# Whole Oats? Can they be fed to rabbits as a treat?



## SpruceMoose

A friend dropped off a new 50lb bag of whole oats. I'm wondering what can I use them for?

Can I feed them to the rabbits as a treat? How long will they store in a cool, dry area? They look very clean, not dusty or buggy or anything. I've given the rabbits oatmeal as a treat, including the kits just reaching weaning age.

Edit - 

Another question 

BOSS - Black Oil Sunflower Seeds - Do the rabbits peel them & just eat seed inside & drop the hull, or do they eat the entire thing? Inquiring minds want to know!! How much do BOSS usually cost per bag? Thanks for all the great advice everyone!!!


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## SquashNut

I feed them to mine, during their nursing period. 
I also give my bucks a scoop in place of their pellets with hay 2-3 times a week. my scoop is about 3 table spoons.
Don't know any thing about BOSS. I had a choice of buying one or the other and was afraid the BOSS was too fattening.


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## Caprice Acres

BOSS does have a lot of fat but a little goes a long way, and if fed right is an OK additive.

BOSS is rather expensive but pretty economical to feed - especially to rabbits I would assume. I'm guessing they'll eat it whole, it would take way too much time for them to pick it apart. Don't worry, the hulls won't hurt them.

BOSS in my area goes about 18.00/25lbs. So yes, pricey. But considering you will only be feeding a little bit to them, it will last a while.


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## MaggieJ

I feed my rabbits a good-quality scratch (oats, barley and corn) as their grain ration. This forms a small part of their diet, along with lots of hay and greens. I have had no problems feeding it, although it took some of the rabbits time to learn to like it.

Another thing you can do with whole oats is to grow them in trays on windowsills in winter for the grain grass. Gives the buns very healthy, inexpensive greens during the cold months. If you have three or four trays growing at various stages, there is always some to harvest. Plant them quite thickly for a good stand of grass. I usually get about three cuttings from each before they start to look spindly. Then I just pull them out and replant.


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## FalconDance

I need to search out all my old notes (we're starting in buns again), but I used to mix all our feed for rabbits/chickens/ducks/goats. I used, in proper ratio, alfalfa pellets, whole oats, cracked corn (sometimes) and milo. Other grains were mixed in if available. Greens and "goodies" were added as treats.


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## Danaus29

I give my rabbits a handful each of whole oats every evening when the temperature drops below freezing. That's in addition to dried leaves, pellets, and hay.


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## Pony

I also include whole oats in my rabbits' diet. Some of the juniors haven't found them to their liking, and that's when I discovered that oats grow quite readily from the grain in the bag: Oats started cropping up in spots where I'd manured with the rabbit poop. 

Learn something new every day.


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## tbishop

I'm a big fan of oats and oat products with rabbits because it primes them out and is easily digestible for them from my experience. The only drawback to whole oats I've seen is the fact that the hulls of the seed aren't eaten so you get less per pound. That's why I use steamed rolled oats. Neither are bad for them though.

Tim B.


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## Beaniemom

I bought an 80 pound bag of Oats for winter, I think I still have 20 pounds left! Some of it got wet and moldy and buggy. I tossed the bag outside and the chickens are eating it. They're also eating my anceint bag of Calf Manna.

I got an 80 pound bag of the BOSS, don't remember what I paid, but it lasts forever, I use one scoop per bin of food (I used to use two or three, yeah, way too much!) I also mix it in with the chicken feed too. They eat the whole thing.

I have sunflower plants everywheres from where they dump their food and I fertilize with it too. Not sure that I have oat plants though, whats that look like? LOL


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## Terry W

tbishop said:


> I'm a big fan of oats and oat products with rabbits because it primes them out and is easily digestible for them from my experience. The only drawback to whole oats I've seen is the fact that the hulls of the seed aren't eaten so you get less per pound. That's why I use steamed rolled oats. Neither are bad for them though.
> 
> Tim B.



Soaking the oats in warm water softens the huills, the rabbits will then eat the hulls!!![less waste, more fiber and water in the winter diets!] Do the same for safflower. BOSS will be eaten, hull and all, while regular sunflower needs to be fed already 'opened'-- I feed regular, striped sunflower ini the form of 'chips' which iI buy in small bulk from a bird seed supplier.


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## XCricketX

Since you have whole oats, try sprouting a batch before you give them to the bunnies. This will be much easier for them to digest. I found oats to be a easy "Bloater" if over fed with not enough water, and not enough hay/forage material. Definitely make sure they have PLENTY of hay/forage at all times. ^_^

Cricket


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## XCricketX

Beaniemom said:


> I bought an 80 pound bag of Oats for winter, I think I still have 20 pounds left! Some of it got wet and moldy and buggy. I tossed the bag outside and the chickens are eating it. They're also eating my anceint bag of Calf Manna.
> 
> I got an 80 pound bag of the BOSS, don't remember what I paid, but it lasts forever, I use one scoop per bin of food (I used to use two or three, yeah, way too much!) I also mix it in with the chicken feed too. They eat the whole thing.
> 
> I have sunflower plants everywheres from where they dump their food and I fertilize with it too. Not sure that I have oat plants though, whats that look like? LOL


The oat plant looks like a rich green grass. Very nice/hint of blue coloring. When first coming up (before bolting) it has about 3 stems about 1/4 inch wide. Long and straight.

