What and how to feed rabbits properly?

Rabbits are not only beautiful fur, but also 3-4 kg of dietary, healthy meat. But in order to get both, they need to be properly fed. Especially for novice rabbit breeders, it is important to know what to feed rabbits at home in summer and winter, what feed to give, when and what is the feeding rate.

In this article, let's deal with the issues of rabbit breeding.

Types of rabbit food

Let's start with what rabbits eat. In order for rabbits to be mobile and healthy, they need a variety of food.

Green feed

This type includes freshly cut grasses and garden herbs. They are fed from early spring to late autumn. This food should be abundant all summer long. It helps to reduce the cost of rabbit meat production, but they also receive a full diet of vitamins and minerals necessary for active growth and reproduction. Fresh grass should be slightly dried in the sun before feeding.

If you have a small livestock, then a conveyor of green feed can be provided from a summer cottage. To do this, set aside a few small areas for planting alfalfa, peas, sainfoin, a mixture of vetch with peas, oats, rye or wheat. Oats and peas are planted in mid-March and thus get early greens. Rabbits readily eat corn.

It is also useful to give from the garden tops from root crops, except for potato and tomato. Dill, celery, horseradish and rhubarb are eaten well. Wherein dandelion and dill are useful to give to rabbits when feeding rabbits with milk... It is useful for the garden and rabbits to feed weeds: dandelion, wheatgrass (together with roots), rape, sow thistle, nettle.

Garden greens should be washed from the ground before feeding. You should not give rotten and too wet greens - this will lead to disease and death of animals.

In the event that there is a farm with a large livestock, then, of course, mowing of meadow grasses is necessary.

Of these, aromatic and bitter herbs will be useful:

• sagebrush;
• Dill;
• chicory;
• yarrow.

They improve the digestion of animals. They should not be given to lactating females, the milk will taste bitter and the rabbits may refuse it, which will lead to death.

List of things you shouldn't feed rabbits with:

• buttercup;
• hemlock;
• lily of the valley;
• hellebore;
• bleached;
• celandine.

These herbs should not be given to animals. They are poisonous when fresh. When dried, the toxicity of these herbs is lost in whole or in part.

The transition to summer, green feeding of animals should take place gradually. It should be given in small portions at first and increase portions as you get used to.

Rough feed

What grass can you give rabbits? Dried useful herbs such as hay, straw, tree branches and shrubs.

Hay is an important source of cellulose... It is required to improve digestion in rabbits.The best hay is considered to be meadow, steppe. A large number of useful medicinal herbs grow in the meadows. Clover, alfalfa, chamomile, yarrow, mouse peas, lungwort and many more.

It has great nutritional value for fattening rabbits. Given from late autumn to early spring. When properly dried, the herb is fragrant and green in color. Workpiece rate:

• for an adult - 40 kg;
• for young animals up to 5 months of age - 10-15 kg.

To prepare hay, the grass is mowed by hand, with a walk-behind tractor or a mini-tractor with a trailed mower. After it lies in the sun and dries up, it should be collected and folded into heaps, which should subsequently be placed under a canopy.

If there is none, then they are folded in a specially designated place near the rabbit bunny, in the open air and a plastic wrap hat is pulled over the top of the head. It is securely fixed so as not to be blown away by the wind. The film protects the hay from moisture and mold.

Since the rabbits need to constantly grind the incisors, they are given branches of some tree species. Suitable for this:

• birch;
• lime;
• aspen;
• maple;
• poplar;
• hornbeam;
• willow;
• dogwood;
• ash;
• elm;
• verbal;
• pear;
• apple;
• acacia.

How to feed rabbits to gain weight? It is useful to feed pine, spruce and juniper needles. It is cut from the branches and dried. It is an excellent source of vitamins such as: C, E and B vitamins, as well as carotene. It is given at the rate of 150-300 grams per 1 kg of live weight. As with any food, rabbits need to be taught to needles gradually. Start with small doses and gradually work up to normal.

It is not recommended to feed branches to rabbits.: elderberry, buckthorn, broom, bird cherry, wild rosemary, as well as wolfberry branches. Many stone fruit species contain harmful substances for animals. These include:

• cherry;
• apricot;
• peach;
• cherry;
• plum.

In terms of nutritional value, branch fodder is equal to meadow hay. Thin, dried branches with leaves are rich in amino acids, protein, carotene. They are high in fat and minerals.

Such food is fed all year round. It is especially useful in winter and during the transition from winter to summer food. If you have not prepared enough hay, then they can replace half of the food ration.

Daily allowance per rabbit:

• in winter - 150-200 gr;
• in the summer - 200-300 gr.

