On Wed, 21 Jan 2004 00:34:59 -0700, Janice
wrote:

Rabbits should not be fed a diet mainly of green matter, young rabbits
will scour (get diarrhea) and die. Older rabbits can learn to
tolerate more green feed in their diets, but they will still need
other forms of food, pellets or dry hay for roughage and bulking
materials to prevent the older rabbit from going the same way of the
younger ones.

Were you planning on using the rabbits in place of mowing, or you were
planning on mowing and then giving the rabbits the trimmings? You are
aware that green grass piled up very deep rapidly heats up and if it's
deep enough it will burn. Dad and I decided to unload the trailer
that had lawn trimmings in it, after we ate dinner one day, and when
we went out, smoke was starting to rise from the trailer, and the
tines of the pitch fork were getting hot enough to burn my leg while I
was unloading it, and when we got to it, the center of the load was a
mass of black charcoaled grass. After that, I understood why
haystacks would suddenly catch fire, it was baled too green, stacked
too soon.

If you want something to mow the grass and do so quickly, make a
chicken tractor, a long bottomless pen to drag along let the chickens
eat the grass, pull it down further, and let them eat the grass...
repeat. half dozen to a dozen would do a good job. Probably illegal,
but get hens only and share some eggs if someone spots them. Yolks
will be DEEP orange with all the greens! Chickens will eat that
greenery though, they're just piranha with feathers!! ;-) I miss my
chickens

He HE true about the chickens
but being irish as I am I think sheep would really cure the grass
mowing one or two would cure the problem of grass altogether
HE HE :- ) Smile
Michelle
"Love is the water in the garden of life"

On 21 Jan 2004 04:23:43 GMT, Ignoramus1390
wrote:

In article , Frogleg wrote:
On 19 Jan 2004 00:14:10 GMT, Ignoramus3274
wrote:

I asked this question in misc.rural already, but want to run it by a
few more people. Can meat/fur rabbits survive if they are being fed a
diet that is mostly lawn clippings? I am upset that I waste so much
time and lawn grass due to all this mandatory lawn trimming, and am
thinking about having rabbits between months of May/October, or some
such, and feed them lawn trimmings. will it work?

"Survive" or thrive? *People* can survive on significantly inadequate
diets, 'though not grass clippings. There are plenty of references and
books on 'raising rabbits for fun and profit'. If "wasting time" on
lawn chores is a concern, you should be aware that rabbits take a fair
amount of labor to feed, house, and nurture.

I already own two chickens and they are doing great, even in -5F
weather, in an unheated shed.

Sad.

Why do you think that it is sad? These chickens are supposed to do
well in freezing cold weather. Think about it, each has a good
down/feather jacket on her.

a few chickens can't heat up a chicken coup much in winter but a dozen
can! Of course the size of the pen can be reduced, and insulated well
and then 3 could heat it fairly well I suppose. Infrared heat lamp
works if it gets too cold.