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Hank The Tank
USA
18 Posts |
 Posted - 05/28/2015 : 4:39:47 PM
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I raise rabbits and I'm getting meat rabbits(New Zelands) to raise meat for my 2 dogs.
I have a few questions as to how should I feed and how much?
My team is 2 dogs and I just do recreational for now.
Each rabbit weighs 3-5lbs at butcher weight.
How many rabbits would it take to feed my 2 dogs a day?
Any tips on the "stew" and my dogs lovthe internals lol |
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Dougskijors
Canada
574 Posts |
Posted - 05/29/2015 : 4:13:53 PM
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| Rabbit has almost no fat, and would need to be supplemented. |
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Hank The Tank
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - 05/29/2015 : 4:16:56 PM
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| What do you mean by supplemented? |
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Hank The Tank
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - 05/29/2015 : 4:18:34 PM
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| I'm also looking into getting RedPaw to feed to e dogs, I heard its a good food for them |
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D.Heilbrunn
Canada
320 Posts |
Posted - 05/29/2015 : 9:15:31 PM
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| I'd just feed em the Redpaw and eat the rabbits myself. |
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Hank The Tank
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - 05/29/2015 : 10:22:25 PM
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Its to expensive for me to feed them it as there whole diet
I'm only going to feed redpaw in fall and winter |
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RSmith
USA
3105 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2015 : 06:39:46 AM
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You will be hard pressed to get enough fat out of rabbit alone. You will need a fat supplement. Beef fat is great. Maybe one quarter of the total weight should be fat. I would still feed kibble 3 days of the week along WITH the rabbit meat. That way they are ensuring enough vitamins and minerals. The rabbit " meat " can be the muscle meat plus all the insides all ground up.
Just throwing this 'low ball' number out there 1/2 lb. of meat per dog per day X 4 days per week you'll need min. 100 lbs. for 6 months. I would say more like 200 lbs. remember that's meat and organs, not bones/carcass.
When I fed raw, my " meat " ground beef at 50% lean. Then each. dog ON AVERAGE would get 1 lb. of that along with water and powdered eggs and fishmeal to keep the protein levels up.
This was fed 4days per week then the other 3 days was 3 cups kibble with a tad of the meat/fat blend.
You will be much better probably buying soup chicken backs or ground beef somewhere and 'supplementing' it in with the kibble.
Add your cost of production with producing rabbits and you will probably find out its less expensive and less hassles to simply seek out and buy some meat/fat source and simply alternate between some kibble and your meat/fat.
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Roy Smith
Adirondack Kennel
Skandinavian Hounds/Stagsters
http://www.adirondack-kennel.com |
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Hank The Tank
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2015 : 8:14:28 PM
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We have chickens too....
One rabbit can produce 200-300lbs of meat a year, I want 3 rabbits.
Red Paw is 45$
To get a rabbit to butcher weight its 35-45$ for a litter of 12
Chickens is about 20$ for 4 maybe I don't remeber |
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RedWolf
USA
81 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2015 : 8:23:02 PM
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"One rabbit can produce 200-300lbs of meat a year"--??? I've heard reports of large rabbits being bred in some places, but those reports only talk of 25 lbs being the top weight. Am I missing something here?
(And having eaten rabbit once--long story--I can back up RSmith's statements about fat, or lack OF fat, rather. It was the leanest meat I'd ever dealt with.) |
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Hank The Tank
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2015 : 9:31:32 PM
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If you have a New Zealand and your one Doe(girl rabbit) has 12 kits(babies) in one litter an you breed her 4 times in one year and you can get lots of weight on each kit before butcher, market weight is 5.5 lbs
If you get your 12 kits to market weight that's 66lbs per littethen you have 4 litters per Doe that's 264lbs
Then if I have 3 NZ does and each have 12 kits a litter 4 times that's 792lbs a year
Give or take a few pounds because not all meet market weight but some might go over |
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Hank The Tank
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2015 : 9:33:52 PM
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| Would fish Be a good 'supplement'? |
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RSmith
USA
3105 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2015 : 12:13:54 PM
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Oily fish like salmon or trout is GREAT source of all sorts of stuff.
FishMEAL in powdered form is great for protein boost, not so much fat.
Also in meal form, don't have to freeze it.
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Roy Smith
Adirondack Kennel
Skandinavian Hounds/Stagsters
http://www.adirondack-kennel.com |
Edited by - RSmith on 05/31/2015 12:14:41 PM |
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MSeavey
USA
202 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2015 : 12:28:27 PM
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Alaska salmon is great dog food. It's one of the factors allowing Alaska to be a major mushing area, given the high cost of shipping other foods up here.
During the summer my dogs not working in tours and those on their week off are fed Dr. Tim's Momentum and frozen salmon on alternating days. A quarter pound of beef fat or turkey skins is given to any with "visible ribs" (teenager-friendly instructions). "Super skinnys" and pregnant or lactating moms get all of the above every day.
Tour dogs work hard and are fed similarly to winter training.
Nothing wrong with rabbit meat as far as I know. Would it have to be cooked (trichinosis?) Probably easier to get free stuff from a butcher shop or similar facility. Beef fat/trimmings are great. Cook pork, don't cook chicken bones.
Do you know anyone in the kitchen at a restaurant? I wonder if someone could scrape some of the wasted meat products into a bag for you to pick up at the end of the day?
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Hank The Tank
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2015 : 9:18:32 PM
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| I could buy a calf from the local farmer and get it butchers but that cost a lot!! I don't know if the local butcher is still in business, I could ask. But there's no local restaurants |
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Hank The Tank
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - 05/31/2015 : 9:20:23 PM
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| Opinions on Bass? How many fish do you feed a day? |
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balzakjeff
USA
174 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2015 : 3:27:09 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Hank The Tank
Opinions on Bass? How many fish do you feed a day?
Can't answer your specific question, but if you feed freshwater fish you need to either cook it to 140F internal temp or freeze it (on-line recommendations range from 24-48 hours) to kill any parasites (i.e. tapeworms).
It also appears that Kansas has issued fish advisories limiting bass consumption due to mercury concentrations. If that is the case I'd personally avoid feeding it regularly (i.e. daily) to sled dogs, especially if they are still maturing, pregnant or whelping.
Jeff
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Feeding Raw this Winter
