Rabbit breeding - feeding, approximate scheme, diet. Feeding rabbits according to the Zolotukhin and Yukhnov method Is it possible to give wheat bran to rabbits

02.03.2021

If you are a novice farmer and do not know if it is possible to feed rabbits with wheat, then you need to understand that this grain is rich in useful substances that are vital for rodents. But first you have to learn the rules of feeding.

Benefit and harm

Wheat contains a large number of carbohydrates (up to 75%), proteins, fats, protein, dietary fiber, vitamins E, K, B, C, A, as well as a group of minerals - phosphorus, calcium, zinc, iron, potassium, manganese, magnesium and sodium. Therefore, it has the following properties:

fills the body with energy;
normalizes the digestive system;
speeds up metabolism;
strengthens the immune system;
cleanses blood vessels of cholesterol;
removes harmful substances;
strengthens the cardiovascular system;
contributes to the proper distribution of nutrients in the body.

Thus, by consuming this grain, the rabbit will grow up healthy and vigorous. But wheat is famous not only for its beneficial properties. It turns out that it is extremely important for rodents to nibble grains, as they contain abrasive particles, due to which teeth are ground down, which, in turn, prevents them from growing too fast and causing pathologies such as malocclusion.

The nutritional value of grain is 360 kcal / 100 grams, so the dosage must be strictly observed. Otherwise, the rabbit develops obesity, which will negatively affect the functioning of internal organs.

If you overfeed the animal with wheat, you can harm it:

Wheat contains gluten, which in large quantities leads to flatulence (bloating).
The grain does not contain absolutely all vitamins and microelements, so if you do not diversify the menu and feed your pet only with wheat, then an imbalance of nutrients occurs. Read more about what vitamins rabbits need and what foods to take them from.
In case of an overdose, the absorption of minerals by the body is blocked, since phytates (antinutrients) are present in the cereal.

How to give wheat to rabbits?

Wheat grain is a food crop that has been used everywhere for many centuries, but it was introduced to rabbits as food relatively recently - several decades ago. Applied in different form- cheese, sprouted, steamed, hammered, etc.

Raw

It is customary to give raw grains simultaneously with other feeds, for example, compound feed, grain mixture. Wheat can be crushed or added whole. But its amount should not exceed 30% of the total mass of the grain mixture. There is an exception - when intensive fattening is carried out, another 10% is added. Very young rabbits are given wheat in the form of bran, mixed with potatoes or greens.

Raw grains are considered coarse food, so they are introduced to rabbits carefully - initially the grains are crushed and given in small quantities, but over time the portion is increased and added to the general mixture as a whole.

Steamed

If the wheat grain is steamed, poorly digestible fiber disappears from it, so the product is absorbed much more easily. You can steam the grain in whole or crushed form:

pour 1 part of the grain into the container;
pour "cool" boiling water (2 parts);
add cooking (on a bucket of grains - 1 tbsp.);
tightly cover with a lid;
leave to infuse for 5 hours.

Rabbits really like the taste of fermented wheat, which is steamed in a similar way, but with the introduction of baker's yeast into the mixture (there should be a maximum of 2% of the total mass). This method of steaming is called yeasting.

In a germinated form

Sprouted wheat is preferred not only by animals, but also by people, because it contains a striking amount of vitamins. It can be considered a complete vitamin supplement.

When to Give Sprouted Wheat:

during lactation;
during gestation, rabbits, especially just before birth;
immediately after birth.

How to germinate wheat for rabbits?

Sprouting wheat - step by step instructions:

select the best grains;
rinse them under plenty of water;
put in a container;
fill with water that has room temperature;
leave warm for 24 hours;
during this time, hollow grains will float to the surface, which must be removed from the mass;
drain the water;
spread the swollen grains on a flat container (baking tray, tray, etc.) in 1-2 layers;
cover with damp cloth;
leave in a warm place;
after a few days, sprouts will appear in the grains, after which they can be fed to rabbits.

Rules to be strictly adhered to:

Do not germinate a large volume at once, as the germinated grains deteriorate and become moldy over time. It is enough to make a preparation for 2-4 days.
Carefully inspect the wheat before soaking. It must be in perfect condition - without moldy elements.
The grain must not be excessively dry (maximum 12 months after harvest).
Don't use too raw wheat.

Combination of wheat with other feeds

As it has already become known, it is impossible to feed rabbits only with wheat, so it is combined with others.

If the grains are crushed or ground, they are added to compound feed, green grass, potatoes and other vegetables. You can make a grain mixture with the following crops:

Corn has a large amount of carbohydrates, calcium, protein and fat. It is considered very useful, but it is added to the feed in small quantities, as the culture leads to obesity. Before adding to the mixture, you need to separate each grain from the cob.
Barley especially useful for the digestive system of rodents. It normalizes the functionality of the digestive tract, eliminates constipation and promotes weight gain. Before consumption, it is important to crush the grains, because they are covered with a film.
oats rich in pantothenic acid, which is necessary for the production of offspring. The culture is considered high-calorie, but despite this, rabbits do not gain from excess weight.

