They are great, just make sure your hay isn't to dusty! They fit less hay than a conventional hay feeder, but they catch the little pieces that would otherwise fall through. For orchard grass, I prefer regular hay feeders because I can stuff them, and orchard grass is long and doesn't fall apart easily. Alfalfa is 4x more expensive and crumbles easily, so i like to feed it in combo feeders.
I feed comfrey maple and oak leaves extensively without issues. Some things are extremely poisonous and shouldn't be fed (foxglove). Others less so. Experiment and see how they respond, although I wouldn't take unnecessary risks. Most things I feed have long histories of being used traditionally. When in doubt, check and see what people feed their sheep.
Those are oak. Its hard to generalize what is safe because it all depends on what are you are in. My default is that if sheep can eat it, usually rabbits can as well.
Rabbits should not eat oak leaves as they can lead to cyanide poisoning. A rabbit is not supposed to consume this type of leaves and will end up with symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, pain, and general discomfort. please google for more info.
I hate to contradict my viewers, but I have never had any issues with oak leaves and I have fed them to all my rabbits for years. Just like with pine needles, if fed in moderation they do not cause any problems. It seems to me that low levels of tannins in the leaves helps with parasites, and the rabbits love them. I have never lost a rabbit do to any type of poisoning. There are many varieties of oak so levels may very, but you would have to feed an insane amount of leaves to give your rabbits cyanide poising, and unless they were starving, they would stop eating them long before that happens. When I feed oak leaves, it is usually mixed in with other leaves and is a small amount. I should probably make a video on this, but I also think pet websites are not a good source of info for rabbit breeders. Feeding certain plants to a house rabbit is going to have a very different effect than feeding it to animals who have been eating it since birth for several generations. For example the house rabbit society says comfrey is poisonous, which is preposterous. I feed far more comfrey than oak, and again no issues.
@@westmeadowrabbits Comfrey i.e. the standard european one contains alkaloids and that can become a problem for the kidneys in the long run. However many grow cultivars crossed with russian comfrey known as bocking 14 or bocking 4 that don't have this problem. Other part, moderation! For a big rabbit like a 10 pound meat rabbit a few leaves like the 3-5 they get here is not a problem. For a dwarf pet rabbit of 3 pounds or so moderation means maybe 1 leaf and most owners will be way to generous in what treats they feed. Advice of don't feed it is then safer for the rabbit.
@@hillockfarm8404 As this channel is dedicated to meat rabbits, I do not claim to be an expert in or make recommendations for common pet breeds, like the dwarf rabbits. I am not familiar with European comfrey and have only ever seen Russian comfrey sold for agricultural purposes! I agree with your point on moderation, but I typically find my rabbits are very good at moderating themselves and will almost never eat more than three big leaves. I tend to believe that animals are reasonably good at choosing what they need when they have access to a diverse diet. In regards to possible health issues, I never really worry about the long term because most of my breeders are in the freezer by year five at the latest. Thanks for your comment!
@@westmeadowrabbits? I recently started in meat rabbits and I find people are dispatching before they are even fully grown and the reasoning they say is they are more tender the younger they are. 🤔 I’d like to allow them to get to the full size before I dispatch so I can use everything, pelts n all. If they are to young or not fully grown their pelts are not really useable because they are so small. My ? Is your saying 5yr. Freezer camp, at that age is the rabbit meat much tougher ? If so how do you cook it to get it tender?
@@Jamie-nc7tx The most efficient age to process for meat is between two and three months. The con is that young rabbit pelts aren't that useful. If you want to use the pelt, 8 months to a year is better. They are tougher when older so slow cooking is the only real option.
They LOVE banana leaves too and are really good for them, dry or fresh!!
Lol i live in MA and have California meat rabbits. I just discovered they love leaves. Less food i have to buy. I am happy to see your video to verify
I'm also in MA so my videos should apply to you very well!
@@westmeadowrabbits awesome! I subscribed yesterday with notifications.
I hope to make fodder bundles over the summer to hang dry and then feed over winter. I'll have to add leaves to my recipe.
Can't go wrong with leaves!
We have maple tree so winter the leaves fall off becomes dry leaves my rabbit loves them .
Maples are great!
How was their health after a few days?
Oaks just do it all
Love the rabbits😍😍
What cage size do you use??
Thanks! For does with litters I use 30" deep x 36" long x 24" tall. Bucks and younger rabbits can go into a cage half that size.
Hi would it be safe to give rabbits dried coconut leaves
I don't know the nutrient profile of coconut leaves as they don't grow in my area, but I imagine they would be fine.
