root crops as part of no pellet diet

[michaels4gardens]

This is a very timely thread as I had just started making a seed order with fodder beets in it! :lol:

Being way down South in Florida I so get the "Learn something new and then adapt it!" thing, I dont even know if fodder beets will grow for me but I really want to try them.

When one feeds something like beets to rabbits, do they have to be shredded or chunked or what?

rabbits come equipped with razorblades in front, they will have no problems eating un-cut beets, -- but- serving sizes are a consideration... beets grew well in the Ocala area...planted between wide spaced rows of corn.

 

[GBov]

This is a very timely thread as I had just started making a seed order with fodder beets in it! :lol:

Being way down South in Florida I so get the "Learn something new and then adapt it!" thing, I dont even know if fodder beets will grow for me but I really want to try them.

When one feeds something like beets to rabbits, do they have to be shredded or chunked or what?

rabbits come equipped with razorblades in front, they will have no problems eating un-cut beets, -- but- serving sizes are a consideration... beets grew well in the Ocala area...planted between wide spaced rows of corn.

That is GREAT information! Thank you!

 

[mike17l]

Nobody has mentioned sweet potatoes???

 

[michaels4gardens]

Nobody has mentioned sweet potatoes???

I have fed both root and vine-- both are great...

 

[mike17l]

Nobody has mentioned sweet potatoes???

I have fed both root and vine-- both are great...

I do too. Love them as food. Heck, around Thanksgiving I was buying them for 20 cents a pound. I think I bought 270# of them.

 

[FourRingCircus]

Nobody has mentioned sweet potatoes???

I have fed both root and vine-- both are great...

I do too. Love them as food. Heck, around Thanksgiving I was buying them for 20 cents a pound. I think I bought 270# of them.

I wish I would have stocked up more during the sales (I think we had 20 cents as well)... but I am not too confident in my storage abilities yet...

 

[michaels4gardens]

Sweet potato vs. Sugar beet
Feedipedia,
Rabbits
Dried sweet potato tubers profitably replaced 100% of maize grain in rabbit diets, without adverse effects on performance and blood characteristics (Agwunobi et al., 1997).

Sweet potato forage [the vine ] is mainly a source of protein and contains about 15-30% CP in the DM, but the forage quality depends on the proportion of leaves and stems, the latter containing much less protein than the leaves. Lysine is the main limiting amino acid (Le Van An, 2004). Unlike legume forages, it does not contain notable quantities of antinutritional factors.

Digestibility and degradability [Ruminants ]
Dry matter digestibility was found to be 70% (Ffoulkes et al., 1978a) and dry matter degradability was in the 40-50% range (Etela et al., 2008a). Rumen protein degradability of fresh sweet potato forage was quite high (about 70%), but the undegradable dietary protein was lower than that of other protein supplements of similar degradability (cottonseed meal and Gliricidia sepium). This resulted in less digestible true protein being available to the animal for metabolism after digestion and absorption (Kabi et al., 2005).

Rabbits
Sweet potato vines are palatable to rabbits and have been found to be more palatable that Leucaena leucocephala and the foliage of other legume trees (Raharjo et al., 1985). In rabbits fed a concentrate diet, fresh sweet potato vines resulted in a slightly lower intake and daily gain (21.1 g/day) than water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica). The best DM intake and growth rate were obtained when adding Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus) to sweet potato vines, water spinash or a mixture of both forages, though the digestibility of DM and crude protein was lower for these diets supplemented with Guinea grass (Doan Thi Gang et al., 2006). Groundnut haulms and soybean forage were more cost effective than sweet potato forage for feeding rabbits (Iyeghe-Erakpotobor, 2007).

