COMMERCIAL RABBIT RAISING 



23 



Table 3. — Daily nutrient requirements oj rabbits per animal 

 [All feeds or rations are based on air-dry weights] 



tions recommended are those that 

 have proved most economical. The 

 upper limits suggested give better 

 results than the lower. There is 

 no danger in feeding higher levels 

 of protein than recommended pro- 

 vided the ration is adequate in all 

 other ingredients. Thus, if your 

 herd is small or if it would be dif- 

 ficult to feed two rations, you can 

 give feed intended for pregnant 

 does and for does with suckling 

 litters to the entire herd. 



j\Iany rabbit raisers will have 

 homegrown grains and hay or will 

 be able to purchase them locally. 

 These feeds in their natural form 

 are satisfactory if you use addi- 

 tional protein to balance them 

 properly. Feed them in separate 

 compartments of a self-feeder or 

 use the plant - protein supple- 

 ments — soybean, peanut, sesame, 

 cottonseed, and linseed meals in the 

 pea-size cake, flake, or pelleted 

 form — with whole grain to make 

 up the concentrate part of the ra- 

 tion. If you hand-feed the mix- 

 ture, use a container that prevents 

 the rabbits from scratching: out 



and Avasting the feed. If you use 

 finely ground mill products in the 

 mixture, dampen the feed just be- 

 fore feeding to prevent the fine 

 meals from settling out and being 

 wasted. 



Hay 



For your rabbits, choose hay 

 that is fine stemed, leafy, green, 

 well cured, and free from mildew 

 or mold. 



If you feed whole, coarse hay, 

 a good deal will be wasted. The 

 rabbits will pull a stem out of the 

 hay manger, eat part of it, and 

 drop the rest. To prevent some of 

 this waste and to put the hay in a 

 more convenient form for feeding, 

 cut it into 3- or 4-inch lengths. 



The legume hays, such as alfalfa, 

 clover, lespedeza, cowpea, vetch, 

 kudzu, and peanut are palatable 

 and make good feed for rabbits. 

 The carbonaceous liays, such as 

 timothy and prairie, and hays made 

 from johnsongrass, sudangrass, or 

 dallisgrass, are less pahitable than 

 legume hays, but are valuable for 



