when do i start free feeding my 2 pregnant nzw/cal does? the 29th day of pregnancy will be feb 7. they are first time mothers and appear to be in great shape. i am about 80% sure they are both with babies. one for sure. i don't want to over feed them. but i guess a week won't hurt. right now they are eating about 1 - 1 1/4 cups per day of (producers pride) from TSC. both weigh about 8 lbs. have also heard about calf mana. any thoughts? thanks

I wait until she kindles to free feed, and then I start supplementing with Calf Manna when the kits are a few days old, 1Tblsp per day.

thanks for the input.

You need to be careful with calf manna... It is a very rich supplement and giving them too much can lead to problems. Don't be tempted to give them more than the one tablespoon daily... and work up to that amount starting with a teaspoon.

Absolutely! No more than 1 Tblsp and once the kits are out of the box, make sure to keep it away from them, or they will gobble it up and give themselves enteritis...ask me how I know that...

not sure i am going to use calf manna. the guy i bought my buns from didn't. just free fed the same food. unless someone is super pro calf manna.

Nah, you can use whatever you want to supplement...BOSS, oats, etc...

Personally, I suggest you hold off on the calf manna until you have some experience with rabbits. Start with free-feeding good quality food and see how it goes.

thanks good advise!!!!!

Probably a good idea, now that I think about it....as a newbie I would not have known what to do with a doe or kit that had issues from too much Calf Manna either...good call, Maggie!

what is BOSS? couldn't find anything on google.

Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, like the kind that are fed to birds.

Again, BOSS is a great supplement... but a little goes a long way. Less problematic than calf manna, however, and great for helping a nursing doe maintain condition, especially if she has a large litter to feed. Ease it in slowly... a teaspoonful to start and work up to a tablespoonful.

Free-feed a couple of days after kindling.

But, on day 23 of their pregnancy, I increase their daily feed by about half. They've got a group of youngsters they're developing so the extra feed helps the unborn young, without pulling too much away from the mother.

The downside to this is the fact that if the doe is open, I've given her extra feed which adds fat to the doe...which makes her harder to take when she's bred. But, usually, by the 23rd day you can see that the doe has a little "pooch" to her tummy.

Grumpy

i don't free feed my does EVER. I measure their feed until kindling. Then as the doe demands more I give her more. at the most 3 times (generally just two times) her measured amount until the kits are eating from the feeder. Then I measure per what the kits should be eating...generally the same amount the doe gets prekindle. Doe goes back to her normal amount. I generally have a bit of feed in the bottom of the feeder next feeding. once the feeder starts being empty before next feed is generally when I start selling or weaning kits.