what is rabbit feed pellet?
Rabbit pellets are a food manufactured by the rabbit feed pellet mill and they provide a good array of vitamins and minerals for rabbits(we will introduce the proess of how to make rabbit feed pellet later). On average, rabbits eat approximately 1 ounce of pellets per pound of body weight. Rabbit pellets have long been considered the base of a rabbit’s diet. But pellets are actually more important in the younger stages of rabbit development than in adult rabbits. That’s because they are highly concentrated in nutrients, helping ensure proper weight gain in younger rabbits.
As a rabbit reaches maturity, however, pellets should make up less of the diet- replaced with higher quantities of hay and vegetables. Overfeeding pellets in mature rabbits can lead to obesity, as well as other medical conditions. Rabbits nutritional needs change throughout life! The nutritional needs of baby bunnies are much different than when they reach adulthood. Food should reflect and tailor to the changing nutritional needs of rabbits at their different life stages. A “one size fits all” style is definitely not the right approach to proper nutrition!
why making your own rabbit feed pellet?
Practical side. If your home is really far from a pet store, making your own rabbit feed has an advantage over buying them from far away. Also, not every rabbit likes ready-made food. They may not like the taste or even the nutrients in it are not balanced enough to meet their nutritional needs. If your rabbit doesn’t want to eat it, you have to throw it away, right? This is actually called waste. In addition to saving money by making your own rabbit food, you can also compare and balance the nutrients they need.
cheaper price. It’s safer to make your own rabbit food because you’ll get a cheaper price than buying ready-made food. Rabbits love vegetables and as far as we know, buying them one by one is cheaper. Even if we had to make our own a little busy, at least you know that all the food you give is your bunny’s favorite food. Also, you will find new experiences through making.
good palatability. During making your own rabbit feed process, there is a process called starch pasting, which brings a delicious flavor of feed pellets and increase the pellets palatability to stimulate the rabbits appetite. As a result, the food intake of rabbits can increase 10%-15%.
proper pellets rigidity. Feed pellets rigidity are greatly increased compared to wet-mixing powder feed, which are more suitable for rabbits interesting hobby to grind their teeth with hard things. it can effectively prevent rabbits from nutrition disequilibrium phenomenon caused by picky about food and improve the feed digestion rate, and is good for gastrointestinal digestion and absorption of the rabbits.
sterilization and disinfection, also reduce the spread of disease. Pellet feed, after short-time high temperature up to 70 ℃ -100 ℃ in the pressing process, it can kill a part of parasite eggs and pathogenic microorganisms, making the rabbit disease significantly reduced. Besides, it’s necessary to dry the feed pellets in time to avoid going moldy. In addition, the utilization of feed pellets can reduce feed waste and this is also cost-saving for the raisers.
feed pellet Nutrition for Rabbits
Rabbits are included in a family called Lagomorphs. Due to their unique digestive systems, rabbits require a diet that’s high in fiber, low in protein. The basic nutritional needs of rabbits are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals and water, thus the nucleus of any good rabbit diet consists of pellets, fresh hay, water, and fresh vegetables. Treats, such as fruits or prepared rabbit snacks, are acceptable but should be used very sparingly and in small quantities. It’s important for your rabbits’ health and longevity that you commit to feeding it a proper diet.
4 steps of how to make rabbit feed pellets
preparing Raw material
Crushed material: preparing raw materials is the first step of how to make rabbit feed pellets,pour the material to be crushed into the pit, transport it to the elevator through the scraper conveyor, lift it to the cylinder for initial cleaning and screening, and then enter the permanent magnet cylinder to vibrate, enter the distributor, and distribute it to the cylinder to be crushed warehouse.
crushing process
crushing is also the second important step in how to make rabbit feed pellets,the material to be crushed is in the silo to be crushed, and enters the crusher through the feeder for crushing. The crushed material is transported to the elevator through the screw conveyor, and then lifted to the distributor, and then enters the grinder mill machine. The batching bin is mixed.
mixing process
mixing process is the third important step in how to make rabbit feed pellets, the ingredients in the batching bin pass through the automatic batching scale, so that the mixing ratio of the raw materials reaches a fixed value, and a certain amount of oil is added at the same time. Then the raw material enters the mixer for mixing, then enters the crushing bin for secondary crushing through the scraper conveyor, and then reaches the finished product inspection screen through the elevator.
