Water: The Elixir Of Life

Keeping you rabbits hydrated is extremely important. Summer will soon be here and allowing your rabbits to have access to fresh water will help them to survive the summer heat. On average, our New Zealand or American Blue meat rabbits will drink about 600 to 900ml (20 to 30 ounces) of water a day per rabbit. Depending on the time of the year it may vary somewhat with increased water needs most often noted in the heat of the summer months. If you feed your rabbits fresh greens or allow them to graze on fresh grass they may get some of their water requirements from this source, however rabbits fed pellets and dry hay will need to have an ample supply of fresh water in order to keep them fully hydrated. This is especially true if you live in a more southern climate like we have here in Texas. So it is imperative that you make sure your rabbits have access to fresh, clean pure water to drink throughout the day.

In addition, does who are pregnant or are lactating will consume quite a bit more water throughout the day. Once kits begin to reach the weaning age and you have 6 to 10 or more in a cage with momma the water uptake for that cage will increase significantly and they should not be allowed to run out. Kits have a more fragile digestive system and they should have ample access to fresh and clean water to maintain their health during this early growth stage.

As I mentioned, just having access to water is not enough, your rabbits need to have access to clean pure water to drink throughout the day. In order to make sure we are providing the best possible water source for our rabbits, we remove and wash our bottles and bowls at a minimum once a week (every Saturday) to make sure that their water source stays clean and bacteria free to help prevent enteritis and other complications of the gastrointestinal (GI) system. Few things can kill a rabbit faster than enteritis (which can be caused by a either a bacteria or virus). Making sure your rabbits have access to fresh clean water may help reduce the chances that they will suffer some GI distress, but eventually all rabbitry's will have a few rabbits that get sick with GI symptoms. The key is to try and minimize the risks.

I will be discussing the use of three watering options for your herd in this article 1) water bowls and crocks, 2) water bottles gravity fed vs spring loaded, and 3) automatic watering systems. Of these three options if you are just starting out most of you will be using either water bowls or bottles. The use of automatic watering systems is slightly more complicated to setup and maintain but does claim to have some advantages that make it an intriguing option, but not necessarily the best option for a small rabbitry.

Watering Crocks and Bowls

Probably the most common form of supplying your rabbit with water is via the use of crocks and or water bowls. These options are my least favorite, although with some ingenuity it can be the cheapest option. About half of our rabbits here at the TAP Rabbitry are bowl drinkers. Simply because when we purchased this livestock from other rabbitry's they used bowls to water their herd. I have had some success in transitioning bowl drinkers to bottles, but some adult rabbits just will not learn to use the bottle. For our rabbits that have to have bowls, we prefer to purchase the two piece 20 ounce bowls that twist and unlock for easy bowl removal (Lixit Quick Lock Crock) so that they can be placed in our dishwasher each week to be cleaned. They tend to cost about $10.00 and can be found on Amazon or at most pet stores. We do however have an assortment of bowls that we have acquired over time and still use, but as I mentioned we prefer the Lixit bowls. 

If you are starting out on a budget, the cheapest bowl option is to buy large coffee cups or bowls at the dollar store and zip tie them to the cage corner to keep the rabbits from knocking them over. I know a few breeders who choose this option and it seems to work well for them, the down side to this option is that it makes cleaning the bowls or cups more difficult, and you have to replace the zip ties each time you want to clean the bowls or cups. In the long run, I think buying removable bowls is cheaper, but it requires a larger layout of cash upfront.

