Bad feed! Need hard switch help!

I went to the feed store just in time yesterday, and got two bags of feed. Galadriel opened one up for the evening feeding, and it was old. Not as bad as the batch a year ago, but still bad. Everybody got oatmeal, instead.

I'll be taking the feed back this morning. A year ago, the store already had a new shipment by that time, because it wasn't the next day. They were accidentally sent the same feed in 18%, and I took that, and the rabbits did fine on that temporarily.

I don't know about today. I might get there, and the only feed is from this same lot. In that case, I'll have to do a hard switch.

Do I just get a bag of whole oats, and feed that until they get a new shipment?

I used bird seed when I ran out of feed another time several years ago... should I do that?

Or do I go get a different feed, and mix it with oatmeal?

I have two pregnant does (one just bred two days ago, one almost three weeks), two other does, a buck, and four cages of growouts.

I should have thought to post this last night! <br /><br /> -- Sat Aug 30, 2014 10:25 am -- <br /><br /> Forgot to mention... a LOT of the feed sold around here is Nutrena, which I know several members have had problems switching to and from.

End of July this year, I fed my last bag of pellets.

My rabbits are now on all the hay they want to eat.
I feed wheat, oats and cracked corn in their J feeders.
If I can get it, they love bread, anything but white.
I also feed a bit of cereal in treat bowls . Sometimes I can
get good size boxes at our dollar store. The cinnamon
flavor one recently was a BIG hit.

They get pieces of carrots, apple, etc as treats once in awhile.

Some get a handfull of grass, which is the growouts outside.

I probably am lacking in some vitamins, minerals ,etc.

I was toying with the idea of giving them a cracker as a treat.
That would give them some salt.

I know I have to find a few more things for them for variety.

Best I can do for right now.

I had considered going to grain when we moved here, but I can't get barley, and it's difficult (and expensive) to get wheat. I can get oats, corn, rice bran, and shredded beet pulp. :roll:

When I learned that the local feed store mixed their own grain-based horse feed (horses are HUGE around here), I tried the 14%. My rabbits were on it for 6 months. They did okay, but I found that the molasses content was unpredictable, and the rabbits were getting fat, but were always hungry even though they left feed behind in their dishes. So I went to the Prime Quality 16% that they sold. SatinsRule told me he had used it, and that the company's customer service was good, though the feed isn't the best.

Normally, it's fresh-smelling -- green and sweet.

After I posted, I ended up not being able to stick around. We had rain coming, and I knew that, but some new cells started forming ahead of it. I dashed out to the feed store. They agreed, the feed was not good. They had just gotten the shipment yesterday (I might have bought the first bags from it). They did not have any from a different lot.

Probably the fastest they could get another shipment would be one week.

After weighing my options, I decided to come home with a bag of whole oats. I don't want to keep my rabbits on nothing but whole oats for a week or more, so I decided to switch feed. I can get Purina (and Country Acres, which is Purina) at a hardware store, and I can get Manna Pro at TSC.

I've been considering switching to a better feed... I was hoping to start fodder instead, but have not been able to do that yet. So I'll switch to Manna Pro. I can get a bag tomorrow, and start the switch, using the whole oats to assist in the transition. <br /><br /> -- Sat Aug 30, 2014 12:53 pm -- <br /><br />

TwoAcreDream":2q08i5zk said:

I probably am lacking in some vitamins, minerals ,etc.

I was toying with the idea of giving them a cracker as a treat.
That would give them some salt.

Click to expand...

If you get the red mineral salt block at a feed store, you can knock chucks off of it to give your rabbits. It'll give them the salt and minerals they need. If you have high humidity, you should put it in a dish to keep it off of the wire, so it won't rust the wire.

Bad feed is bad news! :evil: :evil: :evil:

Miss M, if you have hay that can help buffer any changes. I would only give a half-ration of the new pellets for the first few days and increase it gradually. Make up the difference with oats. Not ideal, I know... but I think safer than a cold turkey switch.

:yeahthat:

I have switched to and from Mana Pro easily, but have not tried the Nutrena.

*fingers crossed for a safe, healthy week*

MaggieJ":1ts6tgni said:

Miss M, if you have hay that can help buffer any changes.

Click to expand...

Yes, I need to get some more, but I do have hay. We usually free-feed hay.

MaggieJ":1ts6tgni said:

I would only give a half-ration of the new pellets for the first few days and increase it gradually. Make up the difference with oats. Not ideal, I know... but I think safer than a cold turkey switch.

Click to expand...

I agree... I had thought perhaps I should introduce it with oats much the same way one would switch feeds, slowly increasing the % of the new feed in the mix, until the old (in this case, the oats) is phased out. So this confirms that thought.

Marinea":1ts6tgni said:

:yeahthat:

I have switched to and from Mana Pro easily, but have not tried the Nutrena.

*fingers crossed for a safe, healthy week*

Click to expand...

Thank you for the reassurance on Manna Pro. I knew I did not want to go to Nutrena, but it's nice to know it should be an easy enough transition to Manna Pro.

Thank you for the well-wishes!

The rabbits have done alright on Prime Quality, but I do wonder if they can do better on Manna Pro. I look forward to seeing what comes of this. It won't be nearly as convenient to get, but maybe it will be for the better.