Planting a large area

[Stormy]

I've been moving my bunnies in their mobile 10' cage around, along with their large day pen. They raze all the good stuff to the ground. They don't seem to eat much of the dead grasses. When I move them every two weeks the area is pretty decimated. I think it'd be perfect to plant some seeds of what would be really nutritious for them. What would be the best mix of seeds? I've been reading here the grain seeds (oats, wheat, barley), alfalfa, dandelions? Is there something else I'm missing? Are these easy to grow? Do I have to till the field - I don't have equipment for that. I was thinking of just raking it in to the fairly bare earth left behind and raking the rabbit droppings and hay litter back over it. Would I need to wait and plant in fall when it begins to rain? Advice appreciated!

I am amazed some people do not use pellets at all. Since I'm going through all this trouble to grow my own, colony style and grass-fed, I'd really like to stop or minimize the use of commercial pellets and go organic.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Check out the safe plants sticky for ideas of what to plant. Many "weed" seeds are available for purchase online.

safe-plants-for-rabbits-list-t55.html

 

[Joe n TN]

Hairy vetch, alfalfa, fescue, buckwheat...to name a few. I would plant a mix. Rough up the soil as much as possible after the rabbiys eat it down, add a little organic compost and overseed. Do it once in the fall and once in the spring and you're set.

Joe

 

[dragonladyleanne]

Rabbits can eat KUDZU?!! That is wonderful news here, it's a "pest" plant! Can it be fed green, or does it need to dry into hay? If the answer is "green", I am amazed the road departments haven't been handing out free rabbits to anyone who'll take them grazing where kudzu was planted for "erosion control"!

 

[MaggieJ]

Rabbits can eat KUDZU?!! That is wonderful news here, it's a "pest" plant! Can it be fed green, or does it need to dry into hay?

We don't have kudzu this far north but I know people do feed it to their rabbits and I don't recall anything about needing to dry it like hay, although you could. It is high in protein and could really help cut feed bills. Reminder that kudzu, like alfalfa, clover and other legumes - should not be fed wilted or after a hard frost. Both cause a chemical change that could lead to bloat. Or so I have read. Fresh or fully dried like hay should be just fine however.

 

[Miss M]

Both cause a chemical change that could lead to bloat. Or so I have read.

One thing I've wondered is... how is it not safe to feed it wilted, but safe when dried, when it'll wilt before it dries? :?: :?: :?:

Does another change happen as it dries, that makes it safe again?

 

[MaggieJ]

Both cause a chemical change that could lead to bloat. Or so I have read.

One thing I've wondered is... how is it not safe to feed it wilted, but safe when dried, when it'll wilt before it dries? :?: :?: :?:

Does another change happen as it dries, that makes it safe again?

As I understand it, the process of wilting causes a chemical change but when fully dried it becomes safe again. It's something I should research for fully.

 

[hoodat]

Some may find this article interesting. Not only is kudzu a high protein fodder for animals but, according to many, a delicious food on your own table.
http://www.azcentral.com/style/hfe/food ... u0320.html<br /><br />__________ Wed Aug 15, 2012 8:24 am __________<br /><br />Here's another good article pertaining to providing browse plants for wild rabbits. Presumably anything a wild rabbit likes is also good for domestic rabbits. You may have to pick and choose what parts of the article you can incorporate and what parts are impracticle to your situation.
http://mdc.mo.gov/landwater-care/animal ... management

 

[MaggieJ]

Interesting article, Hoodat!

I wonder why kudzu is not kept in check by harvesting it and feeding it to livestock on a large scale. Especially in a year like this one where hay and grain crops are very poor, it would make good economic sense.

 

[hoodat]

Interesting article, Hoodat!

I wonder why kudzu is not kept in check by harvesting it and feeding it to livestock on a large scale. Especially in a year like this one where hay and grain crops are very poor, it would make good economic sense.

All too many people use their emotions instead of their brains. Kudzu has been labeled a pest and a curse so they never think it can be useful. In its' native land of Japan it is carefully grown and used for many purposes. Of course it doesn't get out of hand there as it does in our Southern states.
I've also thought that kudzu could make great compost with a high commercial value. A huge supply of it is available free for the taking. The only thing I have seen it used for is as browsing goat fodder and that is more to keep it mowed down than for the raising of the goats.
Its' value as hay is equal to alfalfa but due to state laws meant to keep it from spreading it can't be transported across state lines.

 

[dragonladyleanne]

I don't have to transport it across state lines, yay for me! And I had heard back in my childhood that it did cause cows to bloat. BUT, in my rabbit research, I had seen tracts that insisted "green" food of ANY sort was bad, others that insisted it was "natural, they can eat any greens they WILL eat", and finally found an article that was sort of medical in nature (giving great detail about their digestive systems and coecotropes, etc) and it said the reason for the conflicting views was that IMPROPERLY dried greens tended to ferment, or even grow molds, and it was this that gave animals bloat. So maybe that's why kudzu green or kudzu dried completely (and properly) is ok, but "wilted" you are running the risk of the mold being there but not in quantities enough for us humans to detect? I currently don't have any growing in my yard, but there's tons of it nearby, including near my daughter's house. I may have to sneak a plant over from there (I'll start it in a pot, just in case some inspector goes HEY, you can't have that plant)! But they have been pretty lax about "code violations" ever since the BP spill.

 

[Frecs]

Living in the South where Kudzu is a true pest plant, I too thought "oh, a great, free, fodder for my rabbits!" Then, I was advised that it is possible for even a fraction of a piece of leaf or stem --whether uneaten/dropped or eaten/not digested--can result in kudzu coming up in my yard. Not a good idea.

There are goat herders who hire out their goats for kudzu control -- at least if they poo out bits of kudzu it remains in the infected area!

 

[Marinea]

Oh, I wish we were kudzu-free here! We fight it every year.

The rabbits will eat it, but in my experience, only when the leaves are young. As the leaves get bigger, they get stiffer and kind of "hairy". At that point, the buns say "no thanks, where's our blackberry canes?"

I am going to dry some next spring when the leaves are still young, and try them that way during the year.