Bowls and crocks however are the least sanitary water option. Because your rabbit urinates and defecates on the cage floor in which they walk, they can easily transfer any bacteria from the cage floor to their water bowl when they put their feet in their water bowl. They are after all animals, and they do not care where they place their feet and they will stand in their water bowl I guarantee it. Your rabbits will then drink from these bowls which increases the chance that they will ingest some bacteria which can cause your rabbit to have a bout of diarrhea with deadly results. I am not saying that if you use bowls or crocks that your herd is more susceptible to getting sick than if you use bottles, what I am saying is that if you use bowl or crocks, you need to be vigilant about cleaning them as they get dirty relatively easy putting your herd more at risk for disease and GI distress. I have found that because our rabbits do put their feet in their water bowls so often, that a mucousy slime will quickly grow and we need to empty and wipe out the bowls every couple of days in addition to washing them once a week.

Water Bottles (Ball Bearing Gravity Fed VS Spring Loaded Nipples)

If we had our choice, all of our rabbits would be on the bottle or an automatic watering system. The two big advantages to using water bottles over crocks or bowls is that 1) they hold more water (32 ounces), and 2) your rabbit cannot place their feet in the water making it more sanitary. This means that you have to go out and water your herd less often throughout the day, and they will have a sufficient amount of water overnight when they are most active. In addition, because your rabbits cannot stand or place their feet in the water bottle, you have drastically reduced the chance that they will suffer from bacterial illness of the gastrointestinal system due to dirty water.

There are a couple of different options when buying water bottles for your herd. There are the gravity feed bottles which have one or two small ball bearings in the spout, and then there are the bottles that come with the spring loaded tips in the spout. The gravity feed bottles are quite a bit cheaper (about half the price) than the spring loaded tip bottles, but they are quite inferior in function. The gravity fed bottles leak easily, and any time your rabbit bounces around the cage water will leak from the spout. Our first two water bottles were of this type, and I watched 32 ounces of water slowly leak from this bottle as our rabbits moved around in the cage. To refill the entire bottle you have to remove it from the cage wall and them fill the bottle and then place it back in it's holder which is somewhat flimsy. In addition, these types of bottles are difficult to clean even with a bottle brush, there are some areas in which you just cannot reach. Needless to say, we only purchased this kind of bottle once, and we immediately returned all three.

Fortunately for us, on a visit to our local Tractor Supply we discovered some 32 ounce spring loaded tipped, top fill water bottles from Lixit. We purchased one for a trial run and have been using them ever since for our rabbitry. This type of bottle costs about twice the amount of the cheap gravity feed bottles ($7.99 from our local Tractor Supply) but they are definitely worth the additional cost. The best part is the bottles are even cheaper than the 20 ounce Lixit crocks (when you add shipping), and they hold any additional 12 ounces of water making this a “win, win” situation for us. If you are just starting out and you want to use bottles to water your herd, do not waste your money on gravity fed bottles, you will be disappointed.

Automatic Watering Systems

Used by commercial rabbitry's, an automatic watering system has a large reservoir that holds the water for all of your cages. This water is then funneled down to each individual cage by small flexible tubing that has a spring loaded nipple on the end to allow the rabbits to drink from it. This is the same type of spring loaded nipple that is used in the Lixit bottles we use here at TAP rabbitry. I do not have any experience with automatic watering systems and while they are convenient and can save time when it comes to watering, I am not sure how easy they are to clean and maintain for the small home rabbitry. The use of black tubing helps to keep the growth of algae down (algae likes light), but then you cannot physically see if the inside of the tubing is dirty or has slime growing in it.

My major concern with this type of system for the small scale rabbitry is that if the water some how gets contaminated with bacteria you could lose your whole rabbitry overnight due to enteritis or other GI related diseases. In addition, if one of your rabbits gets aggressive and pulls off one of the nipples or chews through the tubing, your system will empty itself and none of your rabbits will have water until the problem is discovered. While this could be a minor inconvenience, if you were gone for a day or two, you could come home to a severly dehydrated or dead herd. Many people use a form of automatic watering systems on a small scale, and one may be in our future. You can find many examples on YouTube, however, if you have less than 20 cages or are just starting out the spring loaded bottles in my option are the best option.

Water Additives: Are They Really Necessary?