My thoughts,
I think those living in warm humid areas should think about growing sweet potato for rabbit feed, - When I lived in Florida.. I grew them for myself as well as rabbits, . in my opinion, - the vines were at least as valuable as the roots, [for all of us, as the vine tips [first 8 inches] and young leaves, are wonderful steamed, or stir-fried] Sweet potato vines, and leaves are readily eaten by rabbits, and sweet potato plants produce a huge amount of harvestable vine. -- both the vines and the root are low in "long stem fiber" which is a necessity for rabbit feed rations. so- a source of long stem fiber must always be available to the rabbits. [grass hay , or even corn stalks fill this need.]
People who live in areas with a frost free growing season less then 180 days, should think about sugar beet production for rabbit feed. -- as far as utilization of garden space is concerned, ..Both sugar beet, and sweet potato have a great calorie/ square foot yield. Both store well in their respective growing areas. [in the south,- sweet potatoes can be left in the garden, and harvested throughout the winter.]
I think the sugar beet is a better nutrition source then the Sweet potato [as far as rabbits are concerned] and can completely replace, grain, in rabbit rations] with good results achieved from just sugar beet and timothy/alfalfa hay. --but in the south, the long term yield of usable vine in addition to the tubers, makes the sweet potato a much better choice.
For those living in the north, kale is a great feed crop, and for those in the south both kale and collard [just another "kale"] work well to help fill the rabbit nutritional needs.
-- just a note-
-- in Florida, the soil is for the most part, devoid of most minerals for the plants to use, and very low in nitrogen as well., so feeds raised in the "sugar sand" need a lot of soil amendments, and will have a lower feed value than the same crops raised in the north, [in better soils] -so- a good mineral supplement is even more important. as well as something added to boost protein levels in feed rations.[along with coastal Bermuda, I fed perennial peanut hay, getting better results than when using the much more expensive alfalfa hay]. JMHO...

buying sweet potatoes at .20 cents/ pound, is not nearly as cost effective as buying rabbit pellets at .30 or .40 cents / pound.

 

[GBov]

Sweet potato vs. Sugar beet
Feedipedia,
Rabbits
Dried sweet potato tubers profitably replaced 100% of maize grain in rabbit diets, without adverse effects on performance and blood characteristics (Agwunobi et al., 1997).

Sweet potato forage [the vine ] is mainly a source of protein and contains about 15-30% CP in the DM, but the forage quality depends on the proportion of leaves and stems, the latter containing much less protein than the leaves. Lysine is the main limiting amino acid (Le Van An, 2004). Unlike legume forages, it does not contain notable quantities of antinutritional factors.

Digestibility and degradability [Ruminants ]
Dry matter digestibility was found to be 70% (Ffoulkes et al., 1978a) and dry matter degradability was in the 40-50% range (Etela et al., 2008a). Rumen protein degradability of fresh sweet potato forage was quite high (about 70%), but the undegradable dietary protein was lower than that of other protein supplements of similar degradability (cottonseed meal and Gliricidia sepium). This resulted in less digestible true protein being available to the animal for metabolism after digestion and absorption (Kabi et al., 2005).

Rabbits
Sweet potato vines are palatable to rabbits and have been found to be more palatable that Leucaena leucocephala and the foliage of other legume trees (Raharjo et al., 1985). In rabbits fed a concentrate diet, fresh sweet potato vines resulted in a slightly lower intake and daily gain (21.1 g/day) than water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica). The best DM intake and growth rate were obtained when adding Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus) to sweet potato vines, water spinash or a mixture of both forages, though the digestibility of DM and crude protein was lower for these diets supplemented with Guinea grass (Doan Thi Gang et al., 2006). Groundnut haulms and soybean forage were more cost effective than sweet potato forage for feeding rabbits (Iyeghe-Erakpotobor, 2007).

My thoughts,
I think those living in warm humid areas should think about growing sweet potato for rabbit feed, - When I lived in Florida.. I grew them for myself as well as rabbits, . in my opinion, - the vines were at least as valuable as the roots, [for all of us, as the vine tips [first 8 inches] and young leaves, are wonderful steamed, or stir-fried] Sweet potato vines, and leaves are readily eaten by rabbits, and sweet potato plants produce a huge amount of harvestable vine. -- both the vines and the root are low in "long stem fiber" which is a necessity for rabbit feed rations. so- a source of long stem fiber must always be available to the rabbits. [grass hay , or even corn stalks fill this need.]
People who live in areas with a frost free growing season less then 180 days, should think about sugar beet production for rabbit feed. -- as far as utilization of garden space is concerned, ..Both sugar beet, and sweet potato have a great calorie/ square foot yield. Both store well in their respective growing areas. [in the south,- sweet potatoes can be left in the garden, and harvested throughout the winter.]
I think the sugar beet is a better nutrition source then the Sweet potato [as far as rabbits are concerned] and can completely replace, grain, in rabbit rations] with good results achieved from just sugar beet and timothy/alfalfa hay. --but in the south, the long term yield of usable vine in addition to the tubers, makes the sweet potato a much better choice.
For those living in the north, kale is a great feed crop, and for those in the south both kale and collard [just another "kale"] work well to help fill the rabbit nutritional needs.
-- just a note-
-- in Florida, the soil is for the most part, devoid of most minerals for the plants to use, and very low in nitrogen as well., so feeds raised in the "sugar sand" need a lot of soil amendments, and will have a lower feed value than the same crops raised in the north, [in better soils] -so- a good mineral supplement is even more important. as well as something added to boost protein levels in feed rations.[along with coastal Bermuda, I fed perennial peanut hay, getting better results than when using the much more expensive alfalfa hay]. JMHO...

