Vitamins in pellets (and pellet ingredient frustration)

[Ablebreeze]

I've been doing a lot of research and reading and comparing of pellets to find the best one for me and my meat rabbits.

1. Rabbits make their own vitamin b so they don't need that in their pellets, but I've only found 2 pellets that don't add it. 1 is almost $1/lb (not economical). The other I have to drive through 2 states to buy. (Not economical or feasible).

The research I've done says excess vitamin b weakens their immune system.
Super frustrating.

2. Rabbits need vitamin k (as do most animals). There is only 1 approved vitamin k supplement for animal feed and it's only approved for poultry. (Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex) It's in almost every pellet as well.

3. Corn isn't good and you can sort of avoid it, but most still have distillers grain by products which is more prone to mold than straight ground corn.

4. Then there are the ones that just list "forage products, roughage products, and plant protein" claiming their mix is proprietary and therefore can't disclose the ingredients.

Very frustrating trying to find a good pellet.

 

[dizzybumblebee]

I've been doing a lot of research and reading and comparing of pellets to find the best one for me and my meat rabbits.

1. Rabbits make their own vitamin b so they don't need that in their pellets, but I've only found 2 pellets that don't add it. 1 is almost $1/lb (not economical). The other I have to drive through 2 states to buy. (Not economical or feasible).

The research I've done says excess vitamin b weakens their immune system.
Super frustrating.

2. Rabbits need vitamin k (as do most animals). There is only 1 approved vitamin k supplement for animal feed and it's only approved for poultry. (Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex) It's in almost every pellet as well.

3. Corn isn't good and you can sort of avoid it, but most still have distillers grain by products which is more prone to mold than straight ground corn.

4. Then there are the ones that just list "forage products, roughage products, and plant protein" claiming their mix is proprietary and therefore can't disclose the ingredients.

Very frustrating trying to find a good pellet.

Yep, it is very frustrating. At one point we were able to go to the mill and ask for a formula of our devising but we bought a ton at a time putting into barrels as it came out of the shoot.
Mills buy the vitamin/probiotic ect in pre-packaged lots and use them for more than one type of feed. It is possible that getting the additives without the B in it is difficult for them. They would then have to purchase the ingredients individually and weigh them each. Considering some are at .02 percent a ton it can be very difficult to get it right.

 

[ladysown]

you may need to simply purchase a few different rabbit feeds and simply see how your rabbits do on them. I've gone through five different pellets before I found one that worked well for my buns.

One what works for one herd might not work for another based on what else you feed, your water supply, and various other things.