Contrary to what some people will tell you, rabbits do not need water with added vitamins they should get all their vitamins and minerals from their feed. Adding additional vitamins to your rabbits water may sound like a good idea, however, these vitamins when added to water may encourage them to drink excess amounts of water increasing their vitamin uptake, and as we mentioned in our article on 'Proper Rabbit Nutrition', excess vitamins can effect your rabbits health.

The one thing we do add to our water is one tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar (with the Mother) to each gallon of water we give to our rabbits. It is said to have many immune boosting properties and other beneficial side effects when given to your rabbits. We started using this when we first started raising rabbits, I cannot scientifically verify all the beneficial claims (increased number of kits per litter, increased breeding success, and many others), but we continue to use it on a daily basis for it's positive immune properties. There are some interesting articles on using Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) with the mother on Rise and Shine's Rabbitry page 'Apple Cider Vinegar For Rabbits' and on Mad Hatter's Rabbitry page 'Using Apple Cider Vinegar With Rabbits. Check them out for more specific information regarding using ACV in your rabbits water.

Conclusion

A continuous supply of clean, fresh water is essential to the health of your herd. There are many watering options from the simple bowl or water crock, to spring fed bottles, to automatic watering systems. For us here at the TAP rabbitry we prefer the spring loaded bottles because of their larger water capacity (32oz) and their ease of cleaning and maintenance, and the fact that our rabbits cannot stick their feet in them. There is nothing wrong with using bowls for watering, they have been used for hundreds of years and we even have a few 'hold outs' that just will not learn to drink from the bottle.

While we do not think that our rabbitry is large enough to consider an automatic watering system at this time, such a system may be an option for us one day. Before that happens though, I will have to do more research into the care and maintenance of such a system. For now, we will continue using the spring loaded water bottles and crocks for those rabbits that will just not learn to drink from a bottle.

When it comes to proper rabbit nutrition, you may have some success in your rabbitry buy using a less desirable pellet feed, however if your rabbits water source is inferior and or contaminated both your rabbits health and your rabbitry will suffer greatly. Water is the true elixir of life, and making sure your livestock has access to such should be one of top priority's in your rabbitry. As always we ask that if you find this information interesting that you please share it with your friends on Facebook and Google+. You can also subscribe to out blog so that you do not miss any of our new articles or our notices regarding new rabbits that we have for sale. 

References:

Mad Hatter Rabbitry: Using Apple Cider Vinegar With Rabbits.

Rise and Shine Rabbitry: Apple Cider Vinegar For Rabbits.

The Best Hay For Your Rabbits

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).”

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 and Google+. Don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+. You can also subscribe to our blog so that you do not miss any of our new articles or our notices regarding new rabbit's that are for sale.

Related Articles On Our Site:

How And What We Feed

Choosing The Right Pellet Feed

Proper Rabbit Nutrition

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

How And What We Feed

The one question I have received most often when someone is purchasing rabbits from our rabbitry is what type of feed do we use and how much do we feed. First, I am going to say that almost every breeder of meat and show rabbits have their own unique methodology to feeding their livestock. My friend and rabbit mentor Steve Coyne feeds totally different from me although we use the same feed.

Steve tends to feed his rabbits more pellets and less timothy hay than I do. Whereas I tend to give my rabbits more timothy hay and a smaller portion of pellets. Steve and I both raise beautiful rabbits, now most of that comes from the fact that we both have strong bloodlines in our barns. In fact, most of my stock here at the TAP rabbitry comes from Steve's barn, with a couple of New Zealand's thrown in from show breeder Bonita Hunt (Honey Grove, TX) and some awesome American Blues from John Head's Rabbitry in Dayton, Texas.

So which feeding program is better? Well, neither I would say? How can that be you ask? Well the proof is in the condition of the fur and the meat of the rabbit. Many times throughout the year Steve and I butcher together, and while Steve feeds his rabbits a higher portion of pellets, I have never seen any of his rabbit carcasses that were fatty. In fact, I happen to think Steve's rabbits look exceptional. My rabbits as well when dressed out have very little fat and have great muscle mass (meat yield).

