What to feed with oats?

[mizemama]

I'm trying to transition away from pellets and I'm having some trouble figuring this out. I keep seeing barley mentioned for rabbits, but I can't seem to find it in my area. The stores near me have oats, both rolled and whole, and corn, either cracked or whole. That's all I'm finding as far as single grains. I can also get alfalfa cubes or pellets, beet pulp shreds, and some grain mixes. There is sweet feed, all stock, and scratch grains.

I know oats are fine to feed, but I just feel like it is not enough variety. Are any of the other things I listed enough to make up a well rounded diet? We also feed grass hay and goodies like dandelion and such from the yard. I haven't had much luck finding alfalfa hay, but maybe as we get further into spring/summer I'll have better luck. Any other suggestions?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

MaggieJ usually only feeds one or two types of grain, and her rabbits do just fine.

I have fed beet pulp shreds in the past, but it raised the cost of my mix, and the small shreds fell through the mesh feeders.

I would stay away from corn- the livestock corn is almost always GMO, plus if there is mold it creates a toxin which causes neurological problems and sometimes death in rabbits.

I feed oats, barley, and BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds)- 9lbs of grain to 1lb BOSS. Wheat is another option.

You might also look into wild bird seed. I found a mix at TSC that has no corn. I feed it to my Jersey Woolys once a week.

 

[mizemama]

I was really interested in sprouting the barley, but I can't find it anywhere. Maybe someone who lives in the area (Greensboro, NC) might have an idea. Would the wild bird seed sprout well?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Would the wild bird seed sprout well?

Judging by the weed patch under our bird feeder, I'd say so! :lol:

I believe niger is treated so it doesn't sprout, so you may want to read the bag to see if the mix has been treated to prevent germination.

 

[mizemama]

You might also look into wild bird seed. I found a mix at TSC that has no corn. I feed it to my Jersey Woolys once a week.

What was the name of it? I was looking online and they all seems to have corn. I must be missing one. Thanks

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

tsc has a cheaper wild bird food in a plain white bag. i think its milo, millet, wheat, boss, cracked corn. i picked out the corn bits and sprouted some. didnt have much luck with it but i havent had much luck sprouting anything lol. perhaps it might do better just planted in an area and cut and fed as greens?

right now my rabbits and guinea pigs get the same mix. 2 scoops oats, 1scoop barley (steam rolled), 1scoop wheat. and they all have mineral/salt round things hang in the hutch/cage. they are doing good on it so far.

 

[Dood]

Here is a link to sprouting/fodder techniques and if you search this site there are many more.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/homestea ... z2SwQdCHSy

I cannot reliably find barley either so I spout wheat instead with pretty good results, but I only do it for a treat and not their main diet although I was thinking up increasing production now that I can do it outside.

 

[Ivory]

You might be able to get some barley straight from a farm or a seed cleaning plant. Or from a feed mill instead of a store.

 

[Lastfling]

I was really interested in sprouting the barley, but I can't find it anywhere. Maybe someone who lives in the area (Greensboro, NC) might have an idea. Would the wild bird seed sprout well?

Southern States use to be on S Elm-Eugene near downtown, but they moved, and I don't know where, but they would be a good place to check.

 

[dangerbunny]

I guess the way I think of it is trying to feed a forage based diet. Grass hay, alfalfa, grass and weeds are the foundation and anything else provides extra vitamins, minerals and good stuff like protein. If you aren't feeding pellets make sure to provide a salt lick. I like alfalfa cubes because they provide extra protein and since it is compressed there is less waste.

In the summer I feed much less grain since I feed soooo much grass and the buns don't need the extra energy for warmth. I generally pick a five gallon bucket of grass and split it between everyone, evening feed I alternate between alfalfa cubes and oats with a little boss. They always have grass hay. In winter I feed extra barley, oats and boss.

Let your bunnies be the guide, sometimes they get more grain if they seem really hungry for it, if they aren't cleaning it up then I cut back. There is no one size fits all for feeding, a lot depends on your buns, management practices and feed preferences.

 

[zee]

Barley is also hard to come by here. I have wheat stored up for when I decide to feed them the fodder. I've tested it out. It grows great, and the rabbits LOVE it! As soon as I find a resource for barley, I'm gonna snatch some up and store that to fodder feed them. Right now, I feed them the pellets, hay, and give them flax seeds and BOSS as a treat as well as weeds from the yard. Mind you, I don't have much experience. I've just started raising rabbits about 2 months ago. Good luck.

 

[ramblingrabbit]

I'm fairly new to this... but being an ornery bastard I got rid of pellets very early on and have been feeding no other grain except a little rolled oats for months (lately I ran low and started mixing in some sunflower seeds for the time being)--along with root crops, chopped sugarcane, and diverse forage. My rabbits have been doing fine. I already raised one whole litter of meat rabbits that way with no discernible problems anyway...

 

[mizemama]

That's great to know that I can use just one kind of grain without ill effects. I'm still working on increasing the amount of greens I'm feeding. I just picked up two new does today, so now I need to star working on them. It's been fun to watch my buck come around and start looking forward to his "real" food more than his pellets. Thanks for all the help!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

You might also look into wild bird seed. I found a mix at TSC that has no corn. I feed it to my Jersey Woolys once a week.

What was the name of it? I was looking online and they all seems to have corn. I must be missing one. Thanks

It is "Royal Wing" brand's "Splendid Blend". It was not available in 50lb bags at my TSC though, so would likely be too expensive for a large herd.

 

[mizemama]

I found a bag of wild bird seed at Wall Mart that was BOSS, wheat, Milo, and, millet. It was about $6 for 10 pounds. I only have three buns at the moment, so I didn't think the cost was too bad. I'm going to try sprouting it, but my buck thought it was the greatest thing ever as is.