Guide to Proper Rabbit Feeds and Feeding

January 14, 2023May 28, 2023 Agric4Profits

Regarding rabbit feeds, the domestic rabbit will eat most types of green vegetables, grain, tuber and root. Therefore, the ration may consist almost entirely of ingredients from plant sources.

Nutrient Requirement of Rabbits

Kitchen wastes such as uncooked vegetables, cereals and remain of meals can be fed to rabbits provided certain rules are followed:

The waste must be fed when fresh and unsoured.

It must be removed after a few hours if it is not eaten.

It should represent less than half of the rabbit’s daily ration.

1. Water

Water should be supplied ad libitum. Rabbits have high requirements for water in relation to their body. Water is necessary for maintenance, production and lactation because dry matter intake is related to water intake.

Any restriction in water intake causes a decline in dry matter consumption. However, if feeding is restricted, water intake may increase. Water should be clear, fresh and free from biological and chemical contaminants.

2. Protein

The quality and quantity of protein are not critical in rabbit as in poultry because rabbit can adapt to poor and low protein situation but production will not be optimum. With high and good protein quality, however, optimum production can be achieved.

Crude protein is an approximate measure of the total amount of amino-acids. For rabbits the recommended crude protein level in the dry matter of the ration is:

Over 18% for newly weaned rabbits.

16-18% for rabbits from12 to 24 weeks.

15-17% for a breeding doe.

12-14% for all other stocks.

3. Energy

The energy requirement of rabbit is made from fibrous components of the feeds. Energy requirement is between 2390 and 2500kcal of digestive energy. This energy can be supplied from fats, grains like maize, cereal bran and fibrous feeds.

Read Also : Rabbit Housing and Its Equipment

4. Fats

Rabbit can handle up to 20-25% fat in the diet depending on their age. Fat provide energy as well as supplying essentially fatty acids. Fat also provide palatability and reduce dustiness in feed.

5. Carbohydrates

Grains are the readily available carbohydrates.

6. Fibre

Rabbit eliminate fibre and digest non-fibrous component of the feed. Anti-peristalsis wave on the proximal colon in conjunction with normal contraction in the caecum are responsible for the separation and excretion of fibre. The digestion of cellulose is low.

7. Minerals

Calcium is the bone constituent which is involved in blood clothing controlling excitability of nerve and muscles and in maintenance of acid base equilibrium.

Phosphorus is a component of cellular constituent such as adenosine tri phosphate (ATP) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA) and phospholipids.

Phosphorus is also a component of the bone. Calcium absorption is experience by its level in the feed. Dietary phosphorus and vitamin D factors have not been critically studied in rabbit.

Calcium level in the serum (sera) of rabbit is higher than what is obtained in other species, this is because other species maintained a regulated constant level of calcium through a process called homeostasis, since this homeostasis is absent in the rabbit dietary calcium level is directly reflected in the blood unregulated.

8. Vitamins

Vitamins are chemicals that are required in very small amounts to speed up chemical reactions within the rabbit’s body. The most important vitamins are the vitamins A and D, and the B vitamins choline and thiamin.

9. Caecotrophy

One aspect of rabbit nutrition that is particularly interesting, it is sometimes called refection.

Caecotrophy is the eating of faecal–like pellets produced in the caecum. The rabbit produces two kinds of faeces which are: (1) hard faeces (2) soft faeces or caecotropus.

The rabbit has a specialized mechanism that retain ingestion in the proximal colon and caecum for microbial utilization of nutrient and also to allow the formation of the two types of faeces.

The faeces suitable for consumption are the soft faeces. It originates from the caecum (cecotropus) while the other which the rabbit don’t eat is called the hard faeces.

10. Feeding

Rabbits kept in hutches or colonies are totally dependent on the keeper for their food. They can eat only what the keeper provides. Wild rabbits pick and choose their own food.

They have instinctive wisdom which helps them to select a good balanced diet. The rabbit keeper does not have this instinctive wisdom and must therefore think carefully about what is the best food for the rabbits.

In summary, it is obvious that rabbit nutrition is most important aspect of their production without which the rabbit will not resist any disease attack and environmental stress.

In this article, we have studied that the domestic rabbit will eat most type of green vegetables, grains, tubers and roots. Kitchen wastes such as uncooked vegetables, cereals and remain of meals can be fed to rabbits provided certain rules are followed: Water should be supplied adlibitum.

For rabbits the recommended crude protein level in the dry matter of the ration is over 18% for newly weaned rabbits; 16-18% for rabbits from12 to 24 weeks; 15-17% for breeding does; 12-14% for all other stocks.

Energy requirement is between 2390 and 2500 kcal of digestive energy. Rabbit can handle up to 20-25% fat in the diet depending on their age. The digestion of cellulose is low.

Caecotrophy is the eating of faecal–like pellets produced in the caecum. There are three possible feeding systems in the rabbit these are Extensive system which is total dependence on forages and kitchen wastes.

Intensive system is total dependence on prepared concentrate foods from the feed mill, while Semi-intensive system is the use of forages supplemented with prepared concentrate foods.