# Hay only?



## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

I just got some new meat rabbits and I'm excited about this. These are going to hopefully be my breeding stock...two bucks, two does. Does are giant Flemish mix, males are giant chinchilla. Very nice docile rabbits ( especially the does, bucks seem a bit more feisty ). They are 8 weeks old.

Anyway, I'm very interested in a natural diet and I want to stay away from pellets. Since they were given pellets and a little hay I've been doing the same but I want to slowly lower the amount of pellets and up the 'natural stuff', like hay. They love hay and are constantly eating it.

I just read in 'rabbit magazine' that the oldest living rabbit ( 16 ) just received recognition from the guiness book of records. The owners claim that he has only ever eaten hay his whole life, never had a vegetable or pellet. Sounds boring, but it worked for this one:shrug:

Have any of you done this?


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## arachyd (Feb 1, 2009)

Most people raising meat rabbits are concerned with getting the fastest growth and weight gain possible for the least cost while maintaining good nutrition. The longer it takes a rabbit to reach a decent butchering weight the more it costs to feed it and the less tender the meat will be. A rabbit only fed hay would take a very long time to grow. Rabbits fed hay and grains would definitely have a more nutritionally balanced diet and would have more enjoyment of their food. Pellets are mostly concentrated hay so the rabbit gets more food in each mouthful. Mine are fed hay, pellets and oats daily with a handful of various greens, fruit, vegetables or seed daily. The kits at a few weeks old feel more "dense" than the kits I see at the local pet shops and feed stores. Most of them have Flemish mixed in their ancestry but do not demonstrate the slow growth many Flemish are known for. I used to feed hay and pellets only so in my experience it is the grains and fresh food that makes the difference. I would not recommend hay only for a good rabbit diet but if you want to avoid pellets at least give assorted grains and greens/fruit/vegs.


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

Hay has to be very fresh year round for this. It loses fat soluable vitamins within 4months and much faster if exposed to sunlight so it browns. It will slowly lose other vitamins and minerals over time until at around a year old even the fiber begins to break down. You would want hay from each and every cutting of the best quality and even then you risk vitamin/mineral deficiency. You can use livestock mineral blocks and loose minerals though as well as grains and especially a little sunflower seed to avoid those problems. Mine don't get a lot for greens. They are getting a tiny amount of pellets again. We only feed them grain and pellet mixture every 4 days but otherwise they get hay, mineral blocks that have more than just minerals like various grains and vitamins in the block, and loose horse minerals.



> The longer it takes a rabbit to reach a decent butchering weight the more it costs to feed it and the less tender the meat will be.


Not true. Hay is $7/bale for organic 20% protein clover of excellent quality here. Pellets are $20 a bag. Even if it takes an extra month it is half the price for us to grow rabbits on hay as pellets. Also many people prefer the taste of rabbits raised without pellets and sometimes even without grains so they just get hay and some fresh forage.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

Rabbits do better with a mix of feeds. Some will provide carbs and protien and others minerals and vitamins.

You have to have a mix of those to raise meat rabbits.
Most likey the one raised on just hay was a pet.

What you need to do is do some research and make a list of what you can either get cheap or grow your self and feed those, with a balanced diet and cost in mind.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

My current rabbits have never seen a pellet. I feed alfalfa hay with some grass content, a small amount of whole grain, usually wheat, a scattering of BOSS a couple of times a week and as much fresh feed as the season allows. In winter, not a lot... but from mid-April to the end of October, they eat mainly fresh greens - mainly weeds and leaves and twigs from safe species of trees. The also have a trace mineral salt block (one of the red ones for general livestock). 

The rabbits take longer to grow out (14-16 weeks instead of 10-12) but the meat has a better flavour and it is, overall, much cheaper for me. Good hay is $3.50 a bale here. 

Make all changes in rabbit diets slowly to prevent GI problems and consult the stickies at the top of the index page to get ideas for natural feeding. I would never feed my rabbits only hay, although hay is undoubtedly a major component of their diet.


