K&Z Supplies Rabbitry - AKA Ketapang Bunnies

The Importance of Alfalfa

2011-04-02T14:19:00.001+08:00

Alfalfa, called the "Queen of the Forages," is the fourth most widely grown crop in the United States behind corn, wheat and soybeans and double the cotton acreage. Although there is no published value for alfalfa hay the estimated value is $8.1 billion. There are 23.6 million acres of alfalfa cut for hay with an average yield of 3.35 tons per acre. The estimated value of alfalfa hay is $102.50 per ton. Alfalfa meal and cubes are exported to other countries with a value of $49.4 million to the U.S. economy. Alfalfa is sometimes grown in mixtures with forage grasses and other legumes. The acreage of all hay harvested including alfalfa per year is 60.8 million with an estimated value of $13.4 billion. When the value of alfalfa as a mixture with other forages is considered the acreage and value of hay is approximately equal to wheat and soybeans.

Alfalfa seed is primarily grown in the northwestern areas of the U.S. primarily in the states of California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Wyoming, and Washington. The approximate yield of alfalfa seed in 1999 for the U.S. is 115 million pounds, with average price of $190 per 100 pounds of seed, thus the estimated value of alfalfa seed is $218.5 million. A fringe benefit to the production of alfalfa seed is the production of honey from bees. In the U.S., $147.7 million dollars worth of honey is produced each year.

Alfalfa is also important due to its high biomass production. The record yield of one acre of alfalfa is 10 tons/acre (22 Mg/ha) without irrigation and 24 tons/acre (54Mg/ha) with irrigation. Alfalfa is a widely adapted crop, energy-efficient and an important source of biological nitrogen fixation. The average acre of alfalfa will fix about 200 kg of nitrogen per year, thus reducing the need to apply expensive nitrogen fertilizers.

One of the most important characteristics of alfalfa is it's high nutritional quality as animal feed. Alfalfa contains between 15 to 22% crude protein as well as an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. Specifically, alfalfa contains vitamins A, D, E, K, U, C, B1, B2, B6, B12, Niacin, Panthothanic acid, Inocitole, Biotin, and Folic acid. Alfalfa also contains the following minerals: Phosphorus, Calcium, Potassium, Sodium, Chlorine, Sulfur, Magnesium, Copper, Manganese, Iron, Cobalt, Boron, and Molybdenum and trace elements such as Nickel, Lead, Strontium and Palladium. Alfalfa is also directly consumed by humans in the form of alfalfa sprouts. According to the International Sprout Growers there are approximately $250 million dollars worth of sprouts sold in North America. Alfalfa juice is used in some health food products.

Alfalfa hay is used primarily as animal feed for dairy cows but also for horses, beef cattle, sheep, chickens, turkeys and other farm animals. The value of milk, meat, wool and all other animal products is $132 billion, thus the total value of animal products plus the value of hay reach the $145 billion level. This far exceeds the combined value of all other high value crops.

In addition to the traditional uses of alfalfa as an animal feed, alfalfa is beginning to be used as a bio-fuel for the production of electricity, bioremediation of soils with high levels of nitrogen, and as a factory for the production of industrial enzymes such as lignin peroxidase, alpha-amylase, cellulase, and phytase.

An excellent resource of information on alfalfa is the monograph entitled: Alfalfa and Alfalfa Improvement, edited by A.A. Hanson, D. K. Barnes and R.R. Hill, Jr. and published by The American Society of Agronomy, Monograph number 29, published in 1988. ISBN 0-89118-094-X

The statistics which are used were obtained from the 1998 USDA Agriculture Statistics at the website http://www.usda.gov/nass/pubs/agr98/acro98.htm

Taken From : http://www.naaic.org/Alfalfa/Importance.html

The Importance of Timothy Hay

2011-04-02T14:17:00.001+08:00

For a variety of small pets, the best diet you can offer them is one rich in Timothy Hay. Dried from a natural, perennial grass, Timothy Hay is inexpensive and healthy. It aids digestion and helps wear down the constantly growing teeth of rabbits and true herbivores, such as chinchillas and guinea pigs.

