Brassicas and Gas

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MamaSheepdog

MamaSheepdog

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The brassica family consists of a wide variety of plants; some grown for their leaves, like mustard and kale,
those grown for their flowers,such as broccoli and cabbage, and others are grown for their roots, such as turnips and rutabagas.

I know that cabbage and broccoli can cause gas in rabbits (and people! :x ), but is this effect limited to the brassicas that are grown for their flowers?
 
As far as I know, all the brassicas are gassy. I would think the root crops less than the others. My rabbits handle them well, but I eased them into eating brassicas (mainly cabbage) very slowly. I feed cabbage to them pretty regularly in winter, not in huge quantities, but as part of their fresh food ration. It's cheap, keeps well and the rabbits love it.
 
Well, the wild mustard is a big part of my rabbit's diet right now. I did work up slowly as the season has progressed, and they favor the mustard greens. I also am growing a pretty red mustard but they are not large enough to harvest from yet. Cabbage is a crop that does very well for me, so hopefully the mustard has encouraged the correct gut flora so the rabbits will be able to handle it when I have some to feed.

When you say you introduce the cabbage "very slowly", what size portion are you starting with?
 
I started with just a few shreds each last fall while there were still plenty of other greens (weeds) available. As best I recall, I took a thin slice off a cabbage, maybe half an inch wide, and separated it into strips and mixed it with their other greens. I may have been overly cautious, given that my rabbits eat so many greens, but I did not want to take chances.
 
last fall and winter and into the spring, my rabbits lived mostly on turnip greens and some type of brassica sold for deer food plots.it looked like a tall leafy cabbage.i had no problems whatsoever and they thrived on it.i also fed them a lot of turnips.some as big as a softball or bigger. some rabbits would eat the turnip roots but some didnt.
 
Most my rabbit s like cabbage but not mustard greens nor napa. They only eat the green part of bak choy leaving a white fleshy parts. They will eat braccoli but often won't finish it. I get a lot of trimming from MOM's, an organic grocery and my rabbits have become picky eaters when they get lots of greens.
 
i used to grow cabbage and kale for my rabbits and rutabaga for my pigs. never gave the rabbits rutabaga,dont know why probably because i didnt want to take the time to cut them up,dang things can be hard . Had to cook the rutabaga in half a 55 gallon drum over a fire cause they were too hard for the pigs to eat. Lots of the old timers here used to grow fields of rutabaga for their live stock.
 
I've heard of rutabagas being grown for livestock. If they're too hard for pigs, what can eat it? Would it have to be cooked for the livestock?
 
I have occasionally given rutabagas to the rabbits as part of their winter fresh food. I just cut them into chunks or slices, just as I would to cook them as a vegetable. The rabbits can nibble away at them with no problem, but mine don't really like them that much. Since cabbage is cheaper and more popular with the buns, I now feed it instead.
 
Years ago this area had lots of dairy farms,they all used to grow rutabaga for the livestock , i know my great grandfather fed them to his dairy cows,,,how he did that , i dont know, and right now,,,i cant think of anyone thats still alive to ask.

I dont really remember why i didnt give them to the rabbits, maybe they didnt care for them that much. I dont know why i dont grow rutabaga for myself, i love them.
 
Rutabagas are fee raw-- chopped coarsely. Too hard for pigs? Don't tell one of the Organic raisers here-- the local deer help themselves before he can get them all in for his pigs!!! He feeds whole to his pigs. (entertainment value, as well)
tell ya what, when deer find those root crops-- it is a race to the finish!
 
i never tryed eating rutabaga greens, and the pigs, they could not eat the rutabaga whole,,,,,,they tryed chewing on them,,and cut up, my pigs only ate bits and pieces,,,,cooked, they loved them.

If you can grow turnips,,,,you can grow rutabaga,, i dont think they grow quite as fast as turnips, but they get a lot bigger and are more flavorful
 

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