In the last few years, people have increasingly raised rabbits as pets for wool and meat, and as pets. Therefore, it is necessary to thoroughly study the issues of care and feeding. A very important point is greens, many are worried about the question: can rabbits be given quinoa, because there is a lot of it in the summer season.

Why are rabbits given quinoa

Quinoa is a very useful herb not only for rabbits, it is recommended to include it in the diet of all livestock. But overdoing it with her is also not worth it, there should be a measure in everything. Quinoa contains a number of microelements necessary for digestion, which contribute to better assimilation of plant and roughage. Feeding rabbits only with grass can lead to the fact that they begin to gradually lose weight. To maintain body weight, it is imperative to include quinoa in the rabbit diet. In addition, it contains amino acids and vitamins that support the immunity of animals.

 

Pure quinoa is not recommended

Important! It is not recommended to feed quinoa in its pure form to animals, as it can lead to indigestion. Without fail, together with it, at least 1 more type of grass must be included in the reception.

Benefit and harm

At the moment, quinoa is the most famous among all types of grasses; it spreads by self-seeding everywhere. It grows on any soil, so it began to be used as animal feed. Over time, they began to study the effect of this plant on the body of rabbits.

The biochemical composition of quinoa is very large:

  • Proteins - almost 4%;
  • Vitamin groups: PP, A, C, E;
  • Minerals: iron, calcium, manganese, copper;
  • Essential oils;
  • Oxalic acid;
  • Saponinov.

The energy value of the herb when feeding animals is about 43 kcal. That is why breeders begin to give this herb to rabbits and swans in unlimited quantities with the onset of the summer period, although this cannot be done.

This herb, if fed to animals in large quantities, can cause allergies. Rabbits will acquire intolerance to some components of the quinoa composition, which will subsequently affect their health. The first sign of being overfed is the animal's indigestion.

Also, the further condition of the rabbits depends on the place where the grass grows. If the grass was collected near the landfill before feeding, this will lead to the animal getting poisoned, minimally it will develop severe diarrhea, at worst it will die. This also applies to fields. Do not collect grass on the site after chemical treatments.

Important! Do not use grass that has bloomed in the rabbit's feed - this will lead to poisoning. In the process of flowering, quinoa begins to release harmful substances that have a bad effect on animal health.

 

Quinoa is the most famous of all types of herbs.

How to give quinoa correctly

Only young and juicy shoots are required for animal feeding. Adult plants can be taken, but before the buds are poured. There should be other types of herbs in the diet:

  • wheatgrass;
  • burdock;
  • yarrow;
  • clover;
  • dandelion;
  • sagebrush;
  • nettle;
  • plantain.

Quinoa should make up 1/7 (i.e. no more than 15%) of its part in the herbaceous diet.

If there is a negative reaction to the grass, the animals rake it off from the total amount of feed, you should pay attention to this.This suggests that the grass was prepared incorrectly, or they did not like it.

You shouldn't force pets to eat it, as this will worsen their condition. Each animal, like a person, has its own taste preferences. You can try to start feeding the quinoa with a couple of leaves, if the rabbits start eating, you can gradually increase their number in the herbaceous diet.

Important! Before giving the quinoa to rabbits, you need to wash the roots and shoots from dirt.

The grass needs to be dried a little, but if there is no time for this, it is enough to put it in the sun for a couple of hours. In the cold season, you need to feed rabbits with grass, but fresh plants cannot be found at this time, so hay is prepared in advance. It should be given in combination with feed additives, which contain a useful and necessary complex of vitamins and minerals.

 

Only young and juicy shoots are required for animal feeding

Collection and storage of quinoa

If the quinoa is harvested correctly, and also stored under the right conditions, it will benefit pets. Only plant leaves are suitable for harvesting. Shoots are not harvested, as they become too coarse and hard after drying - this can lead to trauma to the oral cavity of rabbits.

Before sending the quinoa for drying, you need to sort it out, sorting out the blooming plants, old and rough. The prepared foliage is laid out on a pallet in one row, sent for drying. It is necessary to dry until its size becomes half the size.

Important! Leaves should not begin to crumble, or the hay will not benefit the animals.

If you prepare the quinoa according to all the rules, it will be stored throughout the year. But the substances that grass contains can quickly evaporate, so over time it becomes less useful. Store hay from quinoa in the same way as other plants.

It is folded in a separate place that is well ventilated. The rays of the sun should get there, the humidity should be within 17-18%. If the hay is not to the taste of the rabbits, it will go well with other animals.

 

Leaves shouldn't start to crumble

Quinoa with milkweed, a mixture of herbs

The herbs you can mix in your rabbit green diet are listed above. There are different opinions about milkweed. Some of the farmers are inclined to believe that euphorbia can be given to animals in small quantities, but it is necessary to choose a species that rabbits will accept.

Most still do not risk using it in the plant diet of animals, since it contains a very large amount of toxic substances. When poisoning with milkweed, even with a minimum amount of poison ingested, rabbits die. There is an opinion among rabbit breeders that it is this herb that aggravates the taste of rabbit meat, so they do not seek to add it to the diet with quinoa or mixtures of herbs.

Successful feeding of pets depends on a number of procurement rules.

It's worth remembering! When a plant prepares for seed formation, it cannot be harvested - it becomes poisonous and unsuitable for nutrition.