How To Make Rabbit Feed
Rabbits are the favorite pets of many people, they are lively and cute and bring us endless joy. In the process of raising rabbits, quality rabbit food plays a key role in their healthy growth. The right rabbit food can provide sufficient nutrition for rabbits to ensure that their body functions are functioning properly, with bright fur and strong immunity. Next, let’s delve into how to make homemade rabbit food to help your rabbit’s healthy diet.
Advantages Of Rabbit Feed
Good Palatability
When making rabbit food pellets, there is a process of starch pasting, which will give the pellets a delicious flavor. This unique flavor greatly increases the palatability of rabbit food and satisfies the appetite of rabbits, thus increasing their intake by 10-15% and ensuring that they consume enough nutrients.
Comprehensive Nutrition
Before making rabbit food pellets, a variety of ingredients are evenly mixed according to a scientific formula. Such a mixture can meet the nutritional requirements of rabbits at almost all stages of growth, effectively avoiding the nutritional imbalance caused by picky eating and allowing rabbits to grow healthily.
Suitable Hardness
Compared with wet-mixed powdered feed, the hardness of rabbit food pellets is greatly increased. Rabbits have the habit of grinding their teeth with hard objects, and rabbit food pellets fulfill this need. By nibbling on rabbit food pellets, rabbits can not only grind their teeth smoothly, but also improve the digestibility of the feed, which is very beneficial to the digestion and absorption of the rabbit’s stomach and intestines.
Sterilization And Disinfection
During the pressing process of rabbit food, it will experience a short period of high temperature of 70℃ -100℃. This high temperature process kills some of the parasitic eggs and pathogenic microorganisms, which significantly reduces the chances of rabbits falling ill and safeguards their health.
Commonly Used Rabbit Feed Ingredients
Green Feed
Green fodder is an important part of the rabbit’s diet, including leguminous forage, grass forage, leafy vegetables, roots and stems. Common ones include alfalfa, clover, ryegrass, endive, sweet potato, polymer grass, pine straw, and various weeds and leaves. These green feeds are rich in vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber, and can provide rich nutrition for rabbits.
Roughage
Roughage mainly consists of green hay (such as grass, legume and other green hay) and straw (such as rice straw, soybean stalks, corn stalks, etc.). It is characterized by low water content, high crude fiber content, little digestible material, poor palatability and low digestibility. However, roughage is widely available, abundant and inexpensive, and is one of the indispensable raw materials in rabbit food, generally accounting for about 30% of the diet. Among them, green hay is aromatic and palatable, and can be used as the main roughage when raising rabbits at home; if straw is used, it should be crushed and mixed with other concentrates to make pellets for feeding.
Concentrate Feed
Concentrate feed mainly covers energy feed and protein feed. Energy feeds mainly include corn, barley, rice, wheat bran, etc., which are rich in starch, good palatability, high digestibility, low crude fiber content, low protein content, high phosphorus and sulfur content, low calcium content and incomplete vitamin content. Protein feed mainly includes plant protein feed and animal protein feed.
Plant protein feed (such as soybean, soybean meal, soybean cake, rapeseed cake, cotton meal, etc.) is rich in protein, balanced amino acids, more comprehensive nutrition, rich in a large amount of fat, vitamin E and vitamin B, aromatic odor, good palatability, usually in the diet of 20%-40% (it should be noted that the rapeseed cake contains mustard glycosides, taste bitter and spicy, in the mix of the feed in the proportion of the general should be controlled at about 5%). Animal protein feeds (e.g. fishmeal, silkworm pupae, bonemeal, etc.) have high protein content, more essential amino acids, especially lysine, methionine and tryptophan, and also contain more vitamins and inorganic salts, which are commonly used as protein supplement feeds. Fishmeal is often used to adjust and supplement certain essential amino acids, and the proportion of fishmeal in mixed feeds is generally controlled at about 3%. The nutritional value of feed yeast is similar to that of fishmeal, and the dosage in rabbit food is 2%-5%.
