Rabbit vs Cavy - backyard meat production
Over the years I've raised both rabbits and cavies (guinea pigs, cuy) on both commercial feeds and free gathered forage. I've eaten cavy in Peru but only in the last year started breeding and raising them for meat. There are pluses and minuses to both but I far prefer the taste of cavy. It's like comparing dark fatty chicken or pork (cavy) with chicken breast (rabbit). Cavy are easier to raise in movable pens for grazing my lawn and require less supplemental feed. I have less issues with cavy production in extreme heat and cold, although I've been very successful breeding both species year-round. Rabbits require more skill to deal with containment, weather extremes and year-round breeding. For me, rabbit processing is much quicker but maybe that will change as I get more skill with scalding, scraping or burning cavy hair. Rabbits Harder to capture after they escape. Require more secure caging. Typically kept in individual cages but can be kept communally. Burrowing,