So, I have a tiny garden and my house isn't too big either. Nevertheless I have become enamored with the idea of raising some animals for meat and possibly eggs. Anyone raise any small meat animals? I'm thinking quail, which kinda seems like the obvious choice. Part of the appeal of raising livestock is that I can make sure they get treated somewhat humanely, so I don't want the animals to live in overcrowded uncomfortable cages like pic related. I think I can find adequate space for quail. Since I'm a noob I would prefer hardy animals that don't need me constantly hovering them like a phone tracking millennial mom.Thoughts?
>>2794393Eggs are probably the way to go for small scale production. Even at a large scale, chickens produce more food per unit of food and water than any other common farm animal.
>>2794401>chickensTo keep that going I would need a rooster too and I'm worried about the noise. I live in a residential area.
>>2794403You don't need a cock to gets eggs.
>>2794703Yes but you need new chickens every so often.
>>2794721Baby chicks cost a dollar. I wouldn't worry about that cost. Rabbits, guinea pigs and quail are all very easy to take care of and don't take up much room.Quail are pretty quiet if you want to breed more.Rabbits and guinea manure can go straight into the garden without composting. Unlike bird manure.
>>2794730>guinea pigsI'm not from a guinea pig eating country, are they tasty?
>>2794393>I'm thinking quailMy nephew raises quail but only for the eggs. He said they were too small to really be worth eating. Even the eggs are small- you need like 12 to make an omlet lol
I've never raised quail or rabbits, but I feel like it's hard to beat chickens. Rabbits may be more efficient to feed pound for pound but they're much pickier eaters. Not sure about quail, but I know chickens will eat just about anything, including kitchen and garden scraps which keeps feed costs lower. Quail grow quick but obviously there isn't much meat on them. Rabbits produce good meat, but they won't provide eggs obviously. The only thing that would tempt me to raise rabbits in addition to chickens would be the pelts.
OK I'm leaning towards getting some bantam chicken hens,Show me the most awesome coop designs you've seen.
>>2794761just eat the quails then
>>2794403Hens are often far more noisy than roosters. If you're trying to keep hens under the radar in a backyard it's borderline impossible from the noise
