How long do pellets last?

[JG3]

We’re new to starting a rabbitry and want to get 2 does and 1 buck, to start. We want to feed them non-gmo pellets and the only source of that is a mill that will custom make them, but only as a bulk order, since they don’t floor stock them and would have to make it special. So I’m wondering how long do rabbit pellets keep?

 

[Preitler]

No way to tell without knowing what they are made of, best call the mill and ask them. Good storage is important though.

I think those I buy expire at about half a year, but that doesn't mean they turn bad then. I guess it's more of a "best before date", and the issues are fat going rancid or vitamin decay. I don't care about anything of that because pellets are only a small part of my rabbits diet. And I care even less what I feed growouts since there are no long term health issues to be considered, they get old bread, barley and whatever can be fed. Not too much of the rich stuff though, until I've learned what to do with all the fat...

 

[JG3]

No way to tell without knowing what they are made of, best call the mill and ask them. Good storage is important though.

I think those I buy expire at about half a year, but that doesn't mean they turn bad then. I guess it's more of a "best before date", and the issues are fat going rancid or vitamin decay. I don't care about anything of that because pellets are only a small part of my rabbits diet. And I care even less what I feed growouts since there are no long term health issues to be considered, they get old bread, barley and whatever can be fed. Not too much of the rich stuff though, until I've learned what to do with all the fat...

I plan to feed fresh forage all spring through fall, as well as drying it for winter, so if the only concern is degraded vitamins, I don’t think that’s too big of a concern with what else they will get too, or what I can supplement in winter for specific nutrients like A and E.

Here are the ingredients. I will double check the time frame they recommend too.

What is the best way to store? Can I leave it in the bags or should I be putting it in airtight containers?

Typically how much feed would 2 does, 1 buck and two litters go through in what time frame? I’m reading as a generous estimate 10lbs per doe per month she’s pregnant/lactating and 10lbs per kit from birth to slaughter. Then bucks would eat less obviously. Do you think this is accurate?

 

[eco2pia]

I plan to feed fresh forage all spring through fall, as well as drying it for winter, so if the only concern is degraded vitamins, I don’t think that’s too big of a concern with what else they will get too, or what I can supplement in winter for specific nutrients like A and E.

Here are the ingredients. I will double check the time frame they recommend too.

What is the best way to store? Can I leave it in the bags or should I be putting it in airtight containers?

Typically how much feed would 2 does, 1 buck and two litters go through in what time frame? I’m reading as a generous estimate 10lbs per doe per month she’s pregnant/lactating and 10lbs per kit from birth to slaughter. Then bucks would eat less obviously. Do you think this is accurate?

the ball park is 1 ounce per pound body weight per day, less if you feed other forage. As long as they are kept dry they will be fine. your two main concerns will be mold and rodents. Keep them off the floor on pallets for mold. For rodents, you might want to keep a terrier.

 

[JG3]

the ball park is 1 ounce per pound body weight per day, less if you feed other forage. As long as they are kept dry they will be fine. your two main concerns will be mold and rodents. Keep them off the floor on pallets for mold. For rodents, you might want to keep a terrier.

Okay. The mill says 3 months for when the weather is hot and humid, but longer in the cool weather. Not that it goes bad, but the risk of mold and such. I’m wondering if it’d be okay to store in pails with oxygen absorbers and be okay. That’d also keep mold and rodents away I’d think

 

[MuddyFarms]

I plan to feed fresh forage all spring through fall, as well as drying it for winter, so if the only concern is degraded vitamins, I don’t think that’s too big of a concern with what else they will get too, or what I can supplement in winter for specific nutrients like A and E.

Here are the ingredients. I will double check the time frame they recommend too.

What is the best way to store? Can I leave it in the bags or should I be putting it in airtight containers?

Typically how much feed would 2 does, 1 buck and two litters go through in what time frame? I’m reading as a generous estimate 10lbs per doe per month she’s pregnant/lactating and 10lbs per kit from birth to slaughter. Then bucks would eat less obviously. Do you think this is accurate?

