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Hi nice people

My local Animal food shop has run out of alfalfa hay pellets until next may!! I've been feeding rabbits/goats these mixed with oats as their main food source. I'm wondering if people could suggest some subtle supplement to go with the oats. I've 3 massive rolls of grass hay which I've been giving to both. Do they need extra stuff? (Rabbits get vegtable peelings too)

I don't really want to go to processed foodstock

Ta

Andy

I would give the rabbits some fresh veg if possible, but hay and oats seem like a pretty good diet to me

How much does the alfalfa pellets cost? Aren't they 'processed'?

Whole fresh vegs? Anyone particular? There is a local market which I could get some cheap 2nds from.
The alfalfa pellets cost 90 HUF/kg cmp to Oats at 60 HUF/Kg. Rabbit food is about 140 HUF/Kg

The pellets are process but they are green and you can see bits of the orrignal plant in the center. Just extracted to make it easier to move/process. They aren't like bunny food which looks like no vegtable on the earth

should I consider another grain aswell?

Any fresh veg. I'm thinking for vitamins and for variety,so you don't need hug piles IMO

though if you can get veg cheaper than other types of food then feed more upto 100%, with hay add lib and a little grain

As to grains, AFAIK barley is the best food grain, but oats has more calcium so is best for breeding females and weanlings

you could buy alfafa seeds and sprout them for the bunnies in seed trays of soil. you can do the same with lots of other seeds like sunflower, pumpkin, wheat etc, it is full of vitamins and will give your bunnies a boost in the winter months

I like the idea of sprouting grains for fodder (and for ourselves), but the part that always lets me down is maintaining the flow

Feeding dry grains is so convenient, but sprouting takes up time and space, and one needs to get in to the swing, so I have never got round to it

have you read the lazy kitchen gardener by John Yeoman, he has a great setup for sprouted seeds which takes up very little space, he is slightly bonkers too, if you haven't got it, I can lend it to ye

There are a vast array of wild plants you can feed all available at different times of year so you should still be able to find them some sow thistles, grass and plantains. To be honest, whatever the wild rabbits would be eating, so grass and weeds is a very natural diet. You should find the best mix on unimproved grassland, vetch, clovers, shepherds purse, sorrel, cleavers, plantains, dandelions of course and heaps of others. Also they love leaves from hazel, and a bit of willow to munch on bark and all. I feed the leaves from spent strawberry plants at this time of year but always as part of a mix for variety. I only resort to veg leaves once the weeds are gone as they can be a bit rich fed in quantity. Carrot tops go down well and aren't as sugary as the roots, beetroot leaves are great for vit A but although mine like the brassicas, kale and swede leaves tend to be ignored.

diggernotdreamer wrote:have you read the lazy kitchen gardener by John Yeoman, he has a great setup for sprouted seeds which takes up very little space, he is slightly bonkers too, if you haven't got it, I can lend it to ye

Your frightfull generous Digsy

is it a big book?

No just a smallish paperback, I will dig it out and in generous stylie will post it down to ye

You're the best!

I know

I have posted the book this morning, hope you enjoy reading it..................... and if you're ever in Leitrim............ we'll be out that day

Thanks, sort of

just my little joke, if ye are ever in Leitrim, I will show you my hyacinth, that's if it hasn't blown by then