Feeding alternative diet to Pellets?

[LoveMyBarnyard]

I have never done tree hay. But do feed fresh branches with leaves and fresh grasses in summer plus some other garden greens. They also get sprouted wheat and field peas.

Winter I feed branches for the bark and to give them lots to chew on plus Timothy/ alfalfa mix horse hay whole oats, sunflower seeds and sprouted wheat and field pea mix.

I always have a blue salt block and a red mineral block in the pen for them. Lots of fresh water.

What is the difference between the blue vs red salt block? I gave them a Himalayan salt rock and a red-ish colored mineral lick from the feed store.

 

[LoveMyBarnyard]

I did tree hay this year as an experiment and it is easy to do, but most of the leaves fall off and this is what the rabbits really want. You also have to commit to starting early enough to collect it, but it is a great way to supplement their diets.

What do you mean about starting early enough? I'm guessing you are saying it's best if the leaves have just popped in the spring when you harvest the branches for drying?

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

What is the difference between the blue vs red salt block? I gave them a Himalayan salt rock and a red-ish colored mineral lick from the feed store.

They are for different needs of the animals. The article speaks about cattle, but horses and rabbits have a requirement. Correction I use brown and blue blocks, they don’t sell red blocks here but the brown blocks are commonly called Red.
https://www.westtexaslivestockgrowers.com/which-color-salt-blocks-is-best/

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

They are for different needs of the animals. The article speaks about cattle, but horses and rabbits have a requirement. Correction I use brown and blue blocks, they don’t sell red blocks here but the brown blocks are commonly called Red.
https://www.westtexaslivestockgrowers.com/which-color-salt-blocks-is-best/

Pellets have the salt and minerals in them already. But I don’t feed pellets so I give them two different blocks to choose from.

 

[judymac]

I have dust bath boxes for them with diatomaceous earth soil ash and sand as well.

Do they take dust baths like chickens? Does this help with fur mites? Does this get into the coat (I have angora rabbits)? I'm looking for a better alternative than Ivermectin for fur mites.

What is your growth rate on this diet? Average number of kits per litter? We also don't feed rabbit pellets, but your program is fascinating.

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

Do they take dust baths like chickens? Does this help with fur mites? Does this get into the coat (I have angora rabbits)? I'm looking for a better alternative than Ivermectin for fur mites.

What is your growth rate on this diet? Average number of kits per litter? We also don't feed rabbit pellets, but your program is fascinating.

I use rubber maid containers with lids and a hole cut in the end for my dust baths. What I put in them is sand, earth, wood ash and diatomaceous earth. I have never had an issue with bugs.
My does some are crosses and some are purebred and both my bucks are purebred. My litter sizes average 6-8. I butcher around 12 weeks and average 3.5-4 lbs dressed carcass weight.
I find my free range rabbits very tasty with a nice texture to the meat.

 

[Cindy in SD]

We are just beginning to grow some fodder to replace rabbit feed. We started out with barley, cloves, fenugreek (for protein), and dandelion mixed, but I was going to trade the barley for wheat. Thanks for the tip about the protein content of field peas, I have no idea how much protein is In the fenugreek, so I was concerned about that. The only trees in my yard are plums and pecans, can we make tree hay with those? We have already started mixing local hay with Timothy because we went a whole month in Fall 2022 where Timothy was not available here unless you paid 4 X the regular price. I was planning to provide small fruit tree limbs to our rabbits anyway and we try to be sure they have plenty to chew on. We are in Mississippi and our most popular trees around here are pines and magnolias, are they okay for tree hay?

I have a bad feeling about magnolia, but I don't know... I used to live in FL and it seems to me there was some possible toxicity issue with magnolia. I would do some research before offering them that. Some of the folks here do feed pine and report good results. Unless you spray them, I would expect the plums and pecans would be fine but I have no experience with them. Someone else here may chime in on them.

