What do you feed your show bunnies?

[Blaze_Amita]

Well in case anyone wanted to know, here in eastern KY
Here's the feed label to the Nutrena Naturewise Premium:

And this is what it look like-I'm on my way out right now to go pick up more- ran out today so I had to take a quick snap picture out of one of my dishes(Colby's cause he keeps his dish nice and clean!)

And my New Zealands are on Triple Trust, here's that label as well:

and what this looks like, I got this feed in yesterday as you can tell from the bin in the background!

There's more corn chunks in the Triple Trust than I would prefer but the New Zealands love it and so long as they love the taste and they stay in good shape on it- I won't change it

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

I assume the main reason for that is simply that it's cost-prohibative if you're feeding a lot of rabbits.

Honestly, cost isn't as much of a concern as quality of the pellet. Lesser quality feeds put the breeder at a huge disadvantage since the overall health of the rabbit is at stake. An unhealthy rabbit has difficulty breeding, conceiving, carrying a litter to term, and raising the kits. Of course, the pellet has to be formulated well enough for kits to thrive too.

The feeds most commonly used are popular because of how well they've supported rabbits of all breeds and ages. They're very complete feeds that require few supplements (usually none at all). Purina, Manna Pro, Blue Seal, and Pen Pals are a few big ones in the U.S., but there are a few more regional/local brands I see thrown around too. Kent is one on the West coast that's pretty well known. I think that's actually the same company as Blue Seal, if I remember correctly.

But anyway, the number of bunnies I have is determined by the number I can properly feed and care for. As food prices have been going up the past few years, many breeders have cut back in numbers so that the health and care of their rabbits isn't compromised, despite higher feed costs.

 

[Imbrium]

sorry if that didn't come across well - what I was trying to say was that sherwood is a bit pricier than many of the other pellets available to breeders in bulk... and you're basically paying for a low-sugar/low-starch food, as that's really what differentiates it from many of the others. to me, sherwood is "top of the line" whereas what breeders usually feed is more like just "high end" stuff. breeders definitely want a high quality pellet, but I would think they'd be less likely than pet owners to pay more for a marginal (and somewhat theoretical, as most bunnies don't have any problem with a small amount of sugar or a little bit of extra carbs) increase in quality compared to pellets that are already good... if that makes any sense.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

That's what I was trying to point out too. Whatever each of us use is what we consider to be "top of the line" based on our own needs. It's hard to generalize a top feed because every rabbit responds differently. In fact, breeding and show herds are sort of selected to thrive on the food the breeder uses. After all, the rabbits that perform the best on the feed provided are the ones kept back for the herd.

The ingredients don't matter too much beyond general terms (for instance, no rabbit is going to do well on a 100% cabbage diet ). But aside from that, if you ask 10 people what the best diet for a rabbit is, you'll probably get 10 different answers!

 

[Blaze_Amita]

And just mildly off topic here, but I pulled out one of the old bags from the Purina Show(I keep the feed bags for use as something else) and yanked the tag off that as well, and I'm sitting here comparing it to the Nutrena and I was actually quite shocked at how different they really were- it wasn't much but it was enough apparently.

 

[JBun]

And just mildly off topic here, but I pulled out one of the old bags from the Purina Show(I keep the feed bags for use as something else) and yanked the tag off that as well, and I'm sitting here comparing it to the Nutrena and I was actually quite shocked at how different they really were- it wasn't much but it was enough apparently.

Maybe part of the difference is the quality of the hay that they use.

Thanks for posting those labels. I actually feed my rabbits sherwood pellets. They are milled here locally so I can get a good price on them, and they are really fresh and look really good, but I've been having problems with one of my rabbits since I started feeding this a few months ago. I just wanted to try a different feed to see if it makes a difference and fixes the problem.

 

[whitelop]

Completely off topic, Blaze_Amita, your Triple Trust rabbit feed looks JUST like my chicken feed. With the corn pieces in it and everything, its strange. My chicken feed is milled locally, but they look basically identical.

 

[lauratunes12]

We feed Sherwood Forest, and love it. Our holland's coat is much softer and prettier when on it. However, it can be a bit pricey, so I definitely think a more bulk, cheaper kind of pellets, such as used for horses if you plan on having a lot of rabbits. If I ever get a large amount of rabbits, I probably would start feeding Manna Pro. My friend uses it for her horses, and they both look very good, like the food, and her female has lived a really long life.

Edit: just saw the conversation above, sorry. My main point is that I have found Sherwood to be the best for us.

 

[Bunnie]

I am going to look at TSC sometime this week. Locally everyone only carries "rabbit food" and looked at me like I was nuts for wanting "higher quaility" feed for show stock.....

 

[Blaze_Amita]

I am going to look at TSC sometime this week. Locally everyone only carries "rabbit food" and looked at me like I was nuts for wanting "higher quaility" feed for show stock.....

I have gotten used to that!! especially at TSC! Don't worry, you're not crazy, they just don't understand!

 

[RoyalLions18]

By rabbits have feeders hooked to their cages and have food all the time. I feed Purina Rabbit Chow. And have not had any problems with it.

 

[wendymac]

I feed Manna Pro Gro and top dress with a couple tablespoons of Calf Manna. They also get hay and old-fashioned oatmeal. The French Lops get unlimited hay and pellets, Kitty's Californians get around a cup with unlimited hay. The Polish also always have pellets and hay in front of them, and they seem to be doing well. Nobody's over the weight limit and all 4 are seniors.