That'll probably last a few months, 3-4 maybe or more depending on weather and things. You seem to be doing a great job trying to cover all your bases before getting a bird. One thing about having a lot of food, I've heard not to have so much that it has to be frozen for more than 5-6 months or so. Seems they can lose their vitamins etc. if frozen too long.
Maybe someone with some expertise who knows whether there's any validity to this can shed more light on it. I always get my food in about 3 month supplies just to be safe.
Depends on how much you are killing. This season I went through a 200 chicks and fed my bird on kills. All depends on how much you are killing. If nothing is being killed I would say that could last you 3-5 months.
You would be better off buying 150 of the XL Rats for $1.25 That should last you for about 6 months maybe longer. No need in buying chicks, mice and rats. The rats will be a full natural diet. The bird won't need anything varied in food if fed rats. The size of one XL rat will keep her fed for over 24 hours. You could actually feed her one every other day and maintian her weight well. (depending of course on the weather. If extremely cold, one a day would be a safer bet but even still you probably wouldn't want to feed her a whole 12 ounce rat. The XL rats are huge. They average 275/340 grams. That is from 8 ounces being the smallest) to 13 ounces for the larger ones. Now, My bird will gain 2-3 ounces when feed a 7 ounce rat. Keep in mind the meat your bird will put in the freezer during hunting season along with the rats you buy will last you a good while. Not only that but I tidbit my bird with venison and chicken heart a majority of the time. Its cleaner to use in the field and easy to cut into the proper amounts for tidbiting. My bird is at 50 ounces now and 1 rat at 9 ounces holds her over for 48 hours. Now I'm not saying that you should just feed the bird one big rat every 48 hours but you could chop them in half and feed her every day to keep something in her digestive track. Again, this will vary on temp, and the size of your bird but 150 XL rats should be plenty to start off for a good while. I am also assuming your talking about a redtail. If not disregard, this reply. Freezing does however takes some of the nutritional value if kept for long periods of time but regardless its not enough of a break down to deprive the bird of what it needs.
for my bird i was thnking of buying quail, but also sum rabbits. and give teh bird sum rabbit tirings or feed the bird rabbit during hunting season or what ever.
Here's a couple of links with rabbit raising basics. I have about 1/2 doz. which I keep cycling for baggies, summer food, and table. I also prefer 2 day old rabbit over DOC. They're easy to take care of and produce great fertilizer for the garden.
Ok, I have been raising pedigreed show rabbits for eight years now, and I can say that it’s a very good food source, and very easy to raise at home if you have the space. There gestation period is longer then small rodents, and take longer to mature, but they produce more meat per animal, and whatever rabbits you don’t feed your hawk, you can sell as pets or show animals, or even eat yourself. And a buck and three does can produce more meat in a year then a cow. When I get my hawk its main food shall be rabbits I raise myself (Hey, I have to do something with the unable to be shown ones.) I shall vary its diet with Hamsters (My mother refuses to let me keep mice or rats) and whatever the bird catches or I can get cheap.
Happier of happy though I be, like them I cannot take possession of the sky, mount with a thoughtless impulse, and wheel there, one of a mighty multitude whose way and motion is a harmony and dance magnificent. - William Wordsworth