Rabbit gardening

[Frecs]

[*]

Plant a weeping willow, Sky... They grow very fast and provide a lot of forage for the rabbits... safe, high in protein, palatable to rabbits.

Any idea if Carolina willow (Salix caroliniana) is safe? It does contain salicin which has similar effects as salicylic acid (a compound of aspirin). This is growing in my ditch and just about everyone else's ditch around here.


Edit: I found this after posting the question:
The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritive content and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of
leaves, green stems, bark, and wood of Carolina willow (Salix caroliniana) used as browse for exotic herbivores.
One bundle of willow was harvested in April, August, September, and October 2003 (average = 6.82 kg fresh
weight, n = 4) and stored at 4.4 °C until sampled. Each bundle was separated into leaves, green stems, and woody
stems. The woody stems were divided into four diameter categories (< 0.5 cm, 0.5–1.0 cm, > 1.0–2.0 cm, and >
2.0 cm) and further separated into bark and wood. Each component was weighed and frozen for analysis of dry
matter (DM), crude protein (CP), acid detergent fibre (ADF), lignin, gross energy (GE), starch, minerals (Ca, P,
Mg, K, Na, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, and Zn), and IVDMD. Bundles averaged 5 % green stems, 20 % leaves, 21 % bark,
and 54 % wood on a dry matter basis. Leaves had the greatest and wood had the least CP content. Acid detergent
fibre was lowest in bark from stems less than 2 cm in diamter and greatest in wood. Bark from stems, greater than
0.5 cm in diamter, had the greatest Ca content with wood having the least. Phosphorus content was greater in
green stems than bark and wood from stems greater than 0.5 cm in diamter. Leaves had nearly fivefold greater Zn
concentration than wood. Bark, from stems less than 1 cm in diamter, had greater IVDMD than wood. As ADF
content of the browse components increased, their IVDMD decreased. Based on the extent to which each species
consumes willow browse components, the nutritive content varied, but could be a part of a balanced diet.

 

[MaggieJ]

I am not familiar with it, being so much farther north, but it should be safe. I have yet to find a Salix that is toxic to rabbits. If you decide to use it, start with small amounts to one rabbit - not your favourite! I really doubt there will be any ill effects, but this is always a wise precaution when experimenting with a plant you are not sure of.

Ah, I see you found some great information! Well done. Could you post the link for that so I can bookmark it?

 

[Frecs]

I am not familiar with it, being so much farther north, but it should be safe. I have yet to find a Salix that is toxic to rabbits. If you decide to use it, start with small amounts to one rabbit - not your favourite! I really doubt there will be any ill effects, but this is always a wise precaution when experimenting with a plant you are not sure of.

Ah, I see you found some great information! Well done. Could you post the link for that so I can bookmark it?

http://www.eaza.net/activities/Document ... A-ZAN3.pdf but it is a compilation of abstracts.

I'll be careful with it and not give too much at once. Moderation and all that...

 

[MaggieJ]

Thanks for the link!

It is always a good idea with green feeding to offer several different greens at a feeding. This ensures a variety of nutrients and also reduces the chance of feeding too much of any one thing.

 

[hoodat]

It isn't the berries that stink. They have almost no odor at all; it's the urine that has a strong odor.

 

[skysthelimit]

It isn't the berries that stink. They have almost no odor at all; it's the urine that has a strong odor.

Soaked in the urine they smell. And there is no way for me to really separate the berries from the urine, so talking about the waste as one works for me. They cannot be pour out directly into the garden regardless, or any open place. The odor lasted for days and I could smell it 75ft down the driveway to the sidewalk. I'm in the process of building a compost bin, maybe I can rinse the berries (urine soaked) and let them aged in a contained spot.

 

[MaggieJ]

One of our members, Truckinguy, has a screen system under his cages to keep the bunny berries separate from the urine. The post about it will be back in the first year of RabbitTalk. You could try to find it if the idea interests you.

 

[skysthelimit]

One of our members, Truckinguy, has a screen system under his cages to keep the bunny berries separate from the urine. The post about it will be back in the first year of RabbitTalk. You could try to find it if the idea interests you.

I will look for it. There is so much hay in the trays underneath, I stopped putting wood chips in them. Seems like the hay would trap the urine, and it would coat the hay and berries.

 

[MaggieJ]

Okay, I found the thread but unfortunately it is so old that the pictures are no longer there.
post4180.html#p4180

Basically what Truckinguy was doing, as best I remember, was putting a hardware cloth screen between the cage bottom and the corrugated plastic sheet that drained the urine into an eavestrough and down into a container. The poops and any hay etc. stayed on the screen and could be removed separate from the urine. The urine was dumped daily, but just one container so not a lot of work, and it reduced ammonia smells considerably. Hope this at least gives you some ideas you can build on. Truckinguy is still with us on this forum, but has internet access problems so he posts only now and again.

