Feeding well enough?

[BrooksideAcre]

The following summary is how I feed our small barn of 4 does and 2 bucks NZ and Cali/NZ for our family table.

Free choice
15% pellets.
alfalfa pellets.
Mixed 2/1

Nightly
3/4 cup oat/barley mix 2/1ish.
1/4cup field peas

Lots of hay (except grow out runs).

They do manage to eat a lot of the alfalfa pellets but there is waste there.
They are coming around to the field peas, some faster than others.

I find this recipe manages the does well with some rest between litters. The bucks get a little less than free choice.
The grow outs have been coming in around 4.5lbs at 12 wks. The 13 outside right now in the run are 8wks and a bit small. I imagine this is because of lack of green growth in the yard.

Fortunately our grain store can get organic grain and pellets shipped cheaply enough to make it feasible to feed all organic.

Any thoughts on tweeks or adjustments in protein or anything I may be missing.

 

[Zass]

It really looks like your feeding more than enough. Congrats on being organic!!!!

My rabbits get 16% pellets (NOT free choice unless nursing or growing kits), and maybe a little oats, sometimes.
Maybe a handful of timothy or alfalfa (or a couple cubes), depending on age, weight of rabbit and whim.
I give treats, boss, oats, greens or scraps. Not necessarily daily.

I've had some great growth, and sub-par growth on the same feed. Genetics play a huge role.

Do your animals have access to a salt or mineral block? They like those, and they seem to help.

 

[BrooksideAcre]

The buns in the barn do have small chunks of a selenium mineral block.
The runs probably should too.

As far as free choice, our barn in unisulated. My hope is to provide enough for them to maintain their weight and health through the winter cold. I do plan on continuing to breed though til spring, but the kits will stay with mom for 7 or 8 wks instead of the usual 5/6 before they go outside to the runs

I should clarify, the field peas are a very recent addition. We just raised the ration to 1/4 cup and have cut down the grain to more of a 1/2 cup.

 

[Dood]

I do not free feed either. Rabbits easily develop fat around their reproductive organs which can significantly decrease their fertility.

In the winter my bucks and non nursing 9-12 pound American Chinchilla does get less than a cup of 16% protein pellets a day, 1-3 tablespoons of 3 grain scratch and free choice grass hay.

A week before giving birth I increase the does grain and only my nursing does and growing kits are free fed pellets.

 

[GBov]

Three quarters of a cup of 16% pellets per day and a handful of hay about five days in seven.

Does with kits get free choice as do growers.

I did start them all on oats with their pellets and the evil things promptly started digging through their pellets for the good bits. Talk about waste! :evil:

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

that is why I put them on the rest boards

 

[TwoAcreDream]

I did start them all on oats with their pellets and the evil things promptly started digging through their pellets for the good bits. Talk about waste! :evil:

I use a regular feeder for their pellets. This summer, I was using a
second little feeder just for their wheat to keep that separate.
It is a feeder like you would use in a bird cage. Just a little cup that
hooks over the wire. Sometimes it got tossed around if it got empty
I been mixing their feed lately. I do have a couple of animals that dig
through their feeders. I will have to try using the little cups again
for the certain few that want to waste.

 

[BrooksideAcre]

So perhaps they are a bit over fed, :fridge: They really don't show any outward signs of being over weight. I don't handle them much but judge by the feel of their backs they could be thicker but they feel healthy
These buns don't seem to over eat. They dive into their grains when it's chow time but graze through out the day on the pellet mix.

I wonder if with a 15% pellet and all the grain and peas they consume if they are actually getting enough protein for good weight gain in kits.

I have started reusing tuna cans, so I can keep all the pellets and grains separate. Pellets in the feeders, grains in a small crock and peas in the can. Everything that does get scratched or dumped ends up with in the compost to be worked by the chickens....

 

[skysthelimit]

They don't always show outward signs. You should just be able to feel the spine. On the lean side is usually the safest way.

With added grain and peas, 15% is enough protein. Surprisingly, I had to switch to 15% and my kits are growing as fast or faster than before. More genetics than anything else.

If you are feeding pellets, you don't really need the salt/mineral block.

 

[camanojim]

We have a local feed producer that sells a 21% pellet so I use that in small quantities. They get timothy hay with a small amount of alfalfa hay mixed in both morning and night. We have an arrangemaent with our local grocery store to get the discarded produce. I bring home 20 to 50 lb. bags of produce every day. the bunnies get wonderful greens and little bits of fruit twice a day. I stopped growing barley fodder because I can give them all the greens they can (or should) eat. I dont think I am getting the growth rate that others may get but I only pay $14.00 a month in purchased food to feed 20+/- rabbits. I dont count hay as an expence because we always have hay around for the horses ( I just give them the loose stuff around the open bales). I love being cheap.