Cow grower, acceptable alternative?

[akane]

It's not what's in the hay. It's when it's cut, the land it's grown on, and most importantly how it's stored. I can take great alfalfa and make junk out of it. My mom does it every cutting because they don't fertilize the field after growing corn on it, cut it late so the stems are long and hollow, and then let it sit in the sun so it turns brown. It's wonderful looking stuff in the field and I won't feed a bale of it to my rabbits cause it's pointless. They wouldn't eat it the way it's been handled. Our organic clover hay gets the field treated with trace minerals yearly, is cut at the right time even if that means getting only a small amount of hay because it's not very tall yet, and is immediately put up in a dark building. It is the densest hay you will ever see. I picked up a handful and actually said "wow" because it is so firm and the guy tests it by eating a stem to see if it's chewy and sweet. Too few people know how to properly handle hay for the more sensitive livestock. It takes forever to track down someone who really knows what they are doing. I used to order hay from washington state and nebraska in bulk at $1/lb because I couldn't find good enough hay here and there's hay everywhere.

 

[skysthelimit]

Are you sure? I can buy alfalfa seed by the pound at the local feed store. Also red clover seed, timothy etc. etc. We planted a nice patch in 2002 and it has lasted well. It's dwindled this past year and we need to reseed, but it is still worthwhile doing this.

You might try online sources of seed. There must be smaller quantities available. Keep looking and don't give up.

Maybe you can put some in the mail for me? I ordered some from eBay, and they didn't even sprout. I'd get my butt laughed off asking for alfalfa or clover seed around here. Mail order is the best, but I need smaller quantities than are normally sold, I don't have ___ acres to seed. Anyone willing to share?

 

[Miss M]

Wow. You guys know way more about hay than I do. :shock:

The cow grower doesn't seem to have an ideal ingredients list or protein level, but considering the prices you're looking at for feed, you may be able to use it as long as you have something else to bring that protein level up 2 - 4%. I think if you don't have something you can use to increase the protein, you won't get good growth from your rabbits.

Please let us know how you do with the cow grower, if you got it. I'm wondering if you will have a lot of waste with the big pellets. I remember somebody saying that about a batch of rabbit pellets that were cut too long. The rabbits bit the excess off, and the excess dropped through the floor.

 

[Secuono]

Are you sure? I can buy alfalfa seed by the pound at the local feed store. Also red clover seed, timothy etc. etc. We planted a nice patch in 2002 and it has lasted well. It's dwindled this past year and we need to reseed, but it is still worthwhile doing this.

You might try online sources of seed. There must be smaller quantities available. Keep looking and don't give up.

Maybe you can put some in the mail for me? I ordered some from eBay, and they didn't even sprout. I'd get my butt laughed off asking for alfalfa or clover seed around here. Mail order is the best, but I need smaller quantities than are normally sold, I don't have ___ acres to seed. Anyone willing to share?

Yes, here too! Share with us, please!
I just want to plant a small stretch on my hills, not the acres where my darned sheep and horses will just get even more fat off of. =D

Online is where I found those prices, plus you add shipping and it's just...ugh.

Guess I need to find seeds for many weeds, dandelion, clover[hardy clover, darned stuff dies out in a mini drought], dock, plantain and all the other good weeds. I have curly dock coming in all the time, as long as it rains and I pull the large leaves. =D<br /><br />__________ Wed Aug 22, 2012 9:58 am __________<br /><br />

Wow. You guys know way more about hay than I do. :shock:

The cow grower doesn't seem to have an ideal ingredients list or protein level, but considering the prices you're looking at for feed, you may be able to use it as long as you have something else to bring that protein level up 2 - 4%. I think if you don't have something you can use to increase the protein, you won't get good growth from your rabbits.

Please let us know how you do with the cow grower, if you got it. I'm wondering if you will have a lot of waste with the big pellets. I remember somebody saying that about a batch of rabbit pellets that were cut too long. The rabbits bit the excess off, and the excess dropped through the floor.