In this case, they need to feed the branches of oak and alder. But you should not get carried away with feeding a large number of birch branches. May lead to kidney inflammation.

To properly prepare the branches, they need to be cut off with a thickness of no more than 1 cm. Harvesting is done in June-July, when they have the highest nutritional value. The cut branches should be bundled and tied with a cord. Hang in the shade to dry.

Juicy food

The structure of succulent feed contains a lot of structured water (70-80%). Because of this, they are easily absorbed and digested by the body. Also they are a source of such beneficial substanceslike: fiber, vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and vegetable fats. Rabbits are fed:

• fodder and sugar beets;
• potatoes (preferably boiled and in the form of a mash with mixed feed);
• pumpkin;
• carrots;
• zucchini;
• Jerusalem artichoke;
• pumpkin;
• fodder watermelon;
• fodder cabbage (in limited quantities);
• silo.

This is not the whole list of juicy food eaten by animals. Why is each of the products on this list useful for rabbits and what do they like more?

Potato

Potatoes are low in vitamins, but they are rich in starch, which is easy to digest and digest.Moreover, it is the most common vegetable garden.

Carrot

Carrots are rich in vitamins, essential oils, minerals and fatty acids. When it is fed, an increase in appetite is observed in animals. Distribute to the animals raw whole or chopped.

Zucchini

Can zucchini be given to rabbits? Zucchini is primarily a nutritious vegetable. It contains a lot of structured water, which is good for animals. Keep in mind that when feeding this vegetable, the drinking water in the drinkers should be limited. Zucchini is suitable for making silage, which is fed to animals in winter. The vegetable is fed in summer and autumn. It is poorly stored until spring.

Pumpkin

Can rabbits be given pumpkin? Its properties are similar to zucchini. It contains a lot of vitamins. Carotene. Therefore, feeding this vegetable is beneficial for the body of the animals. It can be given from autumn to spring, as it is perfectly stored in the winter. Cut into pieces before feeding.

Cabbage

Cabbage is eaten with pleasure by rabbits, but should be given in limited quantities. Because after it, animals experience bloating. Therefore, they need to be accustomed to this type of food gradually. Cabbage contains a lot of vitamins, water, fiber and trace elements necessary for active growth and reproduction.

Jerusalem artichoke

This vegetable is used as feed for tubers, as well as green mass. Greens can be fed to animals until frost, because it grows for a long time. Feeding tubers is an excellent preventive measure against intestinal diseases. To improve digestion.

The peculiarity of the vegetable is that it does not need to be dug out. It tolerates frost well and can be excavated in the spring and fed to animals. However, it does not lose its beneficial properties.

Beet

Only sugar or fodder is used for feed. It improves blood composition. The composition includes such substances useful for animals: sugar, proteins, fats and trace elements. Beet tops are put into silage, and tubers are fed 50 grams per day per adult rabbit.

Vegetable and watermelon peels

Many table scraps can be fed to animals, but can they be given watermelon rinds, especially decorative ones? They eat small potatoes and peels, cabbage leaves, melon and watermelon rinds. After preparing winter salads, there is a lot of waste that can also be fed to the animals. They perfectly eat dried crusts of bread, but sweet flour should not be given to rabbits.

Can rabbits be given apples, fruits and berries?

When choosing fruits for animal feed, it is better to give preference to hard fruits. These are apples, pears. But given that they have poor digestion, prone to bloating, it is better not to give fruits and berries. Opt for vegetables.

Correct concentrated feed

Concentrated feeds include cereals (oats, wheat, barley, corn), compound feed and waste. They are high in calories, rich in protein and minerals, but low in vitamins.

Before feeding, they are crushed and moistened, except for whole grains. Of the grains, oats are considered the best for feeding. It normalizes intestinal activity in rabbits. Oats are given to breeder rabbits, small rabbits up to 3 months of age and females. When fed with wheat and barley, they get fat. Therefore, these cereals are given in small quantities to young animals for fattening.

Oats

It includes:

• 8.5% protein;
• 70% starch;
• 4-8% fat;
• 10.5% fiber.

It is fed whole, rolled or crushed.

Corn

Corn is more nutritious than oats, but tough for the incisors of rabbits, so it is soaked and crushed. Sometimes they are fed with corn porridge. More often it is mixed with other feeds. It should not exceed half the norm of the mixture.

Barley

It is used for fattening, as it is very nutritious. This food is not only possible, but also necessary to be eaten by young rabbits. It is given crushed or flattened.

Wheat

They contain phosphorus. As well as:

• 13% protein;
• 5% fat;
• 60% nitrogen-free extractive substance;
• 7% fiber.

It is fed in a mixture with green grass, coarse and succulent forage.

