question on feed conversion!

[Nao57]

So I finally realized why and how to word this question. I was thinking about it the other day and I was confused about how to get it right.

Then it came to me! It was neat to finally get it together.

I had been thinking about how do you know how much fresh grasses equal how much dry pellets. And I had thought that there was something wrong with the idea of a 1 pound to 1 pound ratio conversion. But I wasn't sure how to word that or put it down tangibly.

And then I realized its because the amount of water is different in fresh grasses for rabbits compared to hay pellets. Of course we know this, but I hadn't been thinking about it specifically as it relates to food conversion. And I could word it specifically that its partly water that's different, so I could frame it this way for asking you guys how you'd convert it.

And it makes an interesting question for other rabbit farmers.

So... given that we know that grasses have more water than dry hay, or pellets, then is it possible to work out a standardized conversion rate of how much to give them based on that? And what would you do for conversion rates? What do you think about this?

(I did realize also that I'd been overfeeding my rabbits. I had the 1'/4 cup per rabbit messed up, and thought it meant per meal not per day. :S Luckily this was caught early on.)

Is giving them yellowed grass dangerous or bad also?

 

[Niele da Kine]

1/4 cup (of pelleted feed?) per rabbit sounds like a Netherland Dwarf or some sort of tiny bunny? Different breeds have different requirements, but weigh your rabbits and see if they're within breed standards. Also feel their backbone and make sure it's nicely fleshed and not all bony. If they're underweight or bony, feed them more. If they're at the high end of the weighs for the breed standard and plump, feed them less. Not all bunnies will have gotten the memo about how much they are supposed to thrive depending on a certain amount of feed, look at their condition to figure out the proper amount to feed them.

For hay and grasses, as much as they want to eat is what we give ours. Bunnies are supposed to eat fairly low on the food chain, high fiber, low nutrition, so grasses fit right in there. If you're trying to measure it, though, perhaps you could try comparing the spice quantities in recipes where they mention different amounts of fresh verses dried?

 

[Nao57]

1/4 cup (of pelleted feed?) per rabbit sounds like a Netherland Dwarf or some sort of tiny bunny? Different breeds have different requirements, but weigh your rabbits and see if they're within breed standards. Also feel their backbone and make sure it's nicely fleshed and not all bony. If they're underweight or bony, feed them more. If they're at the high end of the weighs for the breed standard and plump, feed them less. Not all bunnies will have gotten the memo about how much they are supposed to thrive depending on a certain amount of feed, look at their condition to figure out the proper amount to feed them.

For hay and grasses, as much as they want to eat is what we give ours. Bunnies are supposed to eat fairly low on the food chain, high fiber, low nutrition, so grasses fit right in there. If you're trying to measure it, though, perhaps you could try comparing the spice quantities in recipes where they mention different amounts of fresh verses dried?

Wow. I liked your response. I didn't realize I could use their back bone as a sort of 'thermometer' for if they are eating enough. It makes sense.

 

[Niele da Kine]

Every bunny is in a different situation and every bunny is different so there's no one amount of feed that will cover all situations. Just observe them and adjust as necessary. Even within your herd, one bunny may thrive while another one doesn't even with the same conditions.

As for yellowed grass, I suppose it matters as to how the grass got yellow? Is that a fall/winter thing? We don't do winter around here so if the grass was yellow it would be unhealthy grass and I wouldn't feet it to them. But if it's frost killed grass and was healthy before it was killed, it should possibly be good? Maybe some other folks who live in cold places will know more.