Rabbits, chinchillas, and guinea pigs should be offered free access to large quantities of fresh timothy hay daily (young animals may have some Alfalfa Hay). Similarly, other small pets, such as hamsters and gerbils, should be given a small handful of hay two or three times a week.

Dietary Benefits of Timothy Hay
Timothy Hay should be an integral part of many small pets' diets. Timothy Hay is very fibrous. Therefore, it is essential for the proper functioning of your small pet's digestive system. As the chewed hay moves through the small and large intestine, the high fiber content aids in the passage of food.

Dental Benefits of Timothy Hay
Timothy Hay should be the main food offered to your rabbit, chinchilla, or guinea pig. As your pet chews this herbivore-favorite food, it wears down and cleans their constantly growing cheek teeth, which are the large grinding teeth in the back of the mouth. To compensate for this wearing, cheek teeth have evolved to grow continuously throughout the animal's life. Therefore, keeping fresh Timothy Hay available to your rabbit or true herbivore small pet is essential to help wear down her teeth. Other chewing items such as chew sticks should also be provided.

The diet of mainly Timothy Hay should be supplemented with fresh vegetables, a small amount of pellets and, of course, fresh water.

As with most foods, no two hay types are identical in structure and nutrient content. This is especially true for Timothy Hay and Alfalfa Hay. Although both types of hay are frequently sold for small pets, each has its place in your pet's dietary needs and should not be substituted for one or another. Alfalfa Hay is rich in calories and calcium, while timothy hay is less-fattening and has much less calcium. Therefore, during the developmental stages of your rabbit's life or during her pregnancy, for example, Alfalfa Hay can be offered. But once a young animal reaches young adulthood (about 7 months of age in a rabbit), she should be switched to an almost strictly Timothy Hay diet, unless otherwise recommended by your veterinarian due to low body weight.

Because of its versatility as both a dietary food and dental aid, Timothy Hay is a great food source for many small pets.

Taken From : http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=1302

My 'Biggest' Lost.....

2011-04-01T15:04:00.001+08:00

Today, after the Jumaat prayer, I went to see my bunnies. to my shocking, my biggest and Prime Alpha Buck, James The Chinchilla, died without a cause. This morning it seems okay hopping around in the cage. It dies leaving 5 little bunnies from it seeds. When it dies, it weight 12kg.... what a lost......

My Order Arrived......

2011-03-31T23:08:00.001+08:00

At last, my order of hay ( Alfalfa and Timothy ) managed to arrived safely. It took 3 days to reached me. And also, I have 3 doe delivering litters today. 4+5+4= 13 active little bunnies. 4 From mix Lop Ear, 5 From Lionhead, and 4 from Local+Chincilla.

But the heavy raining these few days make me worries, can the litters survives the coldness and the dampness ? Only time will tell.

The Study Of Mulberry Benefits : Rabbit Weight Gainer

2011-02-04T10:01:00.001+08:00

Summary

Mulberry (Morus spp), the traditional feed for the silk worm, has been selected and improved for leaf yield and quality in many environments and is spread throughout the world. Mulberry leaves are highly palatable and digestible (70-90 %) to herbivorous animals and can also be fed to monogastrics. Protein content in the leaves and young stems, with a good essential amino acid profile, varies from 15 to 28 % depending on the variety. Mineral content is high and no anti-nutritional factors or toxic compounds have been identified. The establishment of this perennial forage is through stakes or seed, and it is harvested by leaf picking or cutting whole branches or stems. Yields depend on variety, location (monthly temperature, solar radiation and rainfall), plant density, fertilizer application and harvesting technique, but in terms of digestible nutrients, mulberry produces more than most traditional forages. The leaves can be used as supplements replacing concentrates for dairy cattle, as the main feed for goats, sheep and rabbits, and as in ingredient in monogastric diets.