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## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

MaggieJ said:


> My current rabbits have never seen a pellet. I feed alfalfa hay with some grass content, a small amount of whole grain, usually wheat, a scattering of BOSS a couple of times a week and as much fresh feed as the season allows. In winter, not a lot... but from mid-April to the end of October, they eat mainly fresh greens - mainly weeds and leaves and twigs from safe species of trees. The also have a trace mineral salt block (one of the red ones for general livestock).
> 
> The rabbits take longer to grow out (14-16 weeks instead of 10-12) but the meat has a better flavour and it is, overall, much cheaper for me. Good hay is $3.50 a bale here.
> 
> Make all changes in rabbit diets slowly to prevent GI problems and consult the stickies at the top of the index page to get ideas for natural feeding. I would never feed my rabbits only hay, although hay is undoubtedly a major component of their diet.


Ever use fresh cut grass? I hear conflicting information about this. I mean hay is really just dried grasses, so why couldn't I cut some grass when the seed heads show, dry it in a windrows and serve?


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## Haven (Aug 16, 2010)

I use a small push mower with a bagger in areas the big tractor can't go. Makes loads of fresh grass and weed clippings right out of the bagger = free fresh food. Thought about building a rack with stretched hardware mesh to lay the clippings on to dry it into hay.

The only downside with the fresh clippings is that it will mold fast when tossed into a pile. They only eat it for a few days after each cutting.


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## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

Haven said:


> I use a small push mower with a bagger in areas the big tractor can't go. Makes loads of fresh grass and weed clippings right out of the bagger = free fresh food. Thought about building a rack with stretched hardware mesh to lay the clippings on to dry it into hay.
> 
> The only downside with the fresh clippings is that it will mold fast when tossed into a pile. They only eat it for a few days after each cutting.


Yes! Thats exactly what I was thinking about doing! Just building a quick fame and stapling some hardware cloth for drying....then I thought about how hay is made and wondered if I could just rake it into rows on a dry day and let it dry that way.


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## Haven (Aug 16, 2010)

Sure. The guy who cuts hay on my fields fans it out all scattered/fluffed and lets it dry a day or two before bailing it. I don't think it will dry if you rake it in piles. You just have to time the cutting so it's done during nice sunny weather so it can dry on the ground.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

It depends. Grass is not the most desirable of green feeds and grass hay, while very good for GI health, is not protein rich. This is why I feed a hay with a high alfalfa content.

When you cut grass with a mower, it get mashed up and begins to heat up and compost almost immediately. The shorter the grass clippings, the bigger the problem. Cutting long grasses with a scythe is a better option, but it is still just grass. Meat rabbits need more protein than this gives them. Many of the broad-leafed invasive weeds are excellent nutritionally and these are what I gather for the rabbits. 

It can be time consuming and it requires knowledge and commitment. Without these, you are better off feeding at least some pellets to make up any nutritional shortfalls. There are no shortcuts to natural feeding.


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## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

Oats are a nice grass with a protein content of around 15%...that is something I can grow. I cannot grow alfalfa due to my climate and soil conditions. Might try cloves or some other legume.

I've read about people pasturing rabbits with these movable cages with cage or slats at the bottoms to allow grass/weeds to come through. Anybody try this?


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

Like said long grass clippings are fine but finely cut like all electric mowers do can cause death in livestock and pets. It was at first thought the gas mowers were contaminating the grass but it happens with the plug in type too. It must be something to do with the way the grass is so cut open and squished that it does not dry properly but ferments or grows fungus. You want hay to be dry when you cut it. If you grab a handful of long grass it is completely dry but if you grab a handful of lawn mower grass it is quite damp from all the grass juice due to so many cut surfaces.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Darntootin said:


> Oats are a nice grass with a protein content of around 15%...that is something I can grow. I cannot grow alfalfa due to my climate and soil conditions. Might try cloves or some other legume.
> 
> I've read about people pasturing rabbits with these movable cages with cage or slats at the bottoms to allow grass/weeds to come through. Anybody try this?


You know, it would be very helpful if you would post at least your state or province. So many issues are climate related that we can not give you more than general answers if we do not know your approximate location. Put it in your profile because there are just too many members to memorize these things.

Oat hay may be useful. Clover hay or another legume could help as well. But even so, you will need some grain and some fresh foods plus the mineral block for your meat rabbit to do well.


