to wait weeks for food from the rabbits.
very interesting topic. i snare a lot of rabbits in the winter and have layer chickens. Never considered raising rabbits but did think about quail or pheasant.
Thanks
a hen pheasant only produces about 30-40 eggs a year and pheasant need large cages they can fly in.
so to get enough to eat your are going to need a lot of breeding stock
if you have the room have considered ducks? some breeds like the khaki campell can lay upwards of 250 eggs per year per hen the runner breeds are good egg layers also
Thanks for the input Walt.
Great video and thank you for spending the effort to share with all of us. In comparison you mentioned what if SHTF situation. Rabbits win hands down. Quail are so domesticated that you will either need a broody hen or an incubator in order to hatch.
Feather Wind Agreed. To continue with expanding your flock, you would need to hatch. Both are good in a short term shtf as eggs are daily and the rabbits are every few months.
Quail will brood in a more natural environment. A wire cage just isn't the right setting.
Hi Eddie
Where can you buy the quail and food interested in getting started are the eggs tasty?
Thanks
I get my feed from a feed store in Thorndale. I can't get game bird feed around here so I use a mix of duck and turkey starter in crumb form.
I get my feed from a feed store in Thorndale. I can't get game bird feed around here so I use a mix of duck and turkey starter in crumb form.
And yes, the eggs are great.
I agree on the quail coming out on top. But to have both gives you some variety. And if you had to live without electricity for a while, you wont be able to use an incubator, unless you have a alternative source of power. But others have been able to make quail go broody, but then they can not be kept in small cages. (They need more space with some vegetation, like a green house for instance)
Agreed 100%
Interesting video. I'd be interested to know the feed conversion ratios for each. Also in a SHTF situation I would think it would be easier to grow your own rabbit feed than your own quail feed. Would be interesting to actually stop buying feed and groceries and see if you could really grow all of your own food. It would be very educational and I suspect it's much harder than most people think.
I know for a fact I couldn't do that, even though I grow very in my small yard and obviously my rabbits and quail. it would be interesting to take a couple weeks vacation and really try at feeding the family (me, the wife and three boys) from what I could fish, hunt and forage for. Quail are harder to feed, but at least they produce for every day.
I really love your videos.
Just kno am an aspiring rabbit farmer, and I follow ur trends.
Jan bless
Good luck to you, and thank you for your comments
Great Video! Thank you!
great vid thank you
Love the videos keep them coming. Have you not added chickens? Useable eggs and more meat ? :) back here in the U.K. we daren't' talk about eating rabbits :)
I get a lot of abuse for saying it too lol. Thanks for your comments
I raise both rabbits and quail. currently I have 20 rabbits and 15 quail.
Nice!
do you have to incubate the eggs for them to hatch?
thefarnorthhomestead Yes, quail are not broody birds. You might get the odd one, but in general, the lay the egg and then walk away from it.
Why don't the quail brood their own eggs? That doesn't make any sense evolutionarily o.O
poptartdom I agree, but I don't know why they don't brood their own eggs. I wish they did.
Quail can become broody. Search for "broody quail" on youtube and you can see how other made it happen.
The broody-ness has been bred out of coturnix quail. Wild gamebirds like bobwhite quail will still go broody. However, in USA, special license required and take longer to mature. Not as economical.
Hi Eddie
Ahhh same choice I am looking at
Coturnix quail eggs higher in protein lower in cholesterol than chicken eggs
Japanese doctors have prescribed for hypertension for centuries
The eggs sell them selves in to days market
I find them easier to clean up after than chickens or rabbits, less smell and no urine or spraying like male rabbits
What you say about multiplying is so true in a short time
I have 30 in the grow out cage
35 in the brooder and
117 eggs at day eight in the incubator
Cutting back on all my other animals is just more cost effective for me.
+John Webb That's excellent John. I've just been working out the rabbit meat versus eggs. Just have to work out the meat weight, or might just have that as added extras.
