Few things will make
your rabbitry more successful than feeding your rabbits a proper and
well balanced diet. Just about every rabbit breeder has their own
opinions about what makes for a balanced diet. Many breeders of show
rabbits follow a specific feeding regimen and swear by a specific
brand of feed and or supplements. While many meat breeders follow a
slightly different path when it comes to feeding their herd.
Whether you are
breeding rabbits for show, meat, or simply as pets, there are certain
nutritional needs that your rabbit or rabbits need to maintain a healthy
lifestyle. Here on the TAP homestead, we raise New Zealand Reds and
Whites in addition to American Blues. These breeds were developed as
meat rabbits, so our focus is slightly different than that of show
breeders. Having said that, we use the same high quality pedigreed
bloodlines in our herd to produce superior meat breeding livestock.
We try and maintain our livestock to meet the standards of the breed
per the ARBA guidelines.
It is our desire
that the following information will give you all the necessary tools
you need to make competent decisions regarding the nutritional needs
of the rabbits in your herd.
Protein
Protein
is needed for the development of strong bones and lean muscle mass
(meat). Protein requirement for rabbits varies depending on their age
and whether they are pregnant or lactating. In general rabbits need
12% to 18% protein in their diet. As mentioned, protein requirements
vary throughout the life stage of your rabbits. A good balanced
pellet based feed should contain 15 – 16% of high quality protein.
This level of protein will provide the necessary amount of amino
acids to allow your rabbits to build quality muscle mass (meat yield)
throughout all of the growth stages of your rabbits life cycle.
Gestating
and lactating does require a slightly higher percentage of protein
(about 18%) to help them not only produce healthy kits, but to also
produce enough quality milk to help a momma feed her litter. Once a
does kits have been weaned, she should be placed back on a quality
pellet that has 15 – 16% protein. While protein is an important
part of your rabbits diet, continued use of feeds with high levels of
protein (18% or greater) may be detrimental to your rabbit's
long-term health.
Carbohydrates
and Fiber
As
with humans, carbohydrates are the major energy source for your
rabbits. The primary source of your rabbits carbohydrates should come
from a good quality form of non-digestible fiber. High levels of
non-digestible fiber, such as timothy and or coastal hay, help
to stimulate gut motility and may help prevent enteritis and obesity.
In addition, non-digestible fiber is important for dental health
because it helps your rabbits teeth wear evenly. Fermentable fiber
helps rabbits digest cecotrophs as well as preventing the
colonization of bad bacteria in the cecum, again, decreasing the likelihood
of enteritis. In addition, your rabbits need certain fatty acids (propionate, butyrate, acetate) which are produced by
healthy bacteria in the rabbits cecum. These fatty acids are then absorbed into the
rabbits bloodstream as an additional source of energy. To produce these fatty acids,
rabbits require a diet with a crude fiber of 12% to 16% depending on your rabbits age and growth cycle.
While growing kits and adult normally need 15 - 16% crude fiber in their diet fro proper growth and maintenance, gestating and lactating does actually need less non-digestable fiber about 12% to 14%. If you feed a good quality pellet and timothy or coastal hay you
will not have to worry about your rabbits carbohydrate and fiber
needs as doing such insures they get the necessary amount of fiber for proper GI health.
Breeder's
Note: Rabbits that are fed a good quality pellet should not be given
alfalfa hay as the primary carbohydrate component in most pellet
feeds is alfalfa meal. Feeding alfalfa hay in addition to pellets can
cause your rabbit to have intestinal as well as urinary complications
(see section on minerals).
Fats
Fats
are
a secondary energy source and
the place that
fat-soluble vitamins are
stored for later use by rabbits. A good commercial pellet feed
should contain 2% to 4%
of fat,
which is all your rabbit
needs to maintain a healthy
body composition. Added fat
is not necessary in your rabbits diet, and excess amounts of fats
increase the risk of obesity, hepatic lipidosis, and atherosclerosis
in the aorta. As a side note, fat rabbits become lazy rabbits which can lead to a decreased desire to reproduce causing your breeding program to suffer.
Vitamins
A
good quality pellet feed (Manna Pro, Purina, Bluebonnet etc…)
should be fortified with the necessary vitamins (fat and water soluble) and minerals to help your rabbit maintain a healthy life. The B
vitamins thiamine (B1) riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid
(B5), pridoxine (B6), biotin, folic acid and the cobalamin (B12) and
C are water soluble. Vitamins are A, D, E, and K are fat soluble. The
B-complex vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and B12) are synthesized by
bacteria in the rabbits cecum. The rabbit then excretes cecotrophs
(grape like clusters of vitamin packed goodness) which they eat in order to reabsorb
these vitamins. Obesity can prevent a rabbit from reaching its anus
to eat its cecotrophs, resulting in a vitamin deficiency.
When
purchasing pellet food, look at the label on the bag and check the
date (usually stamped on the bottom of the bag) in which it was
packaged as vitamins A and E will degrade over time due to
oxidization. Therefore all rabbit feed should be fed within 90 days
of milling to prevent this loss of the essential vitamins.
Minerals
A
good quality pellet feed, should have alfalfa meal listed as the
first ingredient (that means the majority of the feed is composed of
this ingredient). Alfalfa is high in calcium and phosphorous and has
the right amount of calcium and phosphorus needed through all the
stages of your rabbit's life cycle from kit to adult. In addition,
most commercial pellets are supplemented and or fortified with minerals. This is important as mineral
deficiencies can cause poor bone and joint growth as well as bone
demineralization in adult rabbits increasing the risk of your rabbit
breaking a leg or it's back (common rabbit injury's that can occur
when they are startled or handled improperly).
If
you have drop trays under you cages then you will definitely notice
that sometimes the urine in the trays will appear to have a milky
like consistency. This is normal as rabbits absorb all the calcium in
their diet and the excess not used by the rabbit is excreted by
the kidneys as calcium carbonate in their urine making the urine
appear to have a milk like color and consistency. Too much calcium however in
your rabbits diet can lead to the formation of kidney stones in the
kidneys, bladder and ureters which is not only painful but can cause
death in an otherwise healthy rabbit. For proper urinary health your
rabbits only require a calcium level of 0.5 – 1%.
Conclusion
Feeding
your rabbits a nutrient rich balanced diet not only helps to keep
your breeders healthy, it also allows for the maximum growth of young
fryers. Healthy rabbits reproduce more often and have larger litters
and are less susceptible to disease. All of these attributes are
essential to running a successful rabbitry whether you are raising
rabbits to show or are simply raising meat pens to feed your friends
and family. And as always, if you have enjoyed this
article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send
us on friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not
miss out on any of our new articles.
Other Related Articles On Our Blog:
Choosing The Right Feed (Pellet)
References:
Comparison
Of Rabbit Dry Foods, The Rabbit House UK
Krempels,
Donna Ph.D., What Should I Feed My Bunny?
Bennet,
Bob, Storey's Guide To Raising Rabbits, Storey Publishing, North
Adams, MA, 2009
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