I take care of everything but the processing. Steve is going to do that. The fryers (that’s what the four-pounders are called) are kept in a seperate pen.
I like this setup because it is very easy to unhook them from the sched and put them out in the yard. That way they can get some sun, nip bits of grass, fertilize the yard and live a generally more fulfilling life. They can’t leave the cage, due to predators.
Right now, I keep a length of old porch screen on the ground under the cages. I pick up the screen and the little bits of poop remain on it, then I tilt it and pour the poop into a bucket. (Note the bucket in the picture?) The poop is pretty dry. It just rolls in.
Gardeners look for and will pay for the manure because it can be put directly on the garden...won’t burn the plants. And I’ve already had one woman ask if she can buy the offal when we butcher. Apparently she feeds her dog some kind of weird diet.
So if we can sell these little odds and ends related to raising the rabbits, we can return some of the feed costs.
But will they get along with the chickens?
You want some. You know you do.