?? about Clover Hay & Other factors in natural feeding

[skysthelimit]

I prefer the red clover to white simply because you can produce so much more of it on the same piece of ground. I'm fortunate to be able to grow it year round here although it recovers a lot slower in the short days. If I grow it on soil that has had a lot of rabbit manure tilled in I can harvest every ten days in Spring, Summer and early Autumn. I usually have enough extra to make some into clover hay, which the rabbits seem to like almost as much as the green. I ran across a patch of giant dandelion and harvested some seed last Summer. It is now popping up all over my garden. Since it is such a low grower I find there is little or no competition with my garden plants so long as I give the veggies a head start. I don't pull the dandelion. I cut it at ground level, leaving the tap root in the ground to regrow. I also grow the broad leaf chicory for them and at least one row of collard greens. I have only a postage stamp sized suburban garden but it is amazing how many greens I can grow just for the rabbits and still have room for enough veggies to keep me supplied with all I want.

Collard greens grow like weeds here, I planted some three years ago, and I still find them all over the yard. I thought that I couldn't feed any greens that would produce a lot of gas, like collards and cabbage, etc.

If I can, then I can basically throw away the pellets, feed my tim/clover/alfalfa hay mix, add some collards and oats and have happy buns!

 

[MaggieJ]

Collard greens grow like weeds here, I planted some three years ago, and I still find them all over the yard. I thought that I couldn't feed any greens that would produce a lot of gas, like collards and cabbage, etc.

If I can, then I can basically throw away the pellets, feed my tim/clover/alfalfa hay mix, add some collards and oats and have happy buns!

Not quite. Collards are likely fine in moderation, if you start very slow and work up from small bits offered as treats, but they are gassy... and not all rabbits tolerate them well. Your rabbits will need a wider variety of greens to do well. Add lots of weeds and tree trimmings from the Safe Plants List and maybe some BOSS now and again and you will be closer to a good natural diet for your rabbits.

 

[skysthelimit]

Collard greens grow like weeds here, I planted some three years ago, and I still find them all over the yard. I thought that I couldn't feed any greens that would produce a lot of gas, like collards and cabbage, etc.

If I can, then I can basically throw away the pellets, feed my tim/clover/alfalfa hay mix, add some collards and oats and have happy buns!

Not quite. Collards are likely fine in moderation, if you start very slow and work up from small bits offered as treats, but they are gassy... and not all rabbits tolerate them well. Your rabbits will need a wider variety of greens to do well. Add lots of weeds and tree trimmings from the Safe Plants List and maybe some BOSS now and again and you will be closer to a good natural diet for your rabbits.

I'm making a list now, but there are not many weeds here. The dogs have trample pretty much every inch of the yard that is not the small fenced garden, or the dedicated iris beds. What the dogs didn't kill the chickens finished off. I will have to sow some type of seed this year just some weeds.

 

[MaggieJ]

It's pretty hard to do completely natural feeding unless you have enough land to grow or gather significant amounts of greens. Maybe you should consider sticking with some pellets to make up the difference.

 

[hoodat]

There are very few places in the US where wild greens of some type can't be gathered. I gather a lot of wild oats and bur clover right here in the city in the area between the sidewalk and the back fences of houses. I do best behind houses that water their back lawns regularly. Now that lead has been eliminated from gas it's much safer to gather greens close to a road so long as your city or town doesn't spray weed killer.

 

[skysthelimit]

There are very few places in the US where wild greens of some type can't be gathered. I gather a lot of wild oats and bur clover right here in the city in the area between the sidewalk and the back fences of houses. I do best behind houses that water their back lawns regularly. Now that lead has been eliminated from gas it's much safer to gather greens close to a road so long as your city or town doesn't spray weed killer.

Most of the house here are back to back, meaning most share a back fence with the neighbors. The tree lawns must be kept at less than 6", and are cut shorter than most. i wouldn't trust my neighbors not to spray weed killer. I think I can collect weeds around my church, I will get some picts to see what I'm looking at.<br /><br />__________ Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:04 pm __________<br /><br />

It's pretty hard to do completely natural feeding unless you have enough land to grow or gather significant amounts of greens. Maybe you should consider sticking with some pellets to make up the difference.

This is quite the case. I live in the city, I don't have an acre to work with, and I have about as many animals as this plot will support. I don't think I could ever go off pellets, I just want to reduce the amount of pellets by feeding more hay, and mixing in some fresh greens. This is going to take a lot of effort, reallocation of space, and some serious study.

 

[currituckbun]

I heard a commercial today advertising a Weed and Feed that targets Clover and Dollarweed...*gasp* I had to laugh at myself because before rabbits, I would have been totally good with that..."Yeah! Eradicate the weeds!" Now it seems unthinkable...

I flipped out the other day when I thought they were going to "improve" the school grounds where I work. The beds are over run with the best weeds ! The maintenance crew showed up with a truck and sent me into a panick. I quickly went into double weeding mode and then found out they were there for something else. Thank goodness for budget cuts.

 

[hoodat]

That's something you have to keeep a close eye on when you gather greens on public property. If you notice an odd smell or the greenery looks wilted, avoid that spot. It may have had weed killer or insecticide applied.