So how can two different feeding programs that use the same feed get equal results? I suspect that Steve's rabbits get more of their protein, fiber, and carbohydrates from pellets than mine, while my rabbits get more protein, fiber, and carbohydrates from timothy hay than his. However, overall I believe that both of our rabbits get the same approximate amount of nutrition, just from different sources. This hypothesis would seem to be validated as rabbits of the same age from both our barns yield the same approximate amount of meat per carcass when dressed out side-by-side.

So what does all this mean? Simply that there are many ways in which you can feed your rabbits to make sure that they get the necessary amount of protein, fiber, carbohydrates and fats that your rabbits need to keep them healthy while maximizing your meat yields.

What We Feed, And How Much

If you look on the back of your feed bag you will see that many manufacturers have a table listed on the feed regarding what they consider to be the necessary amount of feed that you should give your rabbits to ensure that they get the necessary nutrients, vitamins, and minerals they need for healthy growth. You will notice that most manufacturer's recommend feeding your rabbits by weight, but I do not know many meat breeders that take the time to weigh all of their rabbits once a week to determine the weight of the animal.

John Gillis, who was Steve Coyne's friend and rabbit mentor was a prolific breeder of New Zealand rabbits whose rabbits won many awards at rabbit shows. Steve told me that John had an old 6oz mushroom can that he used to fill and feed his adults rabbits with and Steve said his rabbits always looked healthy. So now you know why we started out feeding our adult rabbits ¾ cup (6 ounces) of pellets daily. Eventually we began adjusting or feeding program to suit our own individual needs depending on the age of the rabbit.

We feed all of our rabbits by age rather than by weight (12 weeks and older, non-pregnant or lactating) a big handful of timothy hay in the morning and 6 ounces of Mann-Pro each evening. I have listed the feeding program that we follow. It works for us quite well and the rabbits appear healthy and happy.

Bucks and Non-Pregnant, Non-Lactating Does

Kits 4 to 12 weeks old: 6 ounces of pellets per kit twice a day (12 ounces total)

12 weeks old throughout adulthood: 6 ounces pellets per rabbit a day

Pregnant or Lactating Does

Week 1: 6 ounces of pellets twice a day, 1 teaspoon Calf-Manna twice a day.

Week 2 until the kits are weaned: 6 ounces of pellets a day, 2 teaspoons Calf-Manna in the morning, 1 teaspoon in the evening.

Regardless of age, all rabbits get a large handful of timothy hay every morning placed in their hay basket. For grow out cages that have multiple rabbits, we make sure that they have sufficient hay related to the number of rabbits in the cage. Now, I realize that a “one big handful” is not a very scientific portion of hay. In fact, my friend Steve's hand is twice my size (he is almost 7' tall) but I try not to make it over complicated, use your best judgment. Personally I do not think you can feed your rabbits too much hay and it is relatively cheap.

In addition to our daily feeding regimen, every Monday morning we feed our rabbits our Black Oil Sunflower Seed (BOSS) snack mix. It is a combination of BOSS, whole grains oats, with a teaspoon of Calf-Manna growth and conditioning supplement. You can find our recipe by clicking on the BOSS snack mix link.

Evaluating Your Feeding Program

So how do you know if your feeding your meat rabbits enough pellets and/or hay? Checking for obesity is not always that easy, but in general you should be able to feel the rabbits ribs without seeing them. When you run you hands over the back of your rabbit you should be able to feel the spine, but it should not be to prominent or sharp and pointed feeling. If you can see your rabbits ribs and it's backbone is way to prominent then you need to increase the amount of pellets you are feeding your rabbit.

