In order to breed rabbits you need certain knowledge in order to properly feed and support your wards.
In the summer, small rodents mostly feed on greens. The taste of fresh grass is very popular with your pets, it is a pantry of vitamins and many trace elements.
This article will tell you whether to include sorrel in rabbits, how to feed them and what benefits it brings.
Is it possible for ordinary domestic and decorative animals to eat greens from the garden?
Sorrel can and is useful to give rabbits, as those who are grown for meat and skins, and decorative breeds. Most of the green food rabbit consumed in the summer, but in the winter it is also necessary. For use in the winter, it is dried and added to the hay.
Common sorrel is an herbaceous, perennial plant with a short root with many branches. The stem grows up to 1 meter tall, has a ribbed surface, at the base, there may be a dark, purple color, the plant ends with an inflorescence that resembles a whisk. Rabbits eat two types of sorrel - horse (wild) and sour, common sorrel.
Is it possible or not to feed a wild (horse) plant?
Horse sorrel - a plant that grows in one place for many years. It has a long, resilient stem, which can grow from 90 to 160 centimeters in height and 2 centimeters in thickness. Wild sorrel must be given to the animals.
The people affectionately call this grass also hare cabbage. Rabbits love to eat it, because this product brings them to the body not only benefit, but also has a pleasant taste.
How useful ordinary sour greens?
This plant helps the body to get rid of excess bile, thanks to it it heals wounds better, and also it helps fight bactericidal and inflammatory diseases. By adding sorrel leaves to food, you help improve the digestive system in rabbits and improve their vital energy. Animals that eat this plant, less responsive to stress, have good immunity, are very energetic and active, compared to their relatives, who do not add this product to food.
The useful substances which are a part:
coffee organic acid;- oxalic organic acid;
- essential oils;
- tanning substances;
- vitamins of group K;
- Fe;
- vitamin C;
- anthraquinone derivatives;
- Mg;
- rutin;
- carotene;
- P;
- copper;
- ascorbic acid, the maximum concentration of which is in the leaves;
- calcium oxalate with antimicrobial action.
coffee organic acid;How to enter into the diet?
Sorrows should be introduced into the food of rabbits gradually, starting with one or two leaves per day.
How to feed grass?
Greens can be given by mixing it with other plants - such as plantain, burdock, dandelion, yarrow or nettle. When feeding rabbits, it is important not to exceed the recommended amount of raw materials.. Once a day, young rabbits are given about 100-120 g of sorrel, and adults no more than 200 g, for suckling females - 250 g.
Do they eat dry?
In dried form, sorrel is usually harvested for the period when fresh greens have not yet grown or have ceased to grow. Harvest hay in spring when it contains the maximum amount of nutrients and juices. After the sorrel is dried, a very small amount of bitterness will remain in it, but all the vitamins will remain.
It is best to collect the grass for drying in early spring.. After the sorrel has been collected, it is washed with running water to remove dust and dirt, and then laid out in the shade on a clean surface for further drying.
How to use fresh?
Before you feed the rabbits with sorrel, it is recommended to hold it (wade) for several hours on the air. This is done to reduce the amount of bitterness and moisture in the plant cells. If toxins are present in the plant, this procedure also helps to reduce their number.
Combination with other feeds
Sorrel is mixed with young plantain, dandelion (before the flowering phase), yarrow, clover and other herbs. You can also add it to the wet mash that the rabbit consumes every day.
How not to be confused with poisonous plants?
On our fields and forests there are many species of annual and perennial plants that are very similar to sorrel. For example: black root, spurge, and many others. Their chemical composition includes a dangerous chemical substance - alkaloid. If ingested, it can cause severe intoxication (poisoning), and even cause the death of animals. It is especially dangerous to eat this grass to young rabbits and females.
Therefore, before heading for wild sorrel, you should look at how the plant looks like in the photos so as not to confuse it with herbs that are dangerous to the life of the rabbit. And it is best to ask knowledgeable people to show you on the spot.
For to add variety to the diet, rabbits are given sorrel. It is alternated or mixed with other types of greenery. You cannot feed animals with the same food, because of this they will not receive the necessary nutrients. Grass is used as an additional delicacy, to replenish vitamins and strengthen the body of our pets.
