wondering how to tell if nutrition needs are met

[Rainey]

I have a sort of silly question. Still being new to rabbits (just started this spring) I've found so much that is helpful about what plants can be fed and the need for protein, energy, fiber etc. Yesterday our NZW doe kindled for her 3rd time with us. In May she was stilling getting pellets as well as hay, mineral block, fresh forage and she had 8 kits. In July she had been off pellets for the whole pregnancy and again had 8 kits. Yesterday she again had 8 kits. Is that an indication she is getting what she needs? She looks healthy and happy to me and so do the growing out kits although they don't grow as fast as folks on the meat forum say is the goal. (The buck is a silver fox and on the small end--don't know if that makes a difference. When it came to nursing my children instead of giving them formula with "scientific analysis" I didn't worry. And I have more confidence with the animals we've had longer--easy to see if the goats need more browse or more legumes or herbs that deal with worms. What do you look for in rabbits besides normal droppings, appetite, successful breeding to know if they need more or less of something?

 

[MaggieJ]

Since 2007, I fed my rabbits a natural diet based on alfalfa hay (some grass content) with small amounts of grain and as many fresh greens (mainly weeds and safe tree branches) as the season allowed. If my rabbits were producing well, seemed happy and active, had bright eyes and shiny coats, then I figured they were getting what they needed.

One thing you might consider adding is a trace mineral salt block, since they are not getting added minerals now that they are not eating pellets. I use the reddish-brown ones for general livestock - about $2-3 for a five pound block. If you have the rabbits in individual cages, just knock pieces off the block with a hammer.

Kits raised on a natural diet do tend to grow more slowly than those fed pellets. I find it takes 14-16 weeks for them to reach the magic five pound mark instead of 10-12 on pellets. But it does cut costs, the rabbits love it and the meat, to me, has a better flavour. Since they also seem to mature sexually more slowly, I've never had to separate them by sex during the grow out time. The only oops litter was when a precocious buck jumped the barrier to mate one of my mature does. And that was okay, anyway.

 

[Rainey]

I forgot to say that we put pieces from the mineral block we use for our goats in each cage before we were completely off the pellets--had seen that advice on this forum before joining so knew that was important. The thing we're trying to figure out is how to replace pellets without alfalfa which is a main component but not as readily available for us as the things we're trying to use instead.

 

[MaggieJ]

You can't get alfalfa hay in New York State? I'm surprised... We're just across the Lake from you and here it is available and very reasonable in price.

Clover, like alfalfa, has a protein content similar to pellets. So does fodder--grain grass. So there are alternatives. I think MamaSheepdog posted the link to the fodder thread in your other thread and in any case it is a "sticky" and easy to find in the Natural Feeding forum. The nice thing about fodder is that not only is it high in protein, but it also is a fresh food - very welcome in winter. I find it difficult to grow in summer - mould issues - but during the winter it works well. You don't have to take it all the way to grain grass -- just germinated or sprouted grain is very high in nutrients.

This article pertains to sprouting for birds, but the method works for rabbits too.
http://www.parrotchronicles.com/feature ... edseed.htm

 

[Easy Ears]

Are nutritional needs being met if the rabbits only have pellets, and hay to eat?
Do they need greens???? (I give them dandelions every once in a while.....) :all-ears:

 

[Sagebrush]

Pellets are designed to give the rabbits all the nutrients that they need in one form, for those who feed strictly pellets. If they are receiving hay as well their needs are still being met. I myself, and many of the members here, enjoy giving our rabbits extras such as the fresh veggies, dandelion, plantain, and such. Then there are those here who feed a strictly natural diet, like the OP and MaggieJ to name just a couple, and work hard to meet the needs of their rabbits. In those cases the fresh greens are very important to the health of the rabbits.

 

[Zass]

Are nutritional needs being met if the rabbits only have pellets, and hay to eat?
Do they need greens???? (I give them dandelions every once in a while.....) :all-ears:

Pellets and hay are enough.

Dandelions certainly are a welcome addition that can only boost the health of your animals. Just like fresh greens are good for our health too. In theory we could also survive on a kibble with a set amount of fat, protein and starch, supplemented by vitamins and minerals. But who really wants that?

Be careful as to what age you introduce greens into a rabbit's diet. If the mothers were always eating dandelions and the kits start on them with their first nibbles of solid food, they will usually do fine.

If the mothers are given only pellets and hay, I strongly suggest waiting for the kits to reach 8 weeks old, and then starting them gradually from there.

Rainey, I think you must be doing quite well if your rabbits are healthy and producing healthy litters of 8 kits that grow well. Many people have stock that grows pretty slowly on pellets too, so don't beat yourself up over growth rates if your rabbits are healthy. (Unless you really want faster growing buns, and if so, try to find breeder who is already raising them similarly to how you plan on raising yours, and are already getting growth rates like you want.)

Watch for weakened immune systems and increased parasite load, which would probably be some of the first noticeable signs of a dietary imbalance, along with poor coat, slowed reproductions, smaller litters...and all that.

 

[Easy Ears]

THANKS SO MUCH Zass!!!!!!!!! :singinrain:

:bananadance: BANANADANCE!

:mbounce: Hehehehhe....as you can tell, I FOUND THE "View more smilies" Link!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:bounce:

 

[Rainey]

Clover, like alfalfa, has a protein content similar to pellets. So does fodder--grain grass. So there are alternatives. I think MamaSheepdog posted the link to the fodder thread in your other thread and in any case it is a "sticky" and easy to find in the Natural Feeding forum. The nice thing about fodder is that not only is it high in protein, but it also is a fresh food - very welcome in winter. I find it difficult to grow in summer - mould issues - but during the winter it works well. You don't have to take it all the way to grain grass -- just germinated or sprouted grain is very high in nutrients.

We've started oat and rye grasses inside and will be starting wheat grass as soon as we can get a bag of wheat (the local feed stores only have oats and BOSS or the mixes/pelleted feeds. Just found where we can get wheat) Is there a nutritional difference between growing as fodder or growing as grain grass and cutting to feed? I guess the difference is that in the fodder the roots are fed too. Just felt more confident growing it in soil, worried about the mold issues and about remembering to wet and drain it. Read another post here on growing out BOSS the same way and plan to try that as well when the cold really settles in and we're indoors more.

 

[MaggieJ]

I used to grow wheat, rye or barley in soil for the buns. It worked just fine and they often won't eat the root mass anyway. You can usually get 2-3 cuttings before the grain grass gets too straggly.

I used dollar store dishpans, no drainage and about two inches of soil. No problems whatsoever with mould. I would cut the "grass" when it was six or seven inches high and let it come again. When it's time to replant you can throw the soil and roots to the chickens... They'll clean up anything edible.