The alphabet of feeding decorative rabbits. How many times a day should decorative rabbits be fed? How much grass do rabbits need per day

To provide good health and rapid growth, you need to know the characteristics of animal feeding. First of all, it all depends on the products. They should be fresh and healthy, it is important to diversify the diet and sometimes add new products. How many times a day should rabbits be fed, and how much? In theory, they can eat up to 30 times a day, but in practice it is impossible to provide such a frequency. Below we will consider how experienced rabbit breeders get out of this situation.

Nutrition Basics

To breed rabbits, you need to know the basics of rabbit farming. It is important to carefully monitor the observance of the following rules:

• It is forbidden to feed products with signs of spoilage and mold. Such food is capable of not only poisoning, but also.
• Greens are given without dew, it should be dry to the touch.
• The varied diet changes from time to time and is supplemented with new products.
• There should always be fresh water in the drinker, which is changed every 1-2 days. Absence will cause constipation and decreased lactation of lactating females.
• Rabbits are taught to have a feeding schedule by feeding them at specific times of the day.
• Rabbits of different ages, genus, breed and purpose have a different diet.

Experienced breeders advise that the animal always has stable access to a food source. In the wild, they don't eat on schedule. It is necessary to ensure this in the conditions of cage keeping. You can read more about this in.

The pet should eat not only plants, but also animal products (, bone meal). In addition, it is beneficial to provide silage containing the necessary trace elements.

Feeding mode

How many times to feed rabbits depends on their purpose and your capabilities. If given such an opportunity, the animal can eat up to 30 times a day. Since this is not possible, there are two main ways. On large farms, they feed 2 times a day, in the morning and in the evening. Private breeders are more loyal and give food 3 times.

Winter feeding regime:

• The first feed is at 8 am, giving half the daily amount of hay and concentrates.
• At 12 o'clock, the animal receives the full daily norm of root crops.
• At 17 o'clock, they give the second half of the concentrates and hay, as well as tree branches.

Three meals a day in summer:

• At 6 o'clock, rabbits are given 1/3 of the daily intake of grass and 1/2 of the concentrates.
• At 15 o'clock 1/3 of herbs and other herbs.
• At 19 o'clock, the remaining concentrates, grass and branches.

It is important to dilute the diet and add vegetables and grains to it: barley, oats and more.

Lactating females need four feedings. They are given extra food at 10-11 pm. Mainly they give the products necessary to improve lactation.

Thus, how many times to feed the rabbits is up to you, mostly 3-4 feeds per day.

Maximum daily allowance for young animals (in grams)

In addition, there must be water in the cage. In cold weather, it is heated to room temperature.

Fattening

The scheme for raising and feeding rabbits for slaughter is slightly different. In this case, in less than a month and a half, you need to maximize the weight without compromising the quality of the meat. Experienced breeders begin feeding 34 days before slaughter.

How many times a day and what to feed meat breeds rabbits? Concentrates make up most of the food. Corn, barley and boiled potatoes are added to increase the fat. From time to time, add oats and. Hay is served with.

To quickly gain maximum mass, their mobility is limited by the cell. The maximum number of animals in one cage should not exceed 6 individuals. If laziness and lack of appetite come ahead of time, sent to the bottom.

Rabbits are bred for meat, fur or decorative purposes. But in order for the animal to fully meet the needs of the breeder, he needs to eat right. Poor food, non-compliance with the regime negatively affects the animal and its productive qualities. How to feed rabbits at home, when and in what quantity will be described below in the article.

The first thing to figure out is what types of feed exist. Knowing what can be given to the animal, you can understand what to feed the rabbits, what is daily food for them, and what is a delicacy.

This is the basis, what you can feed rabbits daily. But besides that, they also need animal fats. They can be found in meat flour, whey, buttermilk, and fish oil. Usually they are simply mixed into the feed without large quantities 1-3% of 100% of the daily feed rate.

Salt, chalk, bone meal replenish the norm of minerals in the body of rabbits, therefore, like the above-described animal food, they are added to the feed daily (1-1.5% of 100% of the daily feed rate) or given separately. So chalk and lick salt can be simply attached to the cage, animals will eat them as needed.

Rabbit Feeding Types

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Knowing what to feed rabbits at home, you can make up a daily ration, but first you need to decide on the type of feeding. There are two methods of feeding rabbits.

