AGRIMONY - Conjunctivitis
AGRIMONY - Conjunctivitis
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Growing fodder is so simple that our 5 year old can and does do it! You will find that feeding fodder can cut your feed costs dramatically even if you feed 1/2 fodder and 1/2 pellets.
Fodder can be grown from many things oats, BOSS (Black Oil Sunflower Seeds), wheat, barley, etc. Some will take longer to grow than others and some will be more expesive than others. Barley you will find is the more common among rabbit breeders. It isn't the fastest nor the slowest it also isn't the most expensive nor the cheapest. It is however a good one to start your rabbits out on as I have never seen one turn it's nose up at Barley. To grow fodder you will need a 2 inch deep pan or larger of some kind I've seen many things used muffin cups, totes, cake pans you name it. We purchased some cheap plastic bins from the dollar store. Next you will need the seed to start the fodder with check with the local feed store to get prices. The last thing you will need is water. Drill some drainage holes in your bins remember if you don't have proper drainage you will have mold and you can't feed that to the buns! Soak your seeds in water for 12-24 hours. Make sure the water is at least 2 inches above the seeds they will soak up alot. After they have been soaked drain the water and rinse really good and place a layer 1/2" to 3/4" thick remember again if you get it too thick it will retain water and mold will grow. You will want them moist but no free standing water. Place in a warm area greenhouse is great or someplace with plastic to cover them but isn't necessary. Continue watering daily 3 times is perfect as long as they have good drainage. You will have fodder in 7-9 days depending on the type of seed you used. The use of Black Oil Sunflower Seeds (BOSS) is more commonly used by rabbit breeders of show rabbits but did you know that there are more benefits then just a nice coat? It is widely known that BOSS helps give your rabbits a nice shiny coat for showing but in the colder months BOSS can also help keep your rabbits warm. BOSS is a high calorie and high fat feed therefore we only feed in the winter months. The added weight helps to keep your rabbit warm in the winter months.
BOSS helps your rabbits coat by putting oil back into it making it smooth and shiny. Show breeders therefore will feed BOSS to their show quality rabbits. At Catalaya's Rabbitry we not only feed this to our show rabbits but to all our rabbits during the winter months. BOSS is also high in Vitamin E, protein and fiber. Just a few seeds per rabbit is all it takes. You want to be careful not to over feed as it will result in a fat lazy rabbit. If you have a rabbit that seems to be stuck in a molt BOSS will help to blow their coat. Just 4-6 seeds per rabbit is all we feed our californians. During summer months we only give BOSS to our show rabbits a week or so before the show this would ensure a nice shiny coat and that the rabbit would not be in a molt. BOSS is easy enough to grow yourself during the summer cutting back on the cost of having to buy the feed. Last summer we had some seeds sprout so we planted them and harvested the seeds for our rabbits to eat this winter. |