Inorganic Salt Feed
Inorganic salt feed mainly refers to table salt, bone meal, stone meal and so on. Salt is an important source of sodium and chlorine, and its dosage generally accounts for 0.3%-0.5% of the dry diet, which can be mixed into concentrates or dissolved in water for rabbits to drink. When raising rabbits at home, bone meal can be made by oneself, and the bones of livestock and poultry can be boiled under high pressure for 1.0-1.5 hours, crushed and dried, and its feeding amount can account for 2%-3% of the diet. Stone powder is the most economical raw material for calcium supplement in rabbit food, shell powder is also a cheap calcium supplement, and calcium phosphate can supplement calcium and phosphorus.
Rabbit Feed Formula For Different Stage
Young Rabbit Feed Formula
1. 40% corn meal, 20% bran, 10% rice bran, 11% soybean cake, 7% fish meal, 3% bone meal, 0.5% salt and trace element additives.
2. Corn meal 40%, sorghum meal 10%, bean cake 10%, rice flour 10%, fish meal 6%, bone meal 3%, trace element additives, salt 1% each.
3. 45% corn meal, 25% wheat flour, 15% bean cake, 4% bran, 7% fish meal, 3% bone meal, 0.5% each of trace element additives and salt.
Adolescent Rabbits Feed Formula
1. 50% corn meal, 20% bran, 5% rice bran, 15% soybean cake, 5% fish meal, 4% bone meal, 0.5% salt and trace element additives.
2. 45% corn flour, 10% sorghum flour, 10% bean cake flour, 10% bran, 10% rice bran, 10% fish meal, 3% bone meal, trace element additives, salt 1% each, plus appropriate amount of vitamins and trace elements.
3. 47% corn meal, 20% wheat flour, 10% soybean cake, 10% bran, 5% fish meal, 2% bone meal, 5% vegetables, trace element additives and salt 0.5%.
Fattening Rabbit Feed Formula
1. 50% corn meal, 20% bran, 10% rice bran, 15% soybean cake, 2% fish meal, 2% bone meal, 0.5% salt and trace element additives.
2. 60% corn meal, 10% soybean cake, 9% peanut cake, 10% rice bran, 10% fish meal, 1% bone meal, 5 grams of multivitamin, 10 grams of zinc sulfate, 15 grams of copper sulfate.
3. 40% corn meal, 10% sorghum meal, 10% bran, 15% rice bran, 10% fresh fish meal, 1% salt, 4% bone meal.
Steps For Making Rabbit Feed Pellets
Preparing Resources
The first step in making rabbit food pellets is to prepare the raw materials. The raw materials to be crushed are put into the material pit, transported to the elevator through the scraper conveyor, elevated to the cylinder for initial cleaning and screening, and then entered into the permanent magnetic cylinder for jittering and iron removal, and then entered into the distributor, and dispersed to the cylinder storage bin to wait for crushing.
Crushing Process
Crushing is the second key step in making rabbit food pellets. The material to be crushed is stored in the bin to be crushed, and enters the crusher through the feeder to be crushed. The crushed material is transported to the elevator through the screw conveyor, and then elevated to the batching bin, and then entered into the mill for further grinding, after which it is mixed in the batching bin.
Mixing Process
The mixing process is the third step in making rabbit food pellets. Various ingredients in the batching bin are passed through the automatic batching scale to ensure that the mixing ratio of the ingredients reaches the set value, and a certain amount of oil is added at the same time. Then, the raw materials enter the mixer for full mixing, and then through the scraper conveyor into the crushing bin for secondary crushing, and then through the elevator to the finished product inspection screen. After screening, the material that meets the requirements of particle size enters the permanent magnetic drum for resonance iron removal, and then enters the pelletizing bin through the distributor. If you don’t want to make your own rabbit food pellets, you can use the mixer to mix the rabbit food directly after crushing the raw materials.
Pelleting Process
Pelleting is the most important step in making rabbit food pellets. After the raw materials are crushed, they are made into pellets in the pelletizing bin by the feed pelletizer, cooled by the cooler, and then enter the crusher for crushing, and then conveyed to the grading screen through the elevator. Pellets that meet the requirements pass through the distributor into the finished product silo, while those that do not meet the requirements are mixed and dosed through the secondary mixing, passing through the dosing scale into the distributor, and re-entering the pelletizer to be re-pelletized again.
