Feeding alfalfa

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cereshill

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So, if I were to go to an alfalfa hay diet and ease off pellets. Pls tell me how I would figure quantity for does that are gestating litters etc. Free feeding fryers I know, but dry does and bucks leave me puzzled. I can get second cutting alfalfa for a good price $200/ton delivered. trying to figure consumption etc.
thx
 
I would free-feed pregnant does, nursing does and fryers. The bucks need a bit less, but it is easy to gauge the amount by starting with whatever you think is reasonable and adjusting up or down until you get a feel for what the rabbit actually eats. I've seen very few rabbits that will overeat on alfalfa hay.

If you are going to an alfalfa hay based diet, remember they will also need small quantities of grain and fresh foods for variety.

Before you embark on this route, please look into how you will store your hay. Hay must be kept dry and it must have some air circulation or it will get moldy in your climate. Storing the hay on wood pallets and leaving space between the hay and the walls will help. Maybe you should talk to some farmers in your area about hay storage. Moldy hay can kill your rabbits.
 
I feed the Sr. bucks a healthy handful. Some days there will be hay left over, some days they'll be begging for more. I have one buck (one of the new Americans) who goes through the hay pile and eats off ALL of the leaves. He'll have a pile of sticks left over by midday. Then he sits and nibbles on the stems. Looks like an old farmer with a piece of hay/straw sticking out the side of his mouth :lol:

The Juniors and Preg does get free fed hay. I also scoop up the leaves that fall from the hay and put them in the pan/feeder for the does. It's like a big fluffy pile of tiny greens. They love them. (I put a 1/2 bale in a big wheeled garbage can to feed out of...when the bale is gone, there is always a 2quart scoop of leaves in the bottom)

I don't skimp on the hay at all. We average $90/ton, but can get it right off the field, so there is no delivery fee involved. With the 26 rabbits I have now, (plus kits) I'm going through 1/3 bale per week. (our bales are 80lbs)

(omg..26 rabbits plus kits. :x Anyone want to buy a rabbit?)<br /><br />__________ Tue Aug 10, 2010 8:08 am __________<br /><br />Geez. got carried away....need to emphasize Maggie's point about storage. 1ton of hay, in 60# bales is 33 bales. that's a LARGE amount of space. Needs to be covered so it doesn't get wet, but not packed tightly if you have a humid climate. Mold will show up as the typical types, or you'll just see a dust that shakes up as you break apart the bale.
 
The main point about storage is don't order a ton of hay if you don't have a really good place to store it. Moldy hay is only good for compost or mulch. You'll regret the loss of money and may be tempted to use it anyway... Not good. :(
 
When putting hay bales up for storage in the loft, fresh from the field hay is packed tight with cut ends up. Stacking cut end up helps the bale get air. I still stack dry bales the same way.
 
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