need to find a new feed brand

[SterlingSatin]

well, the last dealer of heinhold in my area went out of business, so now there is absolutely no way I can get without driving an hour and a half, which I'm not going to do. So, i'm in need of a new food brand. Does anybody especially like the food they are using? I will take any suggestions and then try to find out if there are dealers in my area. I've heard good things about purina, and some others. I produce satins for show and breeders, not so much meat. Right now I'm temporarily on Manna Pro from the nearest Tractor Supply. The bunnies seem to like it more than Heinhold, but I haven't heard good things about it as a breeders feed. Something with a family formula would be nice, but its not a big deal. I'm just taking suggestions

 

[fuzzy9]

We moved from Nutrena to Pen Pals, and have been very pleased with the change. We don't have many options around here, the generic brand from our local farm store is way to dusty, Nutrena started putting way to much corn in there recipe, Prince Feeds rabbit formulas ingredients didn't excite me at all, and the rabbits wouldn't touch it anyway. Our only other option is Purina, and I refuse to feed anything Purina.

Pen Pals wasn't in our area originally, I had to drive over an hour to get it, but I worked closely with the ADM feed rep, and was fortunate to get it at our local farm store. I like that it's corn free, and my rabbits seem to be doing well on it so far.

 

[akane]

My favorite was kent which has a family type formula. It actually works out great for the mini rex because it's high protein but low fat so they don't turn in to chubby balls and I love the flaxseed being in the formula. It's usually one of the more expensive brands but manna pro has reached the same cost as kent here.

 

[hoodat]

One of the things I look for is to get feed that was made as close to me as possible. Traveling in a hot truck and being stored in a hot warehouse can make feed go stale fast. I buy most of my feed from a distributor for a mill in Perris CA which is pretty close. They grow a lot of alfalfa there and when I get the feed it still has a nice green color and fresh alfalfa smell.

 

[SterlingSatin]

found a kent dealer near by, but not a pen pals dealer. the kent looks good, but the highest protein it comes in is 17% which seems a little low for nursing does. i'll do some more research though.

 

[akane]

I don't see how 1% makes a difference. I had no problems with a 12% grain mix or horse pellet even before we found good high protein hay. Most of the time I only find 16% feeds around here and have always used them when we use rabbit pellets.

 

[SterlingSatin]

i had 18%-20% for nursing does. though sometimes they only get 16%-18% when they are nursing

 

[OneAcreFarm]

i had 18%-20% for nursing does. though sometimes they only get 16%-18% when they are nursing

Just supplement with BOSS or Calf Manna....

 

[avdpas77]

SS, I stick with Purina, because it seems to be more uniform. I use the "complete" (green bag) which probably doesn't have the protein you are looking for, but they make several other varieties for show rabbits etc. I went though a period of about 15 years without rabbits, and I don't think Purina is what it once was. Here in the US, they don't use any kind of animal fat in the food, (check the tag occasionally) always stay from any brand of feed that does. Purina, like most feeds, are produced in regional mills all over the place. There are two places in town to buy it, one gets theirs from the ST. Louis mill, but TSC gets their stock from a different mill. (don't know precisely where, it has a different mill code) I can switch between the two, with no problems. Likewise, I had no problem when feeding some that came from a California Purina mill.
So for me, it since it has a competitive price.. and the rabbits seem to do well on it, the uniformity across the nation is the clincher....

Whatever feed you decide to try, give your rabbits a week on it. Many rabbits will go "off feed" for a day or two if the feed tastes substantially different. I tried Manna Pro for a bit, and it took most of my rabbits a couple of days to accept it. They went back to the Purina with no delay, but I assume that was because they were use to it from before.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I have fed mainly Purina Show and MannaPro, plus my latest experiment with Country Acres. All are 16% feeds. I am now back on MannaPro.

Even prior to supplementing, my does did fine on 16%- it was Purina Show at the time. Now I supplement with 1/4 cup oats/barley/wheat/Boss/beet pulp daily for dry does, bumping it to 1/3 cup when they kindle, and when the kits are first out of the nest it goes up to 1/2 cup so the kits can eat it, too. By the time they are weaned, between the doe and the kits (depending on litter size) they get 1 cup to share.

I also feed bermuda grass hay and alfalfa, but mostly bermuda. Alfalfa about twice a week or so. They are also getting some weeds now, but still not very much.

 

[SatinsRule]

There are 2 common feed brands which I'd personally recommend. One is Manna Pro Sho, the other is Pen Pals Professional in either 16% or 18%.

Overall, I'd have to admit that I like the results that I've gotten from Manna Pro Sho over time. It can be purchased from any local Tractor Supply store, but they normally have to order it about 2 weeks in advance until they begin to carry it as part of their regular stock (that generally happens when enough local breeders begin purchasing it). Its one down side is that the cost tends to be a little high (approximately $21/ 50 lb. bag with tax included). Other than that, I really have no complaints about how my rabbits did on it.

