We have had several inquires about the type of, and how much hay we feed our rabbit's here at TAP rabbitry. While I have went into great length about the type and amount of pellets that we feed our rabbits, I have only given hay a cursory mention in two my previous articles: How and What We Feed, and Proper Rabbit Nutrition for your herd. So the focus of this article is about how we supplement our rabbits daily pellet regimen with hay.
We feed timothy hay
in the mornings. When we get up to go out and check on the rabbits we
water and place a handful of hay into the hay hangers of
each rabbits cage. I realize a handful is not a very precise amount
of hay, but as it is a supplement to their diet and not the rabbits
primary form of nutrition we really do not get anymore specific than
a handful. For our grow out cages, I stuff as much hay in the hangers
as possible as we usually have many hungry little buns waiting for
their morning hay. The grow out cages may get hay a couple times a
day depending on the amount, age, and size of young growing rabbits
in the cage.
Hay Selection
The three most
common hay types that breeders feed their rabbits is timothy,
coastal (a.k.a bermuda), and alfalfa. We purchase compressed 50lb bales of timothy
hay from our local Tractor Supply for less than $16.00 a bale. I
cannot find coastal hay in my area in manageable size bales, but I
have to admit I have not pursued it that vigorously. We do not feed
our rabbits alfalfa hay as the primary ingredient in the pellets that
we feed is alfalfa meal. My research has led me to believe that
feeding alfalfa hay in addition to a good pellet that is rich in
alfalfa can cause your rabbits to have kidney and urinary problems
related to an over abundance of minerals (primarily calcium and
phosphorous). See my article on Proper Rabbit Nutrition on our blog.
When you purchase or
open a compressed bale of hay it should be green in color and have the smell
of fresh cut grass. The fresher the hay, the better the nutrient and
mineral composition of the hay. This is especially important if you
decided to feed your rabbits a diet of hay and miscellaneous greens
only. I do not recommend this approach for meat rabbits, but I have
several customers who feed all the livestock on their farms nothing
but alfalfa hay with some miscellaneous wild greens. It is my own
opinion, based on the research that I have done that if you want
good, consistent meat yields from your rabbits, hay is better used as
a supplement to a good quality pellet rather than as a primary source
of dietary nutrition.
Timothy Hay
Sometimes labeled as
timothy grass, it is the probably the most common type of hay type fed to cattle and
livestock by today's farmers. If you are feeding your rabbits a good
quality pellet, then this is the hay that I would use to supplement
your rabbits diet with. According to the website 'Feedipedia',
“timothy hay has long been recommended to provide fibre, in
addition to concentrate feeds, in rabbit diets for small holder rabbit
meat production (Cassady
et al., 1966; Schlolaut
et al., 1995), and more recently for pet rabbit maintenance
(McNitt et al., 2013).
Contrary to alfalfa hay, timothy hay cannot support maintenance in
adults when used as the sole feed (Richards
et al., 1962; Uden
et al., 1982). However, it has been possible to include timothy
hay up to 60 or even 75% in balanced diets without causing health
problems (Keener et
al., 1958; Uden et
al., 1982).”
Alfalfa Hay
If you feed a good
quality pellet to your rabbits (one in which the primary ingredient
is alfalfa or alfalfa meal) then I would avoid feeding your rabbits
alfalfa hay. Alfalfa hay has 3.36 times more potassium than timothy hay, and 2.97 times more potassium than coastal (bermuda) hay. Too much calcium can cause your rabbits to develop stones in their
kidneys, bladder and ureters which is not only painful but can cause
death in an otherwise healthy rabbit. The potential for complications related to too much potassium
and calcium when feeding alfalfa hay along with a good quality
alfalfa based pellet is to high in my opinion. If you feed a good quality pellet, then timothy or coastal hay is a much better choice.
