First wild greens of the season...

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MaggieJ

MaggieJ

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I took Marilla, Queen of All Moggies, over to the vegetable garden this afternoon. Now anyone who has tried to walk a cat on a leash knows that they aren't exactly co-operative.... but she remembered "Let's go to the garden. Keep to the path!" from last year and took off in that direction without hesitation.

Our vegetable garden is fenced and sheltered. The weeds get a head start there in early spring. I was able to gather a good half a breadbag full in just a few minutes.

Lots of coarse grasses (Marilla enjoys munching on those too!), some young dandelions, curly dock, clover and shepherd's purse. Not a feast, but enough to start the rabbits off on the green feeding season. I go easy at first, figuring that a big handful each is a safe and enjoyable start. As the supply increases, so will the amount I gather for them.

It's not often that calendar spring coincides with spring weather! It's cooler than last week, but still mild enough that a light jacket over a T-shirt is enough. Sunny and breezy... good exhilarating weather.
 
my buns got a few dandilions today too. from the nieghbors yard, cuz ours gets sprayed :p its so warm out today, short sleeves is more than enough. the frogs are out at the pond already and the flies, unfortunately, already found the rabbit barn. time ot go get more fly traps!
 
We've been seeing a mourning cloak butterfly for about a week and the frogs are singing at night. I love early spring... so full of promise. We have a bumper crop of chipmunks this year and will likely have even more by fall, since an early spring usually means they breed twice. Chipmunks in abundance are a good sign... means very few rats or weasels are about. I pay attention to these indicators, because if there is a rat problem I want to know early. The weasels are a mixed blessing... They clean out the rats but need watching that they don't get into the chicken house.
 
Maggie, I wanted to confirm that it should be safe to feed each of my rabbits a small handful of grass and dandelion weeds each day-correct? I cannot believe that I need to mow the yard in March already, I do not ever remember having to do this in the past.

You mentioned trouble with rats, I also have been having trouble with rats under my chicken pen this winter, really tearing up the ground building tunnels. Since we have dogs my husband did not want me to use poison so I tried everything and everyway I could to try and trap them. Nothing worked so I broke down and bought some blocks of poison set it out starting last weekend carefully watching that the dogs did not get near the pen. Then yesterday I had my German Wirehair out with me while hanging up clothes, I noticed so had "something" and did not want me to see it. Well here she was carrying around her "prize"-a dead rat she had found in the yard!! YUCK So I guess I can safely say that my rat problems are getting under control. The only thing was that I had to bury the thing since my husband was not around.
 
Bugzy4Lady":2hlt4ng9 said:
Nothing worked so I broke down and bought some blocks of poison
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I worked at a veterinary hospital that had a petting zoo and dog kennel, and they had terrible rat problems. One day as I was walking along a corridor prior to entering the building, I saw several young rats staggering drunkenly about, and they didn't fear my presence. I immediately told one of the vets on duty that there were sick rats outside. He laughed and said it was because they had been poisoned, and not to worry about it. Apparently the warfarin makes them very thirsty, and they will come out in daylight in a desperate search for water. Secondary ingestion of the poison can present problems if enough poisoned animals are eaten, so I would suggest a scan of the area prior to letting your dogs out.
 
Yes, when we had poison down during the worst of the rat problem, we scanned the yards every morning before letting the chickens and geese out... and we kept a close eye on Marilla to make sure she didn't get any half-dead rats. (She has no interest in them once they are dead.) The best rat killer ever is a resident weasel or mink. We've been lucky that way... twice the critters have decimated the rat population. They only bother the chickens when the supply of rats runs out.

