Rabbit Wasting Feed

[farmgal12]

I have your standard J style metal feeder attached to the outside of my cage.
I have been trying to figure out how to get one of my does to stop wasting her feed - she is going through the entire feeder in about 2 days because of waste and my other 2 rabbits take about 5 or more days.

I keep reading about people mentioning wire over the feeder part but not exactly understanding how or what they are doing. Does anyone have a pic or link to something that does this with photos?
I leave a lot so daily portions/feeding isn't really an option.

If anyone has good ideas for an auto waterer for them that works I would love to see that as well.

Thanks

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/livestock-forums/rabbits/302315-how-stop-rabbit-wasting-food.html


Here are some ideas.

 

[Bunnylady]

One of the biggest problems of the J-feeders, is that people think they can just fill them up and walk away. You should never put more food in a rabbit's cage than it can eat in a day! If it is a mature rabbit, that should be about 1 ounce of food per pound of body weight. Feed sitting around attracts rats and other pests, and it can spoil - around here, the humidity during the summer months makes the feed go moldy in less than 3 days. I've had rabbits that pee in their feeders, or had rain blow in on them. A rabbit needs fresh food every day, just like it needs fresh water every day.

 

[farmgal12]

Daily feeding is not an option for me unfortunately - I know many people who auto feed - I portion out what they should have for half the week and they get it - mold isn't an issue here except in really rainy times over winter if the feed gets wet - I have auto water systems I am looking into - right now their water is changed every other day.

Cochin... - I saw that thread before I asked here but I am a visual person so I need photos which is what I was asking for - I don't see any on that thread.I was hoping someone has done some of these modifications and could post a pic

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Why can't you portion their feed?

Sell the doe then if it's that big of a deal. I don't have any visual examples, so unless you can figure out then I'd just sell the doe. Some rabbits are feed diggers. If you can't give proper care to prevent it, then either suck it up and waste food or sell it.

Sorry.

 

[farmgal12]

She will be culled if she doesn't stop - these are meat rabbits, so if she can't justify her expense, then she is food instead of wasting it - if you don't have pics like I asked, just don't respond - you are being rude.

As I stated before, I travel a lot - so I need a better auto feeder then the situation I have - I have people check on them but I like to make the animal care and garden portion as easy as possible and a make sure nothing is in trouble over actually "working" when they check on things to make it quick and easy. I live as sustainable as I can on my small country property, but there are chickens and rabbits, horses, dogs, etc - and just about everyone is auto'd on water/food... The goal is that could be "ok" for approx 3-4 days without being fed/watered if something happened. Even the horses are fed so that they are good for 3-4 days if needed by bale grazing.

Sorry if that isn't ok with you - but it works for me - just trying to "save" my breeder - I am sure there are modifications that someone has done to prevent this since its a common problem just hoping someone had a pic.. that is all don't think that is too much to ask, if no one does, that is fine...


Now my personal pet/spayed rabbit is a total digger and we have accomodated her - she has a 3x4x6+ foot mansion with a 2 feet deep dig pit that has pavers so she can't get out because she LOVES to dig.. her food just goes on a shelf now as she can't not dig and spill it - and she has a huge heavy bowl for water because she eats, trashes, knocks down, etc any auto waterers or flat refuses to drink - she likes bowls and if they aren't huge and heavy - she tips them over and plays with them if not heavy enough...

While I will do this for the "pets" the animals there for meat I can't - there isn't enough time in the day to make special trips and circumstances for each one - too many animals with not enough hours - so things get modified to make it work...


Thank you

 

[Malibu99]

It's kind of hard to see, but see the metal bars inside? They said to use cage wire bars.

 

[Cknldy]

Just an idea here but do you give the rabbits hay of any sort? You could try giving some alfalfa hay. In books like 'The homesteader's handbook to raising small livestock' by Jerome Belanger there is a chapter on raising meat rabbits with some good tips in it. Sometimes if the rabbit is just stressed or bored they'll resort to digging out feed absentmindedly. Hope it helps.

 

[Bunnylady]

I'm sorry if my statement about feeding rabbits daily seemed rude. I have an automatic watering system in my 50-hole rabbitry. With so many rabbits, I can't be intimately interactive with each and every one every day, so I have learned to watch for subtle signs that something might be amiss. One obvious indication that something might be wrong is a rabbit not eating - which is harder to spot when the rabbit is fed infrequently. IME, most of the time that the rabbit didn't eat its food in a timely manner, the reason is because the water valve in the cage wasn't giving it water. I understand you wanting to make this as easy as possible for those that check on your animals while you are away, but would they catch the fact the the rabbit wasn't eating, or would they just go, "OK, that one has food, that one has food, that one has food . . . and assume that all was well?"

I have done the modification that is shown in the pic that Malibu99 posted. For me, it has been fairly effective for inveterate diggers, though larger spaces were sometimes needed for rabbits with bigger heads (like lops).

Cknldy's suggestion about hay is good, too. Some homesteaders manage to raise rabbits entirely on hay and grass. When I have a rabbit that digs its feed out, I instruct the "sitter" to give it extra hay, so I know it will at least have something to eat. Of course, hay must be removed frequently because rabbits will sit and pee on it, which creates yet another care dilemma, doesn't it?

 

[Cknldy]

Make V shaped hay manger out of 1x2 wire attached at the bottom to the wire of the cage and open at the top of the V to quickly add more hay. It's on page 38 of the book mentioned above but think of how a goat/horse hay manger is and do it smaller for your cage.. rabbits can pull hay through the holes.