Natural Feed Formula List

[sassytassie]

Hi this is my first post so I apologize if I sound less than smart. I am about to purchase a meat trio (Californians). I want to research all that is involved prior. I can definitely afford to buy feed etc, no problem. However, I live in the Los Angeles national forest and have about 9 acres at my disposal and would like to bring that to their diet as well. Am I able to create runs for my rabbits to forage naturally and just move them around? I am not familiar with the sticky in regards to no-no foods yet but will take a look at them after this post.

 

[MaggieJ]

Actually, the sticky is a list of SAFE PLANTS.
safe-plants-for-rabbits-list-t55.html

Some people do pasture their rabbits, but between predators digging or climbing in and rabbits digging out, the pens need to be very secure or protected with electric fence.

I prefer to keep my rabbits in an indoor colony in a shed and bring the greens to them. Prior to that, I kept them in cages and brought the greens to them. It isn't as much work as it sounds. I feed free choice alfalfa hay, small amounts of whole grain and as much fresh forage as possible. Rabbits not eating pellets need a trace mineral salt block.

You might want to look at the Rabbit Colonies forum as well. I believe most posts about moveable pens (often called rabbit tractors) will be found there.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Hi this is my first post so I apologize if I sound less than smart. I am about to purchase a meat trio (Californians). I want to research all that is involved prior. I can definitely afford to buy feed etc, no problem. However, I live in the Los Angeles national forest and have about 9 acres at my disposal and would like to bring that to their diet as well. Am I able to create runs for my rabbits to forage naturally and just move them around? I am not familiar with the sticky in regards to no-no foods yet but will take a look at them after this post.

:welcome: You should talk to my Sistah, MamaSheepDog, as she is near you and can give you all kinds of help and information!

 

[Hannah]

My "formula" is still in the works, right now I feed a diet of free choice Alfalfa/Grass Hay, along with kitchen scraps and a small amount of Oats and BOSS. They also have a mineral/salt lick so I can be sure they're getting enough salt, vitamins and minerals. So far they seem to be doing really well on it, and enjoy the fresh stuff.

 

[marmca]

Hi,
I have a question about TRANFERRING pellet fed rabbit's to hay and natural diet. In particular, my buck shuns hay, will eat Loquat leave,branches and fruit. He looks and feels anorexic. Giant Angora, was discovered how thin when harvested wool.
Has had access to over a flake a day (I bought 50 lb bales of Timothy/Orchard ("horse hay") My crossbred (mutt), dwarf and Flemish all know what it is.and have pretty good eating habits. The German does pick at it. The buck waits for pellets, sweet feed or grain doesn't even spread hay about cage, will sit on it, use it for a bathroom. I put him in yard the other day he found his way out of pen and spent afternoon evening in yard; neighbor had caught and put back in cage where I found him next morning. Put him in house in a cage to monitor his diet, That day he happily chewed most of the day, branches, leaves even some hay, but picky like the does. I've tried Oxbow brand Timothy hay, these newer ones even shunned it for a time and still waste a lot. Not like my 'mutt' who eats what is good for her and delights in pellets or especially sweet feed but cleans most of her cage of stray hay. Newly acquired German Giants are junk food junkies. If he weren't so thin I am familiar with "they'll eat when they are hungry" attitude. Before spent the night outside, only way to get him to eat was pour molasses on the hay. Or let him live on Loquat leaves, branches. As garden is not at harvest-able stage yet and can not spend $60 week buying fresh greens. Anyone else have any experience, knowledge on how to break them of junk food habit? He will nibble whole beets and tops in moderation - I've read tops are not too good for them. I bought 10 bales of Timothy / Orchard anticipating this was bulk of their diet. Am now faced with finding feed that he will eat. Even Calf Manna pelleted rabbit Pro he would nibble but usually left plenty in food dish. Have to put some weight on him. :| (help) Any suggestions?

 

[MaggieJ]

Marmca, I found your post a bit hard to follow, but it sounds to me like the German Angora buck may have an underlying issue if he is very thin and will not eat heartily of either hay or pellets.

Orchard/grass/timothy hays are not high enough in protein - about 12% maximun, same as most whole grains. Many of us who feed a natural diet base it on a hay with a good alfalfa or clover content, which is more like 16-18 %. This is approximately the same protein content as most pelleted feeds. Angoras in particular need a bit more protein because they are growing all that wool... and fur and feathers are composed mainly of protein.

I feed my rabbits free choice alfalfa hay, some grass hay, gathered greens (weeds and safe tree branches in spring, summer and fall and root vegetables and cabbage in winter) and a small amount of whole grain, mainly wheat. If rabbits are not being fed pellets, they also need a trace mineral salt block. The youngsters grow more slowly on this diet than on pellets, but the adults maintain a healthy weight, as long as you do not overdo the grain.

Some rabbits are resistant to the change to natural feed. Sometimes it is more efficient to save some of their naturally-fed offspring and cull or sell the resistant adults.