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## rickfrosty (Jun 19, 2008)

Darntootin said:


> Ever use fresh cut grass? I hear conflicting information about this. I mean hay is really just dried grasses, so why couldn't I cut some grass when the seed heads show, dry it in a windrows and serve?


In warm weather I cut fresh grass, weeds, everything growing near bunny pens w/a sickle and give it to em 2ice daily - for last years & they sure seem to like it - don't see any damage ?


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Darntootin said:


> I've read about people pasturing rabbits with these movable cages with cage or slats at the bottoms to allow grass/weeds to come through. Anybody try this?


Oh boy, yes Ive done this. You wont be happy with the results. I tend to put my butcher rabbits in the ground tractors in the summer. Even if I move them 5 times a day, they lose weight without something else, like pellets or grain. or a high protein legume. Ive done this for years, results always the same. Our lawn is organic and a wide variety of typical weeds. Lots of nutrition there. They dig out, get fleas, develop snuffles after a cold rainy day or two, etc...

Perfect keeping them alive and heathy in a cage before trying the outside ground tractors.


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## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

MaggieJ said:


> *Oat hay may be useful*. Clover hay or another legume could help as well. But *even so, you will need some grain* and some fresh foods plus the mineral block for your meat rabbit to do well.


This is where you lose me. Grains and grasses are really different stages of the same thing, yes? Oats are a grass, the kernel (seed) is the grain right? If I'm growing oats and I cut them right when the seed emerges..I will be feeding them both grass and grain. Even corn is a grass, the corn kernel is the seed head.

If I grow high protein oats to supplement regular grass, would that suffice IYO? And if I let my grass get tall and sprout a seed head...

I appreciate all your advice, i have checked the sticky about natural feeding but I still have questions...so many, many questions:grin:


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

All you can do is experiment, but with choosing a giant breed, you have set yourself back a bit. They require the most feed to maintain weight.


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## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

MaggieJ said:


> You know, it would be very helpful if you would post at least your state or province. So many issues are climate related that we can not give you more than general answers if we do not know your approximate location. Put it in your profile because there are just too many members to memorize these things.


I'm in the northern VT area. Yes, some do grow some alfalfa but it is also recommended that alfalfa be drilled instead of broadcast. I don't have a seed drill. I've read that red clover is a better legume for this climate and can be broadcast with better result.


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## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> All you can do is experiment,


Yes but I dont want to experiment in a way that will harm or kill these rabbits. Like the mower thing. I might invest in a scythe, it makes sense to want your hay to stay dry.


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## Haven (Aug 16, 2010)

akane said:


> Like said long grass clippings are fine but finely cut like all electric mowers do can cause death in livestock and pets.


The "grass" I feed isn't pure grass from a seeded and treated lawn.

We call it grass but here it is actually a very high % of weeds, clover mostly with plantain, etc. Due to the soil here, I actually have areas that are probably 90% clover. It's basically the same composition of what comes off my hay fields, just fresh.

Never had one get sick eating fresh "grass" in the last year. They pick through it and watever they don't eat just falls through the wire.


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## Treewhisper (Nov 24, 2010)

Currently in a drought here. Hay went from $6 to almost $10 per bale. I balance the hay cost compared to pellets ($11 here for 50 lbs) and alternate. Honestly its ALOT of work to reseed your pasture trying to grow your own hay, cutting with a scythe and hand baling. Your time is valuable.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Darntootin said:


> Yes but I dont want to experiment in a way that will harm or kill these rabbits. Like the mower thing. I might invest in a scythe, it makes sense to want your hay to stay dry.


What I would recommend then, is begin these animals on pellets as per usual, then slowly begin to substitute other things and decrease the pellets over time. That way you can see what effect the replacement feeds have on their bodies.

This will also give you the opportunity to see if you can invest the time and effort to provide them with other feeds over a period of time. Feeding natural is a pain, plain and simple. Its worth it to some people and to some it's not.

