how much roots and grain now that it's cold?

[Rainey]

I've tried to go back through the natural feeding forum, searched for carrots, and read lots of old threads but still need some clarification. Winter just arrived here very suddenly, but we'd already been cutting down on the fresh greens and had started growing and feeding wheat fodder. Also feeding hay, grass & legume mixed (keep it in their feeders all the time), and have mineral block in each cage. We've been feeding the fodder in the morning and oat grain in the afternoon. Have also been giving trimmings from kale and chard and a little cut up carrots.
What is confusing is how much, either in terms of daily amount or percentage of feed, is good for them to have of carrots or other root veg? And should we not be giving them to the 6 week old kits?
The fodder threads have been very helpful but mostly it is being used to replace pellets which we haven't been feeding at all. As part of an all natural diet, how much fodder is appropriate--for adults not being bred for a few months, for kits growing out, and for replacement does? Is it ok to give fodder instead of grain or is it better to feed some of each?
Posts about hay have also left me confused. Some folks seem to regard it as a chewing exercise with no nutritional value, while others see it as the basic feed to which a few other things should be added.
Don't know whether this affects the answers, but for what it's worth, these are meat rabbits in wire cages inside an unheated shed.
Thanks for all the information I'm picking up here--even if I do find it sometimes confusing. And special thanks for the patience with my questions.

 

[MaggieJ]

I think the reason it gets confusing is that there is no one right way to feed rabbits. What you are feeding sounds just fine to me--similar to how I've always fed meat rabbits in winter.

Root crops like carrots and beets are useful as part of a natural feeding program, but they are rich and high in sugars, so consider them as a supplement rather than as a main course. In addition to free-choice good hay (high legume content) I like to feed about 1/4-1/3 cup of grain plus something fresh each day - a chunk of carrot a couple inches long, a bit of cabbage (if they are used to it), a nice slice of beet, a piece of fodder Dried weeds and tree leaves like willow also count as fresh. Keep an eye on the rabbit poop. It is a good guide to how they are handling their diet.

Since most people feed at least some pellets, they have to be careful that they do not overfeed the rabbits. You don't want them accumulating internal fat or it will harm production. With natural feeding, as long as you are careful of the amount of grain and root crops, you will not likely have problems.

To assess how fat a rabbit is, run your hand down its spine. You should be able to feel the rounded bumps of the vertebrae. It the bumps are sharp, the rabbit is too thin. If you can't feel them at all, the rabbit is too fat.

I think it is important that kits have access to the same foods as mother from the very beginning. They begin nibbling hay in the nestbox even before their eyes open. Once they come out of the box, while they are still getting most of their nutrients from milk, they begin to follow momma's example and taste various solid foods. As they increase their solids they develop the gut flora necessary to digest them. Weaning is painless this way and the doe will take care of it when she is ready. It is extremely rare to see weaning enteritis in kits fed in this way.

When I started with natural feeding in 2006, it was largely uncharted territory. So much of the old information had been lost and what remained was hard to find. Now that it is popular, it is getting easier to access vintage books online. We have a selection ourselves that you can access by clicking on the Downloads button on the menu bar in the header. You can use your BunnyBucks to "buy" the e-books. They are all in the public domain, so no worries about copyrights.

 

[Rainey]

Thanks, Maggie. I think I was just getting confident about feeding through the growing season and then have had more time to read posts as we're indoors more and also having to change the feed as the season changes. Once we've been through all the seasons I'll feel more comfortable about knowing what to expect and what works for us and our rabbits. The kits do eat from the doe's feeder until we move them out at about a month. We got Keeping Poultry and Rabbits on Scraps and find that helpful. I need to look at the e-books and choose some to read. And we need to handle our rabbits more--it is really hard to tell whether they're thin just by looking. Someone had a really helpful post about how to hold and handle them--just need to do it more.
Thank you for sharing your experience and making it easier for those of us wanting to do more natural feeding.