After screening, the particles that meet the particle size requirements enter the permanent magnet drum for vibration, and then enter the granulation bin through the distributor. if you dont want to make your own rabbit feed pellet, after crushing raw materials, you can use the mixing machine mixing your own rabbit feed.
pelleting process
pelleting is the key most important step in how to make rabbit feed pellets,after the raw material is pulverized, it is granulated by the feed pellet machine in the granulation bin, cooled by the cooler, and then entered into the pulverizer for pulverization, and then passed through the elevator to the grading screen. Particles that meet the requirements enter the finished product bin through the distributor. The granules that do not meet the requirements are batched by secondary mixing, enter the distributor through the batching scale, and then enter the granulator.
basic rabbit pellet ingredients and rabbit feed formulation
The minimum rabbit nutrient in rabbit feed ingredients and rabbit feed formulation requirements for a maintenance diet are 14% crude fiber, 2% fat, and crude protein 12%. Make sure that the feeds you are going to produce at least meet or better yet, exceed the above minimum amount of fiber, but keep protein and fat level low.
Fiber level of 15% to 17% is adequate. A level greater than 17% retards weight gain which would be desirable in a neutered pet rabbit and fiber levels of 22.5% and higher are used for reducing obesity and hairballs. Protein levels should be 15% to 19%. Be sure the fiber level is greater than the protein level. Too high protein in rabbit feed ingredients and rabbit feed formulation in the diet creates a greater amount of ammonia in the urine. It would be better to keep protein in rabbit feed formulation closer to 15%.
Fat levels should be low, around 3% or less in rabbit feed ingredients. The higher the fat content of a pellet the worse it is for your bunny, because it can cause obesity. Avoid pellets with lots of nuts, seeds, etc. in it, they are not good to feed due to a high fat content. Since we have known the machine and rabbit feed formulation of making your own rabbit feed pellets, don’t hesitate to act. The rabbits will really enjoy them.
tips of feeding rabbit feed pellets
Once you have determined which kind of pellets you purchase, please make sure that always use the same brand and type of pellets. Some rabbits do not do well to the sudden change in feed and could cause digestive problems. If you have to change you must mix the old feed with the new feed to get the rabbits digestive tract used to the new feed.
Make sure you have enough of the old feed to slowly change over to the new feed. Do this gradually over a period of at least one week. If possible, you can just buy an rabbit pellet mill which is of simple structure, small area coverage, cost-effective and low consumption to produce your own rabbit feed pellets to avoid the change.Store pellets in a closed container in a cool, dry place. This way the pellets will be protected from dirt, sun light, dark. Try to keep the lid closed and this will lower the chance of bacteria.
Do not mix grains and seeds with rabbit feed pellets, as the rabbit will select its favorite items and leave the rest, meaning that it will not be getting a balanced diet. Do not over feed your rabbit. Obesity in rabbits can cause a shorter life-span. Maximum of 1/8 of a cup per 1.8 kg of body weight of a high fiber pellet per day is OK. For young growing rabbits, pellets can be given free choice until 6 to 8 months of age, then decrease to the maintenance amount as above.
rabbit feed ingredients formula
| rabbit feed ingredients formulation | Percentage |
| Barley | 25% |
| Oats | 25% |
| Linseed meal | 17% |
| Alfalfa meal | 28.05% |
| Salt | 0.2% |
| Vitamins and minerals | 2.75% |
| Lactation | |
| Ingredients | Percentage |
| Barley | 22% |
| Oats | 22% |
| Linseed meal | 25% |
| Alfalfa meal | 28.05% |
| Salt | 0.2% |
| Vitamins and minerals | 2.75% |
| Growth | |
| Ingredients | Percentage |
| Barley | 24% |
| Oats | 25% |
| Linseed meal | 20% |
| Alfalfa meal | 28.05% |
| Salt | 0.2% |
| Vitamins and minerals | 2.75% |
| Maintenance | |
| Ingredients | Percentage |
| Barley | 32% |
| Oats | 31% |
| Linseed meal | 9% |
| Alfalfa meal | 25.05% |
| Salt | 0.2%% |
| Vitamins and minerals | 2.75% |