Introduction

Mulberry (Morus spp.) leaves have been the traditional feed for the silk worm (Bombyx mori). There is evidence that sericulture started about 5,000 years ago (Huo Yongkang, South China Agricultural University, personal communication) and hence the domestication of mulberry. Mulberry has been selected and improved for leaf quality and yield for a long time. Through silk production projects, mulberry has been taken to countries all over the world, and it has now spread from the temperate areas of northwest and central Asia, Europe and North America, through the tropics of Asia, Africa and Latin America, to the southern hemisphere (southern Africa and South America). There are mulberry varieties for many environments, from sea level to altitudes of 4,000m (FAO, 1990), and from the humid tropics to semi-arid lands, like in the Near East with 250mm of annual rainfall and southwest of the U.S.A. (Tipton, 1994). Mulberry is also produced under irrigation. Although the majority of silk production projects have had limited duration due to silk processing constraints and limited market opportunities, mulberry trees have remained in most places where they had been introduced.

The main use of mulberry globally is as feed for the silk worm, but depending on the location, it is also appreciated for its fruit (consumed fresh, in juice or as preserves), as a delicious vegetable (young leaves and stems), for its medicinal properties in infusions (mulberry leaf tea), for landscaping and as animal feed. In Peru, the multiple uses of mulberry have been recognised (Zepeda, 1991). There are several places where mulberry is utilised traditionally as a feed in mixed forage diets for ruminants, like in certain areas of India, China and Afghanistan. In Italy there has been several studies on the use of mulberry for dairy cows and other domestic animals (Vezzani, 1938; Maymone et al, 1959; Bonciarelli and Santilocchi, 1980; Talamucci, and Pardini, 1993) and in France there was a research project to introduce mulberry in livestock production (Armand, 1995). But it was only in the eighties that specific interest in the intensive cultivation and use of mulberry as animal feed started in Latin America. It is surprising, that a plant which has been improved for leaf quality and yield to feed an animal, the silk worm, which has high nutritional feed requirements, received limited attention by livestock producers, technicians and researchers.

Like several significant breakthroughs in science and technology, the discovery of the value of mulberry as a high quality feed in Latin America happened serendipitously. A Costa Rican farmer of Chinese origin, whose silk project failed, fed mulberry leaves to his goats and was impressed by its palatability and by the performance of his animals. He communicated his observations to scientist of the Tropical Agriculture Research and Training Center (CATIE), who were receptive to the farmer's news and smart enough to include mulberry in their tree fodder evaluations and later in agronomic and animal performance trials (J. Benavides, personal communication). In Africa, the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) in Kenya and the Livestock Production Research Institute in Tanzania, have conducted successful agronomic and animal trials by themselves, apparently without being aware of the interest elsewhere.

Genetic resources

Mulberry belongs to the Moraceae Family (Subtype Angiosperms; Class Dicotyledons; Subclass Urticales) and there are several species: Morus alba, M. nigra, M. indica, M. laevigata, M. bombycis, etc. which have been used directly, or through crossings and induced mutations, for the development of varieties to support silk worm production. The diploid M. alba (2n=2x=28) is the species most widely spread, but polyploid varieties, which originated in various research stations in Asia, show greater leaf yields and quality. In general, polyploid varieties have thicker and larger leaves with darker green colour, and produce more leaves. There is a large variation in leaf production and in leaf quality (e.g. protein content) among the many species and in the varieties and cultivars grown at different locations under a wide range of soil and environmental conditions, indicating the huge potential for identifying suitable germoplasm for most sites. Many of the references on mulberry in the literature do not specify which species or varieties were used. Often, names are given based on leaf features. In many cases locally grown varieties (native or "criolla") seem to perform adequately, since they are probably well adapted to local conditions.

