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What We Feed
*I give the doe 1/8 cup grains daily and then when the babies are out of the next box and begin eating solid foods, I slowly ramp up the grain serving so by the time the babies are six weeks old it’s 1/8 cup per rabbit
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Other good rabbit pelleted feed options that are available in pet stores or online are:
Oxbow
Sherwood Pet
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Regardless of what pellets you feed, all rabbits need constant access to hay. For pet rabbits, we recommend feeding according to the package recommendations. Our non-breeding rabbits usually get no more than one cup of pellets a day.
RABBIT FEED
We feed our does and grow-out rabbits an organic, non-gmo feed. While this is a more expensive option, we like knowing the rabbits that end up on our table ate the best and most chemical-free food available. We have found Modesto Milling Rabbit Pellets to be wonderfully fresh - it smells amazing, it is soft enough for the kits to easily eat, and our rabbits absolutely love it. We order it from Azure Standard and pick it up at a drop site near our house.
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To save on costs, we do feed our bucks and show rabbits Pen Pals Professional Rabbit 18. It is a high quality rabbit feed that is fresh and palatable to the rabbits, but at a more affordable price than the Modesto Milling feed. This is also a great option for does and babies if you don't need an organic option. Pen Pals Professional Rabbit 16 feed is also a great option for bucks or showing rabbits.
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All of our rabbits also get a grain mix in addition to pellets to provide a whole-food source of feed to them. We buy our grains from Azure Standard as well, and buy the Black Oil Sunflower seeds from our local Tractor Supply packaged as wild bird seed. We often add in some fresh or dried herbs, sticks, pinecones and leaves to their diet as well to provide variety in their diet and to allow them to do a little big of foraging for themselves. Make sure that all forage is rabbit-safe before feeding.
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For hay, we either feed Standlee Timothy hay or local horse quality bales of mixed grass hay. We make sure all of our rabbits have constant access to hay.
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FEEDING PROGRAM & SCHEDULE
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You can feed your rabbits once daily, but we choose to feed twice daily so we can keep a close eye on our rabbits and babies in the nest boxes.
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Nursing Does and Growing Rabbits up to 4-6 months:
AM only - 1/8 cup Grain Mix*
Free-choice Modesto Organic pellets (pellets available at all times)
Top off hay
Refill water bowls
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Senior Rabbits:
AM only -1 cup Pen Pals pellets
AM only - 1/8 cup Grain Mix
Top off hay
Top off water bowls
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Some people feed just pellets and hay, others feed just a grain mix and hay but I’ve found they seem to grow best on a combination of all three.​
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We also add 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar per gallon of water to give them a probiotic boost.
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Our grain mix is one of the two following mixes, depending on what we can get:
GRAIN MIX #1:
1 part oats
1 part wheat
1 part barley
1 part black oil sunflower seeds
GRAIN MIX #2:
3 parts oats (whole or crimped/rolled)
1 part black oil sunflower seeds