To make the nutrition as balanced as possible, adhere to the following scheme for combining grain crops:

Wheat is a valuable concentrated fodder that rabbits need, but in a certain dosage. Do not forget, in addition to feed mixtures, for the proper nutrition of eared pets, daily introduce branches, plants, vegetables and fruits into the diet.

Due to the drought, grain in our region will most likely be expensive to buy in the near future. Already, the price has gone up a lot. And we recently got two dozen rabbits. Can you feed them from your garden?
T. Zhitova, Penza region

The rabbit's diet should be 80% dry food and only 20% wet food.. Wet foods include all fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as various green herbs. All this is in your garden. In the spring, as soon as the snow melts, it is very useful to give wheatgrass rhizomes to rabbits, you can feed colza - one of the first vitamin herbs that appears in the garden.

The earliest food for rabbits of all ages - nettle. Chopped nettle mix well with boiled potatoes and steam. Such a mash is sprinkled with bran, cooled and given to rabbits. From this feed, rabbits quickly recover, young animals grow well, and lactating queens have more milk.

Potato it is better to give it boiled. Potato tops and raw tubers are very harmful, can cause diarrhea in young animals or lead to the death of rabbits. The best tops - carrot, it can be given ad libitum. The tops must be completely clean, not contaminated.

Rabbits are very fond of root vegetables of carrots, turnips. It is better not to give leaves from turnips, beets, swedes. Nutritious and healthy food for animals - Jerusalem artichoke(ground pear), which grows in many gardens. Zucchini, pumpkin should be given to rabbits over 3 months of age in small quantities, but not all animals like these fruits. cabbage introduce a little into the diet of adult rabbits (1-2 times a week), and it is better not to give it to young animals at all.

In the southern regions, rabbits are given melons and watermelons, but also only for adult animals and little by little.

In your garden there is always green fodder, which is a source of nutrients, however, caution must be exercised: some herbs are poisonous. Such as euphorbia, celandine, buttercups, hellebore, backache, dope, belladonna, black root should not be put in the feeder. They contain poisons that cause poisoning and death of animals.

Useful herbs : burdock (burdock), dandelion, plantain, coltsfoot, wheatgrass, colza, nettle. Stepmother can be fed mixed with other herbs to improve appetite and digestion, with inflammatory diseases gastrointestinal tract. Dandelions should be given mixed with other herbs. Moreover, in the diet of young animals, dandelion should occupy no more than 30% of the total share of green fodder, otherwise the growth of rabbits is delayed. Parsley and celery increase the sexual potency of producers. Mint, cumin, sage improves the taste of meat. Periodically feed the branches of fruit trees, such as apple and pear trees, to the animals.

As you can see, you can also feed rabbits from the garden, but from such food they will grow more slowly and gain weight. For full-fledged fattening, use compound feed and a grain mixture (oats, corn, peas, wheat).

Bran is often used to feed farm animals, because at low material costs for their purchase, they saturate the wards well. In fact, this is flour milling waste, which is a hard shell of grains of crops such as barley, wheat, buckwheat, rye, etc. Is it possible to introduce all this into the diet of rabbits, and what standards should be followed - read the article.

Can rabbits be given bran?

Some rabbit breeders advise not to use bran for regular feeding of eared, or to introduce only a small amount of it into the diet. However, following certain rules for issuing, such a product is not only possible, but also necessary to use when feeding, which is explained by the positive effect of all its species on the animal's body.

Wheat

The calorie content of this type of bran is 296 kcal per 100 g of product, which provides a feeling of satiety for a long time. The product contains a huge amount of useful fiber, in addition to which there are no less valuable phosphorus and B vitamins. This type of bran is used mainly for feeding rabbits for fattening; it is not recommended to give it to young females to avoid obesity.

The form of issue is the most diverse:

as a standalone product;
in combination with silage, pulp, pulp.

The main thing is to moisten it with hot water in advance.

Important! When steaming mash with bran, it is very important to follow the calculation of the required amount. After standing for a while, such food can deteriorate, and after eating, the eared ones will have digestive problems.

Barley

The calorie content of barley bran is even higher than that of wheat bran, amounting to 337 kcal per 100 g. The product also contains a large amount of fiber that is easily soluble in the body - it is more here than in all other types of bran. Of course, in order to avoid obesity in pets, it is necessary to dose the amount of bran used by adding the product to the usual mash or mixing it with succulent feed.
In addition to fiber, there is a considerable amount of manganese, zinc, cobalt, iron, and starch, which greatly affects the calorie content.

Rye

This option can be called relatively dietary, since there are only 200 kcal per 100 g of rye bran. However, rabbit breeders advise using it only in the absence of more nutritious species, and then in small quantities.

In combination with other feeds, rye bran helps to prevent dysbacteriosis, liver problems and digestive disorders of the animal, while preventing it from gaining excessive weight.
The product contains such useful components:

fiber (about 40%);
minerals, in particular calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, iodine, selenium and chromium;
vitamins of group B, A and E;
enzymes;
fatty and organic acids, amino acids.

