Homegrown foods for rabbits

I started growing sprouts and microgreens this fall, and I thought wheatgrass and oatgrass would be huge favorites for my rabbit. Not so! Though he's generally a good eater of a wide variety of greens and herbs, he turns his nose up at these. He does, however, adore sunflower microgreens. I'm going to try growing a patch of timothy outdoors in spring. He loves raspberry leaves, fresh and dried (with the stems, ouch!). What kinds of homegrown foods have you had good luck with getting your rabbits to eat?

Mine absolutely adore the trimmings from my mulberry and apple trees, as well as squash seeds and vine tips. Really I give them bits of everything except stonefruit trimmings which are allegedly toxic.

Allen Ayers wrote:Mine absolutely adore the trimmings from my mulberry and apple trees, as well as squash seeds and vine tips. Really I give them bits of everything except stonefruit trimmings which are allegedly toxic.

Squash seeds and vine tips, nice! Always plenty of those in summer! I used to have a mulberry tree. I wish I still did. Great tree. Maybe I'll try growing one in a pot and keeping it cut short.

My rabbits are also not fans of wheatgrass, I was surprised. I cut little "cakes" for them and they were not enthused.

I do sprout sunflowers (as you've found, they approve) and peas when I don't have much good in the garden. I plant sorghum and chayote specifically for them to eat (the greens, chayote grows fast with no care and they enjoy eating it).
I also have a bunch of mulberries specifically for them (pruned hard), and they get all my garden trimmings (cornstalks, flowers, bad leaves from kale/collards/lettuces/chicory/etc). I also grow a patch of sunflowers- they like the leaves more than the flowers. Also sweet potato greens, really anything except for the trimmings from my passionfruit and avocado tree. They hate okra but love the plant, same with hot peppers.

Our bunnies love Sunchoke greens, apple and pear branches, chicory and comfrey.
They also love raspberries and strawberries but fruit is only a an occasional treat.

I am actually growing comfrey indoors, right under the edge of their hutch, where it catches the leaks from the water bottle.
They get two of the pale skinny shoots a day, and at that rate, the comfrey is outgrowing them.
I use no special lighting, just the ambient.

I think sunchokes would do just as well inside.
I've even read an article where someone grew them without light, "blanching" them, to create a asparagus like sprout for human consumption.
Give then a little light, and plenty of warmth, and ill bet they make plenty of greens.

We have sprouted oats in the past, and let them eat them right out of the potting soil.
We usually got two flushes out of them, then fed the remains to the chickens.

I just bought three varieties of sweet potatoes, which I will grow mostly for their greens.
I plan on starting them on top of their hutch, and letting them eat whatever they can get to.

A weird idea I had was to grow hedge bindweed for them...
Hear me out!
Its already all over my yard, bring it indoors and cultivating it just to be gnawed on by the bunnies is a fitting revenge.
I know it will grow in low light, hell it grows in NO light!

Now that I think about it, my raspberries, grapes and black berries hold onto their leaves for a while time after first frost.
I wonder how they would do indoors?
My bunnies don't like any of those plants , but if yours do, grapes in particular, make tons of leaves.

Tereza Okava wrote:My rabbits are also not fans of wheatgrass, I was surprised. I cut little "cakes" for them and they were not enthused.

I do sprout sunflowers (as you've found, they approve) and peas when I don't have much good in the garden. I plant sorghum and chayote specifically for them to eat (the greens, chayote grows fast with no care and they enjoy eating it).
I also have a bunch of mulberries specifically for them (pruned hard), and they get all my garden trimmings (cornstalks, flowers, bad leaves from kale/collards/lettuces/chicory/etc). I also grow a patch of sunflowers- they like the leaves more than the flowers. Also sweet potato greens, really anything except for the trimmings from my passionfruit and avocado tree. They hate okra but love the plant, same with hot peppers.

I've never grown sweet potatoes--not enough heat and sun, but I bet I could grow it for the greens! I'm not familiar with chayote, I'll have to look that up. Great tips, thank you.

William Bronson wrote:Our bunnies love Sunchoke greens, apple and pear branches, chicory and comfrey.
They also love raspberries and strawberries but fruit is only a an occasional treat.

