Feeding rabbit food

[NewHopePoultry]

I read on another website(dont remember which) that rabbit pellets was better for chickens then chicken food, since alot of chicken food has grounded up dead chickens in it.
Is this true?

 

[SoJoChickens]

I'm not sure what the nutritional make-up is of rabbit food but I would guess that rabbits and chickens have different nutritional needs. Read the labels and/or ask the feed store what is in the feeds. I'm kind of conservative so I would stick with chicken feed but if the rabbit feed has the right nutritional composition for chickens, it should be OK.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Rabbits are vegetarian, chickens are omnivores, so imo, rabbit food would not have what chickens need--in it. Calll me crazy, but I feed my chickens chicken food and my rabbits, rabbit food.

 

[Southernbelle]

Rabbit food is mostly alfalfa and some minerals because that's all rabbits need. It is in no way balanced for chickens! If nothing else hens need a form of calcium for healthy eggs and there's just not enough in rabbit food. It makes a nice treat for chickens in winter when the grass isn't available.

In my area 50# of layer food is $11 and 50# of rabbit food is $15, so why would I feed them rabbit food?

I would stick with chicken food for the chickens.

ETA: As far as I know there are not chicken parts in chicken feed. If there was animal protein in animal feed - it IS cooked first by law.

I feed my chickens kitchen scraps and leftovers and these scraps include meat (always cooked) and often chicken! Some people feel weird about it, but not me. I even give them the ham bone or post-Thanksgiving turkey carcass to pick clean - they do a great job.

 

[charlielynnsingletary]

ok i do i do the whole giving them dinner leftovers do i put it in a separate pan or do i just throw it in there on the ground. oh by the way i have a grass floor does this make a difference?

 

[Southernbelle]

Quote:
You can just toss them in right on the grass - I usually put mine in a pan or something to make it easier to find. Of course, they grab stuff out and run away with it.

I give mine: soggy cereal from the bottom of the bowl (including milk), leftover fast food, pizza crusts, stale bread, whatever I scrape off the dinner plates, crushed egg shells, half-eaten fruit, etc. I think there's a thread somewhere with a list on what's okay to feed and what's not.

I have 3 kids, so there's a lot of half-eaten things around here that are too good to throw away but not appealing to me! Feeding it to the chickens helps save on feed costs and I feel better about not wasting food and the chickens LOVE it!

 

[charlielynnsingletary]

thank you. i'm the same way when it comes to kids. we had a hog so the scrapes went to him but now he has a nice home in my freezer so scrapes have been going to the dogs and cat but i guess now i can split them with the hens. once again thank you.

 

[Hippie Chickie]

Why would you use rabbit food!!! I buy both of my feeds at del's in 50lb bags. The chicken is the same price as the rabbit. Here's the nutritional chart and ingredient list.
Crude Protein 16%
Crude Fat 2%
Crude Fiber 17%-20%
Calcium 0.7%-1.2%
Phosphorus 0.45%
Salt 0.5%-1%

Okay, I'm not going to put the ingredient, I think my eyes crossed just trying to read the list. The protein needs are similiar but the fiber for the rabbits is much higher than for chicken feed. It looks like everything else is pretty much in line but really, why bother?