Pellet Quality Comparison (Picture comparison)

[BinkyBunny]

For those of you who have never spent extra to get high quality pellets, I want to show you the difference.

A. Sherwood Forest Adult Rabbit
B. Kent Show Feed
C. Country Lane 16% Rabbit Feed

A close up of A and B is displayed because they are so similar, and you cannot appreciate the difference from a distance.

The Sherwood (A) is greenest and most pungent. It smells strongly of fresh hay and you can see the quality. It is CLEARLY a great quality food. Kent follows closely in color; however, the overall smell is not of hay - almost tabacco-like. It IS pungent and fresh. It has a rich green color though a little less shiny and green than the Sherwood. The country lane is a budget bulk rabbit feed that can be purchased for $13 for 40lbs. At that price, I had to check it out. It speaks for itself. It is ashy, crumbly, and has little smell of fresh hay. It looks like cement pellets rather than hay pellets.

 

[ldoerr]

You should try purina. I LOVE that food. I fed the gray bag (I just found out that it is 18% protien) for 4 years and had GREAT results with it. None of my rabbits were breed more than 1-2 times a year and I only went to 2-3 shows a year. My rabbits LOVED it and were always healthy. It comes in 50lb bags at the feed store for under $15 a bag. It smells AMAZING. I would not diss food that is "cheep" (I know MANY people that get 50lb bags for under $10 and have AMAZING rabbits) or that comes in big bags or that comes from a feed store. MOST rabbits in this country are raised on feed like that and do great.

 

[whitelop]

I feed Sherwood and I love it, so does Ellie. It does smell super fresh and its always so green.
Is the Kent much different nutrition-wise than the Sherwood? They DO look pretty similar.
What is the price point on the Kent?

I started out feeding Ellie Kaytee Forti-diet, then ordered the Sherwood because its alfalfa based. It looks a lot like the C option of feed. I put it in a bag in the fridge for like 3 days and then thought, it would probably go stale before I needed it, so now I'm feeding it to my chickens, they LOVE it! hahaha.

 

[indianavex]

Any idea where Oxbow would fall on this scale?

 

[BinkyBunny]

Kent IS cheaper than Sherwood but how much cheaper I don't know. It is also a little more traditional in it's nutritional values. I have heard good things about it from a show breeder. If Sherwood goes well, while I have two buns, I may stick with Sherwood. I had a breeder very scared when she saw how low the protein in Sherwood was, so it makes me nervous, but I have much anecdotal evidence it is safe for bunnies

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

I had a breeder very scared when she saw how low the protein in Sherwood was, so it makes me nervous, but I have much anecdotal evidence it is safe for bunnies

Breeders to tend to use feeds with a higher protein, usually 16% or higher. Their rabbits also tend to live outside or in a barn, are intact, are bred and shown, so they do have different needs than pets who live inside, are neutered and stay home most of the time.

 

[BinkyBunny]

Any idea where Oxbow would fall on this scale?

I don't have a sample of Oxbow to show you on the scale, but basically, if you are feeding something Oxbow you can rest assured it is good quality.

 

[BinkyBunny]

I wanted to add that something that I LOVE about the Sherwood Forest food and that undoubtedly adds to its quality is how fresh it is. Here is the packing slip that came with my pellets. It shows the 'Made Fresh On' Date as Jan 15 and my food arrived Jan 22. Not too shabby! They also do not mill the grass ahead of time. They have provided a study done in 2011 showing that the practice of waiting to mill is beneficial to the quality of the pellet I would guess the Kent (B) was fairly fresh as well, but no date was provided.

 

[LakeCondo]

I wouldn't use SF if it were free. I;m beginning to wonder if people get a commission for touting it, when it has so much fat & calcium.

 

[BinkyBunny]

Ha! I wish, but no commission for me! What pellet would you recommend LakeCondo?

 

[LakeCondo]

In fact, it has more calcium than Oxbow's alfalfa pellets, which ranges from 0.50 to 1.00, while the SF has from 0.7 to 1.2.