I have read that one could figure about 4 lbs feed to every 1 lb live weight for a fryer. So a 4lb fryer at live-weight would have eaten 16 lbs of feed. I think that includes the doe, since the doe's amount of feed is difficult to calculate separately from the kits when the doe is always pregnant or nursing. But, that would also vary by how long it takes your fryers to reach butcher weight, too. Their feed-to-meat ratio does go down the older they get, giving you less meat for the amount of feed you give them. I am pretty sure they were using 4 or 5 lb fryers at 8 wks for that amount, but it can at least give an idea for figuring feed. I always figure more feed than that to be safe.

 

[eco2pia]

Okay. The mill says 3 months for when the weather is hot and humid, but longer in the cool weather. Not that it goes bad, but the risk of mold and such. I’m wondering if it’d be okay to store in pails with oxygen absorbers and be okay. That’d also keep mold and rodents away I’d think

You could but this sounds expensive. For sure if you can keep it dry that is the thing. Not sure where you are, but it is always cold and damp where I am. In the tropics where it is warm and damp that is a whole other level of mold and damp--rather than pay for O2 absorbers, you might just want a dehumidifier. Question to use for evaluation--Where you are, how would you store flour for a comparable length of time? If you could put a paper bag of flour in a dry closet and have good flour 6 months later, that is your answer. If you can put it in your garage, then that will work for pellets too. If you would have a clumpy moldy mess, or it will be rancid and full of weevils, then that won't work for pellets.

 

[gswafford]

We’re new to starting a rabbitry and want to get 2 does and 1 buck, to start. We want to feed them non-gmo pellets and the only source of that is a mill that will custom make them, but only as a bulk order, since they don’t floor stock them and would have to make it special. So I’m wondering how long do rabbit pellets keep?

Tucker milling offers a non GMO rabbit pellets it is a premium pellet with vitamins and minerals added. They are located in Alabama. I live in Tennessee and can get them at local feed store

 

[Mariah's Meadows]

A commercial rabbit farm just closed down as I was beginning my own rabbit adventure. The farmer was kind enough to sell me his remaining pellets for dirt cheap. It cost me more in gas to get them than it did to buy them. That cheap LOL.

I can't recall the exact ingredients, but they were comparable to what was at the feed store. He said they were about 2 months old already and if I kept them dry, could keep them for the rest of the year with no issue (since I only had 2 rabbits at the time but I bought enough for 100!). I stored them in an open bin in my environmentally-controlled basement. Humidity never exceeded 30% and the temperature would never be above 65 F.

Combine the fact that I was new and the farmer told me it would be fine, I fed those pellets until the bins were empty. My rabbits never had issues with them, even when they were "expired." As already suggested, this is more of a "best before" date rather than a "you absolutely cannot feed this now" date.

The pellets never moulded or seemed to spoil, but what DID happen was off-putting. It could have been because I was so slow to go through it and that is why this hasn't happened with my store-bought feed, or it could have been because the farmer had stored his pellets in his barn instead of my controlled basement, but.....About 3 months after I got these pellets (now 5-month-old pellets), the pellets began MOVING. There were nearly one hundred mealworms inside of the bin just having the feast of their lives. I picked out the mealworms by hand and closely monitored for any new ones from hatching eggs until they were all gone. I saved all those mealworms as food for other pets (perfect for chicken treats!). I still (foolishly?) fed the pellets and the rabbits still (foolishly?) ate them. No one besides my partner seemed to mind the mealworms!

Now that I have more rabbits and only get my pellets from feed stores, I've never been in a position where I stored pellets for more than 3-4 months. I buy in bulk so I don't have to go out as much. The pellets are still stored in my basement, but are now in airtight bins with lids. Never had mould, or mealworms again, so I would think you would be fine to buy in bulk if you can store pellets in a cool, dry place.

I'm sure some people here are reading this absolutely horrified at me feeding those pellets or at the thought of the mealworm infestation, but I find it an amusing story that may help out someone else in a similar situation. ☺ Fun fact: I still have leftover mealworms just chilling in a jar full of the powder created from eating the pellets, still alive!