If your rabbits dewlap is so large it touches it's elbows when it is sitting up it is probably too fat. If you see loose skin that touches the ground around your rabbits backside, then it is probably too fat. If your rabbit has large loose folds of skin behind it's head and over it's shoulders then your rabbit is probably too fat. Kinda sounds like a Jeff Foxworthy redneck joke doesn't it? Having said that, if your rabbit meets any of these criteria, then you probably need to decrease the amount of pellets you are feeding your rabbits.

If for some reason you are are not satisfied by your observation skills, then by all means break out the scale and weigh some of your rabbits. Compare them with the average size of the breed that your raising to determine whether your livestock meets the breed standards or not, and adjust your feeding accordingly.

Transitioning From One Feed To Another

If you just brought your new rabbits home and you are going to use a different brand of feed than the breeder you purchased your rabbits from, then you will need to transition your rabbits to the new feed. As a breeder I offer all my customers some of my feed to help them transition their new rabbits from my feed to theirs if they are going to use a different brand than the Manna-Pro that we use. If the breeder does not offer you any transitions feed when you purchase your rabbit(s) do not be afraid to ask for a small amount of the feed they use to help you transition your rabbits to your new feed.

When you get home, your new feed needs to be introduced into the rabbits diet gradually over a period of about 7 days. A simple way to do this is to feed about 2/3's of the original food and 1/3 of the new diet for 2 days, then half of the original diet and half of the new diet for 2 days, and then 1/3 of the original diet and 2/3's of the new diet for 2 days. After these 6 transition days, the new diet can be fed without the original diet.

We feed all of our rabbits (12 weeks and older, non-pregnant or lactating) 6 ounces of Mann-Pro each evening. We use the formula outlined previously to transition any new rabbits to our herd from other breeders who do not use Mann-Pro rabbit feed. Because I like to keep it simple and fractions scale some people, I have broken down our transition regimen into ounces.

Day 1, 2: 4 ounces original feed, 2 ounces Manna-Pro

Day 3, 4: 3 ounces original feed, 3 ounces Manna-Pro

Day 5, 6: 2 ounces original feed, 4 ounces Manna-Pro

Day 7: 6 ounces Manna-Pro

Conclusion

Some breeders will look at our feeding regimen and think that we do not feed enough, but the proof of our success can be clearly seen when we observe our breeders, and dress out of feeders (the ones we eat). Steve and I have two clearly different approaches to feeding our herds, but we both get quality results and our rabbits appear happy and healthy. As a breeder of meat rabbits you will have to examine all of the data and come to your own conclusions. You may choose a feeding program that is similar to Steve's or one that is more like mine, of you may tailor one to meet your own individual needs.

Remember, different situations require different solutions. Eventually you will find a feeding program that works for your and your rabbitry. As always, if you have enjoyed this article or find it's information useful, please feel free to share it with your friends, and do not forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+.

Other Related Articles On Our Blog:

Black Oil Sunflower Seed (BOSS) Snack Mix

Proper Rabbit Nutrition: What Your Rabbit Really Needs

Choosing The Right Pellet

References:

House Rabbit Society, UK

Pet Portal: Animal Medical Center

Rabbits: The Feeding and Care Of A Successful Rabbitry

Choosing The Right Feed (Pellet)

By far choosing the right pellet to feed your rabbits is the most important dietary choice that you will make. For the most part, your rabbit will eat just about any pellet you place in their bowl so their health and physical condition is your responsibility. Good quality pellets are most important in the younger stages of rabbit development because they are highly concentrated in vitamins and nutrients, helping to ensure proper weight gain. A quality pelleted food should be high in fiber (18% minimum) and be nutritionally balanced. As a rabbit reaches maturity, however, pellets should make up less of the diet – replaced with higher quantities of hay. Overfeeding pellets in mature rabbits can lead to obesity and other medical conditions which can slow down or interrupt your breeding process.