Composition and nutritive value

Results of chemical composition of mulberry fractions from various authors are presented in Table 1. Crude protein content in leaves varies from as low as 15% to 28% depending on the variety, age of the leaves and growing conditions. In general, crude protein values can be considered similar to most legume forages. Fibre fractions are low in mulberry leaves compared to other foliages. Shayo (1997) reported lignin (acid detergent lignin) contents of 8.1% and 7.1% for leaves and bark, respectively. A striking feature of mulberry leaves is the mineral content, with ash values up to 25%. Typical calcium contents are around 1.8-2.4% and phosphorus 0.14-0.24%. Espinoza et al. (1999) found potassium values of 1.90-2.87% in leaves and 1.33-1.53% in young stems, and magnesium contents of 0.47-0.63% for leaves and 0.26-0.35% for young stems.

Table 2 shows the digestibility of mulberry. As can be seen, leaf digestibilities in vivo (goats) and in vitroare very high (>80%) and total digestibility is equivalent to that of most tropical forages. The degradation characteristics of mulberry, determined by the nylon bag technique, are presented in Table 3. Leaves would be completely degraded if they remained in the rumen for enough time (Maymone et al 1959).

Table 1. Chemical composition (% of dry matter) of mulberry

Variety	CP	CF	NDF	ADF	EE	Ash	Ca	P	Reference
Leaf
Hebba^l	15.9	12.6			7.1	15.9	2.42	0.24	Narayana & Setty, 1977
Izatnagar¹	15.0	15.3			7.4	14.3	2.41	0.24	Jayal & Kehar, 1962
Palampur¹	15.0	11.8			5.1	15.5			Singh et al., 1984
Parbhani¹	22.1	5.9			3.9	13.4	3.3	1.43	Deshmukh et al., 1993
Kanva-2	16.7	11.3	32.3		3.0	17.3	1.80	0.14	Trigueros & Villalta, 1997
Mpwapwa¹	18.6		24.6	20.8		14.3			Shayo, 1997
Dominican	20.0			23.1	4.0	4.5	2.70		ITA#2, 1998
Criolla	19.8						1.90	0.28	Espinoza et al., 1999
Tigreada	21.1						2.74	0.38
Indonesia	20.1						2.87	0.33
Leaf & young stem
Tigreada	27.6	13.2				10.4		0.20	González et al., 1998
Indonesia	24.3	15.3				11.2		0.29	"
Criolla	27.6	16.9				11.8		0.26	"
Acorazonada	25.2	14.1				13.4		0.15	"
Koruso 21²	11.0	10.0	22.0	20.6	5.9	13.9	3.13	0.37	Casoli et al., 1986
Koruso 21³	8.0	11.8	24.7	24.5	5.3	19.3	4.76	0.37	"
Young stem
Criolla	11.3						1.33	0.29	Espinoza et al., 1999
Tigreada	11.7						1.38	0.33
Indonesia	11.9						1.53	0.43
Dominican	4.7			48.2	1.7	1.3	1.61		ITA#2, 1998
Stem
Dominican	3.8			50.2	1.0	1.8	1.10		ITA#2, 1998
Mallur	11.5	34.0			2.7	9.32	1.56	0.20	Subba Rao et al., 1971
Bark
Mpwapwa	7.8		46.8	36.9		6.1			Shayo, 1997
Whole plant
Dominican	11.3			34.4	1.6	1.9	2.10		ITA#2, 1998

¹^{Names of places where local varieties were used.}
^{2 September 1982. 3 November 1983.}

Table 2. Digestibility of mulberry

Method	Fraction	Digestibility (%)	Reference
In vivo (goats)	Leaf	78.4 – 80.8	Jegou et al., 1994

In vitro	Leaf	89.2	Araya, 1990 cited by Rodríguez et al., 1994
	Leaf	80.2	Schenk, 1974 cited by Rodríguez et al., 1994
	Leaf	89 - 95	Rodríguez et al., 1994
	Stem	37 – 44	"
	Total	58 – 79	"
	Leaf	82.1	Shayo, 1997
	Bark	60.3	"

Table 3. In sacco degradation of mulberry (ITA#2, 1998)