A handful of greens daily will certainly not harm your rabbits, provided you introduce them slowly. Mine are getting a handful right now but as the supply increases they will get more and more until I am dumping a 5 gallon bucketful into the colony. As long as they have time to adjust they just cannot eat too many safe weeds.
 
some of my rabbits seem to be getting softer poops. this had only been since i have been feeding them grass. could this be from them not being introduced to eating the grass slowly enough? if so, could i fix this by not feeding as much grass?
 
the softer poops is a result of the increased moisture level-- when feeding fresh, the water intake just naturally goes up- after all-- dry matter vs fresh--!!! Just do not feed such large quantities that the rabbits develop diarrhea-- if, as you get started, you make sure the rabbits just get a taste every day, increase amounts slowly, then cut back on your dry feeds/pellets as the rabbits start to ignore dry-- you rabbits will be fine. there will be a marked difference in the poops of a rabbit fed pellets only and one fed a diet that has a lot of bulky, moist, fresh greens.
 
Terry is right. You might want to cut back a bit and then build it up slowly. Also, grass is not the best green food for rabbits. It should be fed in a mix with some of the broad leaved plants: dandelions, chicory, clover, plantain, raspberry or blackberry leaves and shepherd's purse, for example. Those last ones... from plantain on... will actually help firm up their poops.
 
ahhh i see. thank you.

yes, plantain is good for that. did you know that the bulk laxatives sold are made from "phsylliam" (sp?) which is really just plaintain seeds. of course i'm sure they break it down alot for selling. but thats where some comes from.

as we are have a crazy spring the grass is comin in like crazy but other things are waiting to show up as usual. all except early flowers like daffofils and those bulbs and things. i know i will be able to get lots of roadside chicory once the summer weather kicks in. hoping to be able to transplant alot to my herb garden once i get to that.
right now though the only thing i really have that i could cut is grass, plantian (still small leaves on em though), multi-flora rose (are these rabbit edible? i have bajillions of tons if it is!!), and radish seedlings in my windowsill.
 
Yes, rose leaves and twigs are safe for rabbits. It takes time in the spring for the broad-leafed weeds to get going. Feed what is available but keep an eye on the poops and adjust quantities accordingly. I think you will find that everything normalizes before very long.
 
Feed multiflora rose-- the ODNR will thank you-- it is a 'noxious weed' designated plant, and every 'farmer' is responsible for eradicating it!
 
We have small clover with a white flower and large clover with a purple flower, are both clovers ok to give the rabbits??
my friend gives her meat and fun bunnies all kinds of herbs from her garden, basil, oregano, ect.
 
Frosted Rabbits":2m4cw648 said:
Feed multiflora rose-- the ODNR will thank you-- it is a 'noxious weed' designated plant, and every 'farmer' is responsible for eradicating it!
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:evil: yes i know what you mean! i live on 250 acres. family farm. we know exactly which family member and when they brought it in. when it first came out as hedging for fields. :evil: :angry:
just last week i used a pair of garden loppers to tear down a bush of it. more like a danged wall!!! it was about 8ft tall and about 4ft across... right in front of the barn and it was completely invaded with poison ivy to boot!
 
opie7441":3kr6z2ni said:
We have small clover with a white flower and large clover with a purple flower, are both clovers ok to give the rabbits??
my friend gives her meat and fun bunnies all kinds of herbs from her garden, basil, oregano, ect.
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Opie, it is very important to learn and use the Latin names for plants when checking their identification. there is no other way to be sure we are all talking about the same plant. In addition, once you have the correct Latin name for a plant you are meaning to feed to your rabbits, you are able to find out much more about it online.

This plant is what most people mean by white clover and it is safe for rabbits. Its Latin name is Trifolium repens.
http://montana.plant-life.org/species/trifol_repe.htm

There is also a larger clover with a purple flower, commonly referred to as red clover. The Latin name is Trifolium pratense.
http://montana.plant-life.org/index404.html
It is also a safe food for rabbits in itself, but there are concerns about accompanying moulds or fungus that can make it dangerous. You need to be aware of these. See this thread for details:
anyone-who-has-been-feeling-safe-about-natural-feeding-t6527.html

Garden herbs can be good treats for rabbits, but members of the mint family such as peppermint, spearmint and sage can interfere with pregnancy and lactation. One needs to know the properties of these herbs to use them wisely.
 
Not a stupid question at all. With rabbits, because they eat more hay on a natural diet, I would say the poops are a bit larger, if there is any difference. It's been quite a while since I fed pellets, so I can't be sure.
 

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