By chemical composition and nutritional value rye product is very close to wheat, but still inferior to it in terms of nutritional value.

Did you know?Rabbits chew food so fast that their jaws close twice a second.

Buckwheat

Another fairly high-calorie product, because 100 g contains as much as 365 kcal. However, this does not mean that the animals will begin to gain weight, because there is much less gluten here. At the same time, buckwheat husk contains quite a lot of fiber (34–48%), but the problem is that it is poorly digested, and rabbits may have problems digesting it.
Of the positive characteristics, it is worth highlighting a large amount of amino acids and protein, therefore, in the absence of wheat and barley bran, a small amount of this type of product can be introduced into the diet.

All the types of bran listed above play an important role in the general well-being of the animal, since with the correct calculation of the dosage and compliance with the norms of issuance, the following results can be achieved:

improve metabolic processes in organism;
normalize the activity of the digestive, nervous, cardiovascular and muscular systems;
improve the appearance of the skin and coat of rabbits, tissue regeneration;
increase the protective functions of the body.

In addition, with regular use of a moderate amount of such a dietary supplement, the likelihood of oncological problems in the intestines and colon is reduced.

Did you know?If the summer turned out to be too hot, you can not expect a large offspring of rabbits. Often, in such conditions, males lose the ability to successfully fertilize females, and she returns only with the onset of cold weather.

Feeding rules

At different periods of life, rabbits require different amounts of nutrients, so it is not surprising that there is no single norm for issuing bran. Consider intake doses for young animals, adults, pregnant and lactating females.

From what age can

There is no consensus on this matter, but many farmers talk about the possibility of feeding young animals with bran, starting from the second month of life. Of course, we are not talking about large doses, but the same wheat product mixed with succulent feed can be quite useful.

How to give

As we have already mentioned, bran can be given out both independently and as part of wet mash, the main thing is to monitor their freshness and timely consumption by animals. So, in winter, one adult rabbit can have up to 50 g of various bran mixed with boiled potatoes or other mixers (the product is soaked in warm water before serving).

Important!Never feed to rabbits poisonous herbs: spurge, foxglove, hellebore, poisonous milestone, hemlock, colchicum. If you are not sure about the safety of a particular herb, it is better to consider it dangerous.

Small rabbits aged 1–3 months are given 15–25 g of food, pregnant females - 60 g, and lactating rabbits are brought to the norm up to 100 g per day.

It is strongly not recommended to exceed these values, because an excess of nutrients in the body can be no less dangerous than their lack.

Contraindications

In both humans and rabbits, the main contraindication to bran consumption is problems with digestive system especially diarrhea. In addition, they are not recommended for rabbits with high content salts in the body and diseases of the gallbladder.
Prolonged feeding of pets with bran can also lead to a weakening of the digestive organs, so you should not give this product continuously.

What else can you feed rabbits

Rabbits are not too whimsical animals, so there should be no problems with the selection of their diet. The basis of the eared menu is:

. The favorite foods of rabbits from this group are oats, barley and corn, although they also eat wheat and millet quite willingly. Forage legumes and peas are used only for feeding adults, and then in crushed form, usually in combination with boiled potatoes and bran. Almost any feed mixture is suitable for feeding rabbits, with the exception of products designed specifically for poultry. Compound feed quickly saturates the body and satisfies the feeling of hunger, while replenishing nutrient reserves.
Usually in the diet of eared such food is represented by potatoes and fodder beets, although carrots are often fed to them. All these vegetables are very rich in vitamins and minerals, and can be given to eared both raw and boiled - however, the latter is more about potatoes.
The most popular version of such feeds is a carrot-cabbage mixture of fodder cabbage and carrot tops in a 1: 1 ratio. The main thing is to grind the green mass well and carefully compact it when laying. At correct execution silage harvesting should have a fruity smell and a deep green color. Silage feed - good way somehow diversify the eared menu, especially in winter, when there are no fresh sources of vitamins.
Roughage. These include hay, dry branches, hay flour and haylage. Often such food is very rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, but their amount will depend on the correctness of harvesting: it is desirable to dry the hay as soon as possible, placing it on goats, pyramids or vesels. For example, 1 kg of clover hay will contain 35 mg of carotene, vitamin B1 - 2.5 mg, B2 - 19 mg, PP - 41 mg, while in poor meadow hay the amount of carotene will not exceed 8 mg, B1 - 1.1 mg, B2 - 9 mg, PP - 38 mg. In dry branches of deciduous trees, there are fewer nutrients than hay, so their share in the diet should not exceed 30-40%.
Food waste. With the help of leftovers from the home table, you can saturate the eared well, replacing them with a significant share of the rest of the food. For this purpose, bread crusts, porridge, potato peels, and even the remains of first courses are often used. As for the type of feed, animals perfectly consume both raw and boiled or dried food; the main thing is that it be without signs of souring and mold. If desired, compound feed can be added to liquid food residues. The frequency of distribution of food waste to rabbits should not exceed several times a week.
Green feed(clover, alfalfa, sweet clover, peas, oats, rye, fodder cabbage, dandelion, plantain, nettle and even artificially sown grasses). All useful substances and vitamins contained in them are absorbed in in full force while improving digestive processes. In the summer, grass is fed in almost unlimited quantities, often using vegetable waste in the diet (for example, beetroot and carrot tops). To avoid indigestion, the proportion of such food in the diet should not exceed 1/3 of the total amount of food used.

