Fresh greens in winter - how do the wild buns do it?

Since I live in SE WI there are little, if any, green things come winter. I plan to start my colony next spring but I'm thinking ahead to NEXt winter.

I know about growing greens indoors in tubs but the thought of natural feeding leads me to think about wild buns and what THEY do in the winter (about as natural as you can get).

Do our rabbits REALLY need fresh greens in winter? Their wild cousins won't have many (if ANY) and they survive.

Just thinking aloud tonight.

You raise a valid question... but one needs to remember that domestic rabbits are the same species as European wild rabbits, not North American cottontails or snowshoe hares. While they share many similarities, the climate in Europe is generally milder and the rabbits can forage more easily most of the time.

That said, wild rabbits in Europe and in North America have a diminished variety and quantity of "greens" over the winter months. While pondering ways to keep my rabbits on natural feed over the winters, I took this into consideration. Winter and summer my rabbits are fed alfalfa/grass hay, greens and fresh foods and small quantities of grain. Their diet does change with the seasons, however, and in winter the proportion of fresh food is smaller and the hay increases. The grains increase slightly in very cold weather. I feel this mimics the natural situation quite well.

Wild rabbits do nibble buds and twigs of trees and will work hard to find the first greens after a thaw. I think they crave the "green and fresh" and get some of it this way. Just my thoughts on the subject.

We have an abundance of cottontails on our farm/area. holy moly. :x During the winter I find little burrows in the snow down to the frozen grasses and dropped leaves. In the deep woods, there is little snow, and the rabbits winter in there. Lots of times I'll find an area that the deer have gone thru and cleared out..getting down to the stuff under the snow..and there will be a LOT of bunny tracks around. I think they come out and browse after the deer finishes.

Also...even in the WORST winters there are grasses and corn stalks exposed. Think of it as hay.

It's surprising how green the plants remain under the snow. We've had cottontails make snow caves next to our buildings and munch away on the shrubs over the winter.

An interesting plant fact thingie. When a plant dries in the ground in the fall naturally, most of the nutrients go back into the soil..just fiber left. If they FREEZE (you know how you often see green frozen grass or flowers under a snowfall?) the nutrients are still in the plant.

When hay is baled, the nutrients do not leech out of the plant as it dries. They're captured. which is why hay that is baled before it blooms is higher in nutrition than after. (during bloom and after bloom, the plant is starting to put nutrients back into the soil in preparation for winter dormancy or death....BEFORE bloom, the plant is actively gathering nutrients)

Most animals will eat trees and bushes which will still have some green branches from this year's new growth. There are also the various reproductive parts of plants (nuts and berries type of food). Then a lot of animals will dig through the snow especially in areas where the grass grew tall and helped hold the snow back from the ground. There are a variety of dried grasses to provide bulk and fiber while they get the missing nutrients from the other sources mentioned. Sometimes we have late spring/early summer foals who are immediately put out on pasture with their dams instead of being stalled and given hay. By the time we stall in winter and they get introduced to hay slices they tend to tear them to pieces. They are used to pawing through snow, dried grass/brush piles, or large round bales so faced with a solid chunk of something they paw it until it's bite sized.

Dried hay is still missing many water soluble vitamins in comparison to fresh or fresh that has been frozen and within 4 months starts to lose most of the major fat soluble vitamins like A and E. Most places though the non growing season isn't beyond 4months. It's more a concern for those of us storing hay and my horse nutrition classes did not suggest keeping hay beyond 6 months and definitely no more than a year because of the loss of nutrients in that time.

Whole grains like wheat, oats, barley contain Vitamin E. Fresh greens like grain grasses and root crops like carrots and beets contain lots of Vitamin A. This is why I suggest feeding regular small quantities of fresh root crops and greens and grains throughout the winter along with the hay.

We have a lot of plants in the yard (cottage garden) from the previous owners- One of them is Salad Burnet. I have heard a lot of humans on gardening forums poo-poo it (I like the spring and fall leaves in a salad!) BUT, all of our rabbits love it. I should plant more. it stays green even under snow and is a nice treat for them. Its one thing that overwinters quite well here.

Salad Burnet? This is interesting, do you buy plants or start it from seed?

http://oldfashionedliving.com/burnet.html

It's a perennial herb that can be frozen but doesn't dry well.