The ingredients that go into your rabbits pellets are just as important as the protein, fiber, fat, and vitamin and mineral content of the feed. Look at the label, a good quality feed will have alfalfa or alfalfa meal listed as the main ingredient. Alfalfa is high in crude protein (min 16%), and crude fiber (max 30%), with just about the right amount of crude fat (min 1.5%) and it is easily for rabbits to digest. Cheaper quality feeds simply list 'plant proteins' as the primary source of protein.

It should be noted that all pellets are not created equal. In fact, some of the more expensive pellets are the worst to give to your rabbits. For example Dumar Classic Rabbit Food sells for $9.99 for a 20lb bag ($0.50 a pound) at my local Tractor Supply (TSC). It has the lowest amount of protein (13%), and the least amount of vitamin A (1000 UI/Lb) and other vitamins and nutrients of all the other feeds available in my area. Not only is this feed more expensive, but it does not supply your meat rabbit with enough protein for normal healthy growth and it definitely does not supply your pregnant and lactating does (who need 18% protein) with enough protein to successfully give birth and feed her kits consistently.

Availability

Unfortunately, your choice of quality rabbit pellets may be limited to what is available in your local area. I am lucky, my local Tractor Supply carries two of the most popular quality rabbit feeds as well as their own house brand of pellets. Sometimes getting them to carry enough of the 50lb bags to supply my needs is a challenge and I have to buy the smaller more expensive 25lb bags.

Local feed stores almost always have cheaper prices than many of the chains, but their selection varies. If there are not many rabbit breeders in your area, they may not even carry any rabbit feed, and what they carry may be the cheaper lower quality type feeds. Many of them will however special order feed for you and if you buy it from them on a consistent basis, they will happily stock it for you.

Price Point

I will be honest, when I first started raising rabbits I thought that there would be a wide range of feed prices depending on the brand. What I have found is that for a 50lb bag of feed the price between the three most popular options in my area Mann-Pro (which we use) $16.49, Purina Complete $17.99, and Producer's Pride (TSC house brand) $14.99 is about $2 - $3.50. Of these three, I would only consider using two either the Manna-Pro, or the Purina Complete simply because the primary ingredient in both is alfalfa, whereas the Producers Pride brand lists it's primary ingredient as 'plant proteins'. The use of variable plant proteins as opposed to alfalfa is one of the reasons I believe that the Producer's Pride rabbit feed has a low price point.

Tips For Purchasing Quality Pellets

No matter which brand of rabbit pellets you decide to choose, I have listed some tips to consider when purchasing your feed. They can not only save you money, but help to ensure the health and safety of your rabbits.

No. 1 – If you only have 2 to 4 rabbits, then buying a 25lb bag of feed versus a 50lb bag of feed will help your to maintain the freshness of the pellets. This is important as some of the vitamins and minerals may begin to degrade over time. However, once your rabbits begin to breed, your feed requirements will go up substantially so buying the 50lb bags is more convienant and will save you money.

No. 2 – Check the milling date of your feed. Located on the bottom of the bag should be a milled date indicating when the feed will milled. The last bag of pellets that I bought was date 3/9/16, I purchased them on 3/20/16. Therefore I know the pellets were milled and bagged only 11 days before I purchased them. This is important as some vitamins and minerals start to decay rapidly after 90 days.

No. 3 – Stay away from purchasing pellets at your local pet store or big box retailer. Primarily because they tend to sell inferior feed in small 3 – 8lb bags at almost twice the price of quality feed that you can purchase from your local feed store (see tip No. 4).

No. 4 – Avoid the brightly colored novelty rabbit foods. They kind with the seeds, and snacks already added to the feed. You know the type, the brightly colored bags labled 'Bunny Snacks' or 'Gourmet' variety. They are high in sugars, and lower in protein and they will definitely lighten your wallet. One such product is 'Kaytee Gourmet Variety Diet' It does not list the percentage of protein, fiber or carbohydrate in the product which is primarily made from seeds and fruits with some hay. One 3.5lb bag sells for $6.59, thats $1.88 a pound. If you bought 50lb's it would cost your $94.14, compared to the average price of a good qualty alfalfa pellet that is less than $20.00 for 50lbs.