I would love to get some quail but my father doesn't like getting animals that don't benefit him. I have tried telling him the nutritional value of the eggs but he thinks there just a waste of money. Does anyone have any other facts that might help my case? Any suggestions are welcomed
+Canaan GARDNER You sound like you have all the health benefits from the eggs covered. I would point out to your father that chickens take on average 6 months to start laying eggs, but quail only take 6 weeks to lay eggs. That was the biggest check on my list. You can also keep them in smaller cages, making them easier to keep.
Food For Thought I told him that but he said the eggs are way too small too even bother. So if I got like 7 or 8 hens would that work.
Ps. he is only home on weekends and is only really when we fix eggs, so would that feed him
Canaan GARDNER Yes, 8 females would give you about 40 eggs per week. That's about a dozen chicken eggs. Yes, they are a little bit of a pain because they are so small but you can buy quail egg scissors which makes it so much easier.
Food For Thought Alright thanks.
what size cages are those? love the set up :)
I have 11 quail now a friend gave me the eggs and i hatched them in a home made incubator. Just started to get eggs. Hoping to raise some meat birds too. Good points I would consider rabbits too but the wife and kids would not eat them dont get me wrong because if they were hungry and the situation called for it they would. Thats not waffle.
Cheers
Rabbits are great for long term, but the quail are better shirt term. two or three rabbits being kept for the garden (poop) is always a good idea, then if you need to breed, you already have them.
Which is cheaper to raise to per pound all the way to slaughter? thank you
Christian Leonardo I haven't worked out the figures as it would be different to both. work out per bird, per cage, egg production against meat production etc. shirt term gain per cage, eggs have it, long term rabbit weights have the points. I think it has to be thought of in using both for short term and long term food. You can't wait 2 months for rabbits to be a good food source. it's like growing vegetables, you have to have things to harvest through the year, not all at once.
Thank you. I've starting with two female California white/New Zealand mix. I find myself coming back to you videos. Thanks
have 6 does 2 bucks i breed the does 2 week apart so always have fresh rabbit
I prefer the rabbits cause they produce meat and fur. And if I was going to get birds it would be pheasants.
are pheasants more economical?
Yeah but pheasants are a pain. They need lots of land, they need blinders or else they'll kill each other, and there are more laws (at least in the US) that govern them.
RABBITS ARENT FOOD BOI
I like the rabbits because the manure is cool and you can use it directly in the garden. The 'protein' is fine but you can't live on meat alone! I go the route of chickens that mostly feed themselves by free ranging and rabbits. I don't get bored with what I'm eating. I have to know... where do you live that your feed is that expensive? My feed is $12 for 50 pounds!
Feed is about $15 including taxes for a 50lb bag. I bought three bags, hence the $45. I get my foot in Thorndale, ON. Freerange is the way to go but quail don't freerange well, like chickens. Plus, my bylaws won't let me have chickens, of let me have quail that are not in the cage.
We're far enough out that no one cares what we have... LOL! Love it here in NE Georgia!
I wish I was in that situation
cockeyedhomestead on one of his videos he killed three rabbits
Yes, he's also had some issues with the neighborhood too.
Waffles (lol) and quail sound yummy.
I have both and I prefer the variety. But with the rabbits breeding time, raising time and such is way off and the cost of feeding is way off. if you have any yard at all, Put them things in a tractor and let them mow your yard for you. 50 lbs of pellets is $19 at tsc and feeds my 4 breeders for about half a year. I get a bail of hay for $5 that's half Timothy and half alfalfa.
I agree with free feeding in a tractor, however I live in the middle of a city and my bylaws don't allow for that. Feeding weeds every day in the spring, summer and fall also cuts down in pellet feed. I have a video on my weed garden for the rabbits. Bylaw officers don't like that either, but as I keep cutting them down, they can't say much lol.
@@FoodForThought. hahaha, I would get rid of the city life before I did anything. I have to work in the city but drive a hour to home in the country. It's hard enough that way. I can't believe that we have such ridiculous county laws. I'm currently fighting with my planning commission because they just make up laws and most are unconstitutional but no one says anything about it. I agree with things being safe and clean but they over step their boundaries and I'm surprised that you get to do what you do. I think that the cost of building a building needs to be figured in living in the city. Rabbits or quail can be figured as pets or farm animals letting you get away with rules or charged with breaking them depending on where you live. Good video and luck 👍
Ok, I get your point, but......Bunnies are cuter! lol
oh no...you've got ......"fluffy bunny"! Nooooooooooo!