When I had my first colony, outside, years ago, it was a dismal failure. I had a buck and maybe half a dozen does. I don't think I ever gave them pellets. They required a minimum of a 5 gallon bucket of fresh picked weeds a day, plus whatever vege leftovers I could provide. I was so naive back then. By the end of the summer, we were so sick of spending so much time picking weeds, we were done, plus the does fought, babies dies, they were underweight, had fleas....:stars:

Just sayin, better to start slow and work your way there, then start on the other end, especially when you are new to it.

I also wanted to add, I re-read that they are only 8 weeks old. If they do not get the proper level of protein and an acceptable balance of minerals during their fast growth stage, which is now to 7 months old, you will stunt their growth.


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## GBov (May 4, 2008)

Or you might try keeping your meat stock on pellets, hay and extra goodies for added flavor and get a few mutts to experiment on, feeding wise that is.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

Growing a feedstuff out to the seeding stage will not provide adequate nutrition as both a grain and a hay. 

Hay is (ideally) cut regularly before the reproductive stage. The older/more mature the plant is at cut, the lower the digestibility of the resulting hay. By the time the seedheads are mature, there is little to no nutrition in the plant body in most cases - it's just indigestible fiber. Rabbits can digest fiber to some extent by fermentation in the large cecum. BUT, the mature plant is mostly INDEGISTIBLE. That's what STRAW bedding is. 

Grain is a source of carbs (energy) which will be most limiting for growth first and foremost. Second will be Amino Acid balance. Crude protein percentage doesn't mean beans if the AA's aren't balanced. For most single grains, the AA's are not balanced. A high protein hay and a mix of grains are important.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> All you can do is experiment, but with choosing a giant breed, you have set yourself back a bit. They require the most feed to maintain weight.


And any 'giant' breed carries less meat and more bone than desireable as 'meat' animals. They require huge cages, tons of feed - and don't produce as much meat as commercial body type animals.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

mygoat said:


> Growing a feedstuff out to the seeding stage will not provide adequate nutrition as both a grain and a hay.
> 
> Hay is (ideally) cut regularly before the reproductive stage. The older/more mature the plant is at cut, the lower the digestibility of the resulting hay. By the time the seedheads are mature, there is little to no nutrition in the plant body in most cases - it's just indigestible fiber. Rabbits can digest fiber to some extent by fermentation in the large cecum. BUT, the mature plant is mostly INDEGISTIBLE. That's what STRAW bedding is.


Of course, one could cut part of the field at the prime "hay" stage and let the remainder mature for grain and bedding. 



mygoat said:


> Grain is a source of carbs (energy) which will be most limiting for growth first and foremost. Second will be Amino Acid balance. Crude protein percentage doesn't mean beans if the AA's aren't balanced. For most single grains, the AA's are not balanced. A high protein hay and a mix of grains are important.


Mygoat, I'd like to learn more about this! Could you explain what a good grain mix would be? I feed mainly whole wheat and the rabbits seem to do well on this as one component of their natural diet... but perhaps I could do better for them. Always willing to learn!


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

MaggieJ said:


> Of course, one could cut part of the field at the prime "hay" stage and let the remainder mature for grain and bedding.
> 
> 
> 
> Mygoat, I'd like to learn more about this! Could you explain what a good grain mix would be? I feed mainly whole wheat and the rabbits seem to do well on this as one component of their natural diet... but perhaps I could do better for them. Always willing to learn!


I'm no pro, I admit. Looking up AA profiles of grains may be beneficial. 

Personally my current experiment for growout of fryers (not on pellets) is to offer oats, a 'dairy pellet' (38% soybean meal pellet supplement, essentially off-brand calf-manna that's about 25.00/hundredweight at my mill), and free choice quality alfalfa hay. I want to mix the oats and dairy pellet so that it is an 18% mix total. My fear is that I'll get 'diggers' that you can have whenever you mix grains/foods. 

Alfalfa and SBM are varied sources of protein, hay is also fiber, oats is carbohydrates. To some extent, since rabbits practice coprophagy, they get some microbial protein intake which is very high quality AA profile protein. Other hind gut fermentors like horses (that don't practice coprophagy) need to have very good AA profile diets because the only AA's they utelize are those that they take in. Ruminants and Coprophagy practicing hind-gut fermentors are able to digest the microbes of fermentation and thus can do better on less varied diets. 

