Feeding Fodder

Feeding my rabbits is an occurrence that happens every single day.  Something that my rabbits love eating and keeps their food bill down is fodder.  Now, if you don't know what fodder is, let me shed a little light on the situation.

(Fodder trays with fodder inside of them)

Fodder is actually barley seed which has been soaked for a 24 hour period in water and then grown for a few days to a week.  This gives your rabbits a nice quantity of food.  They can eat the whole thing, seeds, roots and grassy top!  The roots all intertwine, forming a kind of mat. 

(Fodder should look green and lush, like in this picture)

 Since we've been using fodder, I've cut the amount of pellets I feed my rabbits down by 75%!  Not only that, but my rabbits would rather eat the fodder than their pellets!  Consequently, all pregnant females and/or mothers with litters always get pellets. However, males and litter-less females who aren't pregnant only get pellets every other day.  They do, however, all get fodder every single day.

 

Here are some pictures of a few of my litters eating the fodder...

 

(This is Pumpkin with her litter)

 

(These 4 babies were Nutmeg's litter)

 

(This is Buttons with her 2 remaining boys)

 

(This is Dadooshka with her litter)

 

 

(This is Cottontail with her current litter)

 

 

 

And that's all there is to it! Fodder grows within a few days, so it's extremely easy to grow and a 100 pound bag of barley seeds is only $15!  Now, some rabbits will like the top better and others will like the roots better.  Don't worry though if they don't eat the whole thing.  All in all, it's just a great way to cut down on feed costs!

 

Oh and by the way...my camera dried out and works great! :)