hay chops for rabbits

[tm_bunnyloft]

I am considering buying Lucerne Farms Hi Fiber horse hay chop for my rabbits. It is timothy, oat hay and alfalfa mix. It comes in a 40 pound bag for $15. I figure I can feed their hay in a J feeder then and put their other feed in a dish.

I am considering swithching to seed and supplementing with manna pro select supplement(for wool block and odor) and calf manna (for conditon). I am thinking Barley, Boss, flaxseed, and Nyjer. If I can't find Barley then I will use oats.
The alfalfa in pellets sticks to the wool in the stomach contributing to wool block so I would like to get off the pellets. I will use only a small amount of calf manna to help keep condition.

I am also going to grow a herb and leafy greens garden for my bunnies to get treats from in the spring. I will have to research which herbs are safe for them and keep the unsafe ones in a separate garden.

So this is my future feeding plan.

Nyjer and sunflower can be bought in bulk from Rural King very reasonable. I am also considering trying to sprout sunflower into fodder for the bunnies as well.

Any thoughts or things you would change? Or does it sound like a good sound feeding plan for my show bunnies?<br /><br />__________ Wed Nov 28, 2012 3:28 pm __________<br /><br />I may not need the calf manna with all the seed I will be adding to their diet.

 

[BlueLove16]

how much hay would get wasted with the small bits of hay that wont get eaten with the chops? I have thought about it, too. Just for the fact i have a car, and bales are messy! lol

oats would be cheaper and easiser to find than barley. but you would mostly be wanting to give them forage like ay and a mineral block?

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

I will travel a ways for barley if need be. Its easy to get here but maybe not so easy when im moved. It is higher in protein and fiber than oats, so im hoping I wont have to settle for oats.
Im not sure how much waste there will be. Though I find I get less waste when I cut the hay in smaller pieces than when left long.<br /><br />__________ Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:29 pm __________<br /><br />So im hoping the hay chops will work well enough.
(Sorry if this doesn't make sense. Stupid smart phone!!)