Thoughts on 18% protein

So I have two options for rabbit feed. I am currently using Blue Seal hutch 17 at $16 bag. The mill I get it from is very rude and the feed sometimes is moldy. So I have another mill down the road, they only have 18% feed for $14 bag. They are supper nice and will do anything for me. My only concern is the 18% protein. I feed the same feed to everyone, does, bucks and kids. I raise silver fox and new zealands. Anything wrong with this high of protein?

I don't foresee an issue.

Bucks and dry brood stock might be OK with more hay and less pellets, to avoid too much weight gain, if ever becomes an issue.
I'm leaning towards the belief that carbs are more of an issue then protein when it comes to rabbit weight.

:yeahthat:

I agree with Zass. 18% is higher than they probably need, but getting decent feed from decent people is worth it. You can always try feeding hay free choice and a smaller serving of pellets for those rabbits that might but on weight.

I get the cheap bag of pellets which 18% for 16 dollars at my feed mill. They have a higher price bag that is only 16 percent. The breeder I got them from had fat rabbits and he was feeding the same feed I am but his cage size is only a 1/3 the size of mine. They were lucky to 18 inches by 18 inches by 2 feet. That not enough room for a cali. He also was feed them all they that they could eat. I keep mine on a diet, I only recently increase feed to the two moms I have because the kits start on solid food and even the kits are a diet.

I feed 18%, hollands, polish and meats.. they do just fine on it. Trick is to measure feed and to feed according to the rabbits needs.

For instance.. two polish, same size and activity level. one eats barely 1/4 cup, the other 1/2 cup and they both maintain weight well.

Three meat rabbits, one a buck (3/4 cup feed) another a doe.. she eats a cup daily when on kits eats about 2 cups daily. Has a daughter who will eat 1.5 cups daily if I let her....when on kits will clear 3 cups easily. Kits grow at the same rate regardless of how much mom takes. I measure feed everything. through trial and error you learn how much kits will eat, you learn how much the does need to do well.

found some whole corn kernels in the feed last night. I removed the kernels, but I am concerned there is alot of corn in the feed. The bag does not identify corn levels or that corn is in the feed. Is corn bad for the rabbits>

Whole corn is frequently used to clean out the machinery in a mill. The ingredients list is supposed to (by law, if I'm not mistaken) list everything that is in the feed. So if corn is not in the list, I'd guess that you just happened to get feed produced shortly after the machines were cleaned, and not all the corn had made it out.

Ingredients like "forage products" can vary a bit, but if there's corn as an ingredient of any sort, even as by-products from production of other things, you should be seeing the word "corn" somewhere.

Corn can mold relatively easily, and the mold produces a toxin that is frequently deadly to rabbits. Most feed, however, does actually contain corn as an ingredient. Ground up and included in the pellets, the corn is much more likely to mold than if it is whole. Still, properly stored feed should not have a mold issue with the corn. It has to be properly stored all the way down the line, though, not just by you. I bought pellets once that had just arrived at the feed store that day, and they were already molded when I opened them that evening. Either the mill or the distributor had stored the feed improperly. It wasn't the feed store's fault. I can see how all their feed is stored.

__________ Sat Jun 18, 2016 11:18 am __________

Forgot to mention, even in feed that does contain corn as an ingredient, you don't want it high on the list. Most members here try to get feed that does not have corn or molasses among the first five ingredients listed. Both are high in sugar and can make rabbits fat. And can cause GI upset in sensitive rabbits. But again, everybody has to deal with what's available to them, and sometimes it's not the best. And sometimes rabbits will do better on a "lower quality" feed (ingredients like yeast byproducts, forage byproducts, and higher corn or molasses) than on a "higher quality" feed (ingredients like alfalfa, wheat middlings, and lower corn or molasses). <br /><br /> __________ Sat Jun 18, 2016 11:20 am __________ <br /><br /> If I had your situation, I'd definitely go with the 18% feed. Better people, hopefully better storage, and cheaper to boot.

Thank you all so much for the help. I am able to sleep better at night. I was told this weekend that several local breeders lost a lot of rabbits from the old brand I used to use. They said it was from improper ingredients and mold. At least I left before this happened.

thanks again.