The key to the health and harmonious development of pets is a well-composed menu. Beginner farmers are often faced with nutritional problems of young and adult individuals. How to organize proper feeding of rabbits with grain? We will analyze the most proven methods.
- What is fed
- Cereals for rabbits
- Features of the diet
- How to feed
- Sprouting <
- Do-it-yourself greens
- Zolotukhin’s method
- Grain feeders
Feeding rabbits with grain
What is fed
To grow a healthy livestock, you need to provide your pets with enough important nutrients, because of their fast reproduction and rapid long-eared animals require a special approach to making the menu. Any mistake of the breeder will immediately manifest itself in diseases and mass death.
Why shouldn’t you feed the animals with professional compound feed? . It is necessary to experimentally search for a menu, and this greatly affects the affordability.
What grain should be fed to rabbits? Cereals are an ideal option that nourishes the body with the necessary energy and is liked by the livestock. They have a sufficient amount of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, so food will be relevant in the cold period. Steamed grain is given to young broods, and adults can already be given dry.
Using only greens and vegetables in the diet, it is difficult to gain weight. Because of this, animals lose weight, which affects the quality of the final product. Food is not only a full 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 related to accessibility. Unlike expensive professional feeds, the price for them is affordable, and you can purchase them both in the pet store and from the hands. You need to find a trusted supplier who values his reputation and will not offer low-quality goods.
Corn and wheat should be tested. And if the quality is confirmed, you can safely make mixtures for feeding fluffy ears with such products. Steamed grain, if it is concentrated food, the crawl enjoys throughout life.
Cereals for rabbits
What do the eared eat? Not all cultures are equally beneficial to animals. We will analyze the safest options that can displace feeding with compound feed.
- Corn. One of the highest calorie foods. Positive effect on the weight and health of rabbits. It 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, cereal does not contribute to obesity.The product has a lot of vitamin B5, which improves fertility and plays a significant role in metabolic processes.
- Barley. A healthy culture helps to quickly gain weight in rabbits and lactating females. 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 repression of reproductive functions.
- Wheat. A simple and nutritious cereal that positively affects the health of the eared. It contains many vitamins of groups B, E, and also enough protein, carbohydrates and fats. Helps fast weight gain during growth.
High-quality cereals are better absorbed than bone meal or milk powder.
Animals eat with an appetite and do not scatter the remains on the cage. With such a diet, you need to monitor the presence of water in the enclosures. Professionals recommend changing fluid 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 you decide to refuse to feed with compound feed, you need to choose the right grain rate for each period of the animals’ life. For babies, the energy value of food is important.Feeding specimens require slightly different nutritional combinations than those of breeding males and females.
Grain mix for rabbits is made taking into account the age characteristics of 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 – by 15.
Normally, adolescents are increased in nutritional value by removing “fresh” varieties. Mature females are advised to reduce the amount of wheat, replacing it with less high-calorie grains. Excessive barley supplements cause obesity in animals. If any product provokes bloating, then it is better to get rid of it.
Is it possible to give cereals in ears of corn? If the plant has not yet ripened and the spine is soft, then there will be no problems with such a meal. Dry bristles get stuck in the throat and cause death. In this case, it is advised to use only threshing.
How to feed
There is a debate among professionals about the best way to give rabbits grain. Some crops can be given without preparation, we are talking about very hard cereals. They cause digestion problems in animals, so you can’t do without grinding in the crusher.
How to steal grain properly? The mixture is poured into a bulk 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, wrap and “forget” for 6 hours.
To improve the rabbit’s appetite, cereals are beneficial to yeast. For this, ground components are poured with warm liquid. Then baking substances (30 g per kilogram of mixture) are diluted in water, all mixed and left overnight. Young animals grow quickly from such an additive, but nevertheless they should not be given more than 2 consecutive days. No matter how many pets eat, they should not be left hungry. They gain weight as fast as they lose weight, so do not experiment. Crops do not deteriorate, which allows you to fill up the norm to the maximum.