buying sweet potatoes at .20 cents/ pound, is not nearly as cost effective as buying rabbit pellets at .30 or .40 cents / pound.

I LOVE this place, I learn new things every day! I had no idea we could eat sweet potato vines ourselves. Yay, a new food!

 

[Zass]

Here in NW PA we are able to grow some sweet potatoes in the garden in favorable locales, like a south facing hillside in "city limits."
In this part of PA, that means that the heat the city produces is trapped by the tall hills and small mountains surrounding it, which can extend the growing season a bit.

I also know that sweet potatoes can be kept as houseplants even in cold places, so this year, I brought some of my sweet potato vines inside to provide a little bit of fresh food during winter for both rabbits and humans.

 

[FourRingCircus]

Here in NW PA we are able to grow some sweet potatoes in the garden in favorable locales, like a south facing hillside in "city limits."
In this part of PA, that means that the heat the city produces is trapped by the tall hills and small mountains surrounding it, which can extend the growing season a bit.

I also know that sweet potatoes can be kept as houseplants even in cold places, so this year, I brought some of my sweet potato vines inside to provide a little bit of fresh food during winter for both rabbits and humans.

Totally agree with GBov - i am always learning! i wonder if they would grow in the south facing basement window...

 

[michaels4gardens]

Here in NW PA we are able to grow some sweet potatoes in the garden in favorable locales, like a south facing hillside in "city limits."
In this part of PA, that means that the heat the city produces is trapped by the tall hills and small mountains surrounding it, which can extend the growing season a bit.

I also know that sweet potatoes can be kept as houseplants even in cold places, so this year, I brought some of my sweet potato vines inside to provide a little bit of fresh food during winter for both rabbits and humans.

Totally agree with GBov - i am always learning! i wonder if they would grow in the south facing basement window...

probably..

 

[GBov]

I just rummaged in the compost pile, fished out all the sweet potato vines from mums little harvest of sweet spuds and cut the vines into 8 inch lengths. They are now in a glass of water to see if they will sprout roots for me. I hope they do so I can get a jump on the spring gardening season. Cant wait to taste the leaves adn tips!

 

[michaels4gardens]

I just rummaged in the compost pile, fished out all the sweet potato vines from mums little harvest of sweet spuds and cut the vines into 8 inch lengths. They are now in a glass of water to see if they will sprout roots for me. I hope they do so I can get a jump on the spring gardening season. Cant wait to taste the leaves adn tips!

I like to change the water often, when I am sprouting vines, -- or just plant them in some "well draining" mix like course sand. --- or --I have had good success wrapping the bottom 1/2 ,of a bunch of a dozen or so vine cuttings, in a damp paper towel and then in saran wrap. once they sprout roots ,I like to get them planted in a pot asap.

 

[FourRingCircus]

I just rummaged in the compost pile, fished out all the sweet potato vines from mums little harvest of sweet spuds and cut the vines into 8 inch lengths. They are now in a glass of water to see if they will sprout roots for me. I hope they do so I can get a jump on the spring gardening season. Cant wait to taste the leaves adn tips!

I like to change the water often, when I am sprouting vines, -- or just plant them in some "well draining" mix like course sand. --- or --I have had good success wrapping the bottom 1/2 ,of a bunch of a dozen or so vine cuttings, in a damp paper towel and then in saran wrap. once they sprout roots ,I like to get them planted in a pot asap.

OK, this might be a horribly dumb question, but I have to ask... will the rooted cuttings grow more potatoes eventually? Or do you have to have a potato cutting to do that? Remember, my signature says feeble (pitiful) attempts at gardening. I started out totally clueless, trying to make it work, and am only slightly more knowledgeable now. Still LOTS to learn!

