Hello...I am attempting to post my first thread...hopefully will do it correctly!! My name is Yale and have farm in northeast Mississippi. I grow hay and use traditional methods to grow the hay free of chemicals, pesticides and herbicides. I have rabbits and yaks and they are my taste testers! They both love the hay I produce. A big problem for me, and imagine most of you is having hay in the cages, clogging the bottom of the cages, and problem with a container to hold the hay. After lot of trial and error, I have been able to process my hay down to a fine chopping and can place in a bowl for the rabbits to eat. At first was not sure if they would like it...but they loved it and I like it because prevents having a mess. Like many of you, I had used rabbit pellets. When I looked at the ingredients I thought can try to come up with something better, and fresher, free of lot of chemicals, by-products, preservatives and flavorings. With using my hay and adding couple more ingredients, I have been feeding my rabbits the mix and their coats shine brighter, fuller and appear energetic and happy. I been contemplating making the hay and mix into a pellet form. From talking with my professor friends seems that the way I processed the hay is easier for the rabbits to digest and helps with the nutrients in a lose form. I believe pellet form will be just as good for the rabbits since is the same ingredients...do believe the loose mix helps with digestibility. Thank you, Yale
All-Natural Hay and Feed
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That is something I recently discovered.
I have dairy goats, and they are wasteful.
They leave a lot of sticks and stems.
The loose stuff on the barn floor, I give to the baby rabbits.
The sticks and stems go to the pigs.
Adult rabbits get Timothy, which is a mess under the cage. But the pigs clean that up too.
RabbitsOfTheCreek
Netherland Dwarf Breeder & Well-known Member
A way I've found to help prevent hay waste is taking some of it and putting them into an empty toilet paper roll/cut up empty paper towel roll
jani
Well-known member
That is very very interesting and a big interest of mine! Would you mind sharing more of the details about what and how? I was just saying to someone last night rabbits have been raised for eons and nobody was able to buy pretty bags of purina pellet (that is all we can get around here, I wish I had better options) and I remember how my grandpa did hay in a mow with horses old school. Why can't I do something traditional and be a little more self sufficient in case of more shortages due to wars/pandemic only God knows what all next? I would at least know what my rabbits are eating, those bags of food change ingredients and ratios all the time and problems/recalls do happen! My biggest question is about protein.. how are you sure there is enough protein and not too much and as growing seasons very? But the techniques too, how do you harvest, store, prepare and decide what to feed your rabbits? Are you mostly going by their condition like in horses? At any rate, congratulations, it sounds like you are doing a very good thing for your rabbits and our planet!
I read somewhere that a person was picking all their grape leaves off the vine, and drying them for their rabbits for winter. Then I also read not to give the rabbits too many.
My dairy goats live under oak trees. The trees drop acorns galore a couple times a year. They say not to give goats too many acorns. Yet the goats eat them free will with no adverse reactions.
I'm hoping my meat rabbits will do the same. However, I do plan to limit the leaves this first year.
My dairy goats live under oak trees. The trees drop acorns galore a couple times a year. They say not to give goats too many acorns. Yet the goats eat them free will with no adverse reactions.
I'm hoping my meat rabbits will do the same. However, I do plan to limit the leaves this first year.
Hi Jani,
On my farm I specifically grow hay, free of chemicals, pesticides, etc...is basically organic but will use the term All-Natural. This week I was able to get the farm authorized by the State of Mississippi as a Commercial Feed manufacter and working on labeling to be approved. I started with rabbits last year in January to help with my hay that was wet...to help make compost. I was feeding the rabbits the regular rabbit pellets. I never liked the list of ingredients and thought there has to be a better way. I also have yaks. When I cut the fresh hay last year...gave some to my rabbits to try and out and they really liked it. However, I still gave them pellets and occassionally the hay. After a year and loss of many rabbits to a coyote attack... Fast forward now...I have machines that help me chop and grind the hay from the field. I am able to even granulate the hay small enough to make pellets. I have found that the the loose hay I have is in small pieces...and believe helps with the digestibility for the rabbits and helps release the nutrients. Rabbits should have a good diet of hay...and let them eat oats as well. There are other ingredients that you can increase the percent of protein...and have to watch the fat content as well. What I noticed feeding my rabbits the new mix I came up with...their coats became more brilliant, fuller...and seemed to be energetic. They used to eat the hay I put in their cage well...after i cut the hay up...they prefer eating that ...they still eat a little regular hay but with the chopped hay they go wild! Couple try climbing into the bucket to eat it!! Another thing I do not care for...is the length of time a feed is made and sits in the store on the shelf before is sold. How old is the feed and what preservatives are in it. All the feed mixes I have been working on are freshly made and then can send out in the mail. My hay, after three years of improving the field is really turning into a premium hay. Is a mix of couple grasses along with lots of crimson clover. I see a lot of products with timothy hay. And makes it sound like that is the only thing rabbits can eat. My rabbits and Yaks go crazy over my hay. Also, horses, deer, wild turkeys and chickens love it too. I have had horse people come to buy my hay, which surprised me. I had done some research and sunflowers have a high amount of protein in the seeds and rabbits like the sunflower stems and leaves. I planted two areas of sunflower seeds in the hay field....and cut and baled with the hay. I have those bales segregated and plan on chopping, grinding and making a hay/sunflower pellet mix...then see how my rabbits like it. A good percentage of protein for rabbits, from what I have researched is between 13 to 16 -17 percent. For pregnant and nursing rabbits...should be the higher range...16-17 percent...and lower percent for a regular maintenance type feed. I can say now I don't worry about containers for the hay, or hay clogging up the cage...I can grab a handful of chopped hay and put in their dish...or container. When I first tried giving to them...I had to put it under their nose...and once they started...they prefer the chopped hay over hay straight from the bale. I have even made dog treats that my five four legged kids love to eat now! Much of what I have been discovering has been by trial and error. And if I find something my animals like...will try to add ingredients to increase the protein content that is consistent with their diet requirements. Enjoyed reading your posts...thank you, Yale
Good Afternoon; What I have found with my yaks and rabbits if they do not like something they will not eat it. I think if your goats have eaten the acrons and have no issues with their manure...then is probably fine for them. I know when I gave some commercial cow feed mix to my yaks... some of the manure was soft and runny and not solid. Once I got them on my hay and give them whole corn, oats, etc...were fine. I believe it is the added chemicals and preservatives causing changes in their manure. For your rabbits, I would give the leaves to a couple of the rabbits and see if there is any difference in the manure or urine. If they seem to be fine with would continue to let them eat the leaves. I have seen wild rabbits out here in my hay field and there are lot of green things for them to eat. Thank you for your post... Yale
SLRS
Grace Meadows Farmstead
I love the concept of feeding a more natural, easier to source and less wasteful diet! All huge plusses in my book. Could you tell me about how you grind or cut up your hay?
