Blue Dog

Bravo! Beautiful! I have some major rabbitry envy.

While some Muscovy ducks will eat some of the worms (the one's near the top) they won't make that big of a dent in profits but they will eat up all the maggots...and then you can eat them!

As for those super cold, windy nights I would just use cardboard boxes. They are cheap and turn into worm food when they are done. Just some kind of wind block is more important than overhead heat. The quail will need artificial light though if you expect them to lay through the winter. Please update us as this goes on.

As for plants, I have heard really good things about Bay Laurels but it's not like you can use that for food for anyone. Lemon Grass and catnip are rumored to help repel flies and mosquitos and can be enjoyed by the rabbits.

Blue Walden

Patrick, I think you are restricting your idea of what makes a good meal for a dog.

Sure, large livestock like steers and hogs are great food but there is a ton of meat available at other times of the year. Chicken, ducks, geese, quail and their eggs. Some people not only raise rabbits but also guinea pigs (thrive on weeds) or rats(thrive on table scraps). As more people are raising dairy goats the little males are pretty easy to find throughout the year. Some people also use fish and I don't see any reason why snakes and alligator wouldn't be fine as well.

William, You will find a lot of homemade recipes online. The one I am using and others are here is the Raw, whole prey model. You follow a general ratio of 80% meat, 10% bone, 5% liver and 5% other organs in the amount of about 2-3 % of your dog's ideal weight daily and NO grains or veggies. Within this diet there are a lot of variables based on what meat is available to you and what you can afford. I would look around online and read and start with what makes the most sense to you.

Blue

We feed our spaniel the raw, whole prey model diet. He gets a lot of actual whole prey as we raise rabbits and guinea pigs. I supplement those with whatever meat/meaty bones I can find on sale ($1 lb or less) and the trimmings of our own meat. We are not super strict like some are so our dog also gets to lick our plates and will steal the fruit and veggie scraps we throw to the g.pigs and chicken.

I will give him milk kefir as well and a couple times I have soaked some bits of meat in the kefir whey. I don't think you can go wrong with all those wonderful enzymes and vitamins.

Another vote for the raw, prey model diet. This is coming from a woman who worked in veterinary hospitals and believed (and sold) the stuff for about 15 years. I never thought I would but having a spaniel with recurrent allergies and low grade, chronic ear infections I finally gave it a go and could not be more surprised or happier with the results. Our dog also used to have whole body reactions if he got even one flea. Now, he has to be covered before he starts turning pink. For the most part we feed rabbits and guinea pigs that we raise (humanely!) which helps keep the food costs down. I would strongly suggest you look into this.

Blue Waldman

Hi Chris,

I have heard a lot of people like to sprout mung beans for their chickens but honestly, chickens love it all. Most grasses, grains, herbs and beans are good. My hen will even gobble up garlic and chives in their very beginning stages. I think the more variety the better. The only concern I would have is that what makes some seeds sprout may make others mold so do a single seed at a time or make sure they all require the same amount of soaking and watering.

Have you considering growing your own worms too?

Blue Waldman

You mention the space but how close are your neighbors? Do you need to worry about local ordinances and noise?

You might want to look at Japanese Quail, pigeon and tilapia or maybe all three in addition to some other critters. Looking forward to hearing what you decide.

Any chance they are overweight? Underweight?

If their diet is subpar that could do it too. Just take a look at it and make sure it's complete and be sure they are getting good greens in the as well.

If the 3-4 hour thing doesn't work maybe try isolating the male for a week or so.

Also, if you can get one doe to admit he is super cute all the others will want to be with him too, it's just how does w...no, wait, that's jr. high girls...nevermind.

Good luck.

I don't have any advice but want to affirm that you are in the right. You shouldn't have to choose between shooting dogs and protecting your own pets and livestock. I would be tempted to trap the loose dogs and shave them up like poodles with a note attatched. Maybe that would get their owner's attention.

After getting more and more expensive dog foods to treat a very allergic dog I finally started cooking for my dog. Typically I was cooking up chicken and rice and throwing in some veggies. When I was discussing this with two friends that both grew up out of the US (but on two different continents) they both mentioned that they always just fed their dogs raw meat from the freezer and table scraps. So, after some research I finally made the jump to raw, specifically the "raw meaty bones" diets or "whole prey model". I was not expecting the level of success this has been. Not only has his food allergies cleared up but so have his frequent ear infections and he no longer gets a systemic reaction to flea bites. His energy is better and I would even say he seems smarter. And of course he has sparkling clean teeth and a GORGEOUS silky coat.

I don't follow the diet to the letter and our dog gets fruit, veggie and grain table scraps. Sometimes he will get kefir or some cheese too.

We raise our own rabbits and guinea pigs, mostly for the dog but we eat some rabbit. I hope to start raising the little japanese quail soon too. It's nice to know that we aren't bringing in factory farmed meat for him and next to nothing gets wasted. We supplement what we produce with meat we find on sale and eggs.