• Dry feeding means feeding the animal dry mixtures of cereals and compound feed. Also hay, mineral additives, meat flour, fish oil are given (mixed into the feed). Green food is given in small amounts in the summer, spring and fall (just to replenish the nutrient supply), while carrots and fodder beets are fed from succulent foods. That is, only what the animal needs is given, without treats and surplus.
• Mixed feeding means a higher proportion of succulent and green foods in the animal's diet. As a rule, there is a balance, where all types of feed are present in the diet in almost equal amounts. Some breeders steamed concentrates and roughages, making wet mash. Of course, it is easier to eat soft grains, but rabbits do not always agree to eat wet cereals; dry food is more familiar and healthier for them. So it is recommended to steam food only for young and sick rabbits if they find it difficult to eat dry mixes.

With dry feeding, it is very important to monitor the availability of fresh water at all times, as consuming large amounts of dry food can make the animal very thirsty. In the case of mixed feeding, fresh water in the drinker is also important, but the animal will drink less because its diet will have more juicy and green food, which already has a lot of water.

How to feed the young?

With the diet of adult animals, it is clear, but what to feed young rabbits? Young rabbits are fed with the same products as adults, only they are given compound feed specifically for young animals. There are also some important points that a breeder should know about.

1. Water should always be in the drinking bowl, as rabbits drink much more often than adults.
2. All types of juicy food (vegetables, roots, fruits) are given gradually and in small doses in order to determine their effect on a particular individual. Rabbits often have individual food intolerance.
3. It is worth adhering to the feeding norms, since the rabbits can gain weight very quickly, including fat.

How many times a day should rabbits be fed?

Rabbits can eat a lot per day and in different time, but it is worth giving them food strictly at certain hours and a certain number of times, so that they get used to one time. In this case, gastric juice will be most actively produced at a certain time and there will be no digestive problems in animals.

Baby rabbits, as well as adults, are usually fed 2-3 times a day. All daily feed is divided by this amount and fed. Pregnant and lactating females need to be fed 4 times, since the female should eat not only for herself, but also for her rabbits.

How to feed rabbits in winter and summer?

Feeding rabbits at home in winter and summer is slightly different. Many breeders forget about this, but in winter they need a lot more vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Then what to feed the rabbits in the winter? All the same, but in greater concentration. Below is an approximate table of the daily allowance for rabbits, depending on the age and position of the animal.

As you can see in the table, the norms of roughage for the summer are not indicated. The reason is that it must always be kept in a rabbit cage. A branch of any tree is fixed so that the animal can gnaw it, sharpening its teeth. And hay can be put either on the floor or behind the cage close to the wall (there are special devices for this) so that the rabbits get and eat it as needed. As for the juicy food, it is given more like a delicacy in summer period.

Some rabbit foods can be dangerous and can lead to diarrhea, constipation, feeling unwell, breathing difficulties, and finally death. Therefore, you need to know exactly what to feed the rabbits with.

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They become serious competitors to other pets. They are relatively unpretentious, cute and do not require time and money. These eared creatures have two main interests - reproduction and absorption of food. With the first, the question is solved simply, but the second needs clarification. Read about what and how to feed a decorative rabbit, whose gastrointestinal tract is arranged in an original way.

To understand what, how and how much to eat, you need to know the features of the structure of the digestive system of rabbits. The intestines of newfangled pets are characterized by weak peristalsis, so the animal is forced to eat all day. Eaten food in rabbits is promoted with new portions. There will be no fresh supplies - food will not be able to "get out" of the decorative creation. Fasting is fraught with stagnation, decay, and inflammatory reactions.

Decorative varieties have more digestive problems than their counterparts, which differ in size and live outside the home. Gene abnormalities and artificial conditions are responsible for this.

If people benefit from intermittent fasting, then in rabbits it can lead not only to serious illness, but also to death. The main condition for keeping eared at home is to avoid interruptions in food. But it is equally important to understand how to feed a decorative rabbit.