jani
Well-known member
Thank you for all that information! I think you are doing a really great thing! Yes, I have objections to the bagged commercial pellets sitting around for who knows how long, I have even got dusty bags! And yes preservative chemicals, yuck- can't be natural! I am much smaller scale and I am looking into growing forage. Mostly to supplement in winter, when my rabbits come off grass. But I have read mixed reviews of people actually replacing all pellet with it. I am not sure if I am brave enough to play around with it with my precious babies! But I will see how they do with it as a supplement this year. I am planning on growing barley, oat and sunflower forage. YES, they sure do like sunflower anything, I call it bunny mcdonalds!
I grow dairy forage for my goats pasture. I NEVER see rabbits in the pasture. I do have a lot of wild turkeys, a ton of squirrels and boat loads of gophers. It's a never ending battle. Yearly we re-seed. Planning on using the lawn tractor and bagging attachment to see if the rabbits like it. Thinking the wild rabbits don't like the other critters. Be nice to have one pasture serve another purpose.
jani
Well-known member
Interesting! do your goats eat pasture? Here the nigerians all have nice turn outs with long green grass at end of season, but all the bushes and trees are heavily browsed. Funny as they eat hay from the fields on the property when they go inside all winter! And I see plenty of wild cotton tails around! I do note that wild rabbits are solitary, which is why I have never attempted to do the colony thing. They seem perfectly content alone. I am using one of those leaf collectors with a removable bag to ted and then run around a second time with dry with the bag to put loosely into old cotton pillow cases and hang in the rafters. But small scale, I only have 4 breeding pairs and no kits over winter. YET! lolol
Jani; Good Morning. Like you mentioned...if you take your lawn mower and have a collection bag...that might be the best way to collect grass for your rabbits. I know when I cut around my Yak fence...I blow the grass into their area and they come running to eat it. The wild rabbits I have come across seem to be very content by themselves hanging around.
Good Morning. I have industrial grade machines that cut and grind my hay. I had tried chopping it up in a food processor...did not work too well...clogged up and was not even. My farm grows the organic hay and needed higher capacity machines to chop and cut the hay...has taken three years to get the hay and processes worked out. Have a great day! Yale
It's a specific browse seed for dairy goats in my specific area. So yes. They eat that pasture.
I grow microgreens and hate growing sunflowers as the hulls always stick. But if the buns like them, I can grow them out larger just for them! Thanks for the info.
Good morning Jani, my plan is to take my hay and sunflowers that are together, grind it up and make a hay/sunflower pellet out of it...and see how my bunnies like it....to see if is a good combination. Can be another product produced here on the farm.
SLRS
Grace Meadows Farmstead
I feed my buns sunflower stalks and leaves, and they love them. However, I have read that the seeds are very high fat for them and to only feed a teaspoon per bun per day. In other words, I would look it up to see how much to feed them. Fat rabbits do not produce large (if any) litters. I do feed small amounts of BOSS to my lactating does to help in milk production. They absolutely love it because sometimes the doe cannot keep up with the loss of body fat needed to feed the kits on even 18% pellets.
pretty sure after sprouting the fat is converted to starch. the hulls count as fiber, but the rabbits will likely ignore them in favor of the tasty sprouts.
SLRS
Grace Meadows Farmstead
Sorry, My mistake. It seems I responded to the wrong post. I did not intend to respond to microgreens. Just a general comment on too much BOSS.
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I have read that too, so asked at feed store he disagreed. So I give my rabbits a tray every night ( for the group)that's how I reward them for going in when called. They are in a colony and free range between their shelter and yard all day. I say " bun buns time to go home, treats" they come running
I also free feed pellets and hay. Piles of tree trimmings, garden goodies. I also will pull whole sunflower plants for them, seed head, root and all. I notice on days they got a big seed head in the yard to work on they don't eat all the BOSS at night ( usually every last seed gets eaten) so they self regulate. In more than 70 rabbits I have raised I have only had one fatty.she had lived in a cage. I believe good food, good exercise, and freedom to choose makes happy, healthy rabbits. Aria just delivered her first litter (11)