Tips For Feeding Rabbits Correctly
Use Hay As a Base
Never underestimate the importance of hay in your rabbit’s daily diet. In the minds of many rabbit owners, hay tends to take a back seat to pelleted feed, but in reality hay is vital for rabbits. This is because hay provides rabbits with an abundance of fiber, which helps prevent gastrointestinal problems and maintains healthy intestinal flora. Rabbits love to chew, and hay also provides ample chewing opportunities for their growing teeth.
What about choosing grass hay or alfalfa grass? Both have their advocates and your choice can be based on personal preference as well as local availability. I feed my rabbits grass hay because I want to give them free access to as much hay as they want, and grass hay gives me the peace of mind to do so without worrying about digestive problems caused by consuming too much nutrient-rich alfalfa grass.
The quality of the hay is critical. Pick the best hay you can find and avoid hay that is dusty, moldy, or overgrown. Your rabbit will be happy to find hay that smells sweet and has a beautiful green color.
Adding Pellets
However, rabbits have more dietary needs than just hay. Pellets are another important part of your rabbit’s daily diet. Rabbits need a well-balanced diet that includes the right amount of fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Take a trip to the feed store and you’ll find a wide variety of commercially produced pelleted feeds on the market that provide your rabbit with essential nutrients so you don’t have to worry about nutritional combinations.
Pellet feeds are available in a variety of formulations to meet the needs of different types of rabbits, and your rabbit’s individual needs will depend on many factors, including age. The protein content of pelleted feeds varies, and you may find feeds with a protein content between 12% and 18%. For adult males and non-lactating females, a feed with 12 to 16 percent protein will suffice in most cases, while lactating females can benefit from formulas with up to 18 percent protein.
It’s also important to pay attention to the fiber percentage in pelleted feed formulas. Rabbits are suited to a high-fiber diet, which is why hay is so important, so ideally, choose a feed with a fiber percentage of at least 18 percent.
How much pelleted feed should I feed each rabbit? My general rule is to feed 1 ounce of pelleted feed per pound of body weight per day, but understand that you may need to make adjustments based on each rabbit’s body condition.
Emphasize Water Intake
One of the most important factors when feeding your rabbit is not really food, but water. Your rabbit needs to have access to fresh, clean water at all times, especially at feeding time. So, whether you provide water through a pitcher, bowl, bottle, or automatic water system, check at least twice a day to make sure your rabbit has fresh water.
Rabbits can be very sensitive to changes in water, so if you’re taking your rabbit to a show or bringing a new rabbit home, take the water they’re used to drinking with you, or gradually switch to bottled spring water before you leave.
Fruits And Vegetables In Moderation
I know you’re probably thinking, “When are we going to mention carrots?”
The reality is that while you can usually feed your adult rabbit a small amount of some fruits and vegetables, treat these as snacks and feed them in moderation. In addition to carrots, your rabbit may like apples, pears, or strawberries, but be sure to introduce any new foods very slowly, feeding small amounts to allow your rabbit’s digestive system to adjust to the change in diet. (Note that rabbits cannot eat lettuce! Their digestive systems are not very receptive to lettuce, especially iceberg lettuce, which can cause diarrhea.)
For young rabbits under 6 months of age, it is best not to feed fruits and vegetables as this increases the risk of gastrointestinal upset. Wait until your rabbit is 6 months old before introducing these foods into their diet.
Provide Greens
As well as fruit and vegetables, you can offer your rabbit some greenery as a snack. My rabbits are obsessed with dandelions (leaves and flowers) and fresh, hand-picked blades of grass make a fun snack. (Never feed grass clippings from the lawn, as they can ferment and/or mold, causing gastrointestinal distress in rabbits.)
Introduce greens gradually over a period of a few days, starting with small amounts and increasing slowly. It is better to offer a small portion each day than to give your rabbit a large handful of dandelion leaves each week.
Two other things to keep in mind: don’t feed greenery to young rabbits under 6 months of age for the reasons previously mentioned; and only pick dandelions or grasses in your own area that you are sure is free of any chemicals that could be toxic to your rabbit.
Conclusion
Homemade rabbit food not only provides your rabbit with a diet that better meets his or her nutritional needs, it also gives you more control over the health of your rabbit’s diet. By choosing the right ingredients, following scientific recipes and preparation steps, and incorporating the right feeding methods, you can create a quality diet for your rabbit. Why not give homemade rabbit food a try so that your rabbit can eat healthy and grow strong?
