RABBIT FEED AND FEEDING
RABBITS, they differ from hares in that they have helpless young born with closed eyes (blind) and without fur (hair). Hares give birth to fully furred (haired) and wide eyed youngsters. There are a good number of people keeping rabbits in their backyards but little do they know about feeding.
Rabbits can almost eat anything and if this is what is taken as good feeding then the full potential of these animals is and cannot be realised. Poor nutrition would not show any good improvement nor good feeding that is not well fed improve the animal.
Therefore, the importance of good feeding is a must if a good product is to be produced. The domestic rabbit can be used to produce meat of high quality on a range of foods greater than that for any ot er animal and as efficiently as any.
To those who are attempting to rear or keep rabbits on a commercial level or close to it, they should understand the nutrition needs of this animal. Like any other farm animal rabbits should be given balanced food if they are to perform well. Rabbit food should consist of roughages (e.g. hays and similar material) succulent foodstuffs (grass, roots and all green foods), concentrates (all cereals and their by-products).
All these feedstuffs contain similar constituents in varying proportions. These constituents are: water, carbohydrates, proteins, oils or fats, minerals and vitamins.
Carbohydrates are composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and include starches, sugars and cellulose. They are the main source of energy and heat in the animal’s body, and any surplus is stored in the body as fat. Proteins, in addition to the carbon, hydrogen and oxygen found in carbohydrates, contain nitrogen.
Pterion is the substance from which muscle and hair is built and repaired. Oils or fats differ from carbohydrates in that the proportion of carbon is much higher in the oils. Thus the energy value is much higher, it is more than twice that found in carbohydrates.
Minerals, are necessary for the production and repair of certain tissues, particularly bones, teeth, and also as chemicals to regulate and for use in many of the normal processes of the body. Vitamins are substances which are required in very minute quantities to maintain health.
After the food material is cut up by the incisors of the rabbit, and whilst it is being ground by t e c eek teet t e first en yme (in the saliva) is mixed with food. The rabbit when not unduly hungry masticates (chews) its food a good deal and therefore, reac es t e stomac in a finely divided state.
When an animal is excessively hungry it may not masticate its food sufficiently it t e consequent production of digestive disturbances. The digestibility of feeding stuff. Different foods and the different constituents of foods, vary in their digestibility. To arrive at the true value of any particular food it is necessary to know not only the chemical composition of that food but the amount of each constituent which is digested by the animal.
There are a number of factors which affect the digestibility of any feeding stuff and this has to do it t e amount of fi re it contains. T e ig er t e fi re content t e total fi re digesti ility falls. Again as the proportion of fi re rises t e individual digestibility of the various constituents of food fall.
T is ecause t e fi re tends to protect the more digestible constituents from the digestive uices. T e a ility to digest fi re increases with the age of the rabbit. Young animals can digest this material to a very limited extent and consequently rations for t em s ould e lo in fi re.
Water requirements of the rabbit
Like every other animal rabbits need water for good functioning of the body parts as well as for the transportation of nutrients within the animal’s body Some people think that there is no need to give them water. They think they do not take water.
In fact, if they are fed and maintained on green food or roots containing sufficient ater they look like they do not need or drink this commodity. Still, these animals do need water, water is highly desirable. Water is essential as a constituent of all parts of the body, and without it no food could be digested. The maintenance of effective elimination of harmful products via the urine is dependent upon sufficient ater as is also t e maintenance of almost all other physiological processes.
The water requirement of the rabbit is variable. It is relatively a good deal higher in young rabbit than in the old, thus a shortage of water in early life has much more serious effect and even a restricted amount of water may seriously retard growth. The water requirement also varies according to the temperature of the environment and the food being eaten.
oods it ig fi re protein and mineral contents require more water than normal. The requirements of young animals are much higher and the suckling doe will require considerable amounts for the production of an adequate milk supply. Practical feeding
Changing rations should be carried out slowly and gradually. Very often a rapid change of foods will lead to digestive disturbances. It is important that the appetite of stock should not be affected, and sudden changes should be avoided. If a change has to be made rapidly, then the amounts of the new ration fed should be reduced for a week or so.
Forced feeding by starving the animals to make them eat unpalatable foods is not a satisfactory method. Variety in feeding is most important. The major advantage of feeding a variety of foods is t at any deficiencies in one will usually be compensated by the constituents of another. A variety of foods is more palatable than any single food making up the mixture.
Regularity of feeding, as with other aspect of management is very important. A hungry rabbit will not utilise its food to the best advantage, and will use up considerable energy in its restlessness while waiting for its food. Individuality in their feeding habits occurs among domestic rabbits. When an animal goes off its food then the amounts should be reduced until it regains its full appetite.
Preparation of food is often necessary, except for wet mashes. Roots are best scrubbed and although greens can be washed by dipping in water tank, the satisfactory way of washing them is under a running tap. Mixing of concentrated foods after grinding must be very thorough if the ration is to prove satisfactory, for unless the mixing is thorough the resulting mix will not be uniform and some rabbits will have too much of one constituent and a deficiency of anot er.
The most satisfactory way of mixing mineral supplements is to mix them with a small amount of meal and then mix this with t e main ulk. T e final residue of the digested food passes through the colon wherein much moisture is removed and the normal foecal pellets be formed, these latter passing through the rectum and being excreted.
The simple products of digestion having passed into the blood stream are transported to the various parts of the body requiring them. Any surplus is stored in various places for later use. There is a very wide variety of different foods available for a rabbit farmer. Therefore, a knowledge of different foods will enable the rabbit livestock farmer to reduce on costs of buying commercial foods.