As you can see, bran in the diet of rabbits can only be considered as an additional source of nutrients and, if necessary, they can be easily replaced with other types of food. In any case, the breeder is required to control the quality of all products, because only in this case can it be guaranteed that they are harmless to the health of the eared.

Rabbits eat plant foods. They have a relatively large single chamber stomach. Therefore, they need full feeding according to generally accepted standards. However, before compiling a diet, you should familiarize yourself with some physiological characteristics of animals.

This article describes the main features of feeding rabbits: a description of food, examples of diets and food that should never be given to animals.

Feeding rabbits

If rabbits have free access to food, they will eat up to 25 times a day, for 5-10 minutes, although the frequency of feeding may be higher in young animals.

Note: One of the most striking features of digestion is coprophagia (eating one's own nocturnal feces). This is an absolutely normal physiological process, since night feces differ significantly from daytime feces in appearance and composition. It is more nutritious and looks like soft, slightly flattened balls. It is thanks to this process that animals digest the food they eat faster. In addition, eating their own feces saturates the body of animals with vitamin B (Figure 1).

Another feature of digestion is the inability to digest non-protein nitrogen from urea. Therefore, it is not advisable to give feed enriched with it to rabbits, although they are included in the diet of ruminants.

Figure 1. Diagram of the digestive organs of rabbits

In young animals, immediately after weaning from the mother, a reduced ability of gastric juice to digest food is observed, which can be expressed in reduced feed intake. Since then the enzymes of the gastric juice return to normal, the young begin to actively eat feed, which can cause digestive disorders, therefore, in the first ten days after deposition, it is recommended to slightly reduce the amount of feed in the diet.

diet

For rabbits, as well as for other domestic animals, special feeding standards have been developed that allow you to get high-quality skin and meat. The diet of rabbits should be balanced in terms of proteins, carotene, salt and minerals (calcium, phosphorus).

Note: It should be borne in mind that the need for various feeds differs depending on the age, season, weight and physiological state of the animal.

Norms also differ depending on the direction of productivity. For example, if animals are raised for meat, more protein is introduced into their diet. This allows you to quickly reach the weight you need for slaughter. In this case, the young animals are fed only up to three months, after which they are sent for slaughter.

However, in most cases, both in farms and household plots, they are grown for skins, and this does not require such a large amount of protein feed. When grown for the skin, animals are slaughtered not after reaching a certain weight, but after the completion of the molt.

Note: All norms are calculated for an adult weighing 4.5 kilograms. If the animal has more or less weight, the rate is reduced or increased accordingly.

Figure 2. Main feed: 1 - fortified supplement, 2 - green feed (tops), 3 - bean hay, 4 - granulated mixed feed

The diet of rabbits often consists of half concentrates, supplemented with hay, root crops, tubers, silage (winter) or green mass (summer). It is believed that they can be given plenty of cereals and legumes, but from the point of view of economy, this is not advisable and does not affect the quality of the skins and the productivity of animals.

One of the most popular feeds is granulated feed, which contains all the necessary nutrients and vitamins (Figure 2).

Feeding mode

The granulated feed described above is often used in large farms, as their use significantly reduces labor costs. It is economically unprofitable to use a large amount of mixed fodder in home gardens, since the diet can be supplemented with hay, root crops, succulent fodder and green grass. In addition, when eating a variety of feeds, their nutritional value is significantly increased.

It is also undesirable to feed only mixed fodder to adults. This is due to the fact that with such a diet, animals quickly get fat, and their offspring have a deteriorating general level of health, since they cannot eat enough juicy and voluminous feed. This disadvantage is especially pronounced when animals switch from compound feed to other products.

Feeding rabbits at home for beginners is carried out according to the following scheme:

Adult animals and young animals over three months old are given food twice a day;
Lactating females and young animals under three months old are fed three times a day;
Some feeds should be given out at the rate of increased activity of animals at night. In the evening they are given food that is eaten for a long time;
Concentrated feeds are evenly distributed and dispensed with each feeding. For example, in the winter in the morning they give half of the concentrates, the entire dose of root crops and silage, and in the evening - the rest of the concentrates and hay. In winter, root crops, silage and hay can be replaced with green grass. If the animals eat three times a day, succulent feed is given during the day.
A certain schedule for the distribution of various types of feed should also be adhered to. First they give concentrates, and after them they give hay or grass (depending on the season). Violation of this order can reduce the palatability of feed and cause digestive disorders.
New foods are introduced into the diet gradually, over the course of a week. This condition is especially important when switching from a winter diet to a summer diet and vice versa.
If the quality of feed is questionable, they are tested on a small group of animals. If there are no disorders or undesirable consequences, feed is given to the entire livestock.

