Features of feeding rabbits with grain
The key to the health and harmonious development of pets is a well-designed menu. Beginner farmers often face nutritional problems for young animals and adults. How to organize proper grain feeding for rabbits? Let's take a look at the most proven techniques.
Grain feeding rabbits
What is fed
To raise a healthy herd, you need to provide your pets with enough essential nutrients. Due to their rapid reproduction and rapid growth, the eared ones require a special approach to the preparation of the menu. Any mistake of the livestock breeder will instantly manifest itself as diseases and mass deaths.
Why not feed the animals with professional compound feed? It is difficult for beginners from the first time to choose their favorite rations for the animals, based on the physical condition and characteristics of the content. It is necessary to experimentally search for the menu, and this is very expensive.
What kind of grain to feed rabbits? Cereals are an ideal option that saturates the body with the necessary energy and is liked by the livestock. They contain a sufficient amount of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, so the food will be relevant in the cold season. Steamed grain is given to young broods, and adults can already be given dry grain.
Using only greens and vegetables in your diet is difficult to gain weight. Because of this, animals lose weight, which affects the quality of the final product. Food is not only a complete menu, but also the prevention of gastrointestinal diseases. Experts know that cereals are quickly and easily absorbed by animals.
The popularity of crops is also linked to affordability. Unlike expensive professional food, the price for them is affordable, and you can buy them both in a pet store and from your hands. We need to find a trusted supplier who values his reputation and will not offer low-quality goods.
Corn and wheat grain must be tested. And if the quality is confirmed, you can safely make mixtures with such products for feeding fluffy eared ears. Steamed grain, if it is a concentrated feed, is used by the rabbit with pleasure throughout its life.
Rabbit cereals
What do eared people eat? Not all crops are equally good for animals. Let's analyze the safest options that can squeeze out feeding with compound feed.
- Corn. One of the highest calorie foods. It has a positive effect on the weight and health of rabbits. Contains a huge amount of fats, carbohydrates and vitamin E. It is quickly absorbed, accelerating the metabolism in the body.
- Oats. Despite its high nutritional value, grains do not contribute to obesity. The product contains a lot of vitamin B5, which improves reproductive performance and plays an important role in metabolic processes.
- Barley. A healthy culture helps to quickly gain weight in rabbits and lactating females. The increased calorie content contributes to the formation of muscle mass. The elements choline and lysine improve overall health.But abuse is dangerous because in adults it causes oppression of reproductive functions.
- Wheat. A simple and nutritious cereal that has a positive effect on the health of the eared. Contains a lot of vitamins of group B, E, and also enough protein, carbohydrates and fats. Aids in the rapid mass gain during the growth period.
Quality cereals are better absorbed than bone meal or milk powder.
Animals eat with appetite and do not scatter leftovers around the cage. With such a diet, you need to monitor the presence of water in the enclosures. Professionals recommend changing the liquid to fresh twice a day.
Features of the diet
Experienced farmers know that grains must make up at least 45% of the total eared menu. It is not advised to use any one type of cereal. In this case, there will be a deficiency of some trace elements and an excess of others. Such negligence will instantly affect the condition of the animals.
If it is decided to refuse feeding with compound feed, it is necessary to correctly select the grain rate in each period of the animals' life. For kids, the energy value of food is important. Fattening specimens require slightly different nutritional combinations than those of breeding males and females.
The grain mixture for rabbits is made taking into account the age characteristics of the individuals. During the period of active growth, we recommend using the combination in the following proportions (in percent):
- corn and oats - 30 each;
- wheat - 10;
- barley and bran - 15 each.
Normally, adolescents increase their nutritional value by removing "fresh" varieties. Sexually mature females are advised to reduce the amount of wheat, replacing it with less nutritious grains. Excessive barley supplements cause obesity in animals. If a product is causing bloating, then it is best to get rid of it.
Is it possible to give cereals in ears? If the plant is not yet ripe and the awn is soft, then there will be no problems from such food. Dried bristles will get stuck in the throat and cause death. In this case, it is advised to use only threshing.
How to feed
There is often debate among professionals about the best way to give grain to rabbits. Some crops can be given without preparation, we are talking about very hard cereals. They cause digestive problems in animals, so grinding in a crusher is indispensable.
How to steam the grain correctly? The mixture is poured into a volumetric container, leaving at least 10 cm from the edge. Then the food is poured with boiling water, a tablespoon of salt is added, everything is mixed. Cover with a lid, wrap and “forget” for 6 hours.
