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Off to pick some natural rabbit treats

Shellypops

Wise Old Thumper
Ian is taking us out to the countryside and was hoping to get some natural Rabbit goodies,

any suggestions and how do I prepare them for the buns?
 
oooh have fun.. i do loves a bit of forraging :love::love::love:

i just wash what i collect and i erm *coughs* break the thorns off the backs of leaves :oops::oops::oops:
 
I'm planning on a bramble ramble this weekend :lol:

(I also pick the spiky thorns off the back of bramble leaves, cos they're even sharper when the leaves are dried)

Alpine strawberries are good if you can find them.

Plus wild dog roses (leaves and petals)
 
nettles if you can bear the sting, plantain if you can find it too :D

hawthorn leaves get munched here too :D:D

have fun but only give little bits just like normal introduction of veg, i think bramble is the only foodstuff that doesnt require an introduction (according to that rabbit book i bought)
 
I am guessing you know that you have to introduce new foods gradually, last year I brought Feegal some new herbs and I thought that if I gave him a tiny piece of three (literally a cm square) he would be fine.

Emergency vet, gut stasis, I felt so awful.

But like I said, I guess you know this:)

Sally is so fussy it is hard to get her to try anything new:roll:

Have a lovely day:)

Always wash them, as wild buns are yukky.

Bramble would be a good one, and it is easy to ID. Hazel is also easy to ID and the twigs are great for buns teeth, they love to strip the bark.
 
nettles if you can bear the sting, plantain if you can find it too :D

hawthorn leaves get munched here too :D:D

have fun but only give little bits just like normal introduction of veg, i think bramble is the only foodstuff that doesnt require an introduction (according to that rabbit book i bought)

bramble-leaves-underside-huge-DHD.jpg
bramble leaves?
 
I pick bramble leaves most mornings from the paddock & nettles are fine too although my two foster buns aren't very keen (spoilt I think :roll:) - I don't think the sting affects them like it does us. Horses also love nettles but only once they've been chopped down and left for a while - I think they lose their bitter taste then.

If you need pics just google the thing in question i.e. bramble leaves and then click on "images" (top left hand corner) :D

As for plantain, it's about the only think still growing through the gravel on my drive at the moment - the other weeds have long since died off thanks to the lack of rain.

btw - bramble leaves dry really easily so get as many as you can & put them in a cardboard box ready for the winter ;)
 
lucky buns:)

judy (thumps) is brilliant at foraging (well, picking really ace stuff for bunnies) but she's not around:cry: so i'll have a search for some of the info she's given before:)
 
Just be careful you can correctly identify what you are picking if you have not picked wild plants/leaves before. Some safe species closely resemble some very poisonous species and so you need to be certain that you are picking the right thing.

Bramble is a safe one because it is very hard to confuse with anything else, same with the plantains, ribwort and broad-leaved. Do be careful with everything else. :)
 
Just had my bramble ramble - now have very sore fingers :lol:

Got a big basket full of bramble leaves, plus I found a wild raspberry patch!!!!:D Only managed a few raspberry stalks, cos they were surrounded by nettles, so will be going back armed with wellies and long trousers....

Have already got some stuff dried - at least the hot weather is good for drying. I got some brown paper bags to keep the different plants separate, and theyre all neatly lined up in a large cardboard box :D
 
Just had my bramble ramble - now have very sore fingers :lol:

Got a big basket full of bramble leaves, plus I found a wild raspberry patch!!!!:D Only managed a few raspberry stalks, cos they were surrounded by nettles, so will be going back armed with wellies and long trousers....

Have already got some stuff dried - at least the hot weather is good for drying. I got some brown paper bags to keep the different plants separate, and theyre all neatly lined up in a large cardboard box :D

If you don't mind me asking, what sort of things have you dried? Also, how long do they take to dry? I've attempted to dry a few bramble leaves, but I'm not sure if they're done :? - what should they look like?

Sorry for so many questions! :lol:
 
btw - bramble leaves dry really easily so get as many as you can & put them in a cardboard box ready for the winter ;)[/QUOTE]

Oooh, very good advice, thanks, I didnt even think of that, my neighbour has loads growing as weeds, I think he will be happy to let me have them.
 
If you don't mind me asking, what sort of things have you dried? Also, how long do they take to dry? I've attempted to dry a few bramble leaves, but I'm not sure if they're done :? - what should they look like?

Sorry for so many questions! :lol:

I spread them out on a tray in the greenhouse or other sunny spot (but out of the wind else they'll blow away :lol:). You can feel when they're fully dry 'cos they'll be brittle - ones with moisture left in with be soft and flexible.

So far I've dried bramble and raspberry leaves, rose petal, rose leaves, and I've just started hanging stems of calendula with the heads on in the greenhouse to dry.

Will be getting some grass for my own hay as well when I go out to the local woods :lol:
 
dont forget the 2 foot high rule, as in dogs foxes etc , I normaly pick leaves young too have fun :D
 
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