No. 5 – Constantly changing feeds can make your rabbits sick increasing their chance of getting diarrhea and enteritis (upset GI system) which can ultimately lead to their death. Pick one brand of feed and stay with it. If you eventually decide to change feeds for a particular reason, that is ok, but do not buy one brand one week and another the next, and a third the week after that. Switching back and forth from feed brand to feed brand can cause you more nightmares that using a lesser quality feed. If all you can get is a less desirable house brand of feed from your local supplier, then you are better off using that and supplementing your rabbits diet, than switching back and forth between different feeds from week to week.

Conclusion

A Rabbit's digestive system is unique and is full of special microbes that help it break down and digest the various fibers and other food. Because of this, rabbit's require a fairly high amount of high quality fiber in their diet to maintain a healthy microbial population in the rabbits digestive tract for proper digestion and optimal gut health. In addition, a good quality protein source is essential for proper bone and muscle mass growth. Lower protein levels slow down growth and development of your young fryers and breeders. Remember pregnant and lactating does not an increased source of high quality protein to help them with the rigors of giving birth and feeding their kits.

Here at TAP rabbitry we use Manna-Pro feed for our meat rabbits. We have been real happy with the quality of the feed and it is falls in the middle of the road when it comes to price point. I know many breeders who raise rabbits for show that prefer the more expensive 'show' feeds such as Bluebonnet, Pen Pals, and Show-Rite. We have never used them, but I have placed a comparison of these products side by side in this article for your comparison. I am not sure of their individual price, but from looking a the labels, I can see no real advantage to using these feeds for my rabbit's as opposed to Manna-Pro.

Remember these are just my opinions based on my experiences and my research. You need to decide and feed what you think is best for your and your rabbits. I have attempted to give you all the basic information in one place that I think you will need to make an informed decision when choosing the right rabbit pellet for your herd. As always, if you have enjoyed this article or find it's information useful, please feel free to share it with your friends, and do not forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+.

Other Related Articles On Our Blog:

Black Oil Sunflower Seed (BOSS) Snack Mix

Proper Rabbit Nutrition: What Your Rabbit Really Needs

Resources:

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

Proper Rabbit Nutrition

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:

Black Oil Sunflower Seed (BOSS) Snack Mix

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

BOSS Snack Mix

Here at the TAP rabbitry we feed our rabbits an oat and black oil sunflower seed (BOSS) mix once a week as a supplement to keep our rabbits healthy and their coats shiny. Around here we call it 'Snack Mix Monday's' as we give them this to them every Monday morning in addition to their daily portion of Timothy Hay. Before you read any further, I want to say this up front, we feed this snack mix to our herd all year. There are many detractors that will say this practise will “blow a rabbits coat” or cause the rabbit to molt prematurely during the summer months. I have not noticed this during any of the years that we have been raising rabbits, but I will not lie to you it could happen. Having said that, it does not really matter to us as we are breeding rabbits for meat and not for show. Therefore for us the benefits out weigh the risks.

If you are breeding rabbits to show, and you do not want to take the chance of 'blowing' your rabbits coat then you might want to stop giving your rabbits the BOSS component of the snack mix during the late spring and summer months.

The Recipe

Our recipe is pretty simple, it is 2 parts old fashioned oats, to 1 part BOSS. We combine this in a large container and then shake it thoroughly each time before we get ready to feed the rabbits to make sure the BOSS is even distributed. We then line up a series of small bowls and fill each with ¼ cup of the oats and BOSS mix. We then add 1 teaspoon of Calf-Manna supplement to each bowl.

