Rabbits or chickens?

[bonkers1919]

I am going to raise either rabbits or chickens this year. The chicken eggs will be eaten as will the chickens and rabbits.

Any advise on which is "easier" to raise and which types of chickens or rabbits to buy?

 

[HamsterStyle]

I love those Cadbury eggs. Why not raise both?

 

[HamsterStyle]

In all seriousness, how many are you looking to raise? If you are raising chickens for meat and eggs, I think you will want seperate flocks. Well, not necessarily seperate flocks but the chickens laying eggs, you will not want to eat. IF my understanding is correct, it takes them a while before they start laying.

 

[eldirector]

I've been forbidden from eating our layers (gifts from my sister, and they have names ). But, from what I understand, laying hens aren't all that tasty. By the time they stop laying, they are 5 years old or more.

Chickens have been pretty easy on us so far. Food, water, and keep their run clean (they do occasionally stink).

 

[churchmouse]

I've been forbidden from eating our layers (gifts from my sister, and they have names ). But, from what I understand, laying hens aren't all that tasty. By the time they stop laying, they are 5 years old or more.

Chickens have been pretty easy on us so far. Food, water, and keep their run clean (they do occasionally stink).

I used to have to police up the chicken pen when I would go to the family farm and work. Ugh......they had lots of chickens......lots.
Pick the eggs and do what was needed in the hen house. Ugh

 

[patience0830]

Chickens offer more options for chow. You only need to build one cage. And the rooster can run with the hens, usually w/o incident, and the eggs are edible as well as viable. A little more trouble to arrive at live offspring, (incubation), but a broody hen may help you there.

Rabbits bite, scratch, and will sometimes eat their newborns. As well as chew everything in sight to wear down their teeth. Plus they need individual cages to successfully breed them.

Both are subject to diseases specific to the species. I like eggs, so chickens would be my choice.

 

[spencer rifle]

I've been forbidden from eating our layers (gifts from my sister, and they have names ). But, from what I understand, laying hens aren't all that tasty. By the time they stop laying, they are 5 years old or more.

Our layers stopped producing this past fall, so we ate them. Don't expect the quantity and quality of meat you get from store chicken, but it was edible after chopping it up fine enough. We also pressure-canned some, and that seemed to make it less tough.

Chickens FTW.

 

[PistolBob]

5 yr old laying hens that are ready for the stewpot make some very tasty homemade chicken and noodles...providing you can boil the carcasses or pressure cook them into tender submission....and old hen or an old rooster can be like chewing rubber bands....but cook them right and they make the best broth, noodles, and cooking stock. Make your own noodles....those store bought noodles are not fit to eat.

 

[IndyDave1776]

5 yr old laying hens that are ready for the stewpot make some very tasty homemade chicken and noodles...providing you can boil the carcasses or pressure cook them into tender submission....and old hen or an old rooster can be like chewing rubber bands....but cook them right and they make the best broth, noodles, and cooking stock. Make your own noodles....those store bought noodles are not fit to eat.

 

[bobjones223]

Chickens no question about it!!!!!. But then again I am STUPID allergic to rabbits!

 

[Captain Bligh]

It may be easier to get a rabbit in your bug out bag.

 

[IndyDave1776]

It may be easier to get a rabbit in your bug out bag.

At least the rabbit would be quieter hence less likely to draw unwanted attention!

 

[Slawburger]

It may be easier to get a rabbit in your bug out bag.

Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my bugout bag!

I would probably go with chickens. You can let them loose to eat bugs out of the yard, eggs are useful as a food or ingredient, chicken meat is "neutral" tasting (rabbit is good but gets old after awhile). Chickens make better watch dogs than rabbits.

Variety is good so you might want to add rabbits later.

 

[Dentoro]

I have both. Rabbits are good for garden, pellets in moderation are not hot and will harm plants when used as fertilizer. Chicken poo has to be composted before use. Rabbits are quiet. Chickens---- my rooster is not...AT ALL. He crows though when he sees something in the yard. You can pretty much slop chickens whith most leftovers. But in a pinch you can mow and feed rabbits. You can chickens also, but that much grass may make for a funky egg. You could have many rabbits in a year. Not so much with chickens if you eat eggs. It takes chicks at least six months before they lay. Chickens smell. Rabbits don't....much. Fur or feathers? If you use them. Neither really make good pets IMHO......both are stupid....Chickens even more so. Chickens eat a lot of food. Unless you free range....expect to lose some if you do. Chickens also need oyster shells and sand. Shells for egg producers. Sand to "bath" in and for gizzard. Neither take much time. But I only have 12 chickens and a few rabbits.

 

[Tyler-The-Piker]

rabbits can be skinned and cleaned in like 3 minutes. plus rabbit meat is used in some of my favorite french gourmet dishes.

 

[LowerSW]

I say Chickens. I like the Black australorp as a general overall nice breed. Great foragers so they eat must less then the commercial breeds. Also, your meat birds are a different breed then the egg layers and yes egg layers need about 4 months before they start laying. I keep my meat birds in movable electric fencing and my egg layers in a hutch. Also, if you go with the Cornish Cross meat birds (what all the big chicken people raise) good luck. Expect to have to the best results raising them in a house and not exposed to the elements.

 

[Iroquois]

Both. We raise chickens now, with our first hatchling ready to lay in the spring. We plan to put the next batch in an old dog run with the rabbits.
The rabbits will be in raised cages so the chickens can forage under neath. I've butchered both and the rabbits are much easier. The chickens are less finicky about food. And , of course there's eggs. There's a lot of good videos on YouTube for butchering info. Have fun.

 

[Lex Concord]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

No one has ever died of chicken starvation.

 

[IndyDave1776]

I say Chickens. I like the Black australorp as a general overall nice breed. Great foragers so they eat must less then the commercial breeds. Also, your meat birds are a different breed then the egg layers and yes egg layers need about 4 months before they start laying. I keep my meat birds in movable electric fencing and my egg layers in a hutch. Also, if you go with the Cornish Cross meat birds (what all the big chicken people raise) good luck. Expect to have to the best results raising them in a house and not exposed to the elements.

We could also visit the problems with Cornish Crosses getting tough if you grow them too slowly and breaking legs if you grow them too quickly because they have been carefully bred to do things that chickens were never intended to do, specifically convert feed to meat very efficiently for industrial production by means of doing it quickly--potentially quickly enough to trash the bird before it reached butcher weight.

 

[bonkers1919]

I am leaning towards raising rabbits for the protein value over a chicken. Doing so I would raise chickens for laying eggs.

Any suggestions on which breed of rabbit to eat and chickens for eggs?

I want to start the rabbit, chicken raising asap. In the early summer in an going to try water farming.