I ran out of feed for 3 days and then got the cow pellets. I remember from the beet pellets that my rabbits won't eat beats and/or won't eat big pellets. Didn't know they were big.
But since they hadn't gotten pellets in days, they ate the cow stuff, and still do, with delight.

 

[MaggieJ]

Sorry, but I can't ship seeds across the border. A few seeds in an envelope I could get away with, but anything that is a package has to be labelled with the contents and seeds are not allowed.

I'd get my butt laughed off asking for alfalfa or clover seed around here.

Why would they laugh?

Okay, I googled alfalfa seed by the pound and found this site. Price seems not too bad to me: $4.50 per pound. Lots of other forage seeds too in the list at the left of the page.

http://www.deerseeds.com/product/alfalf ... rder-pound

 

[skysthelimit]

Sorry, but I can't ship seeds across the border. A few seeds in an envelope I could get away with, but anything that is a package has to be labelled with the contents and seeds are not allowed.

I'd get my butt laughed off asking for alfalfa or clover seed around here.

Why would they laugh?

Okay, I googled alfalfa seed by the pound and found this site. Price seems not too bad to me: $4.50 per pound. Lots of other forage seeds too in the list at the left of the page.

http://www.deerseeds.com/product/alfalf ... rder-pound

That was mine originally. I can get oats, and BOSS, and regular grass seed, but no one within 50 miles sells alfalfa or clover seed. Ohio may be called a midwest state, but Cleveland is definitely not a midwestern city.

 

[akane]

Does your state have any programs for wildlife or natural resources? Here we have crp land which you get paid to plant and leave for wildlife. You can order seed mixes from the state for cheap to seed the land depending what you want to attract. Included in that is a mix of alfalfa and clover for deer and rabbit. They actually pay you after you've planted it, you still have to pay for the seed up front, so long as you only mow it or pick off it x amount and don't run livestock on it. You get points for having trees, water, etc.. on the land and paid more. Makes it very easy to get any native plant seed and legumes.

 

[skysthelimit]

Does your state have any programs for wildlife or natural resources? Here we have crp land which you get paid to plant and leave for wildlife. You can order seed mixes from the state for cheap to seed the land depending what you want to attract. Included in that is a mix of alfalfa and clover for deer and rabbit. They actually pay you after you've planted it, you still have to pay for the seed up front, so long as you only mow it or pick off it x amount and don't run livestock on it. You get points for having trees, water, etc.. on the land and paid more. Makes it very easy to get any native plant seed and legumes.

Maybe Chickies can share some seed with me if it works for her.

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

Sorry, but I can't ship seeds across the border. A few seeds in an envelope I could get away with, but anything that is a package has to be labelled with the contents and seeds are not allowed.

I'd get my butt laughed off asking for alfalfa or clover seed around here.

Why would they laugh?

Okay, I googled alfalfa seed by the pound and found this site. Price seems not too bad to me: $4.50 per pound. Lots of other forage seeds too in the list at the left of the page.

http://www.deerseeds.com/product/alfalf ... rder-pound

sorry for quoting everything. Im on my phone. Ugh
I used to ship some pretty crazy and not allowed stuff to iraq on a regular basis. I just packed the box full and didn't declare everything. Lol
Makes me wonder how close they check these things. Lol<br /><br />__________ Wed Aug 22, 2012 8:50 pm __________<br /><br />Ill go to the feed mill and see if I can get a small bag of alfalfa seed. Im planning to go in on friday so will let you know then. Im pretty sure it will be available and cheap.

 

[Secuono]

http://www.deerseeds.com/product/alfalf ... rder-pound


I think it was liked before?
When I decide on a site, yes, I'll be willing to ship out your order. Not sure how much it will cost and/or what premarked box would work for the cheapest shipping.

But yea, if someone finds the cheapest over all website with different seeds, let me know and I'll buy and split and ship you your seeds. =D

__________ Sun Aug 26, 2012 6:05 pm __________

Well, the first bag of the cow pellets just ran out. 8 days....I really do not like that...
I guess with 6 adults, 6 little buns and 5 fryer rabbits...might not seem too bad. Or does it?
Adults ain't breeding and it's ticking me off, since it's been really cool out for a month.