Feeding amounts

[Demamma]

My 17 year old and I are not agreeing on how to feed our Rabbits. She say's that you are to let them have as much as they want till they are a year old. I believe we should give a set amount so they do not get over weight. I give my doe who is pregnant all she wants of pellets. I noticed my rabbits NZ whites are looking good and I am going to cut my buck down a little more. Daughters californian buck looks overly huge. What is the right way to feed? If she keeps on free feeding them I am going to go broke. She is wanting to get more californian rabbits for herself but I am footing the bill. I am looking for more rabbits for me but I plan on filling the freezer with them.

 

[ottersatin]

The amount to feed your Rabbits is:
A personal decision which only the
Operator/owner can make. There are so many choices that
it is nearly impossible for any one choice to be RIGHT/ correct!
What works for me is free feeding till the rabbits reach near senior weight.
When they do they are placed on a limited feed schedule.
I give then enough to have feed till I come to feed again next morning.
Sometimes there is a bit of feed left in the hopper.
Those rabbits receive a bit less feed that day, if a hopper is "empty"
they will get a bit more feed that morning. You want a healthy firm fleshed rabbit,
not an overlt FAT couch potato. A fat rabbit will be sluggish and lazy,
you want your rabbits to be a bit hungry when you come to feed them,
hopefully they are anxious to meet you at the door when you come to greet them.
Of course this is what works for me, your mileage may vary.
Try a few different things until you come up with what best suits you and your herd.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[SatinsRule]

I like to free-feed (leave feed in front of them all the time) until the rabbits are separated from their siblings into a cage of their own, around 12 weeks of age. At that point, they are fed according to what they will eat in a normal day.

If the rabbit consistently, day after day, eats everything you put into its feeder, you may consider feeding it a bit more, but all that is going to hinge upon what breed they are. Smaller breed rabbits need to be fed less as they will quickly become overweight. In any case, feed whatever amount the rabbit(s) seem to be at their best without becoming obese.

Most feed manufacturers will tell you to feed by product weight, not product volume, and I believe that is an important point to make. A measured cup of one brand of feed may not have the same weight as a measured cup of another brand of feed, and just feeding a measured cup amount may be a bit off the mark. All feeds are slightly different in density, as well as in nutritional value. Like Dennis (Ottersatin) said previously, it is generally a good practice to have the rabbit being a bit hungry when you come out to do your scheduled feedings. How much you feed each rabbit will often vary, and it becomes a process of making mental notes from one rabbit to the next.

 

[ZRabbits]

I free feed until my rabbits (all small breeds) are 7 months old, then they get one feeding a day. They all now greet me in the morning ready to eat because their bowls are empty. All in good health, even my "couch potato" Dobby.

My Flemish, who's only 10 weeks old, I might free feed until 1 year old but I will see once he gets to that 7 month mark.

Wheat grass, greens and fruit are all given as treats. And controlled.

Karen

 

[grumpy]

NZW's and Cals are on full feed until they are 4 months old. Once they reach that age, they are reduced to one feeding of 4 ounces per day. They will still mature and grow. However, they will not become fat.

If they were on full feed until they were a year old...they'd never breed. The does would be far too over-weight to conceive. The bucks would be "lazy" and not attempt service as quickly as one in good, trim condition.

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

NZW's and Cals are on full feed until they are 4 months old. Once they reach that age, they are reduced to one feeding of 4 ounces per day. They will still mature and grow. However, they will not become fat.

If they were on full feed until they were a year old...they'd never breed. The does would be far too over-weight to conceive. The bucks would be "lazy" and not attempt service as quickly as one in good, trim condition.

Thank you. I had thought I read this somewhere but couldn't remember the details.

 

[Demamma]

thank you all for your reply's. Grumpy that is what I thought. I think I will tell daughter if she want to free feed all her buns she can buy her own food.

 

[grumpy]

thank you all for your reply's. Grumpy that is what I thought. I think I will tell daughter if she want to free feed all her buns she can buy her own food.

Nearly all beginning rabbit fancier's have a tendency to over-feed. A trim doe is easier to breed, conceives easier, kindles easier. Most folks think they're doing their rabbits a favor by giving them a little extra.

They are hurting their rabbits more than they are helping them.

I had a doe I retired....she weighed 10.75 pounds when she was in production. In her retirement she was allowed full feed most of the time. Her weight ballooned up to 13.5 pounds...SHE WAS FAT!! and she got real cranky. She's gone now.

grumpy

 

[Demamma]

When I was a teen I raised and showed NZ whites. I always had a set amount I fed and did not free feed. My litters were always good size and healthy. My NZ placed grand champion and all firsts at State fair. I think I will have a talk with daughter. I am so excited to be having rabbits again. When I was 16 I got my first rabbits and my mom told me if I was going to breed rabbits I would have to learn how to butcher. Maybe I will talk to daughter about that. She is vegetarian. I do not want to be stuck with a lot of rabbits not earning their way.

 

[3mina]

When I was 16 I got my first rabbits and my mom told me if I was going to breed rabbits I would have to learn how to butcher. Maybe I will talk to daughter about that. She is vegetarian. I do not want to be stuck with a lot of rabbits not earning their way.