@@westmeadowrabbits thanks 🙂
What breed is the black rabbit
New Zealand.
I have been meaning to try one of those combination hay/pellet feeders. Do you still use them?
They are great, just make sure your hay isn't to dusty! They fit less hay than a conventional hay feeder, but they catch the little pieces that would otherwise fall through.
For orchard grass, I prefer regular hay feeders because I can stuff them, and orchard grass is long and doesn't fall apart easily.
Alfalfa is 4x more expensive and crumbles easily, so i like to feed it in combo feeders.
Have you ever tried giving them pokeweed leaves or any other “items” said to be poisonous? Red maple leaves?
I feed comfrey maple and oak leaves extensively without issues. Some things are extremely poisonous and shouldn't be fed (foxglove). Others less so. Experiment and see how they respond, although I wouldn't take unnecessary risks. Most things I feed have long histories of being used traditionally. When in doubt, check and see what people feed their sheep.
Hay is just dried leaves no?
Technically hay is dried grasses. Leaf hay is dried leaves.
“Rabbit crack” lol
What breed of rabbits do you raise?
@@jacquelineb5060 I raise a couple different varieties of New Zealand rabbits, but I mostly focus on the reds.
Those look like “MAPLE” leaves but you said oak? What kind are the leaves they are eating? Also can they eat oak leaves? Or can they eat ALL leaves?
Those are oak. Its hard to generalize what is safe because it all depends on what are you are in. My default is that if sheep can eat it, usually rabbits can as well.
I would put some padding in the cage so it's easier on their foot.
They usually have plastic resting boards in their cages. As I tell people all the time, sore hocks is primarily genetic.
Rabbits should not eat oak leaves as they can lead to cyanide poisoning. A rabbit is not supposed to consume this type of leaves and will end up with symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, pain, and general discomfort. please google for more info.
I hate to contradict my viewers, but I have never had any issues with oak leaves and I have fed them to all my rabbits for years. Just like with pine needles, if fed in moderation they do not cause any problems. It seems to me that low levels of tannins in the leaves helps with parasites, and the rabbits love them. I have never lost a rabbit do to any type of poisoning.
There are many varieties of oak so levels may very, but you would have to feed an insane amount of leaves to give your rabbits cyanide poising, and unless they were starving, they would stop eating them long before that happens. When I feed oak leaves, it is usually mixed in with other leaves and is a small amount.
I should probably make a video on this, but I also think pet websites are not a good source of info for rabbit breeders. Feeding certain plants to a house rabbit is going to have a very different effect than feeding it to animals who have been eating it since birth for several generations. For example the house rabbit society says comfrey is poisonous, which is preposterous. I feed far more comfrey than oak, and again no issues.
@@westmeadowrabbits Comfrey i.e. the standard european one contains alkaloids and that can become a problem for the kidneys in the long run. However many grow cultivars crossed with russian comfrey known as bocking 14 or bocking 4 that don't have this problem. Other part, moderation! For a big rabbit like a 10 pound meat rabbit a few leaves like the 3-5 they get here is not a problem. For a dwarf pet rabbit of 3 pounds or so moderation means maybe 1 leaf and most owners will be way to generous in what treats they feed. Advice of don't feed it is then safer for the rabbit.
@@hillockfarm8404 As this channel is dedicated to meat rabbits, I do not claim to be an expert in or make recommendations for common pet breeds, like the dwarf rabbits. I am not familiar with European comfrey and have only ever seen Russian comfrey sold for agricultural purposes! I agree with your point on moderation, but I typically find my rabbits are very good at moderating themselves and will almost never eat more than three big leaves. I tend to believe that animals are reasonably good at choosing what they need when they have access to a diverse diet.
In regards to possible health issues, I never really worry about the long term because most of my breeders are in the freezer by year five at the latest.
Thanks for your comment!
@@westmeadowrabbits? I recently started in meat rabbits and I find people are dispatching before they are even fully grown and the reasoning they say is they are more tender the younger they are. 🤔 I’d like to allow them to get to the full size before I dispatch so I can use everything, pelts n all. If they are to young or not fully grown their pelts are not really useable because they are so small. My ? Is your saying 5yr. Freezer camp, at that age is the rabbit meat much tougher ? If so how do you cook it to get it tender?
@@Jamie-nc7tx The most efficient age to process for meat is between two and three months. The con is that young rabbit pelts aren't that useful. If you want to use the pelt, 8 months to a year is better. They are tougher when older so slow cooking is the only real option.
Rabbit crack…. Lfmao