Feeding rabbits at home for beginners involves the preparation and preparation of feed for feeding. Each type of food has its own preparation method.

Examples of prepared feed are shown in Figure 3:

green grass previously dried, spreading it briefly in the sun. Without such preparation, only freshly cut grass can be issued. However, under no circumstances should rabbits be fed wet or warm grass, as this can cause bloating.
quality hay without musty smell give without prior preparation. If the hay is caked, it is crushed into flour, poured with warm water and after a while the liquid is drained, mixing wet hay flour with compound feed or bran.
Roots fed raw, previously cleared of the ground and chopped in small pieces. Root crops should not be frozen. Only feeding frozen carrots is allowed, but only after defrosting. Potatoes are boiled and mixed with cake, meal or mixed fodder.
Fodder cabbage and tops mixed with hay, grass or twigs with astringent properties. Beetroot or carrot tops should not be given in large quantities, as this type of feed can cause indigestion.
Silage before issuing, it is imperative to check for quality: in no case should it be moldy. In addition, it is better to feed silage with compound feed.
Cereal crops needs to be crushed. The only exceptions are legumes and corn: they can be fed whole. Since legumes can cause bloating, they are first mixed with other cereals, gradually increasing their proportion. In addition, beans need to be soaked first.
Meal, cake and mineral additives often mixed with compound feed or boiled potatoes.
Bran before issuance should be moistened and it is better to give also with boiled potatoes.

Figure 3. Prepared feed: 1 - grain crops, 2 - silage, 3 - dried grass

Without exception, all feed should be poured into the feeders, and not laid out on the floor, since in the latter case a large amount of feed is simply trampled or contaminated, which can cause indigestion. In addition, so that the feed does not deteriorate, the feeders and drinkers are thoroughly washed before each feeding. Drinkers should always have clean, fresh water. Often it is enough to wash the drinkers and change the water in them twice a day. In summer, the water should be cool, and in winter, slightly heated. You will learn detailed information about the preparation and preparation of feed for rabbits at home from the video.

Greens

Green fodder is saturated with a large amount of easily digestible proteins, minerals, carbohydrates and vitamins. Green fodder are perennial and annual grasses, tops of root crops and other green plants. Rabbits can be given the following types of grass (Figure 4):

Meadow, forest and steppe, as well as weeds;
Sown - perennial and annual legumes, as well as legume-cereal herbal mixtures, which are: clover, alfalfa, vetch, sainfoin, barley, oats, corn, etc.

The best feed for rabbits are alfalfa, sainfoin, couch grass, clover.

Note: Sainfoin and clover are eaten much better than alfalfa, but excessive feeding of clover negatively affects the reproductive function of animals. Alfalfa contains fiber and protein, which makes it a convenient ingredient for preparing various feed mixtures. Rabbits also eat soy very willingly, because it is rich in proteins and fats.

Rabbits like corn at the stage of milky-wax ripeness, but it contains a lot of carbohydrates that provoke the formation of fermentation processes in the stomach and for this reason it is necessary to limit the access of animals to water.

Also, the tops of vegetable crops can be introduced into the diet, with the exception of tomatoes, since they are not suitable for human consumption. All tops are recommended to be used in combination with other feeds.

Figure 4. Green fodder

Rabbits readily eat green food, but they must be used in reasonable quantities, since the grass contains a lot of fiber, and the concentration of metabolic energy is low. During the constant use of exclusively green food, the body of animals will function poorly.

When feeding rabbits with green fodder in the spring, it is necessary to observe them, as indigestion and loose stools may occur. With the onset of a disorder from the diet of animals, it is necessary to exclude the dubious grass and give 1-2 teaspoons of a 1% tannin solution or drink milk.

Rough

For feeding from roughage, hay, hay and grass meal, branch forage and some types of straw are used. Roughage is a source of fiber, which must be present in the diet. Also in roughage there is a lot of protein (with the exception of straw), minerals and vitamins.

Characteristics of rabbit roughage include(picture 5):

Harvested hay from legume-grasses and leafy legumes (mowed before or during flowering), dried in the shade, will contain a lot of carotene. It is also considered very good meadow or steppe hay from forbs, which was mowed at the beginning of flowering. Harvesting of hay in rainy weather is carried out in small portions, while it must be dried on wire racks with a large cell or on wooden grates. It is not recommended to use grass hay that has been cut after flowering or dried in direct sunlight as it will be very rough on rabbits and their digestive tract it will be bad to digest such food. Harvested hay should be green in color with a pleasant aroma and should be stored on a wooden deck (arranged at a height of half a meter from the ground).
Straw considered less nutritious roughage. Straw is high in fiber and low in protein and other nutrients. Rabbits do not eat straw well, and it is not digested as quickly. Straw is fed mainly to adults during periods of their physiological rest, as well as in the absence of other feeds. The following types of straw are suitable for feeding: millet, oat, pea, lentil. Any other straw can only be used as bedding.
branches can also be used as roughage. It is best to start harvesting branch fodder for the winter in June-July, at this time leafy branches contain the largest amount of nutrients. Rabbits very willingly eat branches of willow, aspen, mountain ash, willow, acacia, linden and maple. It is not recommended to feed the branches of wolfberries, elderberry, broom and wild rosemary to animals, as they contain toxic substances. In the event of digestive disorders, branches of alder and oak can be given, since they contain tannins (fixing effect). You can also add birch branches to the feeding ration, but in limited quantities, since feeding them in large quantities can form kidney inflammation in animals. In winter, pine, juniper and spruce branches can be used as vitamin supplements for rodents.