Fraction	Parameter				Reference
Fraction	a	b	a + b	c	Reference
Leaf	35.7	64.0	99.7	0.0621	ITA#2, 1998
Whole plant	30.4	46.2	76.6	0.0667	"
Leaf & young stem	27.8	48.95	76.8	0.0300	González et al., 1998

The average amino acid composition and N content of 119 mulberry varieties grown experimentally in Japan (Machii, 1989) are presented in Table 4. Tryptophane was not included in the analysis. As can be seen from the data, essential amino acids are over 46 % of total amino acids. It can be calculated from the table that the average nitrogen (N) is 16.6% of the total molecular weight of the mulberry amino acids (plus ammonia), and thus the converting factor from N to mulberry protein is 6.02. The 204.3 mg of amino acids per g of protein is equivalent to 3.47% N, which is 80% of total N in mulberry leaves. Once tryptophane is subtracted, the difference, a non-protein fraction, is likely to be composed of nucleic acids and other unidentified N compounds.

Table 4. Average amino acid composition and N content of mulberry varieties (Machii, 1989) and soybean meal (NRC, 1984).

Compound	Soybean meal		Mulberry
Compound	Content (mg/g DM)	%¹	Content (mg/g DM)	SD	%¹
Non essential amino acids	n.a.²		108.93		53.3
Essential amino acids (EAA):
Lysine	32.92	6.7	12.33	2.58	6.0
Methionine	7.30	1.5	2.99	0.61	1.5
Threonine	20.34	4.1	10.52	1.75	5.2
Valine	26.29	5.3	12.83	2.17	6.3
Isoleucine	26.85	5.4	10.04	1.88	4.9
Leucine	39.55	8.0	19.45	3.10	3.1
Tyrosine	14.38	2.9	7.40	1.39	3.6
Phenylalanine	25.51	5.2	12.26	2.06	6.0
Histidine	12.92	2.6	4.61	0.82	2.3
Trytophane	6.97	1.4	n.a.²	-	-
Total EAA	213.03	43.1	92.43³	-	45.3
Ammonia (NH3)	n.a.²		2.89	0.54	1.4
Total (AA + NH3)	494.38	100	204.25		100
Nitrogen (%)	7.91		4.36	9.63

¹^{Percentage of the amino acid in the total sum of amino acids (plus ammonia).}
^{2 Non available}
^{3 Without Tryptophane}

The most important protein in mulberry leaves, as in most leaves, is ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBisCO) whose active site is responsible for carbon fixation (Kellogg & Juliano, 1997). Nitrogen in RuBisCO can be 43% of the total nitrogen in mulberry (Yamashita & Ohsawa, 1990).

Palatability. One of the main features of mulberry as forage is its high palatability. Small ruminants avidly consume the fresh leaves and the young stems first, even if they have never been exposed to it before. Then, if the branches are offered unchopped, they might tear off and eat the bark. Cattle consume the whole biomass if it is finely chopped. There is a report (Jegou et al., 1994) of ad libitum dry matter intake of 4.18% of liveweight (average of three lactating goats), which is much higher than in other tree fodders. Jayal and Kehar (1962) reported dry matter intakes of mulberry leaves of 3.44% of body weight in sheep under experimental conditions. Animals initially prefer mulberry over other forages when they are offered simultaneously, and even dig through a pile of various forages to look for mulberry (Antonio Rota, FAO Barbados, personal communication). In a comparative study, Prasad and Reddy (1991) reported higher daily dry matter intakes of mulberry leaves in sheep than in goats (3.55 vs 2.74 kg DM/100kg body weight).

