Basics of a more natural diet

 I feel it is easy to raise extremely healthy rabbit, with a forage based diet. Rabbits are naturally herbivores, they have evolved to eat a wide variety of grasses, herbs, bark and plants. I should clarify by saying I am not anti pellet, I just feel you can provide a very healthy diet without commercial rabbit pellets. With most pellets I don't feel you get what you pay for (the exception being Sherwood Forest rabbit pellets, very high quality and when I feed a pellet, I choose this one.)  Commercial rabbit pellets are primarily composed of alfalfa, grain, some fat, salt, vitamins and minerals. All of which can be provided separately for less cost. A natural diet takes a lot more time and effort but I feel the results are worth it.

My buns get free choice grass hay year round as I've found this cuts down on a lot of digestive issues. I also feed alfalfa cubes to up the protein and there is less waste with alfalfa cubes versus alfalfa hay, although some people feed alfalfa hay in a hay feeder. Many rabbits won't eat alfalfa pellets, maybe due to the large size or taste. One day a week is a hay only day. The amount of grain I feed varies on season, they get a lot of green food in the summer and more grain in the winter. The amount also varies based on the rabbits condition, age, weather and if they are cleaning up their rations. This way of feed does require you to pay very close attention to how the rabbit's condition, attitude and health. Trace mineral salt block is very important, there is salt included in commercial rabbit pellets and your rabbit can get a serious deficiency if you neglect to provide a salt lick for them. I harvest a lot of fresh grass, weeds and herbs (primarily Nettles, Comfrey, Dandelion, Mulberry and Alfalfa, detailed here)

I feed whole grains, specifically oats and barley. The amounts varies with the season, in summer they get less grains as more of the rabbit's dietary needs are met by fresh grass, herbs and hay.  In the winter I feed more grain to maintain body condition and help keep them warm. Nursing does and growing rabbits get more, year round. My grain feeding is a little unusual, Initially I had a lot of issues with waste with a grain mix because the rabbits would eat what they liked and scratch through the mix. To solve this I started alternating grains, oats one day and barley the next. I often top dress the grain feed with some black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS) or flax. This means more tubs in the feed area but less grain being wasted. The amount works out to about 1/4 to 1/2 cup a day per adult rabbit, depending on size, young rabbits get more and also get more alfalfa as they have higher protein needs. All bunnies always have mineral/salt licks, you can get blocks made for horses and knock chunks off.

So to recap I feed

1. grass hay and alfalfa cubes
2. oats, barley, boss and flax (alternated)
3. fresh grass and weeds (in season)
4. salt/mineral lick