Compound feed

Popular feed in use. It can be incomplete (loose) and complete (granular). Pelleted feed is a balanced nutrition for animals. Vitamins, microelements are added to these feeds, and they can also be combined with antibiotics and medicines.

When feeding with borders, there is a rapid average daily gain... It composes:

• from 60-100 days - 35 grams;
• from 100-135 days - 30 grams.

There are two types of granulated feed for feeding rabbits:

• PK 90-1 - designed for feeding from 1 month to 6 months;
• PK 93-1 - for rabbits up to 3 months old, and also used in fattening before slaughter.

Oilcake and meal

It is used steamed and used in a mixture with potatoes or mixed feed. Rich in iron and phosphorus. We use cake made from soybeans, flax, sunflower and hemp. Cotton cake is not used. It contains gossypol, this substance is poisonous to rabbits.

Meals contain less fat than meal, but they are also rich in protein. Flax, sunflower, soybean meal is used in the feed.

For feeding rabbits, including dry fodder yeast and hydrolysis, beet pulp. They are given in a mixture with the rest of the feed.

From the above, it is clear that rabbits require a variety of food for active growth and reproduction. It must be balanced and complete. Moreover, any rabbit breeder can do it. The rate and composition of the feed differs from the seasonality of the year. In summer, rabbits are given more green and succulent feed, and in winter - succulent, concentrated and roughage.

The food is placed in special feeders. They are made and installed so that the rabbits do not have the opportunity to trample. Root crops must be free of contamination. Do not feed the animals moldy or rotten food.

How to feed animals in summer: herbs, vegetables, watermelons

The summer feeding of rabbits is fundamentally different from the winter one. In this season, they are given more green and juicy food, which consists of cut grass, twig food, root crops and fresh vegetables. A small proportion of the diet is concentrated feed. So, how to feed rabbits in the summer in the village or on a personal farm:

Fattening rabbits:

• herbs - 700 grams;
• concentrate feed - 70 grams;

Males and females on vacation:

• herbs - 700 grams;
• conc. feed - 30 grams.

Mating males:

• herbs - 800 grams;
• conc. feed - 40 grams.

Supra rabbit:

• herbs - 800 grams;
• concent. feed - 50 grams.

Young feline rabbits:

• herbs - 900 grams;
• concent. feed - 50 grams.

Breastfeeding rabbits - first half:

• herbs - 1200 grams;
• conc. feed - 70 grams.

Breastfeeding rabbits - the second half + for the baby:

• herbs - 80 grams;
• conc. feed - 6 grams.

Young growth from 1 month to 2:

• herbs - 300 grams;
• conc. feed - 20 grams;
• salt - 0.5 grams.

Young growth from 3 months to 4:

• - herbs - 500 grams;
• - conc. feed - 45 grams.

Young growth from 5 months to 7:

• - herbs - 600 grams;
• - conc.feed - 55 grams.

If branches and succulent fodder are used in fodder, then the dacha of grass is reduced by half. The grass must be dried. It is better to give salt to the cages of rabbits in the form of a lick, so they can control their own rate of need for it.

What food should be given in winter so that they can gain weight?

During winter, rabbits should be fed the best food for heating. Therefore, at this time, the rate of concentrated and roughage increases. In addition, they are given root crops, silage. Consumption rates of different groups.

Fattening rabbits:

• roughage (hay) - 150 grams;
• root vegetables - 500 grams;
• concentrates - 80 grams.

Males and females on vacation:

• roughage - 150 grams;
• root vegetables - 150 grams;
• concentrates - 40 grams.

Males in mating:

• roughage - 150 grams;
• root vegetables - 200 grams;
• concentrates - 55 grams.

Succed females:

• roughage - 180 grams;
• root vegetables - 200 grams;
• concentrates - 60 grams.

Young succumbing females:

• roughage - 250 grams;
• root vegetables - 300 grams;
• concentrates - 70 grams.

Lactating females in the first half:

• - roughage - 200 grams;
• - root vegetables - 400 grams;
• - concentrates - 90 grams.

Lactating females in the second half + per baby:

• roughage - 12 grams;
• root vegetables - 5 grams;
• concentrates - 7 grams.

Young growth from 1 month to 2:

• roughage - 50 grams;
• root vegetables - 150 grams;
• concentrates - 35 grams.

Young growth from 3 months to 4:

• roughage - 100 grams;
• root vegetables - 300 grams;
• concentrates - 55 grams.

Young growth from 5 months to 7:

• roughage - 150 grams;
• root vegetables - 350 grams;
• concentrates - 75 grams.