Agronomy

Establishment. The most common planting method worldwide is by stem cuttings, but in certain places seed is preferred. As is the case with other tropical perennial forages for cut-and-carry systems, planting by seed assures deeper roots with greater capacity to find water and nutrients which eventually results in higher biomass production and greater longevity. Seeds might be the most acceptable way of transporting, quarantine and store selected materials. The advantages of stem reproduction (cloning) are certainty of production characteristics, practicality in obtaining the material and easiness of planting. Male plants might be preferred when introducing foreign germoplasm to new locations since this prevents involuntary expansion (Morgan P. Doran, University of California, Davis, U.S.A., personal communication). As in most perennial forages, the time and the establishment cost (mainly for land preparation, planting and weed control) are the critical aspects of the successful introduction of mulberry.

Cultivation. Mulberry is cultivated for fruit as isolated trees or in orchards; for small scale silk worm rearing along the edges or along food crops in mixed farming systems; for large silk projects or for intensive forage production in pure stands; and also for forage in association with N-fixing legumes (Talamucci and Pardini, 1993; González and Mejía, 1994). Mulberry is also found mixed with other trees in natural forests or plantations.

Fertilisation. All the required nutrients for mulberry growth must come from the soil, since it does not fix atmospheric nitrogen. In pure stands, mineral and organic fertilisers (animal and vegetable manures) must be used to replenish the nutrients removed with the foliage in order to maintain a sustainable production. The association with legumes with effective N-fixing rhizobium can reduce N inputs and may be the most desirable combination for some farms, but even when recycling nutrients in animal manures, extra chemical fertilisers are required for maximum yields (J.E. Benavides, personal communication). Responses of mulberry to N fertilisers have been clearly demonstrated, both in inorganic and organic forms, with better responses to the latter (Table 5). According to Kamimura et al. (1997), the nitrogen level in soils is the major factor for mulberry growth.

Harvest and preservation. For silk worm feeding, individual leaf picking, shoot harvesting and whole branch cutting are practised, depending on the feed requirements of silk worm larvae stages and on harvesting costs (FAO, 1988). For silk worms leaves are offered fresh, but some other forms of feeding are being developed. For ruminant feeding, the preferred method has been branch cutting by hand, although one could envisage that mechanical harvesting could be employed in the future for direct feeding of fresh material on a large scale, for processing or for drying. Forage conservation by ensiling has been successfully achieved (Vallejo, 1995; González, 1996; cited by Benavides, 1999) and there have been some preliminary studies on leaf drying (Ojeda et al., 1998). Leaf blades dry within hours under full sun but more time is required for petioles and stems. Some conditioning (e.g. passing them through rollers) may help to reduce water content and minimise the deterioration of leaf quality by over exposure. Diploid varieties dry faster since they tend to have more stomata per unit of leaf area (Govindan et al., 1988).

Table 5. Effect of goat manure or ammonium nitrate application on total dry matter yields during three consecutive years (Benavides et al., 1994).

Year	Level of manure (ton DM/ha/year)				NH₄NO₃
	0	240¹	360¹	480¹	480¹
1²	23.0c	24.4bc	26.6b	31.1a	26.7b
2	21.3c	25.2b	27.6ab	33.4a	29.7b
3	22.9d	28.2c	32.6b	38.2a	29.2b

¹kg of N/ha/year.
²Values with the same letter horizontally do not differ (p>0,001).

Yields. The production of leaf and total dry matter per hectare of mulberry depends on the variety, on the location, on plant density, on fertiliser applications and on harvesting techniques. Table 6 presents the yields of mulberry in various locations. Total biomass yield and the leaf proportion vary with species and varieties. Climate (moisture and solar radiation) and soil fertility are determining factors on productivity (Espinoza et al., 1999). Increasing planting density increases leaf yields (Gong et al., 1995).