 

[Princessivy]

I wondered if any of you have experienced calcium issues from feeding alfalfa? I am looking for lower my feed bill and become less dependent of pellets. how would I know if my rabbits are having issues from calcium deposits from Alfalfa?

 

[akane]

Simple feed
1/2lb rolled oats
1/2lb barley
1/4lb black oil sunflower seeds
unlimited 20% protein organic clover/alfalfa hay off a field treated for increased trace minerals
a soft mineral block for horses per colony
as needed oats or pellets rolled in horse coat supplement: soy oil, sunflower oil, flax oil

Fell back to manna gro temporarily and currently working on this much more complete mix with the same hay and no fresh foods most of the year
how-is-this-supplement-and-chamomile-question-t20670.html


Yes it may be overkill. Part of the excessive mixture aside from covering everything is palatability testing. Number crunching is in process to see exactly the protein, carbs, fat, Ca, fat soluable vitamin numbers and trace mineral percentages. Then things will probably get cut from the mix and others adjusted to reach my goals and have something that everyone will finish off happily.

 

[Princessivy]

How long does that mix last? How much do you feed per rabbit? How do you determine how much 7-8 kits growing out should get or a nursing momma with kits not eating food yet.

 

[Graceful Meadows]

How do you keep this affordable? I am probably missing something, but it seems more expensive, especially in the winter when there isn't anything fresh outside. What am I missing? I think it would be really cool to go all natural (or at least mostly natural) but it seems way more expensive. :-?

 

[zee]

Taking notes...

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

Simple feed
1/2lb rolled oats
1/2lb barley
1/4lb black oil sunflower seeds
unlimited 20% protein organic clover/alfalfa hay off a field treated for increased trace minerals
a soft mineral block for horses per colony
as needed oats or pellets rolled in horse coat supplement: soy oil, sunflower oil, flax oil

Fell back to manna gro temporarily and currently working on this much more complete mix with the same hay and no fresh foods most of the year
how-is-this-supplement-and-chamomile-question-t20670.html


Yes it may be overkill. Part of the excessive mixture aside from covering everything is palatability testing. Number crunching is in process to see exactly the protein, carbs, fat, Ca, fat soluable vitamin numbers and trace mineral percentages. Then things will probably get cut from the mix and others adjusted to reach my goals and have something that everyone will finish off happily.

I was wondering... do you make the horse coat supplement or do you buy it..

 

[cowgirl9768]

Does any one know the cal per 100grams of BOSS

 

[brownsfarm]

As feed cost is getting a bit expensive i've turned to my farm.. i have just started using these on a new batch of weaned wil let yall know how it goes.
Here's my list not a formula but its feed

1.Sweet potato leaves and vines (Ipomoea batatas)
2.Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus) as much as they can eat
3.Mulberry leaves (Morus) as much as they can eat
4. Moringa oleifera
5.Spanish Needle (bidens pilosa) as much as they can eat
6.Banana leaves

Any input will be greatly appreciated

 

[MaggieJ]

Rabbits can really benefit from supplementing commercial feed with appropriate plants. It's over thirty years since I visited Jamaica and I am not familiar with some of the plants you listed, but sweet potato vines and leaves and mulberry leaves are both good for rabbits. Mulberry has high levels of protein.

Thanks for including the Latin names for the plants and do let us know how the natural feeding supplements work out.

 

[Rainey]

I was surprised when looking back at my notes from summer to find that we had fed 39 different plants with no ill effects observed yet. The safe plant list here was a much used resource although we tried some things that had cautions. This winter the variety is less of course. We're feeding oats, wheat fodder, hay, and carrots or parsnips each day. We also have dried willow, comfrey, raspberry canes, field peas (cut and dried before the pods matured), nettles and burdock leaves that we'll feed occasionally through the winter.

Since we make our own hay, the only feed we're buying is the grain, oat in the summer and oats and wheat this winter. Each cage also has a piece of mineral block chipped off what we give our goats. We hope next season to spend less time foraging, planting a bit more rabbit food in the garden and encouraging some of the preferred wild plants like chicory which seems to grow mostly along the roadside. Has anyone here grown it intentionally or know anything about the varieties developed for livestock feed?

 

[michaels4gardens]

I was surprised when looking back at my notes from summer to find that we had fed 39 different plants with no ill effects observed yet. The safe plant list here was a much used resource although we tried some things that had cautions. This winter the variety is less of course. We're feeding oats, wheat fodder, hay, and carrots or parsnips each day. We also have dried willow, comfrey, raspberry canes, field peas (cut and dried before the pods matured), nettles and burdock leaves that we'll feed occasionally through the winter.

Since we make our own hay, the only feed we're buying is the grain, oat in the summer and oats and wheat this winter. Each cage also has a piece of mineral block chipped off what we give our goats. We hope next season to spend less time foraging, planting a bit more rabbit food in the garden and encouraging some of the preferred wild plants like chicory which seems to grow mostly along the roadside. Has anyone here grown it intentionally or know anything about the varieties developed for livestock feed?

