My rabbits quit eating pellets is Coastal Hay enough?

[concreteblonde]

Same here, I can't reasonably obtain organic feed so I do the best I can. Shoot -- I can't REASONABLY afford organic food for ME, much less the critters!!!

The only organic food my rabbits, chickens, and ducks get is what is foraged off my property.

I know exactly what you mean there. I got a membership for Costco because they offer organic frozen mixed veggies and organic mac & cheese. It was actually cheaper to get Annie's Mac & Cheese there than at Publix.

A Trader Joe's is supposed to open up this year close enough to home that I can get there. Also, Albertson's carried GMO free whole grain corn meal.

But as far as the critters go, I'm doing the best I can on a limited budget. Hey I'd just like to be able to sell enough rabbits to pay for their feed at $16.99 a 50# bag. I'd really hate to see what the organic prices are.

 

[michaels4gardens]

I used to like to feed Blue Seal feed because it had a "dedicated Formula" so they don't just put whatever is cheepest in the pellet that month,it was very good feed- -- in the fall and winter, I had trouble with some feeds because they used Milo instead of corn, as it is cheeper, - and Milo is famous for molds,[and mold based toxins= sick rabbits] -- even worse they still use the same label that said corn-- any way ,when feed companys change the feed ingredients every month based on price of ingredients, it is the same as you switching brands abruptly every month, -- it causes problems. People have wasted a lot of money on meds, and vet calls, when the trouble was the feed change. [Nutrina, and Purina used to be the worst] -- just a thought ,as to why Rabbits might not want pellets - I lost every litter on my farm,due to spontaneous abortion once, in a 150 sow and 100+ doe opperation due to a feed company using Milo ,even after I had expresly forbade it [it was a lot cheeper then corn] it was a huge set back.

 

[concreteblonde]

I used to like to feed Blue Seal feed because it had a "dedicated Formula" so they don't just put whatever is cheepest in the pellet that month,it was very good feed- -- in the fall and winter, I had trouble with some feeds because they used Milo instead of corn, as it is cheeper, - and Milo is famous for molds,[and mold based toxins= sick rabbits] -- even worse they still use the same label that said corn-- any way ,when feed companys change the feed ingredients every month based on price of ingredients, it is the same as you switching brands abruptly every month, -- it causes problems. People have wasted a lot of money on meds, and vet calls, when the trouble was the feed change. [Nutrina, and Purina used to be the worst] -- just a thought ,as to why Rabbits might not want pellets - I lost every litter on my farm,due to spontaneous abortion once, in a 150 sow and 100+ doe opperation due to a feed company using Milo ,even after I had expresly forbade it [it was a lot cheeper then corn] it was a huge set back.

WoW! That's awful!

Now, I've got a new problem...I buy my feed at Tractor Supply. I went to buy feed the other day and couldn't find the Blue Seal, and I thought they might have moved it so I walked down the isle and right in front of the other brands, there were pantry moths flying all over the place!!!

I finally found one bag left of the Blue Seal but seeing all of those moths really bothered me. That means there is a really good chance that the feed is infected/old/bad and the rabbits won't eat it.

So I told the assistant manager and he looked at me like...'and your point is?' So I repeated what I said and told him, you need to deal with it before all of your feed is ruined. I said, "I had to go through two bags of feed a couple of months ago because it was full of bugs and my rabbits wouldn't eat it. You need to take care of that problem."

Finally, because I was still standing there, he said he would deal with it. But I had my doubts, so, as I was walking away I told my husband, "I guess we need to find another store that sells Blue Seal. I'm not going to buy anymore buggy rabbit pellets".

I'll be needing another bag in a couple of days so If I still see the moths around the feed, I won't buy it there anymore and I will let them know why. It's the cheap generic feed they sell that had the moths flying around it. But it doesn't take long for them to infest everything.

 

[dangerbunny]

Standlee brand alfalfa cubes are made from non GMO alfalfa according to their website.

 

[michaels4gardens]

Try to find a store that moves a lot of Rabbit pellets, any feed from any mill will be "infected" with moth , or wevil eggs, but-- it takes a while after pelleting to get a good crop of bugs in a bag of pellets,a noticable amount of bugs in the pellets = feed too old to be safe to feed.- old feed is usually moldy feed, [esp in Florida], I lived near Ocala for 15 years, I don't know here you live-- but-- there is a little feed store in Citra, "North Marian Feed" that would order me bags every week, they came straight from the mill, --it solved my old feed problem.

 

[concreteblonde]

Try to find a store that moves a lot of Rabbit pellets, any feed from any mill will be "infected" with moth , or wevil eggs, but-- it takes a while after pelleting to get a good crop of bugs in a bag of pellets,a noticable amount of bugs in the pellets = feed too old to be safe to feed.- old feed is usually moldy feed, [esp in Florida], I lived near Ocala for 15 years, I don't know here you live-- but-- there is a little feed store in Citra, "North Marian Feed" that would order me bags every week, they came straight from the mill, --it solved my old feed problem.

I'm east of Orlando proper. There are a couple of other feeds stores around and I'll check and see if they carry the Blue Seal. I really like it and so do my rabbits and I hate changing feed on them all of the time.

 

[michaels4gardens]

I don't know how many rabbits you have, -but-- you might consider, asking the new feed store,if you find a sutible one, if they would be willing to order for you every 2 to 3 weeks [or whenever their trucks come in] the amount of pellets you expect to use, that way you can let the others fight over the old stuff, most feed store opperators I have met would love a standing order, every month they did not have to worry about selling, you just have to make it clear you want the fresh ordered feed, not the off the shelf older feed, -- it has always worked for me--even when it was only 5 to 7 bags/ month. Feed is good for at least a month even in the florida summer. I always ordered a couple bags more then I thought I would need, and adjusted the next order if I had many left.

 

[concreteblonde]

I don't know how many rabbits you have, -but-- you might consider, asking the new feed store,if you find a sutible one, if they would be willing to order for you every 2 to 3 weeks [or whenever their trucks come in] the amount of pellets you expect to use, that way you can let the others fight over the old stuff, most feed store opperators I have met would love a standing order, every month they did not have to worry about selling, you just have to make it clear you want the fresh ordered feed, not the off the shelf older feed, -- it has always worked for me--even when it was only 5 to 7 bags/ month. Feed is good for at least a month even in the florida summer. I always ordered a couple bags more then I thought I would need, and adjusted the next order if I had many left.

Okay, thanks a lot! I'm going through roughly 150 to 200 lbs of rabbit pellets a month.