Forage amounts

I assume you can't really feed too much forage? Chaplin and Seeley are getting maybe two big handful a day, branches and leaves, but when I go collecting it I fill one of those large Sainsbury's canvas bags as much as possible and that is lasting about a week.

Should I collect more often? It starts out fresh (obviously) and drys out throughout the week so it doesn't go mouldy, but they still love it. They occasionally get other stuff, if I have left over greens (I buy bags of it but know I'll never get through it all so they get a handful), and herbs a couple of times a week.

They eat a decent amount of hay and they have good poops, so obviously what they get sits well with them, just want to make sure I'm doing it right.

Only takes half an hour to go down the canal and fill a bag with hawthorn, rose, apple, willow, plantain etc so it's not an issue to collect more often but since it rains so much I try and get it on days when its dry.

there's no need to limit fresh forage provided they're used to it mine only lasts for 2 or 3 days in the fridge, washed in a container, sometimes i leave foraged stuff in carrier bag (wet also) in outbuilding so have to collect every other day

I let mine free feed on forage once they're used to it. One rabbit gets through about 3/4 carrier bagful a day, & adjusts what they need on a daily basis.
Neither could eat hay Thumper my bridge bun had the most sensitive tummy imaginable, & Benjie has pastuerellosis with snuffles so is intolerant of dust. As a substitute fibre both also ate large amounts of safe tree leaves twigs & all!! Benjie can manage a bit of grass at least.

On this diet their poops are just like wildie poops (because there's no hay) nice & large, well formed, although there's a thin rind of dark, they're very well separated, totally dry fiber inside. I guess they will have wildie type poops when they're eating like a wildie. :lol:

My guys would eat that bag between two of them each day PLUS a good amount of hay:thumb:
If they are used to it, let em at it:thumb:

oooh I pick AS MUCH Forage as i can...then fill up cardboard boxes and stick them into the airing cupboard....they dry really quickly...then I store the boxes in my loft....lasts all winter and is a great addition...if I could gather enough for them to have unlimited every day - i would! Sounds like you have ample near you - thats great!

Geoff's people said:

My guys would eat that bag between two of them each day PLUS a good amount of hay:thumb:
If they are used to it, let em at it:thumb:

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:wave: Hey I didn't say how much hawthorn + the twigs Benjie gets through!! a small car bootful only lasts 4 days! I'm so well known to the farmers & allotment holders that I get lots of waves, smiles & chats these days!

Chelle - wow you're doing well. Your wonderful thread "I'm drying lots of herbs" - I hadn't realised how many 'til now.

My biggest problem is storing it, in a student house so the only space that is mine is my room, but I share it with my gf and she has a room upstairs (where the rabbits actually live) so if we picked more I could store it there but not ridiculous amounts. At the moment I pop it on top of the fridge out the way.

We have no access to the loft (only the basement).

My only concern is possibly having to go back to shop bought stuff when all the vegetation starts dying off, because we definitely don't have room to store it for the entire winter! I really like foraging though, nice to go a walk down the canal even if you get funny looks from people because you're lopping off vegetation!

Out of rose, hawthorn, willow, apple, and bramble, which last best through winter? I assume all the plantain, clover, etc will die off quite quickly.

The buns will eat the actual hawthorn and other branches as long as they are thin, and they love the bark off apple branches which I assume provides some nutrients/fibre, but it takes them about 5 mins to trip a metre long branch so it's not something they can have a lot of because I can't physically collect that much.

It's annoying, because not long ago the council came down and trimmed all the hedges back along the canal, so I'm already having difficulty reaching some of it. Hawthorn is definitely the easiest, it's everywhere!

yamazumi said:

My biggest problem is storing it, in a student house so the only space that is mine is my room, but I share it with my gf and she has a room upstairs (where the rabbits actually live) so if we picked more I could store it there but not ridiculous amounts. At the moment I pop it on top of the fridge out the way.

We have no access to the loft (only the basement).

My only concern is possibly having to go back to shop bought stuff when all the vegetation starts dying off, because we definitely don't have room to store it for the entire winter! I really like foraging though, nice to go a walk down the canal even if you get funny looks from people because you're lopping off vegetation!

Out of rose, hawthorn, willow, apple, and bramble, which last best through winter? I assume all the plantain, clover, etc will die off quite quickly.

The buns will eat the actual hawthorn and other branches as long as they are thin, and they love the bark off apple branches which I assume provides some nutrients/fibre, but it takes them about 5 mins to trip a metre long branch so it's not something they can have a lot of because I can't physically collect that much.

It's annoying, because not long ago the council came down and trimmed all the hedges back along the canal, so I'm already having difficulty reaching some of it. Hawthorn is definitely the easiest, it's everywhere!

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:wave: Hi Yamazumi, You've made me very happy. When we started to go public on here about foraging, we tried to think of good plants, easy to identify, & which could be found easily in towns & cities. I'm delighted that you enjoy it too. Yes my buns do exactly the same, & have beautiful, soft glossy coats as a result. I also well know the battle with the council over hedge trimming & verge mowing. :lol:

When you get to know your area you'll probably find fresh bramble is available the longest, especially in sheltered places under trees, & often N. facing! The apple hawthorn & willow are shedding there leaves down here now so they won't be around much longer.
You can make "chew rings" with the long fine willow twigs, bend in a circle & then weave the long end round to hold it together. Takes up less room that way.
You may well find new growth of clivers/sticky willy/goose grass (UK) has started to grow in sheltered places under trees/hedges & they like that too.

I understand your problem of space. Tescoes let customers have the empty cardboard fruit & veg boxes which stack well. I use them to store dried plants, up to the ceiling!! I wonder if they would fit on top of the fridge, but there's usually too much humidity in a kitchen for dried plants. Your big problem for next year will be finding somewhere to dry them. If we get drought again, a washing line is a good place. Bramble & Co. spoke of net bags which can hang from a washing line. A whirlygig line is ideal, & just needs some nylon garden mesh pegged over all the strands, put your plantains up there to dry in the sun.
I find that greater plantain is susceptable to mildew - just whizzed round for my last lot, but ribwort lasts a few weeks longer.
I think it's easier for those of us in the South, because the growing season is much longer. I'm eagerly awaiting Geoff's people's & Parsnipbun's site.

The boxes from tesco are a good idea! We can store them on top of the rabbit crate where they can't get to them.

They had a load in yesterday, I was looking at them wondering what I could do with such boxes haha.

Thanks for the advice, I didn't realise goose grass was safe, I know it as sticky buds.

I don't know if you've seen this long thread which covers most aspects of foraging. It was such fun all getting together & sharing. Lilbun gave us a good laugh when her car full of herbs drying broke down! http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...ds-of-herbs-for-winter!-2010-Forageing-Thread Enjoy!

Oh this is the definition of a mad forager. We were making substitute hay for a bun with a painful jaw infection, with sticky bud using the velcro effect to keep it on the washing line, but I forgot to leave room on the line for my smalls.:lol:

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: Your washing line! I always think of this when I see goosegrass now! lol!
aaah Judy - it was you foraging that really got me interested...! I gather what i can but always worry Im not identifying the plant right and leave most of them!:roll: Im an avid hawthorn gatherer though and my inlaws have grown their own meadow field and Im excited to say loads of ribwort plantain has come up and they also give me their prunings form the apple orchard...(small one at that) so really need to get my act together so I can gather more variation with ease!
I love it though - its really rewarding useing what nature provides...