Fall leaves = winter fodder?

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tomfc2

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I have gotten fantastic advice on here about naturally feeding our bunnies, we have gone from all pellets and hay to less than 1/3 pellets and they even leave some behind, I do not want to remove all pellets as I believe they 'fill in' the missing trace elements in their diets better than just the mineral licks, and if I have to be gone a couple days I can load up the feeders and throw in a bundle of hay and know thy will be fine.

That said I found on here that my bunnies LOVE my willow trees and so far they have helped me keep them trimmed up nicely. but as winter is almost here the leaves are falling if I rake them up before they molder and dry them on my shop tables will they be as nutritious for them over the winter months? I have quite a few trees and they look wonderful from the constant trimming and pruning. Also my neighbor has 2 huge maples in his front yard I think he would not mind if I raked the leaves up for him, as well.
 
Go for it as long as the tree's leaves are safe.
Mine only ate the fresh, still green leaves from my Mulberry. So I just left it alone on the ground.
 
As long as there is no mould, the dead leaves will probably not hurt them, but I doubt there is much nutrition left in them by the time they fall. I prefer to cut and dry leaves while still green and fresh.
 
I agree, probably not very nutritious, but the rabbits may still enjoy them greatly. :)

I've heard of them tearing excitedly into dead oak leaves, and oak isn't even recommended for rabbits.
 
I really though of this when I saw them gobbling up any stray leaves that fell in to their exercise yard, but ours avoid the oak leaves if they get any.
 
I would go for it. Like the others said, there may not be a whole lot of nutrition in it, but my angoras have tried to shove themselves in awkward places before to try to get to those few last fallen elm leaves. Who knows, maybe they like the added crunch in their diet?
 
MaggieJ":15s0gbay said:
I think there is too much tannin in oak leaves etc.
Click to expand...
Woooohoooo! Pretanned hides before you even kill the rabbit! Ship me all you oak leaves lol.

I've found mine really love maple leaves and pine needles. Haven't figured out why but its free and there's plenty of it so I scoop a bunch up and throw it in there for them.
 
I used to feed my house rabbits oak leaves. Mainly as fiber, much cheaper than the tiny bales of pet store hay.

But there is quite a bit of tannin. Not sure how much is too much. But between the bark, leaves, acorns, there is actually a recipe to tan rabbit hides using those ingredients.
 
skysthelimit":2r1z2a8f said:
I used to feed my house rabbits oak leaves. Mainly as fiber, much cheaper than the tiny bales of pet store hay.

But there is quite a bit of tannin. Not sure how much is too much. But between the bark, leaves, acorns, there is actually a recipe to tan rabbit hides using those ingredients.
Click to expand...

I have two huge oaks in the front of my house...when I finally get my rabbits I would love to learn how to tan them naturally...without brains if possible. :sick:
Do you have link, Sky?
 
3LilMonkeys":2hgoiua9 said:
skysthelimit":2hgoiua9 said:
I used to feed my house rabbits oak leaves. Mainly as fiber, much cheaper than the tiny bales of pet store hay.

But there is quite a bit of tannin. Not sure how much is too much. But between the bark, leaves, acorns, there is actually a recipe to tan rabbit hides using those ingredients.
Click to expand...

I have two huge oaks in the front of my house...when I finally get my rabbits I would love to learn how to tan them naturally...without brains if possible. :sick:
Do you have link, Sky?
Click to expand...


http://www.braintan.com/barktan/2tannins.htm
 
well I raked up 4 huge bags of mostly willow leaves and they love them I laid them out on newspaper to dry for 3 days with fans I turned them on the second day to even out drying. I mounted old bread pans in their pens as willow leaves are narrow and tend to slip threw the cages bottoms. Now I got extra free fodder for all winter. I also get free old produce from the local grocery store.
 
I totally forgot how much my buns love dried leaves :oops: so this was a good reminder. They each got a handful this morning and were thrilled their brain dead servant had given them their due at last.

Mine all like pine cones too.

Wonder what, if anything, pine cones have in the way of food value?
 
GBov":9tpkyryk said:
I totally forgot how much my buns love dried leaves :oops: so this was a good reminder. They each got a handful this morning and were thrilled their brain dead servant had given them their due at last.

Mine all like pine cones too.

Wonder what, if anything, pine cones have in the way of food value?
Click to expand...

I think pine cones are more in the line of entertainment/enrichment and chewing to keep those bunny teeth in check. I'd be interested to know whether there's nutritional value as well....
 
We rake up the leaves here, willow, Cottonwood, poplar, and maple,
the Rabbits devour them for a few days and then go back to the hay, and just eat a few at a time after that, but I use them as bedding, and they eat most of them , so I have to keep adding more. But it is the same with "Cheese weed" [Malva Neglecta}, Lambs quarters, and Amaranth, unless I mix them together, they will eat wheelbarrows full for about 3 days, then go back to hay and just eat a few at a time. I guess that there is something in them they need, and eat a lot until they get enough, then they quit [maybe because of some substance that becomes toxic at high levels, like nitrates, or tannin]-
but-- the price is right for leaves, so I feed them as much as they want--
 

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