what to grow for rabbits

ohiogoatgirl

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i'm hoping to start raising rabbits. for meat and to sell. what could i plant for them? i like to be as self-sufficient as possible.
i make my own hay and i know that's a big investment for any livestock. here's what i've already come up with:
sunflowers -seed, stalks
black oil sunflowers (?) - seed, stalks
indian corn - seed, stalks
carrots - roots, tops
turnips - roots, tops
pumpkin
squash
peas - seed, vines
cucumber
parsnips
zucchini
radishes
chicory (the roadside flower kind)
plantain ***the weed kind*** (lots of em in the yard, hope to transplant a few to actually harvest)
willow withes, leaves
apple tree clippings (have a few apple trees on the farm and know people with apple trees)
apple slices
parsley

some things i was wondering about were :
lemon balm
mint
cattails (have a huge field of em that i could harvest. hoping to harvest some anyhow for basket making)
dry beans (i have seeds that never got around to planting, hutterite soup bean and indian black bean i think)

and btw i'm in SE ohio.
thanks!

ETA: lemon balm and mint are on the list as well as cattail. beans are a big no-no, make em sick. some green beans are okay but not alot.
ETA: to clarify a few items :)
 

Marianne

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Wow, that's a pretty good list already. I don't raise bunnies, so I'm no help. I know the cottontails around here love the green beans in my garden, the punks.
 

Neiklot

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Do you need to grow special plants for them?

Is it not enough with hay and grass?
:)

I just give my rabbits hay, grass and sometimes carrots.
I even give them branches (?) that they can chew on, so they have something to do.
(And it's good for their teeth.)
 

ohiogoatgirl

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well i'm hoping that when i get rabbits (i'm in the planning stages right now) that i can feed some store bought feed but mostly homegrown things as the seasons permit. meaning in winter they will get mostly feed with supplements being things like pumpkin, squash, carrots, and other long keeping crops, things i dry in the summer, and some fresh greens from window plants in the house. trying to grow as much for at least them as i can.
 

BarredBuff

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I think if you have a good quality hay and supplement with maybe some sunflowers you can do fine. I dont have access to a good quality hay some I am sort strapped there. But grass is good too....
 

SD Farm Girl

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Beets - they LOVE beets.
Dandelion- one of the most nutritious food plants for rabbits but make sure they are new, healthy plants. I have heard that wilted or old dandelion (like from a lawn mower bag that has been sitting) will cause them to bloat.
They also like wheat.

There is an old livestock feed beet from the 1800's called a mangel. They can grow to 20 pounds each. I planted a few this year and although they didn't reach 20 pounds, due to my growing season, they were huge like softballs. The cows, horses and rabbits love them. Seed is available at rareseed.com at about $2.50 for a packet. They also have seed for huge carrots that were used for livestock feed back in the old days.

I wish I had planted more. It would have really cut down on the winter feed bill. Next year........
 
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