Figure 5. Feeding roughage

juicy

Juicy food is included in the diet after green grasses run out. Juicy feeds are silage, melons and root crops (potatoes, Jerusalem artichoke, carrots, fodder and sugar beets). Absolutely all feeds are eaten by rabbits well and have such positive factors: high milk production and dietary properties, contain many easily digestible carbohydrates and vitamins. However, succulent feeds are low in protein and minerals, as well as calcium and phosphorus.

The most popular juicy rabbit food are considered(picture 6):

red carrot which contains a lot of carotene. Carrots are primarily fed to females during pregnancy and lactation, to breeding males during mating and growing young.
fodder beet It is also readily eaten by animals, but when feeding it in large volumes, it is necessary to introduce good bean hay, wheat bran and some compound feed into the diet. Red table beets are not given to animals.
Potato can be given raw or cooked. It is recommended to boil it and mix it with cake, mixed fodder, wheat bran, meal and meat and bone meal before distribution.

Figure 6. Succulent feed

As part of providing animals with succulent fodder in winter and early spring, it is recommended to ensil a part of green grass, as well as vegetable waste and root crops. To obtain good silage, it is necessary to grind the plants to particles 1 cm long. The duration of the entire ensiling until ready is 1.5-2 months.

Note: The introduction of silage into the diet should occur gradually and should be started from 50-100 g.

Also, succulent feed can be prepared by fermenting them. To do this, it is necessary to finely chop the green mass and load it into a barrel, while evenly pouring salt.

Concentrated

Note: Concentrated feeds are the most nutritious because they are low in water and high in organic matter, protein and high energy value. Volume concentrated feed in the diet depends on such factors: the nutritional value of other feeds, the age and physiological state of the animal. The presence in the diet of legume grasses or legume hay (contains a lot of protein) reduces the amount of supplementation concentrated.

Concentrated foods in large volumes are recommended to be given during periods of active growth, pregnancy and lactation. Experienced rabbit breeders say that to get great results, you need to include up to 40% concentrates in the diet of rabbits (Figure 7).

oats is the best grain food and can be given in any form (flattened, crushed, whole). The dietary properties of oats have a positive effect on the digestion of animals.
Corn nutritionally superior to oats. Corn can be given out in different forms (detailed, soaked or porridge), but as boiled porridge is given to rabbits during their fattening. However, corn does not contain enough digestible protein and for this reason it is recommended to mix it with other feeds rich in protein and amino acids (lysine, tryptophan).
wheat bran used for fattening, but it is desirable to give them in small quantities in the absence of other concentrates.

Figure 7. Concentrated feed

Feed of animal origin is very valuable for rabbits. The best feeds of animal origin are meat and bone and fish meal. These feeds are fed to animals at 5-10 grams per head, mixed with any of the soft feeds. They can also be a good mineral supplement as they are high in phosphorus and calcium.

Vitamins and minerals

In winter and early spring, rabbits have a lack of vitamins. During this period, it is necessary to immediately introduce various vitamin supplements into the diet. Among such additives, one can single out fortified fish oil, which is introduced into the diet in various doses, depending on the age of the animals. For example, 0.5 grams per head per day will be enough for young animals, 1 gram is given to adult animals. fish oil, and for pregnant and lactating females, 2 and 3 grams per day, respectively.

In winter, rabbits are deficient in vitamin E. A good source of vitamin E can be shade-dried hay, young greens, or sprouted grains. Young greens at home are grown hydroponically (greens are grown from grain in solutions and without soil). This kind of greens are fed to rabbits with roots.

The lack of phosphorus and calcium in the feed can be corrected by the introduction of mineral supplements (bone meal, bone ash, chalk) into the diet. It is also necessary to give animals of all groups table salt.

Feeding rabbits in winter is aimed at increasing nutritional value, while the amount of roughage and concentrates eaten increases. During the winter cold, they need energy.

It is also necessary to adhere to such subtleties of winter feeding of rodents.:

Providing rabbits with constant access to food (especially at night and in the morning). A bunker feeder can help with this, which will prevent overspending of feed.
There should be clean water in the drinkers, as this is important for young animals and females. In winter, the water can be heated.
Feed rabbits food containing fiber, which will favorably affect the function of the digestive tract.
When feeding several feeds at the same time, concentrates are given first and juicy second. Feeding rabbits in winter is completed with the distribution of hay.