Cricket


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## BackfourtyMI.

My DH brought home 3 bunnies yesterday & I don't have rabbit pellets, so I gave them hay & some of my goat feed I mix up, with reading this thread it looks like everything I mix in the goat feed is fine except I also add rolled barley in it, is that OK for them also? Should I just get a bag of Rabbit pellets to feed them? Sorry, don't mean to Hijack your thread, SpruceMoose.


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## Terry W

Backfourty said:


> My DH brought home 3 bunnies yesterday & I don't have rabbit pellets, so I gave them hay & some of my goat feed I mix up, with reading this thread it looks like everything I mix in the goat feed is fine except I also add rolled barley in it, is that OK for them also? Should I just get a bag of Rabbit pellets to feed them? Sorry, don't mean to Hijack your thread, SpruceMoose.


 barley is a good, old fashioned grain that is good for bunnies


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## Pony

Backfourty said:


> My DH brought home 3 bunnies yesterday & I don't have rabbit pellets, so I gave them hay & some of my goat feed I mix up, with reading this thread it looks like everything I mix in the goat feed is fine except I also add rolled barley in it, is that OK for them also? Should I just get a bag of Rabbit pellets to feed them? Sorry, don't mean to Hijack your thread, SpruceMoose.


I don't know what could be missing in what you fed, but what you have listed sounds good to me.

You really don't need a commercial mix to raise rabbits. It's just more convenient. My herd gets a combination of hay, grass and weeds, and pelleted ration. I'm doing my best to cut back on the pellets as much as possible, to the point where I'll only be feeding those in the winter.


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## MaggieJ

I haven't fed pellets to my rabbits in over a year. And yes, barley is a good grain for rabbits. 

Feeding pellets is more convenient, as Pony says, and less time consuming, but if you do your homework they are not essential. There is a lot of information about alternatives in the "sticky" threads at the top of this page. Make changes slowly and always provide plenty of fresh hay.

One thing to note, however, is that growth rates for young rabbits will likely be slower on natural foods than on pellets. My fryers last year took about 16 weeks to reach butchering size, but cost less overall to feed. I think with refinements to their diet I could get it down to 14 weeks, maybe even 12... but that remains to be seen.


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## BackfourtyMI.

Thanks everyone, as I said the neighbor had a sign out for bunnies & DH came home with 3 and all I had was my goat feed that I mix up and hay of course. They seem to really like it.
Again, So SORRY for hijacking your thread SpruceMoose.

I'm sure I'll be reading here alot & asking many, many questions about rabbits now that we have some.


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## SpruceMoose

Backfourty said:


> My DH brought home 3 bunnies yesterday & I don't have rabbit pellets, so I gave them hay & some of my goat feed I mix up, with reading this thread it looks like everything I mix in the goat feed is fine except I also add rolled barley in it, is that OK for them also? Should I just get a bag of Rabbit pellets to feed them? Sorry, don't mean to Hijack your thread, SpruceMoose.


All rabbit feed questions are welcome  

Thanks so much for the info everyone!! I'll definitely try sprouting some oats!! 

I have 2 litters on the ground so far. One will be weaned starting next week, the other litter just opened their eyes a few days ago. The 2nd litter has started to nibble pellets, plantain & raspberry leaves (just a few leaves & a very few pellets) - the first litter had the same diet & their quite bouncy & strong  I also have a Californian doe & a New Zealand White doe which definitely look pregnant. Now that I've had 2 does successfully kindle, I can see the difference in the pregnant does.


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## Mrs. Jo

We have gradually been switching our rabbits from pellets to hay, and a whole grain mix we make ourselves. I've already got our goats eating whole oats, rolled barley, and boss. So we use that, add a quarter part of rabbit pellets and another quarter part of alfalfa pellets. They seem to like it so far. 

Another thing we did was put the buck and doe in a colony setting rather than having them in their cages. She just doesn't seem able to mother her litters so we are giving her one more go. It looks like she is pregnant again. Those two are in with our young goat does and they all seem to happily share that area. I'm hoping she'll get her act together. 

We bought 3 little Netherland Dwarf bunnies that are as cute as can be. These will go into the cages, but will be fed the hay and grain mix. I still have them in the house. They are so cute! These little ones will sometimes leaves the husks of the oats in the food dish. I guess they are eating out the insides....

I'm still looking for one or two new Zealand meat type does to go in with the buck. Just in case the other doe still can't do it.


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## Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians

Same here, back in rabbits and mine are eating out of the garden and the goats hay and milkstand grain. Vicki


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## Ann Mary

A thought about the BOS......I planted a couple of handfuls of the seeds this spring just because I wanted to see if they would grow well...they did! They are so cute too! They are about 3-4' tall with bright cheery 6-8" flowers on them. I plant to harvest the flowers and dry them and then throw them into the chickens and rabbits and goats this winter...and plant ALOT more next year! One way to stretch the food $$$...and decorate thed garden at the same time!


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## Danaus29

Terry, how long should the oats soak before being fed to the rabbits?


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## MaggieJ

Danaus29 said:


> Terry, how long should the oats soak before being fed to the rabbits?


I'd like to know too! And do you rinse them before feeding to the buns?


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