Fed kits apple!

[Jjbackwoods]

Hi friends , I didn’t check before I fed 4wk old kits 2 small apple wedges . Doe kindled 12 with 1 stillborn. 11 little baby bunnies bounced around and almost battled it out for position on these apple chunks. I’m afraid to check in box now. I’m hoping someone or many will tell me it’s fine , no worries .
I just read their systems might not handle anything but does milk right now. I ll check in morning. Any thoughts !?

 

[MaggieJ]

At four weeks, the kits should be well on their way to being weaned. Giving them apple as a first fresh food might not have been the best thing, but 2 wedges among so many will probably do no harm. If soft stools or diarrhea should result, give them the LEAVES of raspberry, blackberry, or strawberry or leaves from the lawn weed plantain (Plantago major) or shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_majorhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsella_bursa-pastoris
If, as I assume, you feed the adults pellets, the kits should have access to them and to fresh water so they become accustomed before mama weans them. Ideally they should have lots of grass-hay as well. Large flake kitchen oatmeal (like Quaker Old Fashioned, though the brand doesn't matter) is also a good food for young kits.

I raised rabbits on a pelletless diet of alfalfa and grass hay, small amounts of whole grain, and as many fresh foods (weeds and safe tree leaves and twigs) as the season allowed. Kits had full access to the adult diet as soon as they could get out of the nest. Doing it that way, I NEVER had any cases of weaning enteritis.

The kits fed this way take a few weeks longer to reach the five pound mark. It's more work than pellets, but a great way to go if you have the time and knowledge. There is a lot of information in the Natural Feeding section, including a list I put together of the plants I used. You pretty much need acreage to make it work.

 

[Jjbackwoods]

Awesome ! Thanks for great information. They ended up being fine. As they were 3-4 wks old, I’d notice them all out eating pellets , munching alfalfa hay, and in water bowl. I’ll add some rolled oats too. Ill end up supplementing with the above mentioned as we have just over 2 acres w plenty of woodland plants. Can’t say I’ll commit to No Pellets , but i can enrich their diet with natural food! Btw sorry for such late reply, I thought I’d get a notification and then I couldn’t navigate so well through here

 

[Zee-Man]

Plantago Lanceolata is the narrow leaf version or sometimes called ribwort. It has a lot of mucilage in it, specially the seed heads and would a nice remedy for intestinal distress according to M. Grieve. Wikipedia doesn't mention this quality but does allude to it when citing its use as a cough remedy. Aside from its medicinal uses it is also used as a ironing aid helping to make collars crisp.

 

[MaggieJ]

Plantago Lanceolata is the narrow leaf version or sometimes called ribwort. It has a lot of mucilage in it, specially the seed heads and would a nice remedy for intestinal distress according to M. Grieve. Wikipedia doesn't mention this quality but does allude to it when citing its use as a cough remedy. Aside from its medicinal uses it is also used as a ironing aid helping to make collars crisp.

Yes, Plantago lanceolata and Plantago ovata are both as useful as Plantago major. I didn't know about using it for ironing, Zee-Man. What a cool little bit of information!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_lanceolatahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_ovata
Thank you for using the botanical (Latin) names for the plants. It is the only sure way to guide people to the correct plant, since so many weeds have several common names in different parts of the continent.