Or if she's not going to butcher, they need to earn their pellets somehow.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

If she is against killing animals for meat, maybe a pet breed would be a better choice for her.

I was a vegetarian for years, but made that choice from concern for how the animals were raised. Raising my own meat has removed that worry.

 

[Demamma]

I talked her down to one californian doe to go with her buck. I asked what her plans are for them when she goes off to college. She said she would give them to me so I will let her have the two. She has a mixed breed doe she will have to rehome as it hates me. not sure why but it will attack me but none of the kids. I am not sure why she decided to be vegetarian but she has stuck with it over a year. I pick my battles and this is a battle I will lose so I let it go. She is hoping to be able to sell some to kids for 4h and FFA. Last year quite a few kids did not get any meat pens as they could not be found.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I am not sure why she decided to be vegetarian but she has stuck with it over a year.

Well, good for her. She is asserting her own unique self, and trying different life choices out. I was a veg 20 years or so ago, and my parents thought I was nutso. (Pretty good assessment overall, but still... :? )

That all changed when we moved up here and Hubs refused to not eat beef since we live in "cattle country". Thus, my slow inexorable slide into carnivorous eating habits began once again.

 

[Demamma]

I talked to her about trying a little rabbit when we get some. She said it would make her sick because her body is not used to meat. I mentioned just one bite but I doubt she will. She is a very strong personality. She will be going to college next year to be a attorney. The pursuasive arguments come natually to her. :lol:

 

[hoodat]

When I was feeding pellets I free fed weanlings to about butchering size but I noticed a lot of internal fat when I butchered. Excess fat is wasted feed/money. You have to strip it out and throw it away. If there's a use for rabbit fat I haven't found it yet.
Now that I am getting restarted I am feeding a greens and grains diet and hope that will lessen the fat. Besides, greens are free. I like free :clap:

 

[MamaSheepdog]

She said it would make her sick because her body is not used to meat.

In my experience, that is not true. I was a vegetarian for eight years, as was my unwilling spouse, and we had no issues when we started eating meat again. Towards the end we started eating shellfish (who can live without shrimp and lobster for long? Lol.), but when we started eating other meats we were fine.

A friend of a friend was a vegetarian but didn't wish to be labeled as one, so he had turkey every Thanksgiving, but didn't eat meat the rest of the year! :lol:

 

[Demamma]

I have been giving some greens to my rabbits. Plan on adding more as I figure out what to grow. With the cost of water up if it does not pay I wont water. I think my neighbors hate me for my dead lawns. Talking to a friend about planting italian rye in the backyard. Is that a good one for Rabbits? Hoodat what grains are you feeding? I was thinking of switching over to alfalfa pellets or cubes and grains. I am just not good about figuring out amounts and kinds and such.

 

[garden lady]

The amount to feed your Rabbits is:
A personal decision which only the
Operator/owner can make. There are so many choices that
it is nearly impossible for any one choice to be RIGHT/ correct!
What works for me is free feeding till the rabbits reach near senior weight.
When they do they are placed on a limited feed schedule.
I give then enough to have feed till I come to feed again next morning.
Sometimes there is a bit of feed left in the hopper.
Those rabbits receive a bit less feed that day, if a hopper is "empty"
they will get a bit more feed that morning. You want a healthy firm fleshed rabbit,
not an overlt FAT couch potato. A fat rabbit will be sluggish and lazy,
you want your rabbits to be a bit hungry when you come to feed them,
hopefully they are anxious to meet you at the door when you come to greet them.
Of course this is what works for me, your mileage may vary.
Try a few different things until you come up with what best suits you and your herd.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

This is how I am going to do it. I have to see that they are hungry to know if they are well, or I am going to miss things I should have noticed.

 

[Piper]

This is how I am going to do it. I have to see that they are hungry to know if they are well, or I am going to miss things I should have noticed.

I have hay and / or pieces of wood in the cages, so if they have eaten all their food, they still have something to chew on.

 

[Oceanrose]

I talked to her about trying a little rabbit when we get some. She said it would make her sick because her body is not used to meat. I mentioned just one bite but I doubt she will. She is a very strong personality. She will be going to college next year to be a attorney. The pursuasive arguments come natually to her. :lol:

I became Pescetarian March 2011, and we went Plant Based (basically Vegan) November 2011. Meat does make me sick now, well the one bite of hot dog I couldn't resist this summer that I took after roasting hotdogs for kids all evening did. It was 2 days of stomach pain and the end results. I doubt rabbit or chicken would. I just have absolutely no desire to eat it, especially after that hot dog lol.

But anyway, I agree, raising a meat breed means some are inevitably going to go for meat. I guess one pair might not be bad, but if she overfeeds she's not going to get many babies anyway. Maybe talk her into giving a set amount of pellets but unlimited hay? That is what I do. My babies get an unlimited amt of alfalfa/grass hay mix, my adults just the grass hay. Babies are unlimited pellets, adults are a set amt. That way they have plenty to nibble, and I don't feel guilty, but it keeps the calories down.