 

[JG3]

A commercial rabbit farm just closed down as I was beginning my own rabbit adventure. The farmer was kind enough to sell me his remaining pellets for dirt cheap. It cost me more in gas to get them than it did to buy them. That cheap LOL.

I can't recall the exact ingredients, but they were comparable to what was at the feed store. He said they were about 2 months old already and if I kept them dry, could keep them for the rest of the year with no issue (since I only had 2 rabbits at the time but I bought enough for 100!). I stored them in an open bin in my environmentally-controlled basement. Humidity never exceeded 30% and the temperature would never be above 65 F.

Combine the fact that I was new and the farmer told me it would be fine, I fed those pellets until the bins were empty. My rabbits never had issues with them, even when they were "expired." As already suggested, this is more of a "best before" date rather than a "you absolutely cannot feed this now" date.

The pellets never moulded or seemed to spoil, but what DID happen was off-putting. It could have been because I was so slow to go through it and that is why this hasn't happened with my store-bought feed, or it could have been because the farmer had stored his pellets in his barn instead of my controlled basement, but.....About 3 months after I got these pellets (now 5-month-old pellets), the pellets began MOVING. There were nearly one hundred mealworms inside of the bin just having the feast of their lives. I picked out the mealworms by hand and closely monitored for any new ones from hatching eggs until they were all gone. I saved all those mealworms as food for other pets (perfect for chicken treats!). I still (foolishly?) fed the pellets and the rabbits still (foolishly?) ate them. No one besides my partner seemed to mind the mealworms!

Now that I have more rabbits and only get my pellets from feed stores, I've never been in a position where I stored pellets for more than 3-4 months. I buy in bulk so I don't have to go out as much. The pellets are still stored in my basement, but are now in airtight bins with lids. Never had mould, or mealworms again, so I would think you would be fine to buy in bulk if you can store pellets in a cool, dry place.

I'm sure some people here are reading this absolutely horrified at me feeding those pellets or at the thought of the mealworm infestation, but I find it an amusing story that may help out someone else in a similar situation. ☺ Fun fact: I still have leftover mealworms just chilling in a jar full of the powder created from eating the pellets, still alive!

Hahaha... I loved that story. I laughed out loud when you said the pellets started moving. I’m glad you got such cheap feed and I’m glad you’re rabbits are just fine! Thank you for sharing the experience, it does help.

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

A commercial rabbit farm just closed down as I was beginning my own rabbit adventure. The farmer was kind enough to sell me his remaining pellets for dirt cheap. It cost me more in gas to get them than it did to buy them. That cheap LOL.

I can't recall the exact ingredients, but they were comparable to what was at the feed store. He said they were about 2 months old already and if I kept them dry, could keep them for the rest of the year with no issue (since I only had 2 rabbits at the time but I bought enough for 100!). I stored them in an open bin in my environmentally-controlled basement. Humidity never exceeded 30% and the temperature would never be above 65 F.

Combine the fact that I was new and the farmer told me it would be fine, I fed those pellets until the bins were empty. My rabbits never had issues with them, even when they were "expired." As already suggested, this is more of a "best before" date rather than a "you absolutely cannot feed this now" date.

The pellets never moulded or seemed to spoil, but what DID happen was off-putting. It could have been because I was so slow to go through it and that is why this hasn't happened with my store-bought feed, or it could have been because the farmer had stored his pellets in his barn instead of my controlled basement, but.....About 3 months after I got these pellets (now 5-month-old pellets), the pellets began MOVING. There were nearly one hundred mealworms inside of the bin just having the feast of their lives. I picked out the mealworms by hand and closely monitored for any new ones from hatching eggs until they were all gone. I saved all those mealworms as food for other pets (perfect for chicken treats!). I still (foolishly?) fed the pellets and the rabbits still (foolishly?) ate them. No one besides my partner seemed to mind the mealworms!

