What and how to feed the rabbit after birth and how to increase milk production
The giving birth rabbit needs enhanced nutrition, since she needs not only to feed the babies, but also to recover after pregnancy and childbirth. Knowing what to feed the rabbit after birth so that she has enough milk for the rabbits and the resources to renew her own body, the farmer is able to quickly increase the available livestock and get healthy, strong animals.
How to feed a rabbit after birth
The rabbit should be properly fed already during the gestation period. The female does not need to be overfeeded.
Remember: if the rabbit is overweight, the cubs are born weak, the rabbit slowly recovers after giving birth.
The diet of rabbits depends on the season. If in spring and summer it is easy to provide them with fresh young greens and vegetables, then in winter the animals feed mainly on hay and boiled root crops.
The diet of a lactating female should include vitamins, mineral supplements (chalk), table salt. The amount of feed also increases during this period. The daily menu varies slightly depending on the season.
Seasonal feed
Any plant food is suitable for the rabbit. The amount of food a rabbit needs depends on the number of babies born. In summer, lactating females enjoy young root crops with pleasure, they like herbs, stalks of grain crops, tops from the garden. The feed mix includes peas, young corn, oats, alfalfa, clover and other meadow grasses.
In winter, animals are fed with hay, silage, boiled vegetables. The fodder mixture in the cold season must necessarily contain vitamins, fish oil, bone meal, oilcake and legumes are added to it. At any time of the year, feed is included in the diet. It is a source of protein necessary for good lactation.
With a paucity of nutrition, a lack of vitamins, the muzzle of the rabbit will be wet, and the bellies of the babies will be flat. In this case, you should review the diet of animals, consult a veterinarian. It is necessary to provide the rabbit with clean water, she should not suffer from thirst.
Concentrates
The feeding female must be given compound feed. At any time of the year, it is a source of protein that is indispensable for a balanced diet of the rabbit and babies. Compound feed, especially in winter, can make up 80-90% of the feed mixture. It necessarily includes bran, cake, oats are very nutritious for animals.
Vitamins
As a vitamin supplement, fish oil, bone meal are perfect. You can purchase a ready-made vitamin complex for rabbits. The complexes are chosen depending on the age of the rabbits and their breed. Even with proper nutrition, babies need to be given calcium supplements (for example, dolomite flour) once every 7 days.
The diet of a nursing rabbit
The amount of food depends on the age of the female and the number of pups. In the first 10 days after giving birth, the rabbit consumes 350-370 grams of feed per day. Then consumption increases:
- from 10 to 20 days - 430-450 grams;
- from 21 to 30 days - 530-550 grams;
- from day 31 onwards - up to 700 grams.
Each farmer chooses the number of feedings independently.
In winter
The composition of the feed mixture for animals changes at different times of the year. In winter, the diet is based on hay, and is supplemented with:
- 180-200 grams of boiled potatoes;
- about 70 grams of grain;
- 3-5 grams of fish oil;
- 30-40 grams of bran and oil cake.
Rabbits should not be given beets, rotten dirty vegetables and fruits, tree branches, wild herbs. Wormwood, nettle, and alfalfa are used as an additional source of vitamins. Complex vitamin supplements are used, for example "Chiktonik", "Prodevit". The animals should be fed at the same time.
Summer
If lambing occurred in the summer, the rabbit should be fed with fresh herbs. It will provide the required amount of protein and vitamins. Alfalfa, clover, oats, green peas or corn can be added to this mixture. The grass should be slightly dried before feeding to prevent the female from bloating. To enhance lactation, the female can be given vegetables:
- zucchini;
- cucumbers;
- cabbage leaves;
- carrot.
In summer, besides fresh grass, rabbit food should contain:
- 3-5 grams of feed yeast;
- 5-7 grams of bone meal;
- 2-3 grams of chalk;
- 1.5 grams of table salt;
- 80 grams of compound feed.
It should be borne in mind that after the 20th day of life, the rabbits slowly switch from milk to adult food and try food in the mother's feeder.
What to do if a rabbit has little milk
To establish milk production, the female should provide a quiet, secluded nest and not disturb her for several hours after giving birth.
For sufficient lactation, you need to monitor the drinking regime of the animal. The rabbit should have free access to clean water. In order for the female to have more milk, cucumbers, zucchini, and melons should be added to the diet. These vegetables are high in moisture and improve moisture production. You can increase milkiness by adding rowan berries or sprouted seeds of parsley and dill to the feed. As a last resort, the veterinarian will prescribe Oxytocin injections. Often the refusal to eat or water is due to hormonal disruption after childbirth. You can normalize hormone levels by placing the rabbit next to the male. If it is not possible to normalize lactation, the rabbits are placed in another female.
Remember: if the female is hungry or lacks water, she can eat the newborn cubs.
Babies that receive enough milk are calm, with uniform fur, plump and well-developed. For any farmer, offspring from their own animals is a long-awaited and exciting event. Indeed, in addition to adding livestock, a person receives new practical knowledge and experience necessary in the presence of a subsidiary farm.
