I feed the Sr. bucks a healthy handful. Some days there will be hay left over, some days they'll be begging for more. I have one buck (one of the new Americans) who goes through the hay pile and eats off ALL of the leaves. He'll have a pile of sticks left over by midday. Then he sits and nibbles on the stems. Looks like an old farmer with a piece of hay/straw sticking out the side of his mouth :lol:
The Juniors and Preg does get free fed hay. I also scoop up the leaves that fall from the hay and put them in the pan/feeder for the does. It's like a big fluffy pile of tiny greens. They love them. (I put a 1/2 bale in a big wheeled garbage can to feed out of...when the bale is gone, there is always a 2quart scoop of leaves in the bottom)
I don't skimp on the hay at all. We average $90/ton, but can get it right off the field, so there is no delivery fee involved. With the 26 rabbits I have now, (plus kits) I'm going through 1/3 bale per week. (our bales are 80lbs)
(omg..26 rabbits plus kits. :x Anyone want to buy a rabbit?)<br /><br />__________ Tue Aug 10, 2010 8:08 am __________<br /><br />Geez. got carried away....need to emphasize Maggie's point about storage. 1ton of hay, in 60# bales is 33 bales. that's a LARGE amount of space. Needs to be covered so it doesn't get wet, but not packed tightly if you have a humid climate. Mold will show up as the typical types, or you'll just see a dust that shakes up as you break apart the bale.