Now that I have more rabbits and only get my pellets from feed stores, I've never been in a position where I stored pellets for more than 3-4 months. I buy in bulk so I don't have to go out as much. The pellets are still stored in my basement, but are now in airtight bins with lids. Never had mould, or mealworms again, so I would think you would be fine to buy in bulk if you can store pellets in a cool, dry place.

I'm sure some people here are reading this absolutely horrified at me feeding those pellets or at the thought of the mealworm infestation, but I find it an amusing story that may help out someone else in a similar situation. ☺ Fun fact: I still have leftover mealworms just chilling in a jar full of the powder created from eating the pellets, still alive!

Sort of related - ish to your story, but one time A few months ago my rabbit Yoshi Bagel got a bunch of fly eggs laid in her litter and they hatch and turned the litter sandy

 

[MuddyFarms]

Sort of related - ish to your story, but one time A few months ago my rabbit Yoshu Bagel got a bunch of fly eggs laid in her litter and they hatch and turned the litter sandy

Goodness- I thought you meant the rabbit's litter of kits!!! That was an awful picture!

You were meaning the bedding kind of litter in her cage tray or something, right?!

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

Goodness- I thought you meant the rabbit's litter of kits!!! That was an awful picture!

You were meaning the bedding kind of litter in her cage tray or something, right?!

Oh nonononono! I meant her bedding, like for the poop and pee


Wow I need to word things better!

 

[Mariah's Meadows]

Sort of related - ish to your story, but one time A few months ago my rabbit Yoshi Bagel got a bunch of fly eggs laid in her litter and they hatch and turned the litter sandy

Yup, the mealworms turned the pellets sandy as well. Just for clarification to everyone, I did not feed any of the sandy/dust byproduct. I'm sure it would be full of eggs or waste, and be devoid of nutrition anyways. Probably not a good idea to feed that. But the pellets that did remain intact were fed and enjoyed by the buns!

 

[KelleyBee]

A commercial rabbit farm just closed down as I was beginning my own rabbit adventure. The farmer was kind enough to sell me his remaining pellets for dirt cheap. It cost me more in gas to get them than it did to buy them. That cheap LOL.

I can't recall the exact ingredients, but they were comparable to what was at the feed store. He said they were about 2 months old already and if I kept them dry, could keep them for the rest of the year with no issue (since I only had 2 rabbits at the time but I bought enough for 100!). I stored them in an open bin in my environmentally-controlled basement. Humidity never exceeded 30% and the temperature would never be above 65 F.

Combine the fact that I was new and the farmer told me it would be fine, I fed those pellets until the bins were empty. My rabbits never had issues with them, even when they were "expired." As already suggested, this is more of a "best before" date rather than a "you absolutely cannot feed this now" date.

The pellets never moulded or seemed to spoil, but what DID happen was off-putting. It could have been because I was so slow to go through it and that is why this hasn't happened with my store-bought feed, or it could have been because the farmer had stored his pellets in his barn instead of my controlled basement, but.....About 3 months after I got these pellets (now 5-month-old pellets), the pellets began MOVING. There were nearly one hundred mealworms inside of the bin just having the feast of their lives. I picked out the mealworms by hand and closely monitored for any new ones from hatching eggs until they were all gone. I saved all those mealworms as food for other pets (perfect for chicken treats!). I still (foolishly?) fed the pellets and the rabbits still (foolishly?) ate them. No one besides my partner seemed to mind the mealworms!

Now that I have more rabbits and only get my pellets from feed stores, I've never been in a position where I stored pellets for more than 3-4 months. I buy in bulk so I don't have to go out as much. The pellets are still stored in my basement, but are now in airtight bins with lids. Never had mould, or mealworms again, so I would think you would be fine to buy in bulk if you can store pellets in a cool, dry place.

I'm sure some people here are reading this absolutely horrified at me feeding those pellets or at the thought of the mealworm infestation, but I find it an amusing story that may help out someone else in a similar situation. ☺ Fun fact: I still have leftover mealworms just chilling in a jar full of the powder created from eating the pellets, still alive!