I am actually growing comfrey indoors, right under the edge of their hutch, where it catches the leaks from the water bottle.
They get two of the pale skinny shoots a day, and at that rate, the comfrey is outgrowing them.
I use no special lighting, just the ambient.

I think sunchokes would do just as well inside.
I've even read an article where someone grew them without light, "blanching" them, to create a asparagus like sprout for human consumption.
Give then a little light, and plenty of warmth, and ill bet they make plenty of greens.

We have sprouted oats in the past, and let them eat them right out of the potting soil.
We usually got two flushes out of them, then fed the remains to the chickens.

I just bought three varieties of sweet potatoes, which I will grow mostly for their greens.
I plan on starting them on top of their hutch, and letting them eat whatever they can get to.

A weird idea I had was to grow hedge bindweed for them...
Hear me out!
Its already all over my yard, bring it indoors and cultivating it just to be gnawed on by the bunnies is a fitting revenge.
I know it will grow in low light, hell it grows in NO light!

Now that I think about it, my raspberries, grapes and black berries hold onto their leaves for a while time after first frost.
I wonder how they would do indoors?
My bunnies don't like any of those plants , but if yours do, grapes in particular, make tons of leaves.

I'll have to experiment with sunchokes. That's interesting about growing them inside.

Bindweed is related to morning glory and sweet potato, yes? That would make sense why they like it. It grows in my front garden.

Your buns don't like raspberry leaves? Mine loves them even dried like hay. He acts like they're potato chips. I think I've offered him wild grape leaves. He was not a fan.

Comfrey will grow in a pot? I did not know that!

Thank you for the suggestions.

Julie Anne wrote:sweet potatoes--not enough heat and sun, but I bet I could grow it for the greens! I'm not familiar with chayote...

Both are plants you can grow indoors- force a sweet potato in water and you'll get lots of growth. Chayotes usually sprout during storage, you can then pop it in a pot. Won't grow as much as outside but I've had them taking over the kitchen without even being potted.

Tereza Okava wrote:

Julie Anne wrote:sweet potatoes--not enough heat and sun, but I bet I could grow it for the greens! I'm not familiar with chayote...

Both are plants you can grow indoors- force a sweet potato in water and you'll get lots of growth. Chayotes usually sprout during storage, you can then pop it in a pot. Won't grow as much as outside but I've had them taking over the kitchen without even being potted.

So is the chayote a fruit or a tuber? I don't think I've ever seen one around here (in upstate NY).

Chayote is a squash from a climbing vine. You should be able to find them at any grocery store that serves latino communities (Walmart always has them when I find myself in the US buying groceries there). Looks like a pear-shaped green muppet butt, for lack of a better explanation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayote

The fruit will sprout and grow just fine on its own without you doing anything to it. I literally just throw the sprouty ones out in my rabbit run, don't even cover them with dirt. They do produce a tuber when they grow in warmer climates like mine where the plant basically can grow as an annual, but they aren't commonly eaten and I can tell you they're a PITA to dig out.

Here is some sunchoke hay we harvested las fall.
The buns seem to really like it:

I overseeded my yard with white clover, and I scythe and feed grass/clover for my rabbits.  This year I sun dried a large bin of clover as well, and they've been enjoying it all winter.  They won't eat the "yard grass" dried but they pick out all the clover leaves lol.  

Heather Staas wrote:I overseeded my yard with white clover, and I scythe and feed grass/clover for my rabbits.  This year I sun dried a large bin of clover as well, and they've been enjoying it all winter.  They won't eat the "yard grass" dried but they pick out all the clover leaves lol.  

Thanks Heather. I see mixed reviews on clover for rabbits. I pick some for my bun whenever I go out walking in the neighborhood, and he likes it. But some online advice seems to caution against too much. I will add that to my list.

Clover and alfalfa and other fodder that is rich in proteins is perfect for fattening bunnies, but I've been told that  a less nutrient dense feed is better for them.
We purchase orchard or timothy hay as their main feed, every thing else is treat.
Lots of the hay is wasted, mixed into the litter, and the mix goes to line the bottom of the chicken coop.
This thread has inspired me, so I ordered a pound of Timothy grass to sow in the back yard.
The seed it tiny so a pound will go a long way.
I sowed some yesterday, in the freezing rain, we shall see how it does.
I had been trying to grow clover, because I hate mowing, but I have a nice weed whacker now, and I like providing for the bunnies, so a Timothy and clover lawn would be nice.

Right now the bunnies are getting extra heaping helpings of love from me.
I built a specialized indoor growing rig, and now I'm waiting to get seeds for it.
In the meanwhile I'm growing radishes, and feeding the bunnies the thinning's.
I nibble on them too, they are nice and spicy.
I think they might still be growing out their cotyledons,  a testimony to the grow light.

I pulled the Timothy seed heads out of my rabbits hay and I have a tray started to see if the seeds will sprout. If not, I'll buy some.

I found these two little sweet potatoes at the bottom of the potato bin. Do little ones sprout as well as the big ones?

There is a lot of caution out there about forage, fruit, and fresh foods altogether,  pushing grain based or processed foods as a mainstay.    Personally,  my colony rabbits were 100% forage fed for 2/3 of the year,  only getting processed foods during the winter months.   Grass, clover, willow, veggies, lilacs, comfrey, apples, pumpkins..  too many things to list. Tthey can really put away volume of fresh foods.  They had a big variety of fresh cut and gathered veggies, greens, and fruit.   Babies were fed and weaned in colony with the adults and learned to eat what they ate, and then continued on it when separated to grow out.    

Here is one online article about natural feeding rabbits. https://riseandshinerabbitry.com/2012/09/09/naturally-feeding-rabbits/

Heather Staas wrote:There is a lot of caution out there about forage, fruit, and fresh foods altogether,  pushing grain based or processed foods as a mainstay.    Personally,  my colony rabbits were 100% forage fed for 2/3 of the year,  only getting processed foods during the winter months.   Grass, clover, willow, veggies, lilacs, comfrey, apples, pumpkins..  too many things to list. Tthey can really put away volume of fresh foods.  They had a big variety of fresh cut and gathered veggies, greens, and fruit.   Babies were fed and weaned in colony with the adults and learned to eat what they ate, and then continued on it when separated to grow out.    

Here is one online article about natural feeding rabbits. https://riseandshinerabbitry.com/2012/09/09/naturally-feeding-rabbits/

That is a very thorough article! Thanks for sharing it!

In summer, we get our rabbits wheelbarrow loads full of freshly scythe-cut polyculture ''hay'' (which consists of a few clover species, grasses, buckwheat, fireweed, goldenrods and much more) and we also feed them fresh tree hay (Willow, Birch, Poplar/Cottonwood, Siberian peashrub, Maple). In winter, we feed them organic polyculture (full of weeds!) hay from a neighbour, tree branches and some pellets.

Anyone try leaves of HorseRadish?

As for what you can grow indoors even in the cold weather, you should try azolla. I have also successfully fed my rabbits many members of the tradescantia family including wandering jew, Purple Heart, and Spiderwort, which can be grown indoors. I have successfully sprouted Dent Corn from tractor supply, its pretty good when I tried it myself. By the way you can't pop Dent Corn.

As for what I grow for my rabbits, I live in the super deep south. They enjoy
Mulberry, loquat, Pear, Turks Cap Hibiscus, chinese Hibiscus, Mexican sunflower, Mexican Sage, Swamp Sage, shell ginger, false Cardamom ginger, shampoo ginger, small Leaved tradescantia, spiderwort, Purple Heart, cannas,  Mexican creeper, lemon, tangerine, American beautyberry, water hyacinth, water spinach, Papyrus, yellow nuts edge, Crabgrass, Bahia, Agave, Sago Palm, Spanish Needle, Perennial Peanut, sweet potato leaves, roses, any squash I can sprout up like pumpkins leftover from halloween, and many more. They also quite enjoy crusts from uneaten peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and orange and banana peels.

Hello Happy People-living in S. Carolina my rabbits LOVE Kudzu, prefer green over dry but will eat it ALL.  Looking toward a better way of storing over the winter.  As well as live pecan and fig leaves.

All these posts and many reference the use of the same plants. My question, Do you buy rabbit pellets at all or all natural. I've had rabbits in the past and have considered them again but worry about the supply chain.

My bunny died last year, but all through his life, is favorite food was dandelion greens. We fed him forage from the yard for six months and bought fancy ones at the grocery store for him the other six. :)

There are other threads on Permies about raising rabbits naturally.  Check them out.  I raised them in the past with NO store bought feed, but did always provide a mineral block and ample water,  they don’t drink water much if they are getting fresh grains.  Lot of work cutting enough forage for them daily as they do eat quite a lot, and I just don’t have time/energy for it anymore.  Keep in mind they need a protein source daily, but not excess clover which can cause bloating.  I used to feed a lot of pumpkin or winter squash with seeds because we had excess and it is easy to grow.  

Spinach for mine!

Carl Schleg wrote:Hello Happy People-living in S. Carolina my rabbits LOVE Kudzu, prefer green over dry but will eat it ALL.  Looking toward a better way of storing over the winter.  As well as live pecan and fig leaves.

I can only imagine that eating kudzu must be a win-win down South!  Congratulations to your rabbits for being such good stewards.  I wonder if this would catch on, somehow.  Sorry I have no ideas for winter saving.

Ive been reading up on while waiting for someone to sell me rabbits. Apparently, kudzu is nearly as high in protein as alfalfa and easier to digest.
One study I read used “kudzu meal”… dried kudzu ground up and then rehydrated as sort of a “crumble” .
The study I read was for chicken feed but I guess anything can eat it.
Anyway, it’s everywhere around here!

I have one rabbit in a tractor and one "free range" rabbit.  They both like cottonwood, apple, maple... any fodder tree I have given them really.  The free ranger almost killed a maple sappling from nibbling it's bark too aggressively.  I also caught her standing on top of the bunny tractor to reach the low branches of the apple tree.  Strawberry, raspberry, and black berry leaves.  Dandelions, my goodness do they love the dandelions!  I left some beets and cabbage in the ground this fall and as the weather cooled, the free ranger had her way with the remaining leaves.  They even took on a wormwood bush and ate it till it died (only happened once, not their choice food).

I rarely make posts, but I am really enjoying this thread!

Carl Schleg wrote:Hello Happy People-living in S. Carolina my rabbits LOVE Kudzu, prefer green over dry but will eat it ALL.  Looking toward a better way of storing over the winter.  As well as live pecan and fig leaves.

You can pick the leaves and dry them like hay.  Takes up a lot of space, but I’ve done a little at the time.  I once filled the back of my hatchback car with arm loads of kudzu on the vine.  It had enough air flow, it dried in the car, in the sun, just perfectly.  Made my car smell like kudzu though.  But that was my goat mobile, used for farm animals, hauled everything in it, so guess it didn’t matter much.  Everything loves kudzu, high protein, loaded with minerals, even people  can eat it.  I tried it, but it is definitely an acquired taste, thank you very much.  It’ll eat something else.  My goats go nuts over it.  The rabbits used to get it too.  

Read a story once about a farmer with a starving herd of cattle.  He fenced in a ravine full of kudzu, turned them in, and come spring, they all had beautiful, healthy calves.  All lived, fattened and did great on the kudzu diet when he did not have hay for them.  Caution:  Toxic when it first frosts.  

I'm working towards more percent forage in my rabbits diet. I have 15 breeders so it would be a lot of forage. Doing well with tree hay - willow, mulberry, plum, rose, bamboo. Other things we have grown or gathered include sweet potato vine, comfrey, sunchokes, cabbage, herbs. Gardening isn't super easy where I live or I'd be farther ahead. Have no pastures but a few grassy areas (where I am irrigating other crops lol).

I have observed my rabbits often don't like an item at first. Just do them like a toddler and keep offering it. I harvested the sunchoke foliage and plan to give it to them dry this winter - that is how they got to liking mulberry last year. Willow and mulberry are my biggest successes - both grow well here with irrigation and both regrow fast.

The breed I raise was bred to do well on forage. Kits can eat whatever the doe has been eating. Be cautious of toxic plant lists from pet owners - they are often overly cautious.

Why is it so difficult to find a list of colorful flowers rabbits.
Don't care if they eat the flower or the greens. Perennials, no cold winter, are good but not necessary.
Know longer have a veggie garden, however, understand some  folks may have reasons to keep them out.
A link to an agricultural school would be great, opinions, anecdotel experiences, are fine.
thanks

I grew a perennial kale and it was a good source of greens for my buns nearly year-round.