Real food for breeder rabbits

[danimal]

I'm new to raising rabbits (for meat, pelts, and pleasure). I have a four-acre farm with vegetables and many other crops and have a yearround growing season, more or less, because I live in the tropics and get rain yearround. So winter feeding is not an issue. Since rabbits are herbivorous browsers by nature, it makes sense to me that I should be able to feed my rabbits on green fodder alone (but i also have a regular supply of surplus bananas and I can grow fodder beets to supply any additional carbohydrate requirements, although I hear that rabbits don't need much carbohydrates nor do they digest them well). Green fodder possibilities I have include pidgeon pea leaves (a legume roughly comparable to alfalfa in nutritional usefulness for livestock), lots of wild plantain weed and the occasional dandelion, plenty of different wild grasses, comfrey, sugarcane leaves, banana leaves, ti leaves, nasturtiums, cilantro, parsley, basil, lettuce, arugula, katuk, moringa (once my seedling tree gets bigger), and probably a few others I'm forgetting. All of these are available year round, and many of them I have already successfully introduced to my rabbits in addition to their pellets.

Can I give unlimited grasses and greens in place of pellets? Most info I read about rabbits overeating seems to be a result of too much concentrated carbs or protein (like corn, fruit, or soy or the concentrated energy and protein in commercial pellets) rather than too much fodder, but can a rabbit overeat on fodder too? How much of the legume fodder do they need compared to grasses or herbs? How much high fiber grasses in relation to tender herbs? Does it matter that much anyway? I understand that fiber is very important to rabbits, and too much protein is not so great, but any further specifics that could be outlined would be great.

I have some pellets now but they are not organic, and I would rather not buy them again if at all possible. Speed of growth and minor differences in fryer carcass weight don't concern me at all. A little extra work gathering fodder daily doesn't concern me either. Producing high-quality, nutrient-dense meat from healthy animals DOES interest me, as does feeding my livestock 100% sustainably and humanely.

For further context, the rabbits, one buck and one doe, just recently mated, each have their own wire-floored hutch about ten square feet in size. According to breeder I bought them from, the doe is half Champagne, half New Zealand, and the buck is pure New Zealand.

Any problems, tips, advice, or other information relating to feeding my breeding rabbits and growing bunnies in the manner outlined would be gratefully received!
Thanks!

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I don't know all the answers to your questions, but pretty sure if you gave all those items you listed, and didn't feed too much of one or two types of food, that your rabbits could live perfectly fine without pellets. They won't grow as fast as you mentioned but they will be healthy! the key when not feeding pellets is variety. Yes greens are the best, some legumes are good for protein, especially for pregnant mammas and growing babies. A little bit of vegetables and a TINY amount of fruit.

It sounds like you have a GREAT rabbit set-up! Wonderful!

Oh and

 

[danimal]

Thanks for the welcome, and the comments! That's about what I figured, and I've been proceeding cautiously to wean them off pellets and onto such a diet. My instincts tell me it should be fine. My biggest concern right now is about whether it's possible to overfeed confined rabbits on greens, and good proportions of different types of plants, or how much is too much of a good thing when it comes to legumes, etc. Anyone have specific or general "recipes" for "rabbit salads" and such? Also, I'm wondering if it maybe wouldn't be a bad idea to get a mineral salt block for them or something equivalent...?

I've also been wondering about something specific I forgot to mention in my OP: the gentleman I bought the rabbits from told me not to feed the younger bunnies fresh greens, only dried leaves, or else they'd get diarhea and die. This doesn't make sense to me, since wild bunnies presumably start nibbling on whatever their mother eats starting as soon as they are big enough to leave the nest. What is going on here? Is it because he fed his rabbits a mostly pellet diet? Is it because of the breeds? I know rabbits of any age have notoriously sensitive digestive systems and need time to adjust to new foods in general. I've also read some other stuff suggesting that young bunnies can eat whatever their mother was eating while they nursed, but that you should be careful introducing new things to them too quickly. So the idea then is that a bunny whose mom ate a lot of greens should be fine nibbling on those same greens. But is this true? Anyone have any wisdom on any of this?

Thanks!

 

[Gagroundhog]

I don't know much about natural feeding yet but I can tell you that my does get greens through out pregnancy and kinding. when the bunnies hop out of that box the Mommas don't want to give up their greens! So my bunnies do start nibbling early and so far no problems.

 

[animalmom]

My buns really like the larger leaf moringa, especially the does. Trimming moringa often makes it grow better, or so I have been told. I even feed them the branches as chew toys.

My understanding about kits and greens is if the mom has been eating the greens then the kits should be able to eat the greens as soon as they figure out it is something to eat. Kits in the nesting box will nibble on the mom's berries which will "prime", for lack of a better word, their gut to eat the same product. This is why buns in the wild eat what ever they come across, as do their kits. This is also why introducing a new to the mom and new to the kits food is risky.

I should think, and I am not a vet, nor do I play one on TV, that a balanced diet regardless of the source (fresh from the garden, or out of the pellet bag) is the key. Based on a diet you propose, my big concern would be the mineral content... are your rabbits getting enough? I suppose you could always provide a mineral spool for them to use as they wanted.

Don't forget chew toys, something woody for them to chew on to keep their teeth from overgrowing. Mine love rose branches, or lilac branches... and go gaga over grape branches and leaves.