Food For Thought - I know, it's true, I'm SORRY, I didn't mean for it to happen. I stuck my hand in the cage and they started snuggling my hand wanting attention....then the one started licking my hand and sticking it's nose under my hand trying to bump it up ontop of it's head. I can't help it, it was cute, I'm so ashamed :( lol
lmao
Stand Sure Homesteading but you're going to kill them anyways?
I am on Team Quail here
I'm on team both. The quail for everyday food and the rabbit for long term meat.
Don't rabbits lay eggs as well I'm pretty sure I've seen them at Easter
I was going to put them together to get mini Easter eggs :)
if i had to choose i pick rabbit why more meat . my son had a pet quail so small. no meat .
Susan Frometa Meal worms for meat in a bad situation. If you really want to survive when shtf go vegan. That's where your food sources will come from. Eat dirty foods to get b12 and you're good.
In an shtf situation, you'd starve going vegan if it happened in the dead of winter.
raising minnows is pretty easy and cheap. it would be a good way to supplement the quail's high protein needs... the rabbit food i buy is 20 kg of 17% protein for $13 a bag, locally made, plus hay my 4 mature rabbits cost me less than $20 a month total. they eat all of our veg scraps, weeds, and apple tree clippings as well. but in any true SHTF scenario you will need to find an alternative food source for most animals, cant just go to the store and grab a bag of dog food, rabbit food or antibiotics so all those inbred cows don't get sick.. its all about raising/growing things for your animals to eat so they thrive and you can eat them. also here in north america we tend not to eat a lot of animals because they are cute/smart but elsewhere they raise guinea pigs and horse or donkey for meat.(all three are apparently great) meanwhile pigs aren't eaten in other places because they are actually very smart animals but some don't eat them because they are dirty and will eat absolutely anything... Anything.
Great reply. I agree 100%. Do you breed your minnows for your quail? I've never heard of that before, that's cool. I was thinking about fishing for the protein.
hey, thanks. No I have been looking for quails to buy but there are none around which is weird because there are a lot of farms here on Vancouver Island.. I know that some people feed their chickens minnows as well but i am raising them for bait fish to catch trout..
Ah ok, bait for trout I have heard of lol. Take care.
In a shtf situation, you can grow rabbit food. Hay isn't necessary. Can't do that so easily for quail.
Agreed
Wire bottom caged aren't good for bunnies it hurts their little feet :(
Stephen Barwick this is true. I live in sweden and here the wire bottom cages has become illegal.
I have had a wire cage before because I did not know that it could hurt them. :(
I've watched a few of your videos so far, and each time I get about 30 seconds of information for every 10 minutes of video.
+q Yeah I know I talk to much, but I like to have a conversation with my subscribers. There are lots of other channels that maybe get more to the information
quail tastes good
HATE ON YOUR WAY
If you were just starting to raise rabbits and quail. From your video you would start with quail first.
Try to edit out the bits where you repeat yourself
my rabbits were free
Quail are to small and boney to eat. Kill 8 quail lives to equal 1 rabbit life.
I'll stick to rabbits and get 2 chickens for eggs. Also hate brooding chicks.
I don't disagree
m
HATE ON YOU BOI
RABBITS ARENT FOOD GET SOME HELP
I have an idea: don't eat either as they kill you. I hate to bring it up, but you don't look super healthy man. Nothing that can't be changed by foods like greens, beans, whole grains, tubers, and fruits. Algaes too. Eggs aren't too bad so I'd say raise the quail but ditch the rabbits and by some angora rabbits.
Just grow a huge ass garden and you will be good. Shit hit the fan scenario the garden is gonna save you. Potatoes sweet potatoes peppers and perennial fruits grow like crazy. Amaranth is an ez-process food.
Sorghum too
And Ik u have a garden, but how the hellrya gonna feed those chickens with a small garden? You need a huge garden. More like a small farm.
i report u