Right now, mine are on Pen Pals Professional 16%, and it's a good consistent feed which is among the best in the country. If you can get a dealer to stock the Professional 18%, that is what I'd personally choose to go with, especially during the winter months.

Here are a couple of links to help with finding a dealer for each one. Both of the links show plenty of locations in the state of Indiana:

http://admworld.searchradius.com/locator.php

http://www.tractorsupply.com/StoreBySta ... ogId=10001

 

[fuzzy9]

I'm wondering something. I feed Pen Pals 16%, just started it, and love it so far. I wonder if the 2% between the 16 and 18% is actually going to make a difference? I feed free choice grass hay, I don't have alfalfa right now, until summer. But I actually have a couple does who tend to go off feed right before they kindle, and lose weight going into nursing. Would the 18% free choice during these times be a better choice?

 

[SatinsRule]

Fuzzy, the thing is that if you're raising a bigger breed, it does help in getting them through long, cold winters in tough climate regions by helping them to put on additional weight and body mass. Using an 18% feed with small breeds would be counterproductive, though. The obvious reason would be that the rabbits would put on far too much weight.

The current ARBA president uses an 18% feed on his big Satins, but only 16% on his mini satins. The reasons for each are what I just described.

 

[boundarybunnyco]

I feed Pfaus, which is made in Stevensville, MT, and I can't say enough good about it. It's fresh and green and lovely and my rabbits love love love it. the other brands I've tried are mediocre or nasty. The pellets are actually brown in some of them. Some are moldy. I've never had a problem with the Pfaus.

 

[lostcreekrabbits]

+1 for Pfau's
good stuff

 

[akane]

uzzy, the thing is that if you're raising a bigger breed, it does help in getting them through long, cold winters in tough climate regions by helping them to put on additional weight and body mass.

Calories and fat will help that more than protein. Protein takes more effort to turn in to energy. Oats and sunflower seeds will keep weight and coat condition on them better than higher protein. We've done it a couple winters now.

 

[SterlingSatin]

can i get pfau's in Indiana? a google search didn't turn up any dealer listings. if not, it think i'm going to be switching to KENT with manna pro or BOSS as a supplement.

 

[SatinsRule]

uzzy, the thing is that if you're raising a bigger breed, it does help in getting them through long, cold winters in tough climate regions by helping them to put on additional weight and body mass.

Calories and fat will help that more than protein. Protein takes more effort to turn in to energy. Oats and sunflower seeds will keep weight and coat condition on them better than higher protein. We've done it a couple winters now.

Calories and fat will also put on more of the latter (fat) moreso than protein ever will.

 

[akane]

I thought the point was to make fat for the winter.

by helping them to put on additional weight and body mass.

A rabbit can only hold so much muscle and you should already be at that limit if you are feeding well and they have a large enough cage for exercise. All you are putting on is fat to burn for heat from calories which can be fats and oils or protein with the latter being harder to turn in to calories useful for that purpose. You will only end up with fat rabbits if you over feed them in any season. If you feed the right fat % and calories through summer and winter they will hold the right weight and muscle tone without needing the massive protein amount. It's been shown in other livestock that when it comes to adults all that protein just gets peed out and makes strong smelling urine. It's only the growing animals and pregnant ones that use it and the pregnant ones generally don't need the highest protein you can get compared to growing animals if you want to push growth. The whole point of upping protein in animal feed in the first place was not to maintain condition on adults but to push growth in meat offspring.

 

[SatinsRule]

Akane, I will tell you this much.

The rabbits I compete against every February in Peoria for the most part are from Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa--all states which routinely get bitterly cold winters. In many ways, it makes competing with rabbits from that region to be extremely difficult.

My rabbits are routinely lighter in weight than the ones they compete against. It's not that my fellow competitors have fat rabbits. To the contrary, they are solid as a bowling ball, and their weight is pure muscle.

The reason is simple. The breeders up there feed a quality, balanced, higher protein feed during the winter than I can even find down here. Most of the branded feeds which are so familiar to people up there aren't even sold here in anything higher than 16% protein, whereas the breeders from the states I just mentioned routinely feed 18% rations plus grain and hay as necessary. They're not making their rabbits fat. They're maximizing their muscle mass, which allows them to cope with the winters better.

Think of it like this--Which would a person expect to become the most obese from--high-protein meals or meals which are high in calories and fat? The obvious choice is meals which are high in calories and fat, and the obesity is just the tip of the iceberg as it relates to the health problems they're likely to encounter as a result of it. On the flip side, meals which are higher in protein will ultimately produce a healthier specimen than one which is filled with calories and fat.

Don't get me wrong. Protein is not the end-all, be-all of animal health. There has to be a balance of essential nutrients involved to ensure they're getting the vitamins and minerals they need, but saying that feeding high calories and fat to an animal is the same as feeding them a meal that is high in protein is silly, at least IMHO.