Unlimited Feed to Rabbits Under 6 Months, why or why not?

[Peach]

Alrighty, I've been scratching my head a bit at this thought.

Should you give unlimited pellets to rabbits under 6 months? Why or why not?

And I'm talking about after weaning. (atleast 8 weeks old)

Currently, I feed all my Mini Lops 3/4 cup of feed (Around 8pm-10pm is feeding time depending how late I work). Some gobble it all up by morning and others eat it slowly and some still have feed remaining as of right now at 3pm. By feeding time, they are all excited and running around as I open up the bin.

If my jrs are not necessarily eating all their feed by feeding time the next day, does it really mean that they need to have an unlimited supply infront of them?

Do they gain more fat than muscle with unlimited amount of food? Should I just stick to just 3/4 cup of feed?

Curious what you guys think.

 

[Cindi Davis]

Peach I Feed unlimited till 6 months on the ones Im keeping then cut back to (Depending on the breed) 1 -2 cups a day. Fryers it doesnt matter as they are in FC at 6 lbs which is usually 10 weeks or sooner with my stock

 

[Dood]

I breed for meat and my weaned bunnies are in a colony and free fed hay and pellets. Any replacement stock are pulled out and given rations like the adults when they are 12 weeks old. As long as your juniors are not wasting the feed by dumping it, defecating in it or becoming obese then what is the harm?

 

[skysthelimit]

I free feed usually until 4-6 mos, when they reach 75% of there sr weight. I am concerned that after the rapid growth slows down it would turn to fat.

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

I feed free choice to anyone under 5 months then I feed 1 ounce per pound of rabbit after that. Otherwise they end up fat on me.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

well I dont.. I learned from that one. I give a tuna can per rabbit a day.. which is only 4 oz and then i still had fat rabbits. So now they get less than that but more hay instead .. THE mother with babies that are out of the nest gets 2 cans in the morning and at night. But not unlimited.. Babies are weaned and mom goes back down to one can a day. THE babies with out there mothers gets 2 cans in the morning and at night. THE BUCks gets less than can.I put my hands over them everyday. I like my rabbits tame so the ones that i am raising for breeders they are really tame when the time comes. I have a doe that kindles that needs more food. It take more out of her. checking there back bone can tell allot about the rabbit weight.<br /><br />__________ Sat Dec 22, 2012 5:20 pm __________<br /><br />

I free feed usually until 4-6 mos, when they reach 75% of there sr weight. I am concerned that after the rapid growth slows down it would turn to fat.

I do believe that.

 

[skysthelimit]

I have to consider that I keep rabbits up to four mos together, at least 2-3 in a cage. I have two 5/6 mos old does together and three 4 mos old does together. If I kept them in individual cages, I probably would not free feed.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

I dont do that as i like them to like me better than each other. The females that i am keeping. i keep together for about age 12 weeks. Then i give them there own space. I find it better that way. and you dont over feed also.

 

[rittert3]

I split my litters up by sex at weaning until 12 wks, when they are sold or seperated, and feed them 1/2c of pellets a day per bun in the pen. it seems to work.

 

[majorv]

We have two different breeds. Our Tans are higher energy, higher metabolism and I don't really have to measure out their feed, except for the older ones. Our Polish, on the other hand, would be roly poly if I free fed them. Except for maybe two of them, most don't know when to stop eating. My juniors were making senior weight by the time they were 4 months old. Since they aren't a very active breed I have to watch how many pellets they get after they're weaned.

 

[3mina]

Coming from a slightly different perspective, I don't like to free feed anybunny except my grow out pens. I feed a measured amount in order to keep everybunny slim, trim and ready for lovin'. Any feeder with pellets in it at chow time gets cut back by that amount of pellets.
I'm greedy and I want as many litters as I can get.

 

[skysthelimit]

I guess I should ask what you mean by free feed too. I put more feed in the hopper than I would normally put for an adult rabbit, that's what I call free feed. I never fill it up to the top, unless there is a whole litter in the grow out pen. I feed once in the evenings, so the "free fed" buns go a whole 24 hours without getting more than what was put in there. Even pregnant buns aren't always full, they get double of what I would normally feed, then double for the next feeding session, I just make sure they are never empty. No one has an unlimited supply, just because I am not home to keep refilling it.

 

[ladysown]

i never feed unlimited. They don't eat it, I don't want to encourage rodents, and I don't want it being "day old exposed".

So I feed them their adult ration from the time they are eating.
for every two in a cage I add an extra half ration.

They grow well, they only have a wee bit left by next feeding so it works for me.

Should mention... I've learned when they go through their ravenous stage to bump up the extra ration to full ration. But the ravenous stage only lasts for a week each time so it's no biggie.