I have no imput as to what the wild rabbits do. But here where we only have 5-6 months where the ground isn't frozen we have come up with a solution. We approached local grocery stores and asked that the keep our bins in the back, so that any produce they would normally throw out they place in the bins, and when they are full we pick them up and drop off a new bin. Most of the food is in great condition with only tiny blemishes, we remove all icky things and packaging, and throw it in the colony. we get all sorts of lettus, green, cabbage, bok choy, apples, cucumbers, pears, oranges, carrots, squash, broc, cauliflower, grapes, tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, everything. My father actually does this on a large scale in New Brunswick, he goes to many stores daily to feed all his livestock, and suppliments with hay and feed.

mommaebear":2b7ig3dz said:

I have no imput as to what the wild rabbits do. But here where we only have 5-6 months where the ground isn't frozen we have come up with a solution. We approached local grocery stores and asked that the keep our bins in the back, so that any produce they would normally throw out they place in the bins, and when they are full we pick them up and drop off a new bin. Most of the food is in great condition with only tiny blemishes, we remove all icky things and packaging, and throw it in the colony. we get all sorts of lettus, green, cabbage, bok choy, apples, cucumbers, pears, oranges, carrots, squash, broc, cauliflower, grapes, tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, everything. My father actually does this on a large scale in New Brunswick, he goes to many stores daily to feed all his livestock, and suppliments with hay and feed.

Click to expand...

That's an excellent way to feed the critters I've done a small scale "hi! Can I have the bread you're throwing out?" and such, but getting the store to put their waste foods into your bins is brilliant

I have used scraps from grocery stores in the past but there are laws against it in most states in the US nowadays. I guess the Food and Drug Administration had something to do with that. There was some concern about homeless people getting sick on spoiled food. And the stores would be liable. Bummer.

Farmers around here would back their trucks up to food processing plants, bakeries, stores, etc. once a week to get food for their pigs but those days are gone.

BURROW UNDER THE SNOW
All the greens they could want, right there for the taking, preserved via nature.

Apple Cider":1ofv2bkf said:

I have used scraps from grocery stores in the past but there are laws against it in most states in the US nowadays. I guess the Food and Drug Administration had something to do with that. There was some concern about homeless people getting sick on spoiled food. And the stores would be liable. Bummer.

Farmers around here would back their trucks up to food processing plants, bakeries, stores, etc. once a week to get food for their pigs but those days are gone.

Click to expand...

Here there is an organization called the gleaners, they take the spoiled food and cut off the bad parts and share it out among the members. the grocery stores set the food aside for them in big trash cans (kept in the store) and it is picked up weekly and the store takes a tax write-off....All very regulated. Pig farmers used to pick up the human-inedible food from the gleaners, but they were inconsistant, and the gleaners(i was one) were worried about rats, so that stopped...Maybe if you ask around, you could still find pig food?

Devon's Mom Lauren":1ofv2bkf said:

Salad Burnet? This is interesting, do you buy plants or start it from seed?

Click to expand...

This is a very interesting plant, and it grows from seed, is perennial, edible, pretty, hardy, and appearantly not favored by slugs!! I am planting some this year, we'll see about the slugs...

I live in Iowa where snow does fall. My rabbits live in pens much like wild rabbits and I can tell you they get green grass all winter. The grass under the snow doesn't all die out. There for if you kick off the snow and top layer of dead grass you will find some strands of green under the clumps of seemingly dead grass.

To answer the question do rabbits need it in winter.. well yes.. they need it just like they do in summer. Nothing in their nutritional needs have changed. The more "meadow" you can offer your rabbit the better. Alphalfa is not good for rabbits. I do have some, and birdsfoot tree foil, I also plant red clover and Timothy. Those grasses partually die off in the winter but remain good enough rabbits can dig though and get what they need. If you can't allow your rabbits to dig and get what they need a good quality mixed grass hay that is still green,(meaning it was put up right and the nutrition is still there, don't by brown hay.. its dead) Will do. They need Meadow above anything else you can possibly feed them. So.. yes.. and yes.. to your questions.


http://www.pet-rabbit.netfirms.com<br /><br />__________ Mon Feb 28, 2011 10:17 am __________<br /><br />I live in Iowa where snow does fall. My rabbits live in pens much like wild rabbits and I can tell you they get green grass all winter. The grass under the snow doesn't all die out. There for if you kick off the snow and top layer of dead grass you will find some strands of green under the clumps of seemingly dead grass.

To answer the question do rabbits need it in winter.. well yes.. they need it just like they do in summer. Nothing in their nutritional needs have changed. The more "meadow" you can offer your rabbit the better. Alphalfa is not good for rabbits. I do have some, and birdsfoot tree foil, I also plant red clover and Timothy. Those grasses partually die off in the winter but remain good enough rabbits can dig though and get what they need. If you can't allow your rabbits to dig and get what they need a good quality mixed grass hay that is still green,(meaning it was put up right and the nutrition is still there, don't by brown hay.. its dead) Will do. They need Meadow above anything else you can possibly feed them. So.. yes.. and yes.. to your questions.


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