Figure 8. Diet for rabbits in winter

Figure 8 shows an example of a winter diet for rabbits. It is not recommended to give food containing carbohydrates - cookies, sugar and other goodies. Eating this kind of food can cause obesity.

Since the distribution of feed and drinking water involves the use of special equipment, we recommend that you watch a video on making a do-it-yourself drinker for rabbits.

The structure of the diet and feeding norms

The daily ration of rabbits should include nutrients that can meet the needs of animals. The greatest need for nutritious feed is experienced by lactating rabbits and young stock, and rabbits need such feed least of all during physiological rest (Figure 9).

In unlimited quantities, grass and hay can be fed to rabbits, which will not harm the health of animals. However, the amount of other foods in the diet should be in accordance with modern scientific feeding standards. It is not recommended to allow a lack or excess of nutrients.

During the preparation of the diet for groups of rabbits of different ages and physiological states, according to accepted standards, the animal's need for nutrients. Then there is a selection of feed on the content of nutrients.

Feeding regimens in winter

During the day, rabbits approach the feeders more than 30 times and it is very important to follow the feeding regimen for rabbits. With the constant distribution of feed a day at a certain time every day, in animals, with the approach of the next feeding, gastric juice begins to be produced. The production of gastric juice affects the growth of animals and the digestibility of feed.

Figure 9. Feeding rates for rabbits by age and season

Lactating rabbits and young animals up to 2.5 years of age are fed 4 times a day, animals after jigging from the mother and adult rabbits - 3 times. Winter feeding of rabbits should include not only standard feed, but also vitamin and mineral supplements necessary to maintain productivity and increase body weight.

What not to feed rabbits

Very often, novice rabbit breeders think that rabbits can be fed with any homemade food. However, this is not at all the case, since among plant foods there are animal health and life hazardous to the substance.

Below is a list of what not to feed rabbits:

Milk products: rabbits really need protein, but not milk, but vegetable. Therefore, dairy products are not recommended to be fed even in minimal quantities.
Vegetables should be issued within reasonable limits. These are succulent foods, and their excess in the diet can affect the disruption of the intestines. It is forbidden to feed rabbits with cucumbers, red cabbage, onions, radish, eggplant and red beets.
Cereals and legumes: it is not recommended to give rye in any form, polished and unpolished rice, millet and millet. This food increases the volume of mucus in the stomach because it is hard or contains little fiber. Also, do not feed black and red beans, young peas, as severe bloating may occur.
Fruit introduced into the diet in very limited quantities. You can give out fresh and dried apples, and in winter, add some dried pears to hay and grain, but only your own drying and pitted. An exception to fruits are all exotic fruits.
Poisonous plants and herbs may accidentally fall into the feeder in the summer, since at this time of the year the diet consists mainly of dried greens, which can be given every day. When collecting grass, you must be vigilant so as not to collect some kind of poisonous weed in the general mass. For humans, such a plant is absolutely harmless, but for a rabbit it can end in death. by the most poisonous plants are: hemlock, celandine, nightshade, wild radish, marsh horsetail and dope.
Sweets and pastries should not be included in the diet. Regardless of the season, you do not need to feed yeast products, cakes, sweet crackers and other “human” goodies to rabbits.

The dominant place among all kinds of rabbit dishes is occupied by concentrated feed. There are many and they are different. But all, as one, have the highest calorie content, serve as the main source of proteins and minerals, therefore, they cannot be replaced in the diet of rabbits.

Grains of various cereals and legumes, oilcake, meal, bran, compound feed and feed of animal origin (meat, meat and bone, fish and meat meal, reverse, silkworm chrysalis) - all this refers to concentrated feed.

The most common grain foods given to rabbits are oats, barley, corn, wheat, peas, vetch, lentils, fodder and soybeans, but oats are the best. In dry form, grains, except for oats, cannot be given. They are pre-crushed and soaked. Add to various mixes.

When you give grain to rabbits, make sure it is of good quality. It is not difficult to determine this. Fresh, good oats and barley have light grains, shiny scales, a pleasant, grainy smell. If the grain is dull, with some spots and dark tips, then it is affected by mold, it has been soaked. It should not be given to rabbits.

You can not feed rabbits and musty, moldy grain or in which there are many different impurities: insect larvae, rust and smut.

Make sure that grain harvested for rabbits is properly stored. And then you can get good grain, fresh, and pour it into an unventilated damp room, and it will deteriorate, become moldy. Store grain in a dry, well-ventilated area at low temperatures.

In the southern and southeastern regions, rabbits are given corn and fresh corn on the cob. Grain corn is poor in protein, so it is usually mixed with more nutritious concentrates.

All kinds of grains of leguminous plants are very valuable for feeding rabbits. But you need to give them carefully, little by little. Remember that legumes must first be crushed or ground, soaked, and only then given to rabbits, mixing them with some kind of soft food: bran, boiled potatoes, carrots, compound feed. Otherwise, rabbits, especially young ones, may have bloating of the intestines (tympania).

