Rabbits.
One of the most efficient sources of protein out there.
This is from an email I got, just today:
One of the best ways I've put my Fodder to use is to convert it into healthy, lean meat with rabbits. My rabbits grow amazingly well with just Fodder and free choice grass hay. In summer, I toss in mulberry and chicory clippings for some variety and to help them keep their teeth in good shape. If you're curious about just how productive rabbits can be, read this:
Rabbits really excel in the feed conversion area, which is the amount of feed it takes to make one pound of animal. This gives us a good comparison to determine efficiency. For instance, the feed conversion for a rabbit is about two pounds of feed for every one pound of animal while the feed conversion of cattle is 6 pounds of feed for one pound of animal. This means rabbits simply eat less to make more….
Rabbits are also relatively inexpensive to get started with. A proven, pedigreed meat rabbit doe can cost as much as $60, but your run of the mill breeding stock is going to run you about $20. That 10 pound doe can produce over 100 pounds of meat in a year. A proven beef cow is going to cost at least $1800 and you won’t see any steak from her for almost two years. If you compare pound for pound production, a 1000 pounds of rabbit can produce 10,000 pounds of live animal weight a year, while that cow will produce at most 1800 pounds of animal….and she ate three times as much feed to produce it.
You can easily provide a large portion of your family's meat with our 6 tray Fodder kit (feeds up to 40 rabbits). For added convenience, take a look at the RoundTop rabbit cage I designed. The built in hay feeder works wonders, you'll save 6 feet of wire when building them, and they are very strong.
As far as chickens, I have 27 in my basement right now.