I currently have 3 mutt litters that we want to experiment on. We're planning on growing them out in an old dog kennel we have. Once in the pen I don't plan on keeping anything - if I changed my mind, however, I would put them in a cage and worm/treat for cocci immediately. Adult stock is cage-raised and treated for cocci intermittently.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Thanks for the pointer in the right direction, Mygoat.  My rabbits do well on what I feed them, but perhaps a more diversified grain mix would shave a little off the grow out time. They'd likely enjoy the variety too.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

If it's more expensive, probably not worth it. But if you can keep protein levels the same and add diversity, it may be beneficial.


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## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

mygoat said:


> And any 'giant' breed carries less meat and more bone than desireable as 'meat' animals. They require huge cages, tons of feed - and don't produce as much meat as commercial body type animals.


What I've got exactly is one 100% giant flemish doe. One half giant, half chinchilla doe. And two 100% chinchilla bucks ( brothers ).

I kind of thought that this would be a good mix with some giant blood in there mixed with chinchilla. ??


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## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

GBov said:


> Or you might try keeping your meat stock on pellets, hay and extra goodies for added flavor and get a few mutts to experiment on, feeding wise that is.


I think I'll do that. I want to keep my breeders in top form and they are already used to the pellet. I am going to ween them down and feed more hay and weeds but still toss them a handful of pellet daily.

When ( if ) I get kits, I'm going to try the outdoor, movable pasture idea and supplement with oats and corn maybe too.


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## Haven (Aug 16, 2010)

Thats what I do. I use a small 1c measuring cup to ration their pellets in the a.m. Then they are given all the hay and greens they want to munch on the rest of the day. Last year I was filling the gravity feeders and they would sit there and pig out on pellets all day. Definite difference in feed costs - but I'm not packing them full of high protein pellets for optimal gains, just want them well fed, economically.


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## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

haven, what you are doing makes sense to me. From a cost basis standpoint, what is the benefit of getting a bigger bunny 'faster' if the cost in feed is equivalent to the extra size gained? I'm not selling my meat, its all for personal consumption so I'd rather feed as much as possible on naturals that I can grow, pasture, or cut.

I'd rather have smaller, slightly scrawny rabbits for free than fat expensive ones.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

Darntootin said:


> What I've got exactly is one 100% giant flemish doe. One half giant, half chinchilla doe. And two 100% chinchilla bucks ( brothers ).
> 
> I kind of thought that this would be a good mix with some giant blood in there mixed with chinchilla. ??


What KIND Of chinchilla? American and standard chins are commercial body type if I Recall. GIANT chins are mandolin and 'giant' framed. 

Most people make this mistake starting out. They think big rabbits = better for meat. Not the case.  There's a reason why the NZ's and Calis are what commercial rabbitries use.


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## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

Hm, I'm not sure what kind of chins they are, they are certainly much smaller than the giant flem and giant chin mix at the same age.

The thing about NZ's and cali's that turns me off is the white color. I don't like white rabbits, theres just something unatural looking about them. I like the chin color and the flem is a nice wild rabbit color.


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## GBov (May 4, 2008)

Darntootin said:


> Hm, I'm not sure what kind of chins they are, they are certainly much smaller than the giant flem and giant chin mix at the same age.
> 
> The thing about NZ's and cali's that turns me off is the white color. I don't like white rabbits, theres just something unatural looking about them. I like the chin color and the flem is a nice wild rabbit color.


I just discovered that NZs come in black, blue, red and broken black, broken blue and broken red. And some one mentioned frosted but I havnt chased that color up yet.

If your Chin is built like a brick chances are its an American Chin. I have one and she has the NZ shape but ever so slightly smaller.