Can rabbits live on alfalfa hay alone? Well yes, we have a few customers who swear that they only feed their rabbits alfalfa hay and miscellaneous weeds. However, a diet primarily based on alfalfa hay alone is not sufficient for good quality meat rabbit production. According to the website 'Feedipedia', “As a source of energy, alfalfa cannot fully meet the growth requirements of commercial rabbits, mainly because of its physiological limitation in ingestion (Fernandez-Carmona et al., 1998). Alfalfa hay is also a valuable source of protein (25% of the dietary protein) though its nutritive value varies greatly, depending on several factors such as the harvesting and drying process or plant maturity at harvest. Though alfalfa protein content is sufficient to meet rabbit requirements, the low digestibility of alfalfa protein makes it unsuitable for sustaining high growth rates (Fernandez-Carmona et al., 1998). The apparent digestibility of faecal protein of alfalfa hay is about 21% that of soybean meal value and its methionine content is 42% that of soybean meal one (Villamide et al., 2010). In tropical regions, where alfalfa is not readily grown, other protein sources such as bambara groundnut can be used instead (Aganga et al., 2005). Due to heavy fertilizer applications, feeding alfalfa to rabbits may result in excess K (Mateos et al., 2010). Alfalfa hay is rich in calcium: this may be an advantage during the growth period but it should be limited or avoided in adult rabbits (Lowe, 2010).”
Can rabbits live on alfalfa hay alone? Well yes, we have a few customers who swear that they only feed their rabbits alfalfa hay and miscellaneous weeds. However, a diet primarily based on alfalfa hay alone is not sufficient for good quality meat rabbit production. According to the website 'Feedipedia', “As a source of energy, alfalfa cannot fully meet the growth requirements of commercial rabbits, mainly because of its physiological limitation in ingestion (Fernandez-Carmona et al., 1998). Alfalfa hay is also a valuable source of protein (25% of the dietary protein) though its nutritive value varies greatly, depending on several factors such as the harvesting and drying process or plant maturity at harvest. Though alfalfa protein content is sufficient to meet rabbit requirements, the low digestibility of alfalfa protein makes it unsuitable for sustaining high growth rates (Fernandez-Carmona et al., 1998). The apparent digestibility of faecal protein of alfalfa hay is about 21% that of soybean meal value and its methionine content is 42% that of soybean meal one (Villamide et al., 2010). In tropical regions, where alfalfa is not readily grown, other protein sources such as bambara groundnut can be used instead (Aganga et al., 2005). Due to heavy fertilizer applications, feeding alfalfa to rabbits may result in excess K (Mateos et al., 2010). Alfalfa hay is rich in calcium: this may be an advantage during the growth period but it should be limited or avoided in adult rabbits (Lowe, 2010).”
Coastal Bermuda Hay
(Coastal/Orchard Mix)
Coastal hay is a
pretty broad term that is loosely tossed around as a generic label by
many growers. In general, 'coastal hay' is a mix of 'coastal bermuda
grass and orchard grass' in which the primary component is bermuda
grass. The USDA in Texas classifies this combination simply as
'coastal bermuda hay'. Of the three (timothy, alfalfa, and coastal)
coastal hay has the least amount of crude protein. As with timothy
hay, coastal hay should not be your meat rabbits primary dietary
source of protein, fiber, and carbohydrates if you want to maximize
your growth and meat yields. According to the website 'Feedipedia',
“Bermuda grass used as a sole feed did not support maintenance in
adult rabbits (Deshmukh
et al., 1989).” So coastal hay may be a good supplement, but you should not use it as your rabbits primary source of nutrition.
Proper Hay Storage
Storing your hay is
important, after all you have spent good hard earned money and your
really do not want to waste it by letting your hay get moldy or
infested with rodents. When it comes to hay, water is not your
friend. If your hay gets damp and begins to mold it is essentially a
waste. You can throw it in your compost pile or if you live on a big
enough farm give it to your goats and cattle, but do not feed it to
your rabbits. Rabbits have a pretty unique digestive system and moldy
hay is very likely to upset that balance and make them sick. While
our rabbits are voracious eaters, I am not sure if they would even
eat moldy hay, but we would not give them the option.
So make sure you
store your hay in a container that will keep it dry and rodent free.
When we open a bale of timothy hay, we place it in two 50 gallon
aluminum trashcans with lids that we bought just for this purpose.