To improve the appetite of rabbits, it is beneficial to yeast cereals. For this, ground components are poured with warm liquid. Then baking substances are diluted (30 g per kilogram of mixture) in water, everything is mixed and left overnight. Young growth grows quickly from such an additive, but still you should not give it more often for 2 days in a row.
Animals should always have food in the feeder. No matter how much pets eat, they should not be left hungry. They are gaining weight as rapidly as they are losing weight, so it is not worth experimenting. Cereals do not deteriorate, which allows you to fill up the rate to the maximum.
Germination
You can diversify the ration of the livestock using wet feed. Experienced breeders know rabbit whims, so they often use a proven method. It is possible to get a delicious menu from improvised products and without chemicals.
Sprouted grains contain vitamins C, E and B, as well as vital enzymes. Rabbits like juicy food, so they quickly eat the norm and are not capricious. You can germinate the culture yourself.
Any cereal (except corn) is soaked for 24 hours in a warm place. The next day, they are laid out in a thick layer in special trays or baking sheets with low sides. Cover with wet gauze on top and leave to develop. When the first shoots hatch, you can feed the pets.
It is important to remember that sprouted grain quickly loses its taste characteristics, so it should not be allowed to "mature".It is better to perform the procedure more often than to throw away the unused product. In this case, it is extremely important to ensure that there is no mold on the leaves.
DIY greens
To diversify the ration of the livestock, professionals use fresh grass. But what can you do in the winter when you don't have access to an important dietary element? In this case, it is better to grow a tasty grain feed.
The hydroponic method produces juicy greens from cereals. The first step is to disinfect the raw material using a quartz lamp. Radiation kills fungi and diseases that can be found on the surface of the culture. Then they are poured into a container, filled with water and left in a cool room for a day to swell.
The finished material is laid out on pallets with sides. It should be remembered that the layer should not exceed 2 cm, otherwise there will be a problem with pecking. Cover with a coarse cloth from above, sprinkle with water from a spray bottle. The containers are left for 3 days at a temperature of 24 ° C. To prevent drying out, once a day the burlap is sprinkled with liquid.
Sprouted grain is rearranged closer to natural light. During the week, watered with a special hydroponic solution:
- water - 20 l;
- wood ash - 1 kg;
- ammonium nitrate - 200 g;
- boric acid - 0.7 g;
- copper sulfate - 0.01 g;
- manganese sulfate - 0.4 g.
The liquid is mixed with ash, boiled and filtered through thick gauze. Then the rest of the chemicals are added, thoroughly dissolved and packed in glass jars. One bucket of water needs 200 ml of solution. Cereals are watered with this substance twice a day. One pallet can grow enough greens for the whole livestock
Zolotukhin's method
Are there modern feeding techniques that make it easy to raise rabbits? Professional livestock breeders often share their experience in creating mixtures, but they are not always clear to beginners. We will tell you about the most accessible scheme.
The Zolotukhin Method is a proven technology that will help you successfully breed rabbits. Based on the age and physiological characteristics of the eared population, the composition of the mixtures changes. You must follow all the rules and not experiment.
As soon as the young animals begin to eat on their own, they are fed with steamed oats. Gradually, crushed barley is introduced into the menu in a small amount. The breeder is advised to time the changes to the beginning of summer. After 4 months of life, the rabbits can be fed with corn.
During the resting period, the females are given whole oats. It contains enough vitamins and minerals for a "quiet" life and recovery. Before mating and before childbirth, Zolotukhin recommends giving barley, but without fanaticism: an excess of substances negatively affects the reproductive system of pets.
Breeding males from 6 months can be fed with compound feed from all cereals, excluding wheat. Grain nutrients allow you to build not only muscle mass, but also improve the quality of the seed before mating. To avoid problems with the diet, all rabbits are separated by sex and placed in separate cages.
Grain feeders
How much a pet eats depends on the correct food inventory. Beginners often use factory-made ceramic bowls for food, which the animals turn over. Experienced breeders prefer to make containers on their own.
When feeding with grain and compound feed, bunker feeders are most often used. The structure is assembled in such a way as not to allow the livestock to scatter and trample food. Food is poured into boxes for several days, without thinking about the addition.
Canned food cans can be used for both bulk food and water. The compact and economical option is quickly mounted in the cage and does not cause any inconvenience to the pet. Please remember that the size may not be suitable for large individuals.
A simple trough-shaped feeder will be convenient for feeding with cereals and compound feed.Due to the length, access to food is open to all inhabitants of the enclosure. To prevent animals from overturning the product, it is important to make reliable fasteners.
Grain feeding rabbits is a cheaper and proven way to raise rabbits. Our recommendations will help you find the optimal diet for your animals. Simple techniques have been proven over time.