32 ounces Old Fashioned Oats (Any brand will do)

16 ounces Black Oil Sunflower Seeds (BOSS)

The Components and Nutritional Benefits of BOSS

Black oil sunflower seeds have many necessary nutrients that help promote the healthy growth of your rabbits skin and coat as well as promoting the intestinal health of your rabbit. It should be noted however that BOSS are meant as a supplement and should not be fed to your rabbits on a daily basis as the same nutrients that are a benefit to the rabbit in small amount could have ill effects when consumed in large quantities. The following is the nutritional breakdown on the Royal Wing BOSS that we purchase from our local Tractor Supply and use in our snack mix.

Fats, fiber, protein, minerals and vitamins are essential in the healthy growth of both people as well as livestock. Having a correct balance of these essential elements will not only promote healthy growth but will help your does to have productive healthy litters.

Fat Content (25 – 30%, Avg 28%) - Fats function as a secondary source of energy, and it aids in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. In addition if helps your rabbit to grow a healthy shiny coat and some breeders state that it may help slow the shedding process, but I cannot verify this claim.

Crude Fiber Content (14.5 – 20.8%, Avg 17.2%) - Fiber helps to keep your rabbits digestive system healthy by promoting proper bowel function as well as aiding in the digestion of other foods. In both humans and animals, fiber helps keep out gut working correctly and is an important part of your rabbits diet.

Protein Content (14.1-19.9%, Avg 16.6%) - A good source of protein is needed for the growth, disease resistance, milk production, and the overall general health and reproduction of your herd.

The Electrolytes (Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, and Magnesium) – Sodium, potassium and magnesium play a crucial role cardiac function and muscle contraction, while calcium is a vital component in the growth and healthy bone structure. However, just as in humans, excess calcium in the blood stream can lean to the production of urinary stones, and urinary tract problems, but the risk is minimal.

The Vitamins (A, B, E, and K)

Rabbits produce their own vitamin packed dietary supplement in their cecum that they then poop out. These small grape looking clusters called cecotropes are then eaten by the rabbit. I know it's sounds kind of gross, but cecotropes are not actually feces, rather they are the rabbits own home made nutrient-packed dietary supplement that is essential to their good rabbit's good health. If you have not seen these cecotropes before, do not be alarmed, rabbits usually produce them in the late evening or early morning hours leading some people to call them 'night feces'. Having said all of that, the additional vitamin content in BOSS are considered by most a definite advantage.

The Components of Calf-Manna

Calf-Manna is a performance supplement that many meat and show breeders swear by, and It is an integral part of our rabbitry. It's combination of high quality protein, low fat content, easily digestible carbohydrates and essential vitamins and minerals help to keep our rabbits healthy and enhance their overall weight without making them fat.

We purchase Calf-Manna from our local Tractor Supply, but you should be able find it at any feed store. Because we have already discussed the importance of fats, fiber, protein, vitamins and mineral earlier in this article I am just going to list the percentage of the major components.

Fat Content (3%)

Crude Fiber Content (3 – 6%)

Protein Content (Minimum 25%)

All of our rabbits get 1 teaspoon of Calf-Manna with their ¼ cup of our snack mix. In addition, we give our pregnant does 1 teaspoon a day, during their first week of pregnancy, 2 teaspoons a day during the second week until they kindle, then we give them 1 tablespoon of Calf-Manna daily.

Conclusion

Our recipe for 'BOSS Snack Mix' is an essential part of our rabbits diet. During the last three years we have been using it I have never seen and unusual shedding of our rabbits coats. In fact I would say our rabbits have very good prime coats all year. In addition, when butchering our animals to go into the freezer, they have minimal fat and exquisite musculature.

If you are raising rabbits for show and you are worried about 'blowing' their coats then, try our recipe during the winter months of October through April, then omit the BOSS. If you are wanting to learn more about raising rabbit, be sure and check out some of my other articles on the subject on our blog. 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.

References:

Maynz, Melissa, Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, December 27, 2014

Feedipedia (Sunflower Seeds)

The Scoop On Poop, San Diego House Rabbit Society