I immediately unsack my feed into 5 gallon food grade buckets (available at Tractor Supply for only a few dollars each so I built up my supply of buckets and lids over a few month’s time) to keep out humidity and critters of all sorts. Then using a grease pencil, on the lids of the buckets I record the name os the feed and the manufacture date on each bag. I save the feed bags just in case of a recall.

I started out doing this from the beginning of my rabbitry venture because the woman from whom I purchased my first trio related a feed horror story she had experienced where by about 75% of her herd was killed by moldy pellets. She had not recognize the mold on the pellets because she was new to rabbitry at the time and had not enough experience to see the slight color change to the surface of the pellets.

While she told me this story, I looked around her place and noted she had her numerous sacks of feed stored on a pallet in a garage. We get really humid summers around here, not to mention the propensity of cement slabs to absorb and hold moisture indefinitely. In my mind, storing her pellets that way increases her chances of more moldy pellets. Hence, heeding her warnings to watch out for mold, I felt it was best to take steps to reduce the incidence of mold in the first place by repackaging the pellets in food safe storage containers designed for long term storage.

What I think we fail to realize is that feed sacks are really designed for ease of transportation, warehouse storage, commercial shelves and for the advertisement and other information of the food within. They are not really designed for long term storage on the consumer end. This is why you should remove the pellets from the sacks if you, like me, buy large quantities at a time. If I were purchasing only one or two sacks of feed at a time, perhaps I would be less concerned.

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

I immediately unsack my feed into 5 gallon food grade buckets (available at Tractor Supply for only a few dollars each so I built up my supply of buckets and lids over a few month’s time) to keep out humidity and critters of all sorts. Then using a grease pencil, on the lids of the buckets I record the name os the feed and the manufacture date on each bag. I save the feed bags just in case of a recall.

I started out doing this from the beginning of my rabbitry venture because the woman from whom I purchased my first trio related a feed horror story she had experienced where by about 75% of her herd was killed by moldy pellets. She had not recognize the mold on the pellets because she was new to rabbitry at the time and had not enough experience to see the slight color change to the surface of the pellets.

While she told me this story, I looked around her place and noted she had her numerous sacks of feed stored on a pallet in a garage. We get really humid summers around here, not to mention the propensity of cement slabs to absorb and hold moisture indefinitely. In my mind, storing her pellets that way increases her chances of more moldy pellets. Hence, heeding her warnings to watch out for mold, I felt it was best to take steps to reduce the incidence of mold in the first place by repackaging the pellets in food safe storage containers designed for long term storage.

What I think we fail to realize is that feed sacks are really designed for ease of transportation, warehouse storage, commercial shelves and for the advertisement and other information of the food within. They are not really designed for long term storage on the consumer end. This is why you should remove the pellets from the sacks if you, like me, buy large quantities at a time. If I were purchasing only one or two sacks of feed at a time, perhaps I would be less concerned.

Great idea! How long does the feed last after putting it into the buckets? Thanks
Liz

 

[Mariah's Meadows]

Exactly right! The bags they come in are NOT airtight, NOT waterproof, and NOT bug-proof. The best thing you can do is move them into containers like that in my opinion. Good call on the labelling! I usually just keep the empty bags next to my bins, but I've gotten them mixed up in the past...Labelling the bins is so obvious but my brain never thought of it LOL. Thanks, @KelleyBee!

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

Our litter, food, and sometimes hay (Currently it's in a box sitting above the ground) are kept in giant containers that we got from Walmart. I'd say that they're about 3-3 1/2 feet tall I think

 

[LatchawBriarPatch]

Thoughts? Just purchased tonight. Ran my hand through the pellets and came up covered in dust. See attached photos. Is it normal to have a certain amount of dust in a feed bag regardless of brand?

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

Thoughts? Just purchased tonight. Ran my hand through the pellets and came up covered in dust. See attached photos. Is it normal to have a certain amount of dust in a feed bag regardless of brand?

I think all of my pellets have at least a small amount if dust