The trashcans are stored in a closed shed to keep any rain or other
moisture out the hay so that it stays dry and keeps it from getting
moldy. In addition, a closed container helps keep field mice and rats
from making burrows and or nests in the hay. We really have no desire
to feed out rabbits hay that has mice or rat urine and feces in it,
and neither should you.
TAP's Tips For
Purchasing Hay:
1) Do not purchase
hay in those cute little bags you see at your local pet store,
Walmart, or feed store. The cost for some of this small 'convienance'
bags is almost the same price as you would pay for a 50lb bale. As an
example: a 40oz bag of Oxbow Western Timothy Hay at Petsmart is
$12.99, whereas a 50lb compressed bale of Standlee 'Grab & Go' Timothy
Hay at Tractor Supply is $15.99.
2) Purchase the
freshest hay you can. When purchasing hay it should be green of color
and smell of fresh cut grass when you open the bale. The greener hay
is, the fresher it is. Fresh hay has better nutritional value than
older hay. Try and stay away from hay that is more pale or brown than
green. The browner the hay the more dust it will have, and while it
will still have plenty of fibre, it is not as nutritious as fresh
hay as the nutrients in the grass begin to breakdown as they hay gets
older.
3) If you are
purchasing hay from a local farmer or rancher. Try and make sure the
hay you are buying is fresh cut, or has been stored less than 6
months in a covered area. Damp hay is a haven for mold which is not
good for your rabbits, and the longer hay is sitting in the barn, the
greater the chance it will have large amounts of rodent feces
and urine in it which is also not so good for your rabbits.
4) Do not purchase
hay that has additives in it such as molasses. This may be good for
horses, goats and cattle, but it could upset your rabbits digestive
system making them sick. I realize that Texas A&M University
performed studies in 2000 in which rabbits were fed alfalfa and
molasses blocks which they made at their facility with out any
apparent problems. However for small farm use, hay which has molasses
in it has a tendency to mold quicker than other types of hay. Because
mold has the potential to cause you to have unexpected deaths in your herd, we encourage you to check the label and not purchase hay with molasses or other additives.
Conclusion
We feed our adult
rabbits timothy hay every morning (about a handful per rabbit).
When the kits begin to wean they also begin to eat the hay we have
left for momma, although it is usually in a hay hanger and they can
only get to it when the can reach up for it. This allows the kits to
focus on eating pellets until the are able to stretch up and reach the
hay basket. We recommend that you not feed your rabbits any hay that
has additives such as molasses. This may be good for horses, cattle or
goats, but not so good for your rabbit.
Whether you purchase
your hay from a local farm, ranch, or local retail outlet, it should
be green of color and smell of fresh cut grass when you open the
bale. Whether you give your rabbits full access to hay all day, or
only feed them a measured amount once a day, it is our
recommendation that for meat rabbit production, that hay be used as
a supplement, not a primary source of nutrition. In addition, if you
feed your rabbits a good pellet (one based on alfalfa or alfalfa
meal), then you should feed either timothy or coastal hay and not
alfalfa.
While your rabbits
can live on grasses alone, for best growth and meat production you
should use a good quality pellet feed. Having said that, if you wish
to raise your rabbits solely on hay, then I would recommend using
alfalfa. As always, we ask that if you find this information
interesting that you please share it with your friends on Facebook
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Related Articles On
Our Site:
Resources:
M. E. Ensminger,
J. E. Oldfield, and W. W. Heinemann, Feeds & Nutrition by M.
E. Ensminger, J. E., (Second Edition 1990).
Linga S.S., Lukefahr
S.D., Feeding Of Alfalfa Hay With Molasses Blocks Or Crumbles To
Growing Rabbit Fryers. Deparetment of Animal Science &
Wildlife Sciences, Texas A&M University.
http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd12/4/ling124.htm
Every time I feed my young timothy from the t supply store, they get diarrhea, can I feed coastal. See if that stops it?
ReplyDeleteThanks answer would be aporeciated.
appreciated. Its appreciated
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