Increasing hay to pellet ratio

[Gomanson]

I'm new to rabbits and will be raising them for meat and fur. I've had laying hens and in the summer we've managed to get their feed consumption down to about 50% what it is in the winter. They get garden and kitchen scraps, grass and insect forage, and the weeds we remove from the yard and garden. I like the idea of producing a least some of my animals' diet.

I'm looking for tips to increase the amount of hay the rabbits eat. Several farmers in my area sell 50lb bales of timothy mix for $3, so this would be more efficient than pellets. I've heard stories of rabbits who wouldn't eat timothy. Is there a way to correct this if I encounter it? Can the taste for hay be bred into a herd? What nutrients would the rabbits need if, in theory, they didn't get any pellets?

I plan on feeding pellets anyway, but if I can increase the ratio of hay, it would be more cost-effective and would better facilitate growing our own rabbit feed (if we ever wanted to plant hay)

 

[nicktide]

I have one picky eater. She will eat what I give her when other choices are gone. I feed just a litttle pellets. timothy hay for everyone and 50 / 50 timothy / alfalfa for pregnant and lactating does. for feed I mix 1.5 parts wheat, 1.5 parts crimped oats and 1 part pellets. Never feed alfalfa if their diet is mostly pellets as pellets already contain too much alfalfa. For my picky rabbit, I only feed her one grain or pellets at a time because she will dig out her favorite and leave the rest in her pan. when her food dish gets empty, she will eat her hay. she just doesnt care for it. tried different kinds but she just wants pellets.

 

[nicktide]

double post