 

[siddsaysgimmie]

This is a very interesting and informative thread.. I'm hoping to find some seeds to plant for the bunnies this year! I have never tried growing anything so hopefully it goes well.

 

[MaggieJ]

This is a very interesting and informative thread.. I'm hoping to find some seeds to plant for the bunnies this year! I have never tried growing anything so hopefully it goes well.

By all means grow some things for the buns, Asia. They enjoy the tops of radishes and carrots -- and you can keep the roots for yourself. Basil is a favourite herb with most rabbits and it is very safe. They can also have moderate amounts of leaf lettuce or romaine. (Not iceberg... it is mostly water and causes some rabbits to have loose stools.)

In addition, you can gather from any clean grassy area or lawn. Weeds like dandelion, plantain and clover are all good for the buns. You'll find a lot of weeds along with their Latin names in the Safe Plants List.
safe-plants-for-rabbits-list-t55.html

 

[siddsaysgimmie]

Thanks Maggie! Will take a good look at that site.

I won't be able to grow much since our yard has terrible soil, so we're going to give growing in some planters a try. My nan is growing carrots this year so I will ask her for the tops so the bunnies can enjoy it too. I'm sure they'll like having some different foods in their diet and it might help with the feed bill, too.

 

[MaggieJ]

Don't forget that all those bunny berries will do wonders for your soil... A year from now you'll be amazed by how much that poor soil will have improved if you dig the rabbit manure into it.

 

[skysthelimit]

Okay, I found the thread but unfortunately it is so old that the pictures are no longer there.
post4180.html#p4180

Basically what Truckinguy was doing, as best I remember, was putting a hardware cloth screen between the cage bottom and the corrugated plastic sheet that drained the urine into an eavestrough and down into a container. The poops and any hay etc. stayed on the screen and could be removed separate from the urine. The urine was dumped daily, but just one container so not a lot of work, and it reduced ammonia smells considerably. Hope this at least gives you some ideas you can build on. Truckinguy is still with us on this forum, but has internet access problems so he posts only now and again.

i will do a little research, though it seems like it would mean rebuilding the cage space. right now the hanging cages have tubs underneath them, and there is another row of cages under them. to get the corrugated plastic at an angle that it would drain, i would have to get rid of the tubs, and lift the cages so the panel was angled enough to drain.
maybe i will just try screening the bins I pour the berries into, and emptying the tubs more frequently, so the they are never in the urine for too long.<br /><br />__________ Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:55 pm __________<br /><br />So here's what I'm/I have planted--

collected dandelion seeds, carrot, two types of spinach, the collards that never die, beets, maximillian sunflower, alfalfa, chicory, white clover, catmint for fly control, giant hyssop just because , hairy vetch, peppermint (already have lemon balm and spearmint, arugula

plus the lavender, which is my person favorite scent, so I grow that just because. these seem like a perfect set of plant seeds for a rabbit garden pack.

 

[OffGridLiving]

Here is a partial list of what I would like to grow in my bunny garden:

Artichoke (leaves- we get the flowers!)
Arugala
Basil
Beets
Borage
Brambles
Calendula
Carrot
Chicory
Cilantro
Dandelion
Fennel
Fenugreek
Filaree
Mint
Mustard (wild and domestic)
Parsley
Plantain
Queen Ann's lace
Radish
Red and green leaf lettuce
Rose
Spinach
Shepherd's purse
Strawberries
Sunflowers
White clover
Yarrow

We already grow most of those plants in our garden anyway, but I'll need to get seeds for chicory, plantain, Queen Ann's lace, and gather more dandelion seeds in town. Filaree, mustard, and Shepherds purse grow wild here, so I will transplant those or harvest from our raised beds as they pop up on their own. Artichoke leaves get huge, so I plan on adding more to the garden this year- the goats love them too, and I fed the dried flowers and stalks to the rabbits last year.

There are a lot of vegetables that we grow anyway that are safe to feed, so I'll harvest some of that for them too.

Please do some extra research before giving Queen Ann's Lace to your rabbits. Rick Worden of Rise and Shine Rabbitry recently said on a podcast that he had some problems with it when given to his rabbits.
Just wanted to save you some potential problems!

 

[MaggieJ]

Thanks for posting the warning about Queen Anne's lace, OffGridLiving. Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota) is pretty much the same as garden carrots (Daucus carota sativa), just in its wild form. The foliage and roots are safe for rabbits, but mature flowers and seeds may certainly cause problems and may even be toxic. The seed of Queen Anne's lace has been used by humans for centuries as a birth control method. Not what you want for rabbits!

If you cut your Queen Anne's lace plants to the ground frequently, they will respond by giving a constant crop of lacy greens. Let some mature for next year's crop. Queen Anne's lace is a biennial.