Hello! I've joined because I saw some posts about raising guinea pigs for food. That's something that I've just started doing so I'm hoping to share my experiences and learn from others. I have two female guinea pigs and one male who has only just been introduced to the girls in the past week, so the breeding hasn't got very far yet. I also have two hens who are getting on a bit and are together laying only one egg a day. When they stop laying, I think they'll be gently turned into food for my pet dog (Kissy, an adorable Sheltie). I'm considering getting more hens from a battery farm - I've read that battery farms get rid of their hens when they're only a couple of years old, so they still have some laying years ahead of them, and those years can be in my garden which should be much more pleasant than the battery farm! I grow a few plants for food, but not very well yet because I'm not disciplined enough to water them properly; I hope to improve that soon! I have success with ginger (very easy to grow and fun to watch new stalks appear so frequently). I have also have much accidental success with Wandering Jew and Desmodium uncinatum (Silverleaf desmodium / Velcro vine) which are considered weeds but are nutritious food for hens and (I think) for guinea pigs.
Set up a Worm Farm for the Guinea Pig poo and any scraps the chooks don't get through. Then use the worm castings to dig into your gardens so you won't have to water so much.