 

[LoveMyBarnyard]

They are for different needs of the animals. The article speaks about cattle, but horses and rabbits have a requirement. Correction I use brown and blue blocks, they don’t sell red blocks here but the brown blocks are commonly called Red.
https://www.westtexaslivestockgrowers.com/which-color-salt-blocks-is-best/

Oh great, thank you.

 

[MelC]

I've read that the kits can't eat anything but pellets and that feeding them fresh cuttings of anything will make them sick and possibly kill them. I do feed them hay along with the doe. This thread is right down my alley as I'm growing a sizable "rabbit pasture" and have access to blackberry cuttings and garden greens during the summer months. The rabbit pasture is a combination of orchard grass, timothy grass, oat grass, alfalfa, and clover. There are other native grasses (north central Idaho) growing in the pasture and are also fed. The adults LOVE the blackberry brambles! What I need to be clear about is what is okay for the growing kits. What I'm currently doing is giving the doe fresh cuttings of what I have in season, BOSS, whole oats, garden greens, and leaves, the hay we put up from our rabbit pasture either fresh or dried, and pellets. Once the kits start coming out of the nest and nibbling on the pellet feed, I stop adding the other feed for fear of making the kits sick. I'd rather not make this change but need some advice from those who have fed their does and kits the same feed from the moment the kits start eating what mom is eating.

I replied before so may be duplicating what you see here...I adopted rabbits last year including a momma with babies. Kits were around four weeks at the time. I immediately started giving a variety of fresh and dried plants and grasses. I also give pellets as I believe as long as non toxic food is offered most animals will not consume harmful things. All the rabbits made it to adulthood without issue. The adults I added to also showed no issue. A couple weeks in I read about food and bloat and all the things that may go wrong but everyone seemed fine. I'm aware of the status of all but one we gave away and they made it to adulthood fine going back to just pellets. The five I kept are great and definitely prefer the wild foods over dry pellets. They get very excited to see the apple branches with tiny dried crabapples still attached

I'll reiterate that now about once a week I mix up a large tub of apple, willow, honey locust, mulberry and lilac leaves/twigs. Those and a large garbage can of locally harvested hay get hauled into their enclosure for easy access. Smaller things like sweet pea and sweet potato vines, calendula, wheat, sorghum, dandelion, celery, kale, oregano, lemon balm, comfrey, catnip got mixed with dried veggies for food dish distribution.

Just had one of those babies, my favorite of the bunch, give birth to five or more kits. I'll be pulling them out to count in a couple days, she seems to be doing well and I don't want to mess her up. Might have more from another one of the younger does now. I'll be continuing feeding as normal.

 

[ColeenCHG]

I replied before so may be duplicating what you see here...I adopted rabbits last year including a momma with babies. Kits were around four weeks at the time. I immediately started giving a variety of fresh and dried plants and grasses. I also give pellets as I believe as long as non toxic food is offered most animals will not consume harmful things. All the rabbits made it to adulthood without issue. The adults I added to also showed no issue. A couple weeks in I read about food and bloat and all the things that may go wrong but everyone seemed fine. I'm aware of the status of all but one we gave away and they made it to adulthood fine going back to just pellets. The five I kept are great and definitely prefer the wild foods over dry pellets. They get very excited to see the apple branches with tiny dried crabapples still attached

I'll reiterate that now about once a week I mix up a large tub of apple, willow, honey locust, mulberry and lilac leaves/twigs. Those and a large garbage can of locally harvested hay get hauled into their enclosure for easy access. Smaller things like sweet pea and sweet potato vines, calendula, wheat, sorghum, dandelion, celery, kale, oregano, lemon balm, comfrey, catnip got mixed with dried veggies for food dish distribution.

Just had one of those babies, my favorite of the bunch, give birth to five or more kits. I'll be pulling them out to count in a couple days, she seems to be doing well and I don't want to mess her up. Might have more from another one of the younger does now. I'll be continuing feeding as normal.

Hi MelC!
I missed your post the first time around, so thank you for resending it! The information you've provided is so helpful, and honestly what I believed to be true. I greatly appreciate your wisdom and experience. What a treasure trove of information!

