Moving 'em out on grass! And Winter natural feeding question

[Secuono]

So far, I have the two Cali bucks out in pens on grass. My adult breeding buck and his replacement son. Going to test him out in about two-three weeks when my doe's kits will start being weaned off.
Both are 2x7ft or so and are in the duck/chicken pen since I don't think they are secure enough to be out in the big yard w/a slightly less secure fence.
I'll post pictures of the pens tomorrow to see what you guys think. Either way, I'll be picking up wood tomorrow to make frames for better grass pens.
Hope to get everyone out on grass in pens, all adults and then have grow out pens.

What do wild rabbits do for food during winter?

__________ Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:44 pm __________

Found they eat ~buds, twigs, bark, conifer needles, and practically any green plant available.
So, what kind of "buds"? Would it be possible to leave the rabbits out on pasture for Winter, still move the pen so they have fresh ground to walk, sleep and potty on and just toss in all those listed above with a minimal amount of pellets?
I have about 5 big Pine trees and they drop a ton of needles in fall. I could gather and store them, also pick up and trim Sycamore & Mulberry branches. I have hay for my horses I give them, they didn't want to eat the home made grass hay I had, though. :/
Still not sure what Buds they are talking about.

 

[ollitos]

I believe Polyface keeps their rabbits out on pasture year round. We plan on doing so but will supplement with feed especially for the nursing and pregnant does.

 

[MaggieJ]

"Buds" would mean tree buds from the species of trees that rabbits eat.

I am not certain what your winters are like, Chickiesnbunnies, but I don't think your rabbits will be able to get much of their food on pasture when plants are not actually growing. Wild rabbits just barely get by and they have to roam large areas to find enough to eat. Also, they are not breeding during those months.

You could keep your rabbits in pasture pens with adequate shelter provided, but you will have to feed them pretty much all they need and they are going to use more of their feed to keep warm than they would do in a shed or barn. I don't think you will find it a saving. In addition, you will have to carry water to them, which depending on distance involved and snow fall, could mean a lot more work for you.

 

[Secuono]

They already are not in a shed or barn, out in the open with just a shade cloth on top. So that part isn't an issue.
So buds would just be tree branches, ok.
But if you gather and store branches, needles and hay, then shouldn't that feed them and lessen the pellets even a little?
This year we can say we had NO Winter to speak of, grass only slowed it's growth. Other years, there's still green grass until December, then it finally all turns yellow.
I'm already taking them water, the only thing that would change is having them out in larger pens on the ground. Less clean up for me, more room for them.
It's just an idea anyway.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Buds are the new growth that appears in spring/late winter at the tips of branches and along their length, depending on what type of tree or shrub. They are what will produce leaves or flowers. The pine and conifer needles they eat are in the green stage, especially the tender new growth at the tips in the spring, not the brown fallen needles. The "bark" they need to eat is the inner cambium layer- deer often kill a lot of trees in lean years because they will chew off the outer bark layer to get to the cambium layer beneath, and if they entirely circle the tree ("girdle" it) it will die. I imagine rabbits also dig to get at roots of certain plants, which is probably what spawned the idea that rabbits will raid gardens for carrots.

You could certainly supplement their diet with these things, but unlike the wild rabbits here I doubt they would survive on that diet alone. Remember that our rabbits are descended from European rabbits, and if you think of England for instance, except at higher elevations there is little or no snow, but a lot of rain and fog, so they would have a great deal more plants to provide green forage in the winter.

I am planning on planting boatloads of sunflowers since they get so large, and drying and storing those (as well as other things, of course). I think if you want to be able to provide a lot of "free" food during the winter months, you are going to have to grow and store it yourself. I would like to do this too- I often ponder the "worst case scenario" of what I would have to do if store bought feed was unavailable or unaffordable... step one would probably be cutting the herd down to the minimum to supply our needs, as MaggieJ has done, especially during the winter months. Growing mangle beets and other root crops such as turnips that store well in a cold cellar or basement is also part of "the plan". Edit: Winter squash such as Butternut, Acorn, Spaghetti, Kubocha (sp?), and of course pumpkin also store well. I have had butternut squash store until the next harvest, and it is the most prolific for me. Sadly, the rabbits weren't too excited by it, but maybe once they are more accustomed to forage they will eat it more willingly.

 

[MaggieJ]

Great ideas, MamaSheepdog!

CnB, if you are serious about lessening the need for pellets during winter, you need to dry leaves and weeds during the summer. Bare branches will not do much for them compared to dried greens.

I use large onion and orange sacks, the mesh kind, to dry and store greens. I also bundle things like willow wands and raspberry canes (both with leaves) and hang the bunches. Dried nettles are very nutritious. You can air dry most of the plants in the Safe Plants List. When you do this and feed good alfalfa or clover hay and perhaps some grain, they won't need near the amount of pellets. My rabbits have never so much as seen a pellet. I also feed a certain amount of fresh foods even in winter: grain grasses grown in containers, pumpkin and squash, outer leaves of salad greens, root crops, cabbage (my buns are used to it, but caution is needed because it is gassy) and the odd treat of dried bread or leftover baked potato. These are treat sized portions in winter but I believe they are important to provide interest and variety.

Link to an old thread on storing greens for winter:
gathering-and-storing-greens-for-winter-now-is-the-time-t3907.html

 

[Secuono]

Again, it was just a though. But since I will do the majority of breeding from late Fall to early Spring, I really can't keep them out on the ground. Just not easy to get them back out, lol.<br /><br />__________ Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:50 am __________<br /><br />Well, bought 25ft of 36in 1x2in wire. Going to make curve top pens with green 2x3 bottom wire.
Wondering if I should make them individual or divide a pen in half for a rabbit on each side? It'd be easier to catch them that way and also easier to move one pen of two rabbits than each individually.
Guess I answered my own question...lol.
Got 2x3 wood to put on the bottom as a frame to hold it down.

 

[MaggieJ]

Hope it works well for you! I look forward to updates as the season progresses.

 

[Secuono]

Well, the backyard they will be in is already lush and ready for them to 'mow' it down. =D I've been mowing down the front yard, hills and around plants/buildings where they won't be able to be on.
Almost finished the 3rd, started a 4th and the last, 5th, is cut for assembly.
But I'm no longer sure I want to split the pens. They are 2ft by 7'7" long. I may split one for my 2 bucks and use the others for mom and their growing kits.

__________ Tue Apr 03, 2012 6:06 pm __________

Moved Jr out in the yard, no longer in the more secure encloser.
Moved the Cali buck over to the other pen, freed up the smaller wire cage for the Cali mom and her kits. So now the family is out on grass, they are about 3wks, so not old enough to be weaned, thus mom is with them.
Moved the Am Chin and her nest over the the hutch, so they will have space when the kits start hopping out. Three or 4 of her kits are huge! Rest are smaller, but fairly equal in size, gray is biggest.
Silver Fox doe had 7 kits and she's feeding them! Moved over the 3 HL kits to her nest, since they are still very tiny.
Finally had 2 cages outside free to move the new SF pair out of the coop. Cleaned them out and moved em out!
=D<br /><br />__________ Wed Apr 04, 2012 5:48 pm __________<br /><br />

 

[AnnClaire]

Awww, they look so comfy!