growing alfalfa?

[Rainey]

I know alfalfa is considered a basic feed for rabbits. We've gotten seed and tried to plant it as a cover crop in empty beds in our garden and it is the only cover crop I can think of that hasn't done well. Also know Maggie has a beautiful patch of it that she started years ago and is still feeding to her rabbits. We do have lots of clover already growing naturally and have successfully used white and red clovers in the garden.

So my questions--
Is alfalfa lots better than the clovers nutritionally? Does it have fewer mold issues? (Have read warnings not to feed clover because of mold concerns but have fed it since we started with no problem)
When should alfalfa be planted? Any helpful suggestions for someone who's found it difficult to grow?

 

[MaggieJ]

When we planted the alfalfa patch, we rototilled the area and seeded it with a mix of alfalfa, red clover and timothy in the springtime. That was, if I remember correctly, in 2002 or 2003. It has dwindled to next to nothing now, but it was good for many years with no attention whatsoever.

I think clover compares well with alfalfa nutritionally. Extra attention during drying should minimize mould issues.

Alfalfa may take a couple of years to get really established. We didn't have rabbits yet when we planted it and it's a little hard to remember but that is my impression.

 

[Deer Heart]

I am considering doing something like this. How big of an area did you plant Maggie and for how many buns did that cover?

 

[MaggieJ]

Sali, I'm really bad at estimating distances. The area we planted was the former owners' vegetable garden, so say perhaps 30' x 60' or a bit larger. We did not plant it with alfalfa to feed the rabbits, simply wanted to improve the tired soil . . . but when we got the rabbits in the summer of 2005 it was well-established and a great boon to us as we started to transition to natural feeding a year or two later.

I think at most we had four working does and usually only two or three. We just wanted meat for our table and much as we like rabbit, we also like a variety of meats. When there were grow-outs the population swelled and then fell again as the youngsters went to camp.

I should mention that we also bought alfalfa hay for the rabbits-- usually 20-25 small square bales per year at $3 a bale. This hay was the backbone of our feeding regimen. In spring, summer and early fall they ate less hay and more forage... In the cold months, this was reversed. Since the changes flowed with the seasons, there was never a problem. We also dried some variety greens for winter feeding and fed some root crops, cabbage, pumpkin and grain fodder to add variety in winter. In all seasons we fed small amounts of grain--usually wheat, sometimes barley.

I know alfalfa does not grow well in all areas and clover is certainly an alternative. We are blessed here in this little corner of South Eastern Ontario. The climate is moderated by Lake Ontario and the other surrounding waterways, the soil is sufficient if not deep and there is a wealth of free forage for rabbits, chickens or goats. I just wish I were still young enough to make better use of it, but I was stuck in Toronto during the years that would have been best for homesteading.