Fermented Feed?

[Cspr]

I'm considering switching from the TSC Purina Rabbit Chow to fermented whole grain seed. I can get cheaper by pound for wheat seed, could even add in some grain rye or oats for a bit of variety. I hear it's better for the buns, but is there anything I need to worry about or anything I should consider adding in?

I need to yank up/cut down and dry out my mimosa saplings for the winter; I presume that'll add a good dose of protein. I also feed scraps, other garden/foraged plants, and grass/timothy hay, depending on what I have or find. All in all, the buns are in pretty good shape, but a little more pudgy than when I fed mostly forage earlier in the spring and summer. Ironically, Anwen is a little thin.

Thoughts, rabbit peeps?

 

[akane]

Fermented feed is not suggested for single chambered stomach animals like guinea pigs, horses, and rabbits because they are too sensitive to any bad patches or mold which can be invisible.

 

[Cspr]

Huh.

Well then. This could've easily been a huge mistake.

Not sure if I can pull off fodder, though. Last time it went very moldly. Without the extra nutritional value cleaned from lacto-fermentation, the Purina Rabbit Chow is better than whole grain feed, I think? Would normal whole grain feed be superior, or no?

 

[MaggieJ]

You can germinate whole grain without taking it all the way to fodder if you are having major problems with mould. This article pertains to parrots, but the principles are the same.

http://www.parrotchronicles.com/feature ... edseed.htm

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

do you mean soaking as in adding a mother to it? like they talk about here: http://www.permies.com/t/24472/chickens ... elaborated

I just read about this sort of thing not long ago and wondered on it but with so many projects already going and no money to attempt to buy a mother or anything and scraping by on feed money none to chance wasting even if I wanted to.

will be watchin this thread

 

[TwoAcreDream]

Fermented feed is not suggested for single chambered stomach animals like guinea pigs, horses, and rabbits because they are too sensitive to any bad patches or mold which can be invisible.

:yeahthat:

Years ago, when I had my first rabbits, I accidently fed them grain that had some mold in it. The bag must have got wet somewhere along the line. I lost my favorite doe.

Can't you just feed your grain dry ?
I use pellets but have been using wheat in separate dishes so I can see how much they are eating of it. They like it I have chickens so I buy my grain in 50 pound bags. My chickens like the wheat also. Without looking at my last grain bill, I want to say the wheat was $ 7.75 a bag plus tax.

I feed good quality hay in hay racks. I try to keep them filled up.
I been picking fresh grass for them usually in the afternoons.
I keep carrots in the frig. I buy the bags of little ones from Aldis.

I have also give them small pieces of apples. Nothing huge as I don't want them getting sick on too much of a sweet treat.

I am going to have to buy some sun flower seed soon. The rabbits like it, the chickens, and the wild birds. Next year, plan is to plant quite a few sunflowers. I have one nice plant now that I am waiting for the seeds to mature so I can dry them and save them for seed. It is not a huge plant but the head is a good size. Just right I need to find some kind of netting to put over the head to keep the wild birds off of it.

 

[dangerbunny]

I do fermented feed to chickens but would not recommend it for rabbits!

 

[Cspr]

Thanks so much, MaggieJ! Think I might try that. Sounds like a good plan. More labor intensive than lacto-fermentation, but perfectly acceptable. Seems a little similar.

Do you feed your rabbits like this? If so, any tips?

Nonetheless, good news. I'll try to get some fresh seeds to soak overnight and feed the buns. :3 Does anyone here have any suggestions on keeping away moths, though? I have a fairly large plastic tub the grain can go in, but definitely not big enough to fit 50#. I lost a good lot of sunflower seed earlier this summer to moths. :/ Then again, I think this grain store is only about thirty minutes away. Maybe I can just buy enough to fit the tub. XD

 

[Frecs]

Cspr, I also live in the southeast. I feed sprouted grains because I can not get to the grass stage due to mold problems.

I sprout a mix of wheat/oats/BOSS/flaxseed. My set up is outside in one of those 5 shelf "greenhouse" things you can get from the bigbox hardware stores for $40 or so. What I do is: start the wheat/oats/BOSS in soak for a 12-hour soak. After 12-hours, that is transferred over to a dishpan with drainholes. That evening, I add flaxseed to that pan and start another bucket of grain soaking. Twice a day I rinse the dishpans. On day 4, the oldest dishpan of sprouts is split --2/3rds is dispensed to rabbits, chickens, and ducks. The other 1/3rd is spread out in the dishpan and grown 2 more days for the chickens and ducks. I do NOT feed those to the rabbits because 99.9% of the time they have a fermented odor....but the chickens love it!

The great thing about sprouting for the rabbits is: it reduces the carbs and ups the protein and it gives you 3x the amount of feed.

 

[MaggieJ]

Cspr, I believe I have heard that DE added to grain supplies will deter such things as pantry moths. I think MamaSheepdog uses it in her grain supply, but my memory could be at fault. Perhaps send her a short PM if she does not see this thread.

 

[Cspr]

Thanks for the tip. :3

 

[DogCatMom]

I freeze for a minimum of 24 hours any grain from untested/unknown sources and any wool yarn that isn't in a sealed bag. This is all against the possible presence of moth or other insect eggs. (The clothes moth, for example, LOVES wool yarn.)

Is it possible for you to get food-quality storage buckets with sealing lids, freeze the wheat berries/seeds in batches, and then store them in a food-grade bucket? That way, they'd be safe for sprouting for quite a while. I think the "while" depends on the specific mfr's guarantee/warranty. That way, your 50-lb purchase is safe!

There's a member here whose website I've visited a few times (SaraM...something; Frühlingskabine Microfarm is her patch of earth; she has French Angoras). She's at elevation, maybe a few thousand feet, so she's not dealing with the humidity (in general!) that the Southeast has, but she uses sprouted grains for her rabbits. (I lived in Panama, San Antonio, Tampa, and Atlanta for a total of 14 years, plus visits to my grandparents elsewhere in Florida many times, so I know whereof I speak w/regard to humidity.)

Hope it all works out!

 

[Cspr]

Huh. I might be able to do that, DCM! I'll have to try it. I think you can get free foot-quality buckets from bakeries sometimes?