You really should keep us posted as to how your operation is going... how you are feeding your rabbits, and how well the kits gain weight. There are a lot of us trying to lessen our dependance on pellets, at least for our growing seasons. Lucky you to live where you can grow green all year long.

 

[danimal]

Thanks! Forgive my ignorance, but what is a "mineral spool?" Is this anything like a mineral salt block? I'll be looking into this next time i go to town.

Right now I'm feeding them twice a day, about two thirds of a five gallon bucket's worth of greenery between the two rabbits and tiny handful or half-handful of pellets per feeding, aiming to increase the ratio until they are off the pellets eventually. The buck in particular shows a preference for the fodder over the pellets. He's all over his leaves as soon as they hit the floor. The doe still seems to go for her pellets first usually but I haven't had her for as long either and already she seems to be developing a fondness for her salads. I make sure to clean out anything left over from the last feeding out of the hutch before I feed (I read that in a couple of places). I throw anything left (usually not much) under the hutches to compost with the wood chips and the manure.

I'll be happy to share what I learn from this with the community here. I think it's important to be resourceful and sustainable, especially these days with all the concern about the food system, food security, economic uncertainty, and being as ecologically light-footed as possible.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Thanks for the welcome, and the comments! That's about what I figured, and I've been proceeding cautiously to wean them off pellets and onto such a diet. My instincts tell me it should be fine. My biggest concern right now is about whether it's possible to overfeed confined rabbits on greens, and good proportions of different types of plants, or how much is too much of a good thing when it comes to legumes, etc. Anyone have specific or general "recipes" for "rabbit salads" and such? Also, I'm wondering if it maybe wouldn't be a bad idea to get a mineral salt block for them or something equivalent...?

I've also been wondering about something specific I forgot to mention in my OP: the gentleman I bought the rabbits from told me not to feed the younger bunnies fresh greens, only dried leaves, or else they'd get diarhea and die. This doesn't make sense to me, since wild bunnies presumably start nibbling on whatever their mother eats starting as soon as they are big enough to leave the nest. What is going on here? Is it because he fed his rabbits a mostly pellet diet? Is it because of the breeds? I know rabbits of any age have notoriously sensitive digestive systems and need time to adjust to new foods in general. I've also read some other stuff suggesting that young bunnies can eat whatever their mother was eating while they nursed, but that you should be careful introducing new things to them too quickly. So the idea then is that a bunny whose mom ate a lot of greens should be fine nibbling on those same greens. But is this true? Anyone have any wisdom on any of this?

Thanks!

Yes they will need a mineral block DEFINITELY. (Mineral spool same thing).

It's a lot harder to overfeed on greens, but you can look up rabbit salad recipes online. I think they say you should average about 16% protein for growing bunnies and breeders. The best way to check is to just do a body conditioning score on your buns once a month. You should be able to feel the back and hips but not the bones too much (too skinny) they also should not be a big stout block either (too fat). Once you do this you can adjust accordingly for each one.

Yes babies can eat whatever the mamas are eating. Mine eat leafy greens (the same ones I've been feeding mom)when they are only 4 weeks old (or whenever they choose to start nibbling on them) and I have never lost a kit. Just don't introduce "new" foods at a young age and when you do when they are older do it slowly.

 

[Prairiechick]

It sounds like you have a great fresh variety of good food for your rabbits and they would eat well on what you have there. I would just suggest checking to see if there are any plants there that could be harmful and make sure you eliminate those from their diet. Otherwise, you have great variety to offer all the vitamins and protein that your furballs would need to be healthy.
Good luck!

 

[danimal]

Yes they will need a mineral block DEFINITELY. (Mineral spool same thing).

It's a lot harder to overfeed on greens, but you can look up rabbit salad recipes online. I think they say you should average about 16% protein for growing bunnies and breeders. The best way to check is to just do a body conditioning score on your buns once a month. You should be able to feel the back and hips but not the bones too much (too skinny) they also should not be a big stout block either (too fat). Once you do this you can adjust accordingly for each one.

Yes babies can eat whatever the mamas are eating. Mine eat leafy greens (the same ones I've been feeding mom)when they are only 4 weeks old (or whenever they choose to start nibbling on them) and I have never lost a kit. Just don't introduce "new" foods at a young age and when you do when they are older do it slowly.

Thank you!

 

[danimal]

It sounds like you have a great fresh variety of good food for your rabbits and they would eat well on what you have there. I would just suggest checking to see if there are any plants there that could be harmful and make sure you eliminate those from their diet. Otherwise, you have great variety to offer all the vitamins and protein that your furballs would need to be healthy.
Good luck!

All the plants I mentioned are ones I have already confirmed (from trusted source, either face to face or in print) are safe. I have plenty of other greenery and some other plants I'm curious about utilizing for various reasons, but won't until I've confirmed their safety for rabbits.

Speaking of which, it seems like there's a lot of debate on comfrey. Some people say it's a great food with many healthy benefits, others say it's toxic and put it on the "do not feed" list, still others claim that different varieties are different and some are better or worse than others. Some argue for wilting or drying leaves first. Others feed fresh. Still others claim that rabbits won't eat comfrey anyway because of the spiny hairs on the leaves. I have avoided giving mine comfrey because there is plenty else for them to eat and I'd rather err on the side of caution until I get a definitive, explicit answer from someone I trust.