Grass Fed Meat Rabbits On Less Than One Acre!
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- Опубликовано: 24 июл 2022
- With feed prices skyrocketing, the time has never been better to start feeding them fresh plants!
There a variety of ways to feed fresh foods, either using rabbit tractors or harvesting the plants and feeding the rabbits in their cages. Either way, very small areas of land can provide a ton of free food for your meat rabbits.
Many plants that people consider weeds, like common plantain, dandelion, and clovers, are actually incredibly nutritious foods that your rabbits will love!
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I've been walking around my property daily to gather everything I can for the exact same reason you mentioned. I haven't seen hay prices jump up here yet, but I started to harvest the different grasses and foliage I have to store to use if it comes down to that. I am amazed at the variety of rabbit fodder I have here, it's like a paradise for my rabbits with dandelion, purslane, lilac, wild sunflowers, crabapple trees and peachleaf willow alongside so much else! I also have a bunch of different grasses like orchard and perennial ryegrass, and I keep gathering the seeds from them as well to spread around. They really seem to love it =D thanks for posting!
Your lucky to have some many different plants. That diversity will ensure your rabbits are getting adequate nutrients!
I feed my rabbits daily from our yard or from local fields. Spraying is definitely a consideration. Rabbits love it and it’s free 🤩
Thanks for info
have you looked into azzola and duckweed? It can be grown in the summer and solar dried. just keep it out of direct light using a blue tarp.
Sounds interesting, my philosophy is to use what you got! I mostly feed what already grows around me so there's no extra work, but if you've got it, go for it!
Were your 8 week old rabbits in this video raised to market weight on 100% grass/weeds? What is the ratio of live plants to grain?
None of m animals are raised 100% on grass. It's possible, but you have much lower growth rates. I know its a common term but grain is misleading. The primary ingredient in a quality rabbit feed will be alfalfa.
If you are feeding little to know pellets than you need to provide a high calorie, high protein base for their diet. This means feeding a lot of alfalfa, black locust, clover, or other legume that is easily digestible.
I lump live and green plants together. In the summer they could be as high as 50% of their diet, and in winter about 15%. Again its possible to do much more, but it requires lots of time and careful balance to maintain production.
Have you tried drying these plants and feeding them as hay through the winter?
I have a farmer friend who gives me hay in exchange for helping him when haying so I never bothered, but it wouldn't be hard to do!
Howdy! I'm a noob to meat rabbit life and was curious if there's an organic pellet brand you recommend (I'm struggling to find organic that's also 18% protein)? I was also curious about the wooden flooring that you have at the bottom of your rabbit hutch. Is this to provide a more solid surface for them to walk on (if so, I'd love to know where you found those!)?
Hi Emily! Organic rabbit feed is pretty hard to come by, what part of the country are you in? You are correct about he boards, but they are plastic not wood. They give the rabbits a place to get off the wire if they feel like it. Most of the time they wont use it, but its still good to have. I get ones with spaces in between the plastic so manure can pass through. Don't use solid would resting boards as these will get filthy and can easily cause sore hocks or worse. You can find good supplies, including resting boards at www.bassequipment.com/ or www.allthingsbunnies.com/
@@westmeadowrabbits I'm in the middle Tennessee area and yes! There looks to be a ton of room in the market for some organic feed out here😂 I was researching a place called Reedy Fork Organic Farm that delivers to my area at 17% protein, so that might be my best option! Thank you so much for the links, those are exactly what I was looking for and I will steer clear of the wood!
@@emilyogden86 That should work, you can always supplement with clover, alfalfa, or black locust for extra protein!
@@westmeadowrabbits I wish I could share a picture of it, but I found some plantain (and I mean a plethora of plantain) that could make up almost the entirety of their diet. I've been supplementing with orchard grass and clover, as well, and have 3 super healthy meat rabbits. Purchased many of the books you recommended in a previous video, too, and just appreciate finding a very relatable and knowledgeable person in this space on the internet. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us... I really needed it lol.
@@emilyogden86 Plantain is awesome! Really glad I could help. Thanks for your support!
Are you concerned about animal excrement or parasites, bug eggs etc on the leaves?
Its basically a non issue where I am. That being said I wouldn't use any dirty or obviously contaminated plants. Also its really important to breed your herd for good immunity and parasite resistance.
@@westmeadowrabbits I hadn't considered that. It makes sense. Thanks for the reply.
I have rabbits, alpaca, and chickens in Michigan. Generally we don’t worry about that stuff, but we did have a very bad slug during the fall two years ago that killed an alpaca and made another sick. Since then I think I’ve found from personal experience that parasites are a bigger issue during wet spring & fall where moisture can collect under leaves. If you have lots of deer in the area they can also be a big spreader of parasites from property to property.
So basically what I do now is hand cut greens with a hand sickle spring & wet times in autumn so I can keep a closer eye on what I’m feeding the buns, but in the summer I’ll just use a lawn mower with a bag, and toss a whole bag in the rabbit pen
When do you feed your baby rabbits greens? I’ve just bought my first breeding pair of New Zealand reds and they are 5weeks old. The lady said greens will give them diarrhea at this age, but I know opinions vary.
If they haven't eaten them a lot I'd start slow, but they'd be fine at that age. Mine start eating whatever their mother is eating at around two weeks, which is when they start coming out of their nest.
On a side not, 5 weeks is really young for rabbits to be leaving their mother. The earliest I'd wean New Zealands is 6 weeks, and that's if I was doing a high intensity commercial operation. For breeding stock around 8 weeks is ideal. I'm not saying it will cause you problems necessarily, just something to be aware of.
Rabbits, update, please!
I should have some new vids coming out soon!
Great!!
Thank you
What water bowls do you use
In the summer I use an automatic watering system, and in the winter I use cast aluminum crocs.
@@westmeadowrabbits were do u buy them from
@@joco6870 Bass Equipment
Thanks