I grow a lot of vegetables for rabbits, Chicory is among those, there are several varieties of large leaf [sort of like an open romane ] that work well,"Pain De Sucre" is one of them, as well as "Italian Dandelion" that is also a chicory and works well. Toscano Kale [dino kale ] is also very nutrient dense, and hardy, and can [along with sugar beet] completely replace grain in the ration. --- seed sources --

http://www.gourmetseed.com/category/gou ... ry___leaf/ [just one source, there are many including Baker creek seed http://www.rareseeds.com/ ] Tranquility-Cottage http://stores.ebay.com/Tranquility-Cott ... 34.c0.m322 [also a good source of traditional Kale varieties]

see the book, "raising poultry and rabbits on scraps " Goodchild 1941 , Penguin Press.
[Sugar Beet can also be sliced and dried to feed year round]
JMHO -- if you want to raise Rabbits on "Natural Feeds" , you should memorize this book [and - add Jerusalem Artichoke to the list of feeds you grow, as it is not mentioned in this book]. J.Artichoke has almost the same feed value as Potato, but does not require cooking. again -- JMHO

 

[Rainey]

I grow a lot of vegetables for rabbits, Chicory is among those, there are several varieties of large leaf [sort of like an open romane ] that work well,"Pain De Sucre" is one of them, as well as "Italian Dandelion" that is also a chicory and works well. Toscano Kale [dino kale ] is also very nutrient dense, and hardy, and can [along with sugar beet] completely replace grain in the ration. --- seed sources --

http://www.gourmetseed.com/category/gou ... ry___leaf/ [just one source, there are many including Baker creek seed http://www.rareseeds.com/ ] Tranquility-Cottage http://stores.ebay.com/Tranquility-Cott ... 34.c0.m322 [also a good source of traditional Kale varieties]

see the book, "raising poultry and rabbits on scraps " Goodchild 1941 , Penguin Press.
[Sugar Beet can also be sliced and dried to feed year round]
JMHO -- if you want to raise Rabbits on "Natural Feeds" , you should memorize this book [and - add Jerusalem Artichoke to the list of feeds you grow, as it is not mentioned in this book]. J.Artichoke has almost the same feed value as Potato, but does not require cooking. again -- JMHO

Thanks for the specifics about what you're feeding. I have the book, have read it and will continue to refer to it. I notice that it gives times of year to feed different things and I want to work on that for our place and rabbits. We have Jerusalem artichokes--had been trying to get rid of them from a corner of the house before we got rabbits. Cut and fed the tops through the growing season and dug some to start in another place where they'd have more room. At what stage do you dig the roots to feed and can they be stored in our root cellar along with carrots, potatoes, etc? Do you dry kale for winter or just keep feeding it until the snow buries it or it freezes too hard to keep growing? I know the plants left in the ground put up new growth in spring before the newly planted greens get a start. We got a start this year, getting the rabbits we started with off pellets, and I'd like to get them off the purchased grain (not organic) when I am confident of meeting the nutritional needs with what we can grow/forage ourselves.

 

[michaels4gardens]

[/quote]

Thanks for the specifics about what you're feeding. I have the book, have read it and will continue to refer to it. I notice that it gives times of year to feed different things and I want to work on that for our place and rabbits. We have Jerusalem artichokes--had been trying to get rid of them from a corner of the house before we got rabbits. Cut and fed the tops through the growing season and dug some to start in another place where they'd have more room. At what stage do you dig the roots to feed and can they be stored in our root cellar along with carrots, potatoes, etc? Do you dry kale for winter or just keep feeding it until the snow buries it or it freezes too hard to keep growing? I know the plants left in the ground put up new growth in spring before the newly planted greens get a start. We got a start this year, getting the rabbits we started with off pellets, and I'd like to get them off the purchased grain (not organic) when I am confident of meeting the nutritional needs with what we can grow/forage ourselves.[/quote]

I either dig and store, or leave in the ground and dig as needed, J.artichoke stores well if kept damp, and cool, [like under damp sand] J. artichoke left in the ground can be hard to get when the ground is frozen. - Kale can be dried, or fed fresh, I like to dry alfalfa, and grass hay, and feed kale fresh, but-- it can be dried. When the kale freezes out, I just feed hay and root crops. But in the spring I feed kale leaves and also let it go to seed , so- I can save my own seed, [plants started from seed -from plants grown in your garden, and soil type, will out perform plants started from imported seed.]
- Nutritional requirements, -- most soils are nutrient deficient-- so an effort should be made to correct this-- collection of leaves from trees will help, as the trees bring nutrients up from deep in the soil where they have not been depleted yet. --and ,of course putting the manure back on the garden also keeps the cycle going in the right direction.