22 AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 3 09, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Table 2. — Digestible protein and total digestible nutrients of some 



common rabbit feeds 



[Dry roughages and concentrates on an air-dry basis] 



Feed 



Dry matter 



Digestible 



crude 



protein 



Total 

 digestible 

 nutrient 



DRY ROUGHAGES 



Alfalfa hay, common 



Alfalfa hay, very leafy 



Bluegrass hay 



Clover hay, red 



Lespedeza hay, annual 



Sorghum fodder, milo 



Oat hay 



Peanut hay, without nuts. 



Soj^bean hay 



Sudangrass hay 



Timothy hay 



Vetch hay (common) 



GREEN ROUGHAGES, ROOTS, AND TUBERS 



Alfalfa 



Cabbage, aerial portion. 



Carrots, roots 



Clover 



Rutabagas, roots 



Sweet potatoes, roots 



Turnips, roots 



CONCENTRATES 



Barley grain 



Beet pulp, dried 



Bread, dried 



Brewers' grains, dried. 



Buckwheat grain 



Corn, grain dent #2... 



Cottonseed meal 



Linseed meal 



Milk, cows 



Milk, dried 



Oats, grain 



Peanut meal 



Sorghum grain, milo.. 



Soybcan meal 



Soybean seed 



Wheat grain 



Wheat bran 



Percent 

 of ration 

 90 

 90 

 92 

 88 

 89 



91 



88 

 89 

 89 

 89 



21 



9 

 12 

 20 

 11 

 32 



9 



89 

 90 

 64 

 93 

 88 

 85 

 92 

 91 

 13 

 96 

 90 

 93 

 89 

 91 

 90 

 89 

 90 



Percent 

 of ration 

 11 

 16 



6 

 5 

 6 



10 

 6 

 3 



10 



10 

 4 



8 

 23 



7 



7 

 32 

 31 



3 

 26 



9 

 39 



8 

 40 

 33 

 11 

 14 



Percent 

 of ration 

 40 

 58 

 31 

 43 

 39 

 35 

 26 

 46 

 43 

 43 

 32 

 46 



15 

 9 

 10 

 13 

 10 

 28 

 8 



70 

 70 

 65 

 58 

 70 

 82 

 66 

 70 

 16 

 117 

 65 

 85 

 84 

 82 

 98 

 79 

 57 



young, for maintaming the breed- 

 ing herd, and for wool production. 

 It also is a factor in the quantity 

 of food required for a certain gain 

 in live weight. Adding the proper 

 quantity of protein supplement to 

 a ration composed of grains and 



hay increases the rate of growth of 

 young rabbits 13 to 20 percent and 

 effects a saving of 20 to 25 percent 

 in the quantity of feed required 

 for a unit of gain. 



Protein is the most expensive 

 part of the feed, but the propor- 