From cakes they give rabbits flaxseed, sunflower, hemp, soy. Poppy and cotton cake should not be given to rabbits. They contain harmful substances. True, gossypol-free cotton meal can be fed to rabbits, but you need to know for sure that it does not contain more than 0.02 percent gossypol. Cakes are rich in protein, so more than 50 grams should not be given to a rabbit. Before you cook the cake, crush it, steam it, mix it with potatoes and bran, and only after that distribute the food to the rabbits.

Of the bran, it is better for rabbits to give wheat, and there are few of those for rabbits. Otherwise, they will eat the rest of the food worse, and this will weaken the activity of the stomach. Rye bran can be used only in cases where there are no other, more nutritious concentrated feeds, and even then in small quantities. Quite obviously: you can’t feed rabbits with stale bran. A dark color, musty or moldy odor, or a bitter or sour taste indicate that the bran has gone bad.

As much as possible, feed, loose and granulated, should be used to feed rabbits. Granular ones are especially good. They include a mixture of complete concentrates, herbal and hay flour, various mineral supplements and vitamins. Biostimulants, antibiotics, anticoccidiosis drugs are added to the granules. Rabbits, if fed with such pellets, get sick less, grow better.

Babies who are separated from rabbits at 19 - 28 days should be given special granulated food - starters. In terms of nutritional value and calorie content, they are in no way inferior to rabbit milk. They contain whole milk powder, alfalfa flour, cereals, soybean cake, mineral and vitamin supplements and molasses, which is needed to bond this entire mixture into granule balls.

Granular feeds are very convenient: you can immediately put them in the feeders for 4-5 days.

There are such granular feeds that do not include grass meal. Then the rabbits additionally need to be given hay or grass.

Loose compound feed specifically for rabbits is not yet prepared. You can give them those that the industry produces for piglets and calves. But remember well. Compound feed prepared for poultry should never be given to rabbits. They contain shell, millet and other substances that are unsuitable for rabbits. You can not give rabbits and those feeds that contain more than 1 percent salt. When feeding rabbits with compound feed, constantly make sure that in warm weather the feed in the feeders does not turn sour, remove the remnants daily. And in cold weather, give the rabbits a semi-dry mash.

It is very useful to give rabbits such highly nutritious feeds in small quantities as meat, meat and bone, blood and fish meal, which are waste products during the processing of meat and fish. These foods are very rich in important minerals - calcium and phosphorus.

Dairy plants also have waste that is very useful and nutritious: skimmed milk, whey, buttermilk. Give back to rabbits fresh and fermented at 50 - 60 grams per day for each adult rabbit. Whole and powdered milk is fed to rabbits, especially if they are early weaned, and lactating females. Firmly understand: all dairy products should not be given to animals in galvanized dishes.

In areas where sericulture is developed, it is very useful to feed rabbits with silkworm pupae. The silkworm pupa is crushed, steamed in salt water and given to rabbits at 5 grams, and for adult rabbits - at 5 - 10 grams per day.

From succulent feed, rabbits are given cabbage, carrots, pumpkin, beets, Jerusalem artichoke, potatoes. Remember, red beets and cabbage should be given little by little, they cause indigestion.

Root vegetables are essential for rabbits. Good, for example, turnip. He is the champion among fodder root crops and the most precocious of them. When sown in June, you can get large yields.

Rabbits willingly eat both root crops and turnip tops. Although turnips are useful, they should not be overfed with animals. Turnips and other root crops increase the digestibility of other feeds and reduce their excessive acidity. It is a good dairy food for rabbits.

And fodder rutabaga is an excellent succulent food for rabbits.

As with turnips, you can use tops of rutabaga in autumn, and roots in winter. Rabbit breeders give special preference to the rutabaga of the Wilgemburg variety. This variety is both productive and nutritionally superior to others, and the main advantage of its root crops is that they do not have lateral roots. The earth is quickly shaken off and they are always clean.

Silage is an excellent feed, which is very rich in vitamins. It can be given to rabbits of all ages.

You can feed rabbits with table waste: leftover porridge, bread, pasta, soup. But in this case, you need to be very strict: the products must be completely fresh and without any impurities. Bread should be given only stale or slightly dried. Bran or compound feed can be added to soups and liquid cereals.

Water rabbits daily in the morning and evening before feeding, and on hot days as early as noon. In winter, instead of water, let's use pure snow.

When preparing diets for rabbits, you must adhere to established feeding norms. An adult rabbit weighing 4 kilograms for the winter period for a day can make up approximately the following diet: 100 grams of hay, 100 grams of boiled potatoes, 50 grams of carrots, 50 grams of oats, 15 grams of wheat bran and one gram of bone meal and salt.

At various times, appropriate diets are made for rabbits: for rabbits, lactating females, fattening rabbits - to each his own. The weight of animals, their productivity, the season of the year are taken into account.

Feed the rabbits at the same hours. Don't give long time the same food. Diversify their menu. Then it will be good for furry animals to live on your farm.