Author Topic: Breeding rats (or guinea pigs) to eat  (Read 4696 times)

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Offline Polyvore

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Breeding rats (or guinea pigs) to eat
« on: September 26, 2012, 11:22:58 am »
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Next time I see a bite sized rodent running around the farm here I will woof it and see how that goes.

Do you think it would be a worthwhile idea to breed mice or rats for food, in your own rat-farm? How much would it cost to feed them to full size, and compare that to the cost of grass-fed beef? They are meant to be fast breeders, so perhaps they are a better option for breeding for food than cows? I will have to look into this. But maybe if mice were a staple you would get digestive problems from eating too much bone regularly and not enough fat (an other parts like meat and organ)?

"The gestation period is only 21 days and litters can number up to fourteen, although seven is common. " - you could, perhaps have 3 rat mothers breeding at a time, for, on average a rat to eat each day, and as they grow to the right size you could put them in the fridge to die, then dry age them in the fridge for a fortnight before eating them.

To be honest eating rats whole would be gross, not sure if I could do it :p I get too attached to little pets.

Either way, what would be a good raw 'wild' diet to feed rats?
« Last Edit: September 26, 2012, 01:52:38 pm by Polyvore »

Offline Polyvore

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Re: Breeding rats to eat
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2012, 11:50:12 am »

Offline Alive

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Re: Breeding rats to eat
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2012, 12:21:13 pm »
Guinea Pigs would be better as they eat grass and are bigger to provide more meat and be easier to chop up.

Offline Polyvore

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Re: Breeding rats to eat
« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2012, 01:03:50 pm »
Oh, good idea! How often do they breed? Could you have new gpigs every few weeks?

Offline Alive

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Re: Breeding rats (or guinea pigs) to eat
« Reply #4 on: November 10, 2012, 02:20:31 am »
Here is a youtube video series about raising rabbits in your backyard for food:

Raising New Zealand White Meat Rabbits From Start to Finish 1 Day Old

Offline superja

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Re: Breeding rats to eat
« Reply #5 on: November 10, 2012, 07:00:46 am »
Oh, good idea! How often do they breed? Could you have new gpigs every few weeks?

Guinea pig litters vary from 2-8 babies. They're usually pregnant for about two months, and can become pregnant again 6-48 hours after giving birth, although it's unhealthy to breed them that often.

If I was breeding them for food I'd try to get Peruvians. I have a pair of  Peruvian boars and they get mistaken for rabbits all the time. Fuckers are huge.

They'll eat almost any fruit or veggie, scraps included. Mine will go nuts over strawberry tops, orange peel, banana peel, avocado skin, apple cores... etc.


 

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