 

[michaels4gardens]

Hi Heritage,
sweet potatoes are planted from "slips" slips are "rooted cuttings". -- as far as sweet potato propagation procedures go,- we avoid planting the sweet potato pieces in the field. -because of possible disease transfer. --so -- yes the rooted cuttings will grow sweet potatoes.

 

[FourRingCircus]

Hi Heritage,
sweet potatoes are planted from "slips" slips are "rooted cuttings". -- as far as sweet potato propagation procedures go,- we avoid planting the sweet potato pieces in the field. -because of possible disease transfer. --so -- yes the rooted cuttings will grow sweet potatoes.

So it's different than regular potatoes? So glad this came up, b/c come spring I would have just chunked them and planted the pieces! Oi! So much to learn :shock: Some days I feel so overwhelmed trying to figure all this out

 

[michaels4gardens]

Hi Heritage,
sweet potatoes are planted from "slips" slips are "rooted cuttings". -- as far as sweet potato propagation procedures go,- we avoid planting the sweet potato pieces in the field. -because of possible disease transfer. --so -- yes the rooted cuttings will grow sweet potatoes.

So it's different than regular potatoes? So glad this came up, b/c come spring I would have just chunked them and planted the pieces! Oi! So much to learn :shock: Some days I feel so overwhelmed trying to figure all this out

You can order slips of a variety you like via. internet, or if you have a variety you like in your pantry [and you live in the low-land ,long growing season part of NC] you can just put a sweet potato that is sprouting in a jar of water [in a sunny window] with tooth picks stuck in the sides to keep it about 1/3 submerged, and let it grow vines for you, [change the water every day or so].-- if you start early you can plant some of the vine shoots in a pot and let them grow into a lot of vines by cutting the tips back from time to time so they will send out side shoots, -- when spring planting time gets near then cut off 10 to 12 inch sections of vine , keeping the ends all going the same way [so you don't plant them up-side-down] strip the leaves except very young small ones, then wrap the bottom 3/4 of the vine sections in a damp paper towel, for a week, [they will grow roots] - then plant them in the garden. @ 12 to 24 inch spacing. If you live in the mountains like in the Sylva, Franklin, Asheville, areas -- a short season variety is a better choice than a long season variety..

 

[GBov]

Hi Heritage,
sweet potatoes are planted from "slips" slips are "rooted cuttings". -- as far as sweet potato propagation procedures go,- we avoid planting the sweet potato pieces in the field. -because of possible disease transfer. --so -- yes the rooted cuttings will grow sweet potatoes.

So it's different than regular potatoes? So glad this came up, b/c come spring I would have just chunked them and planted the pieces! Oi! So much to learn :shock: Some days I feel so overwhelmed trying to figure all this out

The only thing you need to remember about gardening is to have fun and enjoy it, all the rest comes in time.

I have found that I can "help" sweet potatoes start to set shoots by keeping them warm, around 80 degrees F. My attempts at having them in water though has only ever gotten me rotten potatoes :x so now I just keep them warm and break off the shoots when tehy are about 6 inches long and root them instead.

ALL the cuttings have roots this morning! Yay!

Que a return to winter weather methinks. :lol:

 

[FourRingCircus]

Thank you so much for the advice! Very very glad to know this now! I pre-ordered Jersey Yellow sweet potatoes (link below) just for something a little different, then I will pick up a couple more traditional ones from our local feed and seed store. Now, to decide where to plant them. I want to make the most use of our yard for growing (rather than mowing! I am about tired of spending 2 hours a week - at least! - on the mower when I could be doing other more productive things instead) so I am going to be spending the winter planning and getting areas prepped (I hope). I have one area I am trying to decide what to do with - between where we park and the basement slab (where we're putting a carport) - probably 10'x20'? We just built it up so it's a pretty nice rectangle bed. It will either be perfect for 2 or 3 vertical growing rows (was going to run cattle panels and t-posts for solid support), but now I am wondering if I can till down far enough to mix in the nicely composted mulch that we just covered up with red clay for sweet potatoes.... Hmmm.... decisions decisions.

http://www.rareseeds.com/jersey-yellow- ... re-order-/

 

[Oriana Spiderowl]

Is there a particular brand of mineral block for rabbits? Or is there a general one that y'all recommend?