Confused-what else is new?!!

[cromulo]

Straight Rabbit pellets are usually Timothy hay or other grass hay because adult rabbits cannot handle the amount of calcium found in alfalfa hay. You can, however, buy alfalfa based pellets in the same size as rabbit pellets. Some are sold as rabbit pellets but are not an appropriate diet for adult rabbits (they can be given to growing babies because they need extra calcium for growing)

 

[Wynette]

I feed warm oatmeal in the winter a few times a week; I buy steam-rolled oats and cook them like regular oatmeal; then, I'll throw a handfull of alfalfa pellets in & stir them up. By the time I get to the barn, the pellets are softened. My chickens won't eat the pellets straight, I have to mix them in with something else.

Also - caution: don't feed flakes of hay - ANY TYPE can cause crop issues. It'll ball up & they can become impacted. Several on here have done crop surgeries & found a large wad of hay in their chooks' crop. I lost a hen to this, not realizing they could die from it. I took her to my avian vet, but it was too late; upon necropsy, there was a huge ball of hay in her crop. Just my two pennies!

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I feed the small alfalfa pellets such as are used with goats. My birds won't eat a lot of them, but they do eat enough to get the job done. I mix them into the free choice grain. At the moment I'm using two parts whole corn, one part whole oats, and one half part of alfalfa pellets to give you an idea of the amount.

I've also used the alfalfa range cubes but they require soaking. I built a special wire screen feeding trough for the purpose. I'd throw in a few range cubes, a couple of handsfuls of oats, and water to cover. When the cubes had turned to mush I'd pour it all out into the wire screen trough. The oats encouraged them to eat the alfalfa. They won't eat a lot of it so think of it as a minor supplement.

Lots of folks feed flakes of alfalfa hay. Once in a rare while I hear about a bird that gives itself crop impaction from eating the stems, but most birds will usually only eat the leaves.

.....Alan.

 

[trilyn]

Thanks for your replies everybody-I really appreciate it!!