 

[Robochelle]

They get very excited to see the apple branches with tiny dried crabapples still attached

I'm curious if they know to avoid the apple seeds

 

[MelC]

I'm curious if they know to avoid the apple seeds

I've never paid attention but these apples are about the size of raisins so doubt they are picking around them. Hasn't seemed to bother anyone but they aren't eating them daily or even multiple times per week. Just random in the mix or as a special treat.

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

I have been trying to collect a list (a very long list at this point) of what people say is safe or not safe. It is amazing how often I see someone say they have been feeding their rabbits something that a bunch of websites will have listed as poisonous. I am inclined to favor the empirical data of someone who regularly gives their rabbits something than the general declarations out there. Anyway, conifers, all parts, are often cited on the absolutely no no no lists. Can you share which ones and what parts you give them to eat and or chew on?

Spruce and pine needles are a natural dewormer for rabbits. I feed it regularly and they love it.

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

I'm curious if they know to avoid the apple seeds

Mine don’t they eat apple and seeds. The quantity of cyanide in the seeds is really insignificant.
I have two apple trees in my pen, I pick most of the apples but the bunnies get the ones that fall to the ground.

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

I replied before so may be duplicating what you see here...I adopted rabbits last year including a momma with babies. Kits were around four weeks at the time. I immediately started giving a variety of fresh and dried plants and grasses. I also give pellets as I believe as long as non toxic food is offered most animals will not consume harmful things. All the rabbits made it to adulthood without issue. The adults I added to also showed no issue. A couple weeks in I read about food and bloat and all the things that may go wrong but everyone seemed fine. I'm aware of the status of all but one we gave away and they made it to adulthood fine going back to just pellets. The five I kept are great and definitely prefer the wild foods over dry pellets. They get very excited to see the apple branches with tiny dried crabapples still attached

I'll reiterate that now about once a week I mix up a large tub of apple, willow, honey locust, mulberry and lilac leaves/twigs. Those and a large garbage can of locally harvested hay get hauled into their enclosure for easy access. Smaller things like sweet pea and sweet potato vines, calendula, wheat, sorghum, dandelion, celery, kale, oregano, lemon balm, comfrey, catnip got mixed with dried veggies for food dish distribution.

Just had one of those babies, my favorite of the bunch, give birth to five or more kits. I'll be pulling them out to count in a couple days, she seems to be doing well and I don't want to mess her up. Might have more from another one of the younger does now. I'll be continuing feeding as normal.

The bloat will occur when you give a rabbit food that has yeast and can ferment, any sugary/starchy foods, apples, beets, carrots etc. the branches, grasses, weeds, leaves are good. So are field peas, grains especially oats, hay. Be careful with alfalfa because it’s a legume not a grass and can cause your rabbits to become loose stooled.

 

[MelC]

Everything in moderation!

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

Everything in moderation!

Some things yes, hay and oats are free choice and my rabbits have constant supply.
Moderation especially when introducing new foods.

 

[Heartbased Homestead]

Be careful with alfalfa because it’s a legume not a grass and can cause your rabbits to become loose stooled.

I wasn't aware of this! Fresh alfalfa I assume? As in the sprouts rather than the hay?

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

I'm curious if they know to avoid the apple seeds

My rabbits have two apple trees in their enclosure (3000 sq ft) and when the apples drop they eat them all seeds included without any problem.

 

[Cindy in SD]

I think the whole cyanide in fruit seeds thing started when a mentally handicapped young man treated his cancer with apricot pits (successfully).

He started a small business selling apricot pits by mail. He bought one or two of those little classified ads you used to get in the backs of magazines. As this treatment apparently worked, big pharma was forced to destroy him. He spent five years in jail, during which time his mother smuggled in apricot pits (disguised as almonds), to keep him alive. The active factor is alleged to be laetrile.

At any rate, the seeds of fruits do apparently contain traces of cyanide (and laetrile, that super-dangerous substance that we must fear.) The traces of cyanide have never hurt me or my doggies and I doubt they'll hurt your bunnikins, either.