The diet of rabbits in the village or on a personal farm

In order to draw up a diet for rabbits, you need to take into account the time of year, what weight and age the animal is. As well as his physiological state. The feeding rate is derived from the nutrient content of the feed:

• feed unit;
• protein;
• trace elements;
• vitamins.

The daily ration should contain all the nutrients at the feeding rate. Animals that are at the time of physiological dormancy need nutritious food for less succumbing and lactating females, as well as young animals separated from the mother.

Rabbit breeders should take into account when compiling a diet that for animals raised for meat, the number of proteins increases, and the feeding period decreases. Those who want to get a high-quality skin ration should calculate the other way around. Feeding grass and hay is not harmful to health. They can be given without restriction, but the rest of the feed must be given according to the rate and according to the regimen.

Feeding at home

The feeding regimen for rabbits must be observed, because with the timely distribution of food, they begin to produce gastric juice, which, as you know, helps to better assimilate and process food. They grow and develop better. They come to the feeders at least 80 times, they eat often, but little by little.

Let's say a female during lactation and babies up to 2.5 months need to be fed 4 times a day. 2 x - 3 x times are enough for planted young growth and adults. Read more about the winter and summer diet of the animals.

Winter: three meals a day:

At 8 am - we give half of the concentrates and hay;

At 12 days - give root crops;

At 5 pm - the second half of the concentrates and a full amount of hay and twigs.

Winter: 4 meals a day:

At 6 am - ⅓ concentrates and ¼ hay;

At 11 days - ½ root crops, ⅓ concentrates;

At 16 pm - ½ root crops, ½ hay;

At 19 pm - ¼ hay, ⅓ concentrates.

At night, the animals are fed branch feed in the feeder.

Summer: 3 meals a day:

At 6 am - a full norm of concentrates and a third of the norm of grass;

At 15 days - a third of the norm of green food;

At 19 pm - a full norm of concentrates, a third of the green feed, as well as twig feed.

Summer: 4 meals a day:

At 6 am - the third part of the concentrates, the sixth part of the herb;

At 11 am - a third of the concentrate, a sixth of the green feed;

At 16 pm - the grass is full;

At 19 pm - a third of the concentrates, a sixth of the norm of green fodder and branches.

Vitamin and Mineral Supplements for Rapid Growth

In summer, rabbits have enough vitamins in green grass and vegetables, but closer to spring, their reserves in the body dry up and need to be replenished.

To replenish vitamin A and D, fish oil or oil concentrate in ampoules is introduced into the feed for rabbits.

• rabbits - 0.5 grams;
• adults - 1 gram;
• foster and lactating females - 3 grams.

Lack of vitamin E can be replenished:

• green hay;
• baker's yeast;
• sprouted grain;
• pharmaceutical preparations.

Bone meal is introduced into the diet:

• calcium 32 percent;
• phosphorus 15 percent.

Bone ash:

• calcium 35 percent;
• phosphorus 16 percent.

Chalk: Calcium 40 percent.

Salt is also important for rabbits. The consumption rate for young stock is from 0.5 to 1 gram per day. For adults from 1 to 1.5 grams. For fattening rabbits, the rate is increased to 3 grams. Since such doses are difficult to distribute, it is more convenient to give salt in the form of a lick. Spread salt stones in places that are not accessible for trampling. Thus, the rabbits themselves control the rate of salt intake.

What should rabbits not eat?

So, what you can feed rabbits, we have disassembled. Let's move on to the question that rabbits should not be given under any circumstances. These animals have a weak stomach with weak muscles. It must always contain food and water. Their digestive process is arranged in such a way that food is pushed by food and therefore, to avoid digestive problems, you should not keep them hungry.

It is also not recommended to give sour, salty or sweet foods. They have bloating from freshly cut grass. Before feeding, you need to hang it in the sun. When mowing, pay attention to the presence of toxic grasses. Root crops should not be fed with contamination. Wash them before giving.

Not all plants are good for animal feeding. Too much cabbage can cause intestinal upset. Buttercup caught in the grass leads to diarrhea, poisoning and bloating.... Such a flower as a lumbago is dangerous. Leads to paralysis of the animal.

This family includes aconite. The animal develops severe salivation, a convulsive state and the pulse slows down.... Poisoning with this plant leads to the death of the eared. From the marsh marigold, they have a disruption in the work of the kidneys. You can not feed rabbits with toxic plants:

• hemlock;
• mustard;
• rape;
• foxglove;
• dope;
• milkweed;
• crocus and many others.

For farmers, raising rabbits on a farm provides a good income. If the feeding is organized correctly, then there are no diseases of the digestive system.

A balanced diet contributes to the active development and reproduction of rabbits.

And finally, a short video on how to feed rabbits in winter: