FEEDING OF RABBITS

In nature, an animal feeds according to the needs of its body and its habits.
of the availability of food, of the importance of populations cohabiting in the same environment.
Rabbits raised in colonies or in cages depend entirely on the breeder for their nutrition.
He must bring water and food to his animals every day. The rabbits must always
have water and food available to them. The feeders and drinkers must not
never be empty. Well-fed rabbits are robust and have a beautiful coat. They grow up
fast, font a lot of bunnies and fall rarely sick.
The study of the domestic rabbit has helped to pinpoint the problem of the rabbit's nutritional needs.
particularly in mineral matters, vitamins, cellulose (or bulk food), lipids, proteins,
carbohydrates releasing energy, etc... The food ration corresponds to the quantity of all the
foods consumed in one day by the animal. Balanced, it must meet its needs.

1. The dietary needs of rabbits.

1.1 Water needs

Contrary to what many breeders think, the rabbit drinks water. It is true that this
herbivore when fed exclusively with fresh and water-rich grass, drinks little.
But fed with dry food (hay, pellets or flour), the growing young drink
1.5 to 2 times more than the amount of dry food they eat while the nursing rabbit drinks 2 to
2.5 times more water than it consumes food. Like that of humans, this water must be
potable to avoid causing illnesses. If the water is dirty, even if he is thirsty, the rabbit does not drink.
This vital element and its qualities condition the health of rabbits both in maternity and in
fattening, allowing for good lactation and good growth from birth to
slaughter. Water is a factor of success, but can also be a source of problems depending on
the attention given to it.
Plan an average per day:
0.2 to 0.3 liters of water per growing rabbit
0.6 to 0.7 liters of water for a nursing rabbit
one liter and more per day for a rabbit and her litter during the week before weaning
Beware of waste, and of unstable water troughs that overturn too easily. Like
For food, the rabbit drinks a great number of times throughout the day and night (25 to 30
times on average every 24 hours). Be sure that the troughs and waterers are filled in
permanence, especially in the evening with a sufficient amount for the night.
If the water is polluted by microorganisms, it can be disinfected simply by adding some.
sodium hypochlorite (bleach). The recommended dosage is 2 ml of bleach measured
12° chlorometric for 10 liters of water (or 200 ml for 1 m)3of water which is the same thing.

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One can also use other products to disinfect water, such as iodine solutions or the
potassium permanganate. The cleanliness of the troughs, regular flushing and cleaning of
troughs, drinking ramp pipes must be a constant concern of the
rabbit breeder. Moreover, if the water is polluted by minerals or organic matter, it is
upstream, at the water supply source where intervention is needed to obtain water
drinking (same standards as for human food)
Finally, the water should not heat up in the sun: rabbits do not drink hot water. Sometimes the
rabbits and the water troughs are well protected from direct sunlight, but the reservoirs and/or pipes
black tube feeding (an opaque pipe is good to prevent algae bloom in the
pipes) are exposed to direct sunlight and what happens to the rabbits is hot water. It is necessary to
absolutely avoid this situation.

1.2 Energy needs

The daily energy requirement of the rabbit varies according to the type of production but also with
the ambient temperature. This energy requirement for the growing or breeding rabbit
(gestation, lactation) can be covered by ad libitum food containing 2200 to
2700 kcal of digestible energy per kg. The rabbit regulates the amount of food quite well.
consume as long as the temperature does not exceed 25-26°C. When it is hotter (30°C by
for example), its appetite decreases and its growth or milk production slows down. In
the food, energy is provided by carbohydrates (sugars and starches), lipids (or fats), the
fraction digestible of fibers and secondarily by the intake of proteins.

1.3 Lipid requirements

The need for lipids (or fats) is met with a diet containing 2.5 to 3% lipids. It is
the spontaneous content of the majority of natural foods included in the diet. It is therefore not
It is necessary to add fats to the rabbit's food to cover its energy needs.
because the raw materials used contain enough of them. Some even are
particularly rich like rice bran (3 to 16% lipids depending on whether they have been deoiled
or not) or certain cakes obtained by simple pressing (e.g. 8 to 9% fat in some
copra or palm kernel expeller cake

1.4 Cellulose (fiber) requirements

Cellulose is a plant component that, when combined with lignin, hemicelluloses and
Pectins make up the walls of plant cells, the major element of rigidity in the plant.
The rabbit is a pseudoruminant or a false ruminant. Its digestive tract needs fiber.
well function and this is provided by the walls of the plants it eats. Furthermore, thanks to the
Micro-organisms in its cecum allow the rabbit to partially digest these fibrous elements.

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His needs are therefore greater than other livestock species such as pigs or
chicken
For fattening rabbits, the crude fiber content of a complete feed should be
the order of 14 to 16% that is to say a rate clearly higher than that of poultry feed.
Breeding rabbits can be satisfied with a feed containing only 12 to 13% of
raw cellulose. In addition to the partly digestible cellulose (25 - 30%), the rabbit must find in
it has at least 4 to 5% lignin, an indigestible element but which ensures proper functioning
regular in the digestive tract and significantly reduces the risk of diarrhea.

1.5 Protein requirements

Proteins (or nitrogenous organic substances) are the most original molecules of the
the constitution of living beings (animals and plants). Rabbits need it for their constitution
from their own body, they are therefore necessary for growth and for production (meat,
milk, embryos, rabbits). Recent research conducted in Europe has shown that it
There is a certain relationship between feed efficiency and protein quality. Thus among the
21 amino acids that make up proteins, 10 of them are acids.
essential amino acids (not produced by the rabbit's body). When dietary proteins
providing these essential amino acids, the diet may contain only 15 to 16% protein
feed for fattening rabbits. For the breeding doe, the optimal protein rate
gross profit is approximately 17 to 18%. When the average temperature is above 25 - 27°C, it
It is desirable to increase the protein content of foods by about 1 point (16 - 17% for
fattening, 18 to 19% for nursing does).

1.6 Needs for minerals and vitamins

Minerals (calcium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, etc...) are essential for

functioning and the constitution of the rabbit's organism. They are particularly involved in the
the constitution of bones and milk but also allow functioning by promoting balances
intracellular and extracellular. During the nursing phase, the female is particularly sensitive to a good
mineral intake (e.g. calcium 1.1 to 1.3%, phosphorus 0.6 to 0.7% of the diet). The salt requirements
minerals are generally covered by commercial food. However, the intakes may be
improved by commercial mineral supplements.
Vitamins are found in various foods provided to rabbits. The sources
are green fodders, cereals, cakes, agri-food by-products, leftovers
of cuisine and compound foods. The feed generally provides the compounds
corresponding to the needs of rabbits. Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) must be
provided by the diet. On the other hand, if the rabbits are healthy (no diarrhea) the
Water-soluble vitamins (C and all those in the B group) are provided by the digestive flora and in
particularly by the ingestion of cecotropes. An intake of vitamin C can help rabbits better

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withstand heat, but this vitamin is not very stable once placed in foods or
drinking water.

2. The choice of foods

2.1 For a small farm: use of fodders

The rabbit farmer who owns some rabbits for his consumption can feed them with fodder.
household waste, leftovers from field and gardening harvests. The ration will not be
not perfectly balanced, but its cost price will remain very low.
Forages are the grasses and leaves that can serve as food for animals. The rabbit is
a herbivore; among the most common fodders in West Africa, it also likes to eat
corn husks, peanut tops, bean tops, etc. Some of these forages, in particular
Aquatic plants grow only according to the ambient humidity. Others like the
Panicum can be dried as hay to allow for deferred distribution. In this case,
to do a pre-drying (drying on-site after cutting for 1 to 2 days), then dry in the sun
as quickly as possible, by successive flipping or using small dryers in the
periods when the soil remains too damp. The storage must then be done in a very dry room.
and à the shelter of animals (rats, poultry etc…)
Hay and more generally moldy or fermented fodder can be toxic.
the breeder will need to provide a more concentrated supplementary feed or supplements
food-related. They are

a. Simple products distributed alone or in a mixture

Among the simple products distributed alone or in mixture are corn bran and brewers' grains.
from the brewery, kitchen scraps, corn or sorghum grains, vegetable waste, the
wheat bran, rice bran, cake from palm leaves for example are always
available. It is therefore preferable to reserve them for the times when other forages are
This will prevent them from constantly harming their development. However, their value
food is low.
The chemical composition of a forage varies depending on its vegetative stage. A young
Forage is always richer than old and more lignified forage.
A handful of herbs is not enough to properly raise a rabbit. In addition to the fodders provided.
even in significant quantities of palm kernel, soy, or cotton, etc.

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b. The provender or compound feeds
They are presented in flour or granule form, but the granulated form is the most consumed.
the better it is because it does not allow rabbits to sort. It can be complete and does not
then requires more supplementary forage input.

2.2 For a commercial breeding: use of compound feeds

When the herd becomes larger (more than 10 breeding females), the breeder must rather
distribute in large quantities a balanced compound feed (or feed) and a little grass
as a supplement if necessary.
The rabbit prefers pellet feed to floury feed. To limit food waste,
frequent particularly in the days following weaning, it is advised not to fill the
feeders to be filled only halfway or at most two-thirds, or to install an anti-waste system.
We will therefore distribute different types of food for rabbits according to their needs.
animals (fattening, physiological state…). These different feeds are made from
the formulation of rations. The quantities consumed per day to be expected based on the period
of production :

Breeding male rabbit: 120 to 150 g per day depending on its size, and the
temperature

Rabbit: 120 to 350 g per day depending on the physiological stage (empty, pregnant, or nursing)
you pregnant + breastfeeding;

Doe + litter of 6-7 bunnies of 4 weeks: 600 to 700 g;

Rabbit in fattening: 100 to 120 g per day on average.

3. The excretions in the production of meat rabbits

When a rabbit consumes 100 g of dry matter (or 110 g of pellets or 300 to 400 g of)
green forage), it eliminates about 35 g of dry matter of droppings in the litter or under its cage
(at 45-50% DM or 75 to 80 g of fresh droppings). Depending on the temperature, it will eliminate
aussi 60 à 75 g d'urine. Souvent, les déjections tombent sous les cages et sont balayées tous les
days or every other day by the breeder, to be stored in piles outside the breeding facility
(outside the building or the breeding enclosure).