And here we come to the second condition - animals should be given a variety of foods to eat. If, under natural conditions, rabbits themselves figure out the diet, then at home they can eat properly only with your help. The diet must necessarily include both soft and roughage. Among the features of the eared ones is the very rapid growth of teeth, up to 3 mm per week. You need to be very careful about your teeth so as not to miss the moment when you need to trim them (if necessary). With no solid food, no twigs and no grass, teeth will soon become a huge problem for pets.

The diet

Although the rabbit eats at home all the time, you should follow the regimen. This point is especially true for juveniles who have not reached a year.

• in the morning and in the evening, it is recommended to give half the norm of dry food, calculated for the day; compound feed should be given at the same time;
• it is better to “devote” a day to juicy food - greens, fruits, berries;
• at night it will be correct to fill the stomachs of animals with hay.

• greens;
• vegetables and root vegetables;
• fruits and berries;
• hay;
• vitamin and mineral supplements;
• granulated and grain feed;
• additives of animal origin.

Rough and soft food

Coarse food is the basis of the diet of pets bred for keeping at home. Solid food is important both from the point of view of the gastrointestinal tract, and from the point of view of the rapid growth of teeth. This includes primarily tree branches and hay. The latter can be given as much as you like. But the hay should be of high quality - free from insects, dirt and beauty.

With regard to branches, young shoots are preferred. Care must be taken with trees that contain seeds. It is best to give birch, aspen, alder, oak, willow, acacia. Birch, for example, acts as a diuretic, while alder and oak act as bonding agents.

How many rough food do not give, but the eared ones want something juicy too. Ornamental pets living at home should be regularly offered greens, fruits, vegetables, etc. Especially in winter, when the body is deficient in nutrients. Simple decorative pets can eat about 150 grams of greens per day, lop-eared ones - up to 200 grams. Animals outside the home eat even more.

You may know or have noticed that rabbits love beets. This is a healthy product, but in small doses. Consolidation of the diet with this vegetable leads to digestive disorders. The most useful "soft" foods:

• pears and apples;
• potatoes, radishes, turnips;
• tomatoes, carrots, white cabbage, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin.

It should be remembered about individual intolerance or slight aversion to this or that product. Each of them is recommended to be given in dosage, while recording the "defecation" reaction of the animal. If any food "locks in" or "relaxes", you need to at least treat it with suspicion.

Greens can be given to eat almost any. If she is well washed and does not belong to the poisonous species. True, it is better to let the grass settle a little. It should not be turned into a herbarium, but after fresh greens, rabbits may experience bloating. How much to give "soft" food depends on the characteristics of the animals. Again, it is advisable to monitor the pet - this will help determine the specifics of the diet.

Up to this point, it was about natural nutrition. But keeping at home also involves feeding artificial food. Such food for decorative rabbits is most suitable for young animals. Compound feeds and concentrates abound useful substances and very nutritious.

But one should not go too far. Rabbits are able to chew without stopping. Three dozen approaches to the "plate" a day is the norm for them. It is not necessary to give compound feed more than twice a day. You should choose artificial food, taking into account the age of the pets. Dry food begins to be given from the age of one month. But up to two months it is recommended to combine "adult" food with infant sucking.

Vitamins and minerals

Animals receive part of minerals and vitamins from natural food, part from compound feeds and concentrates. There are also granules that contain certain minerals. In addition, it is recommended to give your pets chalk and salt. Without salt, rabbits are more likely to get sick, lose their appetite. Special blocks can be purchased at pet stores.

Chalk is especially useful for "youngsters", pregnant and lactating rabbits. Animals have the highest need for vitamins and minerals in winter.

Feed storage methods

Rabbits love and need to eat well all year round... In the wild in winter, animals eat worse, but at home it is correct to provide them with full food even in the cold period. What can you feed your decorative rabbit in cold weather? At this time, more emphasis is placed on dry food, but they do not forget about the blanks.

For the winter, food is prepared and dried from the branches. We have already talked about needles. Root crops are well stored, so they become excellent winter components of the "table". Of course, hay is very convenient and useful. But it must be mowed away from highways, and must be stored in a dry place.

And finally, a few more points about how, what and how much.

• It is not recommended to give boiled water. From the tap it will come off, but it is better to give it settled or filtered.
• A very useful thing is mineral stone. Thanks to him, the eared can always replenish the body with minerals. That is, we do not forget about the main sources, but we do not neglect this either.
• The rabbits, which "take care" of their bodies, do not eat bread. This is fraught with intestinal disorders. But you can and should eat crackers.
• You can feed potatoes, but cleanings, although this is correct, should be done with caution. It is allowed to feed decorative rabbits with brown peelings, without sprouts.