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

Giant breeds have bigger bones to support their frame. Because of that they grow slower, take more feed, and have less meat for their weight than a smaller rabbit. Mini rex and dutch are actually efficient meat rabbits depending on the line because of their small bone structure which leads to go good meat to bone ratio and fast growth. We mixed mini rex in to our champagne and creme d'argent and are quite happy with the results. Size isn't everything. We do have some checkered giant x nz that we are crossing in as well though but in the end it's 3/4th commercial type breed, 1/4th mini rex, and 1/4th giant breed. Balances it out. I currently am in love with 2 does I got off my mini rex x creme d'argent buck and checkered giant x NZ doe last winter. They are perfect so far. Commercial type, checkered giant size, but very blocky build.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

And if you cross the colors of New Zealand, you get all sorts of colors of rabbit.  

Here's Trixie (pretty happy with her nestbox this past weekend). She's a purebred NZ - father was a white, mother is a black.


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## GBov (May 4, 2008)

Mygoat, I crossed my Black buck with a White doe and got black babies and white babies. No one near so pretty as your big girl!


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Haven said:


> Thats what I do. I use a small 1c measuring cup to ration their pellets in the a.m. Then they are given all the hay and greens they want to munch on the rest of the day. Last year I was filling the gravity feeders and they would sit there and pig out on pellets all day. Definite difference in feed costs - but I'm not packing them full of high protein pellets for optimal gains, just want them well fed, economically.


What do you mean by _small_ 1 cup measure? Isn't 1 cup, 1 cup?
Depending on what breed you have this really isn't saving you anything. My rex which average 8-10 pounds, only get 1 cup of pellets a day and that is wether I feed hay and extras or not. As long as it is above 30 degrees or so, thats all they ever actually need.

Standard Chinchilla is compact body type, topping at about 6 or 7 pounds, but still plenty suitable for meat. American Chin is your 8-11 pound commercial body type rabbit, and yes the giant chins are your mandolin, or semi-arch. They are big and clunky with huge dewlaps. One of the ugliest breeds on the board IMO.


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## Haven (Aug 16, 2010)

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> What do you mean by _small_ 1 cup measure? Isn't 1 cup, 1 cup?
> Depending on what breed you have this really isn't saving you anything. My rex which average 8-10 pounds, only get 1 cup of pellets a day and that is wether I feed hay and extras or not. As long as it is above 30 degrees or so, thats all they ever actually need..


Yes 1 cup.

It does save me $ because they only eat that small scoop of feed each day instead of hogging down tons of feed like they did when they got the large 1lb scoop to free feed. After the 1 cup they are free feeding on free greens and hay at 3.50 per bale, instead of overpriced pellets.


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## GBov (May 4, 2008)

Haven said:


> Yes 1 cup.
> 
> It does save me $ because they only eat that small scoop of feed each day instead of hogging down tons of feed like they did when they got the large 1lb scoop to free feed. After the 1 cup they are free feeding on free greens and hay at 3.50 per bale, instead of overpriced pellets.


My hay is costing almost $7 a bale but after I started feeding one cup feed perday pellets my feed costs, even with feed so expensive, dropped more than HALF!

And the rabbits are just as happy eating hay all day instead of chowing down on pellets like they were free lol.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

I feed somewhere between 1 cup and a heaping cup of pellets to does when they're not working. Free choice alfalfa/grass hay. Bucks get a cup. My breeds are NZ and SF, and a few mutts. My buns range in size from 9.5 to 12+ lbs. 

The BEST rule of thumb is to feed to CONDITION, not by some vague rule and expect everybody to do well on it. 

When they are raising a litter, I free feed 18%. The pellets don't disappear quickly until the kits start eating. Early in lactation is when the doe needs great nutrition, and rationing probably isn't the best for all does.


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## tkhadre (Apr 6, 2011)

I guess this would be a good place to ask this question. In regards to feeding I have been free feeding growing bunnys all they can eat pellets and it's very expensive. Can I cut it down to a specific amount per rabbit and still achieve growth? I'd like to say give them a certain amount of pellets and give them hay for the rest of their calories. Any advice would be appreciated.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

The easiest way to limit intake while making sure everybody gets their share would be to offer food all day, then take it away at night or something. 

You will ALWAYS get the best growth with free feeding pellets. 

Somebody posted a study where they recommended offering food free choice for like 18hrs/day and then took it away for 6 hrs... I DO NOT know if those are the 'correct' hours... It's just an example, hopefully that person sees this and will pipe in with the article/study.


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