Germination
You can diversify your livestock diet with wet forages. Experienced breeders know rabbit whims, so they often use the proven method. You can get a tasty menu from improvised products without chemicals.
Germinated grain contains vitamins C, E and B, as well as vital enzymes. Rabbits like juicy foods, so they are fast they eat the norm and don’t be capricious. You can sprout the culture yourself.
Any cereal (except corn) is soaked for 24 hours in a warm place. The next day, lay in a thick layer in special pallets or baking sheets with low sides. gauze and leave to grow. When the first sprouts hatch, you can feed the pets.
It is important to remember that the sprouted grain quickly loses its flavor characteristics, so you can not allow it to “grow up”. It is better to complete the procedure more often than to throw away an unused product. At the same time, it is extremely important to ensure that there is no mold on the leaves.
Do-it-yourself greens
Professionals use fresh grass to diversify the livestock diet.But what can be done in winter when there is no access to an important element of the diet? In this case, it is better to grow a delicious forage from grain.
The hydroponic method allows you to get juicy greens from cereals. The first step is to disinfect the raw materials with a quartz lamp. Radiation kills fungi and diseases that can be found on the surface of the culture. Then it is poured into a container, filled with water and left in a cool room for a day for swelling.
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 peeling. Top cover with a rough cloth, sprayed from the spray bottle with water. The containers are left for 3 days at a temperature of 24 ° C. To prevent drying out, once a day burlap is sprayed with liquid.
Germinated grain is rearranged closer to natural light. Within a week, it is 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 dense cheesecloth. Then the remaining chemicals are added, thoroughly dissolved and packaged in glass jars. In one bucket of water you need 200 ml of solution. This substance is watered cereals twice a day.From one pallet you can grow enough greenery, which is enough for the whole population
Zolotukhin’s method
Are there modern feeding techniques that allow rabbits to be raised without problems? Professional breeders often share their experience in creating mixtures, but they are not always clear to beginners. We will talk about the most affordable scheme.
Zolotukhin’s method is a proven technology that will help to successfully breed rabbits. Based on the age and physiological characteristics of the eared stock, the composition of the mixtures varies. We must comply with all the rules and not experiment.
As soon as the young growth begins to eat on its own, it is fed with steamed oats. Gradually, crushed barley is introduced in a small amount in the menu. The breeder is advised to time the changes by the beginning of summer. After 4 months of life, rabbits can be fed with corn.
During dormancy, females are given whole oats. It has enough vitamins and minerals for a “calm” life and recovery. Before mating and before giving birth, Zolotukhin recommends giving barley, but without fanaticism: an excess of substances negatively affects the reproductive system of pets.
Pedigree males can be fed with feed from all cereals from 6 months, excluding wheat. Nutrient elements of grain can increase not only muscle mass, but also improve the quality of the seed before mating. In order not to have problems with the diet, all rabbits are divided by sex and placed in separate cages.
Grain Feeders
How much the pet eats depends on the correct food inventory. Beginners often use factory ceramic bowls for food, which the animals turn over. Experienced breeders prefer to make containers on their own.
When feeding with grain and animal feed, bunker feeders are most often used. The design is assembled in such a way as to prevent the livestock from scattering and trampling food. Food is poured into the boxes for several days without thinking about the supplement.
Canned tin cans can be used both for bulk food and for water. The compact and economical option is quickly mounted in a cage and does not deliver any inconvenience to the pet. It must be remembered that sizes may not be suitable for large individuals.
A simple feeder in the form of a gutter will be convenient for feeding cereals and animal feed. Due to its length, access to food is open to all residents of the aviary. To prevent animals from turning the product over, it is important to make reliable fastenings.
Feeding rabbits with grain is a cheaper and proven way to raise animals. Our recommendations will help you find the best diet for animals. Simple techniques are time-tested.
