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| Sherwood Forest NRF(top), my feed(bottom) |
But, I'm super attracted by all the science-y talk and the research involved. Sure, all the feed companies have research departments. It's just not all out there on the company's web page. I like that.
Someone on one of the many Facebook groups, online forums, or Yahoo! groups I belonged to one gave an excellent description of what a good rabbit food should look like and what to look for on the ingredients list. I wish I would have copied the exact posting because it is what I use now as my guide to rabbit feed. My wording is not near as good as the poster's.
This feed passed all the initial tests. It was super green and smelled great. All...and I mean, all of the rabbits jumped to attention the moment I opened the small plastic trial bag. They do not usually do this. I would see actual chunks of alfalfa in the pellet. The ingredients list contained words I could actually pronounce. Two of my rabbits volunteered to be "guinea pigs". I will try them on this feed and see how it goes. While not exactly a scientific trial, I am excited to see how it goes.
What I'm worried about:
- Protein %. My Angoras need lots of protein to grow wool...or at least that's what I've read. After several emails about the quality of protein with Sherwood Forest Natural Rabbit Feed, I was willing to give it a try with some of my non show herd rabbits. I actually LOVE my current feed. I'm just curious mainly...and always looking for improvement. Although recent freshness issues have made my curiosity go into action.
- Corn. My current feed is a corn free feed. I've read most of the research quoted on the Sherwood Forest NRF Web site. I'll buy that corn is not better or worse than wheat or barley. I read somewhere that sunflower meal is actually better, but I haven't seen a feed that uses it.
We're on day 5 of our feed trial. So far, the rabbits have transitioned well and love the feed as much as their old feed...no problems with diarrhea or loose stools. I ordered a bigger box. Nope, it's not cheaper than my old feed, but I think, just like the rabbits, I'm hooked on the smell.
Hi Kelly,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post about Sherwood Forest. Your readers might enjoy the page on our website about cruder protein, and why its' not the quantity that's important, but the quality and source of the protein. As discussed, it also needs to be balanced and have all the essential amino acids in the correct proportions. Also, the M/S (maintenance and show) food is also grain (corn) free.
Anyway, here is the link below...glad your rabbits love the food. We know they will benefit from using it. We have tons of angoras on the feed around the country with great results. We are working on getting a page on our site up that highlites show winnings for all breeds on Sherwood Forest.
Thanks, Bob
https://www.naturalrabbitfood.com/crude-protein/
Thanks for commending Bob :) That would be wonderful to have a page for show winnings! I like that idea a lot. Funny you commented because I just came in from the bunny room. I have noticed that my Sherwood Forest "test" bunnies have been getting really shiny wool. It looks lovely. I have ordered more feed and will update my blog as I go. Thank you for working so hard to get such nice rabbit feed.
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