Video "Feeding decorative rabbits"

After watching the video, you will learn how to feed decorative eared pets.

When planning to breed these animals on a personal farm, each future owner asks questions: what do rabbits eat? How much grain and hay to prepare for the winter? How to properly feed and care for rabbits? How many times a day to feed?

Providing a nutritious diet is the responsibility of the rabbit owner

V natural conditions rabbits themselves eat the types of food that the body needs. How much eared people eat on the farm depends on the climatic zone, conditions of detention, the conscientiousness of the owner. It is recommended to give food twice a day.

Types of feed

Like many farm animals, rabbit feeds are divided into groups:

• Green forage. These include all herbaceous plants with early spring until late autumn. It should be noted that it is better to slightly dry the freshly cut grass in the sun. Do not give poisonous herbs.
• Rough. This hay good quality, straw of spring crops (except for rye), tree branches, bushes. Branches of poisonous shrubs are excluded.
• Juicy feed. These include root crops, silage, waste from melons and vegetable gardens. Do not give the tops of tomatoes and potatoes.
• Concentrates. Have a large number of protein. These include grain and its waste, as well as compound feed.
• Granulated feed.
• Microelements.

Vegetables and fruits should be on the rabbit menu

Feeding in summer

What do rabbits eat in summer? The basis of food for these animals in summer is green grass, tops from the garden (radishes, carrots). They eat twig food very willingly. These can be branches of fruit and deciduous trees. Brooms from tree branches can be prepared for the winter. Domestic rabbits feed on cabbage, apples and their waste.

How to give beets and how much? Red and sugar beets should not be given in large quantities. In large quantities, it causes tympanic stomach (bloating). Fodder beets can be fed ad libitum. Beets are chopped or sliced.

Include in the diet and bitter aromatic herbs - wormwood, chicory, yarrow, tansy (little by little), dill. They have an anthelmintic effect, enhance digestion. Dried stalks of garlic can be given to prevent stomatitis. Plantain is a natural antibiotic.

Nettle is the first grass to appear in spring. After winter, the rabbit eats the first delicacy with appetite. To feed the nettle, you must first prepare it: cut and mash, let it lie down. So its pungency is lost.

Nettle - the first spring grass for rabbits

Young branches of willow trees with the first buds and leaves serve as an excellent transitional food from a winter diet to summer feeding. A sudden transition can cause digestive upset.

In late autumn, flower stalks can be added to the diet of rabbits. He eats stems of gladioli, calendula, asparagus, hops, phlox.

How much water does he drink domestic rabbit? He drinks a little, but very often, so there should always be fresh water in the drinkers. In the summer, it is changed every day, avoiding damage. Drinkers are often washed.

The food is placed in clean troughs. The remaining feed (except dry) is removed first.

Feeding in winter

When winter approaches and the amount of green fodder decreases significantly, the animals on the farm are switched to winter nutrition. Feeding rabbits in cold weather has its own characteristics. Food for rabbits in winter conditions consists of hay and root crops, kitchen leftovers, concentrates with mineral additives. In late October - early November, the animals are fattened for meat.

Part of the hay is replaced with twig feed. Properly prepared brooms contain a lot of vitamins. It is necessary to give branches to grind the incisors, otherwise the rabbits will gnaw on the cages.

Wheat, barley and other grains can be replaced with grain waste.

Potatoes should be given only in pure form.

In winter, feed should be given dry so that it does not freeze, and hard-to-chew (waste of lentils, vetch, peas, corn) should be pre-soaked. Lightly moisten the compound feed and bran with salt water. Add boiled potatoes or grain.

Beets, carrots are washed, cut into pieces. Rabbits eat chopped root vegetables better than whole ones.

In winter conditions, water often freezes. It is not always possible to keep track of the drinkers. Therefore, you can give snow or ice.

To prevent vitamin deficiency, needles of coniferous trees should be given. At first, the pet eats them reluctantly, but then it gets used to it.

To calculate the number of units of feed per day, there are rabbits feeding rates.