I don't feel any need to recommend any pellet product. I just want to point out the problem with what otherwise might be a good product. And I'm sure it is, if calcium & fat aren't issues to the owner. I'd be happy to switch to a better pellet than Oxbow or Kaytee if one exists. I had high hopes for SF until I saw the analysis.

 

[BinkyBunny]

Oxbow Bene Terra would be something I'd consider. It has a great ingredient list, but it is $10 for 3 lbs where I am. As for the fat concern, I don't want to start a spirit of argument, but rather just offer the information that I found. According to SF website this is why they contain more fat:

'Scientific studies show that increasing the fat content of rabbit food will improve protein AND energy efficiency as well as improve the health and feed conversion ratio for growing rabbits.

Most commercial rabbit foods have between 2% and 3% crude fat and fall short of baby rabbit needs. In fact, to replace this needed energy, they increase the starch content using excess grains and grain by-products which can lead to digestive trouble.'

I thank you for bringing the calcium to my attention, and I will watch the urine and their weights.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

My buns really like Oxbow and seem less hungry on it than with both the Nutrena and Purina they had been on previously (at different times) I'm pretty satisfied with the results.

 

[BinkyBunny]

My buns really like Oxbow and seem less hungry on it than with both the Nutrena and Purina they had been on previously (at different times) I'm pretty satisfied with the results.

I always hear good reports from Oxbow users. Do you use Bene Terra or Bunny Basics?

 

[ldoerr]

I did not even know that a rabbit food existed with that much fat in it!!! I am glad that I am switching this weekend from oxbow to Purina. NEVER had a problem with it. The green bag has a calcium range of .6-1.1% and a fat of 1.5%. I am still undecided as to weather I am going to get the green bag or blue bag ( green bag has .1% less calcium, but lower fiber than blue bag).

 

[BinkyBunny]

Any idea where Oxbow would fall on this scale?

I'm not sure what Oxbow formula to which you are referring; however, I do have some Oxbow Young Rabbit that I put in the line up this time.

From left to right: Country Lane 16%, Sherwood Forest M/S, Oxbow Young Rabbit, and Kent Show Feed on right end.

I also recognize there is more to a food than how it looks and smell. It is how your rabbit reacts. I am just offering what information I have to share with others so they can decide what is best for their buns I know we all just want what is best!

 

[Watermelons]

I wouldn't use SF if it were free. I;m beginning to wonder if people get a commission for touting it, when it has so much fat & calcium.

I was just going to ask the same question! Haha, All i see is the same few people claiming how fantastic it is with no real explination as to exactly what makes it so good.

I'm actually glad you posted something with the actual ingredients on it as it doesn't seem like they are willing to share whats actually in the food until you actually purchase it!

IMO, personally I wouldn't touch it. Alfalfa as the first ingredient, no thanks. I prefer to keep around 12% protein so for me its Martins adult or the new Oxbow science.

 

[BinkyBunny]

Where can you find the oxbow science?

 

[JBun]

I wouldn't use SF if it were free. I;m beginning to wonder if people get a commission for touting it, when it has so much fat & calcium.

I think that's awfully rude to insinuate that just cause some of us here on RO, like using this particular kind of pellet, that it must mean that we are getting a commission, because you believe it's a crappy pellet, so the only way that we could like it so much is because we are getting paid to do so. That's pretty insulting! Just cause you don't agree with the ingredients used for making this particular pellet, or the science behind it, doesn't mean that you are right and they are wrong. Yes, it is higher in fat and calcium, and they explain all that on their website. And from all my research, it makes sense to me. And I'm obviously not the only one that has seen the benifits of using this particular brand of pellet. I've had more digestive problems with my rabbits, using pellets with grains, legumes, and molasses, than I have with feeding these pellets with their higher fat and calcium. Everyone on this forum has a different belief in what is the best nutrition for their rabbits. Most of us try and do what's best for our rabbits, and feed what we believe is best. It's very condescending of you, to tout your way as the best, and denigrate those of us who believe differently.

And they do share the ingredients in their pellets. It's on their website, where it's always been.

 

[1357bunnylover]

Wow, american rabbit pellets look soo much different to english pellets! I'll have to post a picture of some good english pellets, they don't look anything like these ones!