Feeding Practices ~ Rabbits

[SA Farm]

Ontario, Canada

Main:
unmedicated Rabbit Pellets
unsprayed Grass Clippings (fresh in the spring/summer/fall, air dried for the winter)
Mixed grass hay or Timothy hay

Supplemental Diet:
Kitchen scraps year round (carrots, dry bread, potato skins, etc.)
Garden scraps late summer/fall

Health Maintenance:
Comfrey for prevention of colds and protein deficiencies.
Plantain Weed leaves or Elm Tree leaves for prevention of diarrhea (especially for young rabbits)
Blackberry Leaves for the older rabbits.
Plantain, Dandelion, or Leaves/Bark from Elm once or twice a week for general prevention.
Dried leaves from: Oak, Elm, and Willow are a good for overall health.
Apple Cider Vinegar (daily: 2 tbs/gallon water) is excellent for diarrhea, coccidiosis, doe mojo, and coat condition. Also prevents algae from growing in the water containers.

 

[stonygarden]

South Central Virginia

Main feed:
Everyone gets 1/2 cup Manna Pro pellets
filled hay rack of timothy hay
Pine cones given as chew toys

Over winter:
More hay

Nursing mothers/kits:
Feeder full of pellets 24/7

 

[PoppaJ]

I see a couple of references to using BOSS. What is that?

 

[SA Farm]

I see a couple of references to using BOSS. What is that?

Black Oil Sunflower Seeds

 

[PoppaJ]

Black Oil Sunflower Seeds

Thank You. Kind of like Wheel of Fortune-lot easier when all the letters are shown.

 

[Pastor Dave]

I am from SW Central Indiana
I feed 16% protein alfalfa pellets in the morning
I give abt a tsp of BOSS in the morning
I also give abt a Tbsp of Calf Manna with 25% protein to my breeders and fryers

At night, they get Alfalfa/Red Clover blend Hay. Most finish it, and some have it remaining in the mornings. It is usually all gone by night time again. I supplement the hay with white clover and dandelion leaves I pick and dry.

I use ACV apple cider vinegar in their drinking water. 2Tbsp/gallon
I give apple slices, carrot sticks, and rose petals occasionally

I will feed a little extra pellets and hay during the winter

 

[MMWB]

Cherry (choke, or otherwise) can be toxic, depending on season. I believe the same for plum. Larkspur is another flowering plant that can kill cattle in spring and early summer, but doesn't seem to cause a problem later on. Deer will pass by on any number of plants all summer, but after the first good frost those passed by plants go through a chemical change, many toxins are neutralized and those plants become ensilage and the deer go at them with gusto. Good to research such things before feeding. There is a difference between toxic or poisonous (though it is all semantics in the end). Poison tends to have a rather immediate effect (think hemlock, death camas, nightshade, mistletoe, etc...), while toxins do their damage with a build up over time. How much time depends on the toxin and the amounts. Naturally, a heavy dose of cherry bark or leaves at the wrong time of year can have a very immediate toxic effect, while a bit at those times of year would be okay. Some things are more a toxin to some animals and more a poison to others. All of us mammals are designed as detoxification machines. While continually eating, drinking, breathing and absorbing through skin; any number of bad things--we can remain amazingly healthy, if those things are not too much or for too long.

 

[APictureofAmerica]

Idaho, High desert

Feed:
hay-mixed pasture horse hay(lots of variety in it)- free fed all year round- this forms the base of the bunnies diet.
Fresh greens- Mostly alfalfa, but some grasses and dandy lions in there as well- as much as they want, 2x a day
'Day old' bread- the male and unbred does get just a bit as a treat 2x day, the bred does and kits get as much as they want.
Pellets- free fed to lactating does and kits; in the winter each adult gets a handful to supplement the hay.
wheat grass- during the winter when there are no greens, I grow wheat grass and each bunny gets about 1/4 cup per day

Supplements:
pine cone toys
salt lick
Veggie peelings from the kitchen
Corn cobs in season
Apple, apricot or other fruit tree branches for chewing
boxes and toilet paper tubes for playing with

I don't give any extra grain, as the bread gives enough. There are strong opinions on the internet about feeding bread, but for me- it is free, the rabbits (and the horses, cows, chickens and dog) love it, it puts on weight, and the animals are healthy- so I feed it. My vet didn't have a problem with bread- in fact, eating bread saved the life of my old rescue horse.

 

[Animal Person]

I am in Western NC.

What specifically are you feeding?

Pellets, Hay and a large pile of grass 2x a day.

What are you adding to supplement it?

Rose, willow, apple or blackberry branches regularly.
Mineral wheel.

And how does your feeding program change seasonally?

Less grass and more hay in the winter.

How much pellets do you give your bunny/bunnies daily?

 

[Stephine]

For pet mini lop rabbit in California:

Free choice hay (timothy, orchard, some oat)
1 Tbs Oxbow pellets per day
Daily large handfull of herbs and weeds from the garden
Tiny bits of occasional treats (apple, pepper, banana)