Coniferous branches - good prevention of vitamin deficiency

Rabbit feeding regime

The domestic rabbit eats almost constantly. It is best to feed your pet rabbits 2 times a day. If the farm needs to be absent for a long time, then feed can be fed for a longer period. The calculation of how much and what kind of feed to give is determined by multiplying the feeding norms by the number of rabbits. In summer conditions, the mown green grass is slightly withered so that it does not burn out, and put into bunker feeders.

Wheat or other grain, concentrates are added to special feeders.

The damp mash is left only at a low temperature. It is laid out in small lumps, sprinkled with concentrates.

In dormant conditions in winter, when three or four individuals remain, and they do not feed on meat, do not crawl, you can leave the animals for a month. Several bunker feeders are arranged in a large room. Stuff with hay, add branch feed for rabbits. Hanging brooms from deciduous trees, bunches of nettles, leave a lot of ice.

New rabbit food is being added little by little. Unfamiliar food makes animals rummage in it, so the food is trampled, scattered.

Bunker feeder for winter feeding

Fattening eared

Special feeding of rabbits before slaughter allows to increase the weight of the carcass for meat, fat accumulation, fatness. The meat tastes better, and the quality of the wool rises. Feeding should be started 6 weeks before the planned slaughter.

How to feed rabbits before slaughtering for meat and how many units of feed are needed? Feeding time is divided into three parts:

• The concentrates are adjusted to 50%.
• Feed is introduced to increase the fat in the carcass - barley, corn, oats, peas, boiled potatoes.
• Add dill, celery and parsley to the hay.

Fattening rabbits for meat ends when they become sedentary and food ceases to interest them.

Dill promotes weight gain

Feeding fetal and lactating rabbits

The pregnant female eats a lot. It is not worth increasing the rates of cheese concentrates per day, so that the rabbit does not get fat, and before the rounding, the rate of concentrates is reduced.

The diet during the lactation period of domestic rabbits is increased by about three times in comparison with the puppet period.

This increase is due to the growth of proteins. The share of concentrates is increasing by 70-80%.

The additions are made gradually, as the young rabbits grow. In order to increase the amount of milk, milk-producing herbs are added to the diet: nettle, dill, parsley. While feeding the rabbits, the female domestic rabbits eat food that increases the nutritional value of milk.

The rabbits begin to eat with their mother, starting at about the 20th day. It is good to add sour or powdered milk to the feed of a lactating rabbit. If you care for the rabbits properly, you can get healthy offspring.

Powdered milk stimulates lactation

Feeding young rabbits

Separated young rabbits must be properly cared for. The young rabbit eats the same food as in the mother's cage. For the first two days, feed the rabbits with grated raw carrots and boiled potatoes.

Do not give beets. Concentrates are given in small portions, crushed or flattened.

They constantly observe how much and how the young animals eat, whether there is enough food. Hay is fed ad libitum.

Rational feeding of rabbits is necessary in order to have a healthy livestock of animals on the farm, to reduce the cost of fattening for meat. Applying the knowledge gained, novice rabbit breeders can significantly reduce the cost of raising, keeping and feeding domestic rabbits for meat.

» » » What and how to feed rabbits

Pet bunny owners often ask how many times a day do they need to feed their bunnies? Proper feeding of decorative rabbits is a guarantee of a long and happy life pet. Usually, even before buying a decorative rabbit, future owners are looking for information on what to feed and how many times a day.

Bunny rabbits are much lower than their meat cousins, so proper nutrition means a lot to bunny rabbits. Many people are interested in the question how many times a day do you need to feed decorative rabbits?

If your decorative rabbit is still a baby and he is not 3 months old, you can not limit it in compound feed. But there are kids who eat a lot, almost all day at the bowl, then of course it is better to limit the feed and feed 2 times a day for 1-2 tbsp. spoon. Hay cannot be limited, it must always be available.

It is better to feed adult decorative rabbits 2 times a day at the same time, since the rabbit gets used to the schedule and by this time the rabbit begins to produce gastric juice. Hay should always be the same.

If you have a nursing rabbit, you need to feed it more often, 3-4 times a day. As it was written above at the same time. And more juicy food in the diet. Hay is also a must. Juicy feed that is more than a day old must be removed and replaced with fresh ones.