How much Grain mix to feed

[Demamma]

I made up some grain mix that MSD posted. It has Oat, barley, Boss, Beet pulp. I am not sure how much to feed. I have mineral spools for all the rabbits now. I have grassy alfalfa and straight alfalfa a bale each. I am in the process of making hay racks for all the rabbits. How much grain mix should I feed? most of my rabbits are meat breeds. Satins, Californian's, and New Zealand whites. Do I let them have all the hay they want? I have all ages of rabbits, pregnant does, does with kits in nest and a growout pen of young rabbits. I have about 3 weeks of pellets left and have been giving them a little of the grain mix as a treat. I want to switch in the end completely.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I started by just supplementing the pellets with it to get the herd accustomed to it gradually while I was feeding pellets, but I don't think that is necessary. When I got my LionHeads, they were on a brand of pellets that contained ingredients I didn't like, so I switched them directly to the grain mix with no issues. My JW's were transitioned over about a week, and they didn't have any trouble with the switch either.

I feed the grain mix in place of pellets, so they get an equal amount of grain as they ate of pellets. I could probably cut the ration back a bit- some of the roasters that I have butchered have had quite a bit of internal fat- nothing major, but more fat than I think is "normal".

I give mine quite a bit of hay. Once I have my hay racks and there is less waste they will have hay at all times.

Good luck! I think your rabbits will enjoy their new diet!

 

[trinityoaks]

I give mine as much hay as they want. I'm feeding cubes right now, and they are generally eating about five full cubes (about 2"x2"x2") per day. I give them about a 1/2 cup of grain mix, a little less if they didn't clean up their grain from the day before.

 

[Demamma]

Thank you MSD I am excited about having a cleaner feed. I don't trust a lot of food these days. Trinity Oaks I have some alfalfa cubes but most of the rabbits only eat a little and waste a lot. Did your rabbits find it hard at first with the cubes? I think I will go ahead start small on the feed then increase as needed. I think it is easier to get them to gain weight than lose it. MSD thanks for posting your grain mix. most of the rabbits like it except for one buck.

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

When I had a problem with bad pellets I switched to this all at once and all of my rabbits did better health wise on this than on pellets. I only switched back to pellets when I got the Jersey Woolys because I wanted something with ingredient to help with odor, coat, and wool block. If i didn't have a wool breed i would have stuck with the grains.

 

[skysthelimit]

I want to ask around, does anyone know any one on a grain mix that shows and does well on the table?

 

[trinityoaks]

Thank you MSD I am excited about having a cleaner feed. I don't trust a lot of food these days.

That's one of the reasons I grain-feed.

Trinity Oaks I have some alfalfa cubes but most of the rabbits only eat a little and waste a lot. Did your rabbits find it hard at first with the cubes?

I didn't have any trouble with the cubes (but it had been a while since I'd been able to find any regular hay). I had tried alfalfa pellets before, and those didn't go over very well. My black Rex doe is still very shy, but even she will come to the front of the cage for her alfalfa cubes.

 

[Demamma]

How much grain mix do I give a doe with kits? With pellets I always free fed.

 

[skysthelimit]

How much grain mix do I give a doe with kits? With pellets I always free fed.[/quote

still free feed.

 

[Demamma]

thank you STL.

 

[MaggieJ]

I feed hay free choice but only about 1/4-1/3 cup of grain a day. My rabbits are lean but not skinny. We butchered two roasters the other day and they had some fat around the kidneys (which is good) but only a little over the shoulders and elsewhere. My feeling is that as long as they have good alfalfa hay, no one is going hungry. I want to set up a sprouting system this winter. If it works well, I will reduce the actual grain ration even further. Sprouts will give much more nutrition for the same amount of grain.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I want to ask around, does anyone know any one on a grain mix that shows and does well on the table?

I am going to a show in November. There were a couple of other Rex exhibitors there last year, so hopefully I will have some competition again. Either way, I will ask the judge(s) what they think of the condition of my animals and tell them how I feed.

 

[lissapell]

i was looking for a mix w/ beet pulp in it. would you mind sharing the ratios? Do you think I could sub beets w/ beet pulp?

 

[Cindi Davis]

Where do you find beet pulp at?

 

[lissapell]

Our tractor supply and local feed store both carry it as pellets and shavings. 9.00 for a 40lb bag.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

i was looking for a mix w/ beet pulp in it. would you mind sharing the ratios?

My current mix is 4 parts each of oats and barley to 1 part each of beet pulp and BOSS. (Black OilSunflower Seeds) I used to feed 2 parts each of BOSS and beet pulp, but cut that down to reduce costs, and they are doing fine on the new ratios. Make sure to get the beet pulp shreds- the pellets are rather large for rabbits.

Do you think I could sub beets w/ beet pulp?

Beets have a high sugar content- the beet pulp is what is left after the sugars have been removed. Beets can be fed to rabbits, but I would feed them as an occasional treat as you do with carrots or fruits. Mangel beets might be a good alternative to regular garden variety beets. They used to be grown as livestock feed. You would need to check the sugar content though.

Beet greens are good feed for rabbits.

 

[Frecs]

What nutritional value is there in beet pulp? or is it basically a fiber source?

 

[3mina]

From what I understand there's lots left in beets after the sugars been removed

 

[Frecs]

From a quick google search, it would appear that at best, beet pulp has 10% protein but no vitamins/minerals to speak of. It is a fiber source.