Table 6. Examples of mulberry yields

Location	Variety	Fraction	Yield (tons/ha/year)		Reference
Location	Variety	Fraction	Fresh	DM	Reference
Karnataka, India	M-5	Leaf	40		Mehla et al., 1987
Karnataka, India		Stem	52
Mpwapwa, Tanzania	Local	Leaf		8.5	Shayo, 1997
		Stem		14.1
		Bark		2.7
San José, Costa Rica	Tigreada	Leaf & young stem		11.0	Espinoza et al., 1999
San José, Costa Rica	Indonesia	"		8.7
Puntarenas, Costa Rica	Tigreada	"		13.4
Puntarenas, Costa Rica	Indonesia	"		12.5
Matanzas, Cuba	Tigreada	Total biomass	30		González et al., 1998
	Acorazonada	"	33
	Indonesia	"	26
	Local	"	30
Cuyutla, Guatemala	Local	Total biomass	37		Rodríguez et al., 1994
Cuyutla, Guatemala		Leaves	16		Rodríguez et al., 1994
Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China	Shin Ichinose	Leaves	32		Gong et al., 1995
		Branches	28
		Stems	8
Kalimpong, W. Bengal, India	Local	Leaves	22		Tikader et al., 1993
	BC 259	"	20
	TR 10	"	19
	C 763	"	19

Fresh leaf yields of 40 ton/ha /year (approximately 10 tons of dry matter) have been reported in India (Mehla et al., 1987) and in Costa Rica (Espinoza, 1999). Maximum dry matter yields of edible material (leaves and young stems) and total biomass were 15.5 and 45.2 tons/ha/year, respectively. Total leaf dry matter yields of less than 10 tons could be expected under less intensive production.

Animal performance with mulberry

Ruminants. Although the feeding value of mulberry for dairy cattle has been recognised for some time in Italy (Vezzani, 1938; Maymore et al., 1959) and it has been traditionally used in Himalayan countries, the research on mulberry for ruminants has been rather limited. Jayal and Kehar (1962), based on the high digestibility values of M. indica leaves, suggested that they could be used as supplements for lower quality forages. Mulberry was used to replace grain-based concentrates in lactating cows with excellent results (Table 7). Yields did not significantly decrease when 75% of the concentrate was replaced with mulberry. Milk production increased with the levels of mulberry offered to goats on a King grass diet (Rojas and Benavides, 1994) as shown in Figure 1. At CATIE (Turrialba, Costa Rica), a module of two dairy goats (Saanen x Toggenburg) being fed exclusively with forage from 775 m² of mulberry (17,000 plants/ha), in association with Erytrina berteroana (5,128 trees/ha) just as green manure, and from 425 m² of King grass, produced an average of 4 litres per day, equivalent to over 12,000 litres per ha/year (Oviedo et al., 1994).

Table 7. Substitution of concentrates by mulberry in lactating Holstein cows grazing Kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum) (Esquivel et al., 1996)

Parameter	Concentrate : Mulberry
Parameter	100 : 0	60 : 40	25 : 75
Milk yield (kg/d)	14.2	13.2	13.8
Intake (kg MS/d):
Concentrate	6.4	4.2	1.9
Mulberry	0	2.8	5.5
Kikuyo grass	9.3	7.8	6.2
Total	15.7	14.8	13.6

Also in Costa Rica, liveweight gains of bulls belonging to the Romosinuano breed (a criollo type) fed elephant grass, increased to over 900g/d when mulberry was offered as a supplement at 1.7% of their body weight on a DM basis (González, 1996 cited by Benavides, 1999). Table 8 presents the results of an experiment in Guatemala with growing Zebu x Brown Swiss steers being fed increasing levels of mulberry as supplement to a sorghum silage diet (Velázquez et al., 1994). Although the growing rates with the highest mulberry level are not impressive (195g/d), most likely due to the poor quality of the silage, this trial shows the high nutritive value of the supplement. Total intake and weight changes improved with the amount of mulberry offered reflecting its higher nutritive value compared to the basal diet. Daily gains of female calves (0-4 months) were not affected when mulberry leaves were offered ad libitum and the commercial concentrate reduced to 25% of the amount traditionally used (González y Mejía, 1994). In lambs, gains reached 100g/d when King grass was supplemented with 1.5% DM of mulberry (Benavides, 1986).

Table 8. Effect of mulberry supplementation level on intake and weight changes of Zebu x Brown Swiss steers fed on sorghum silage (Velázquez et al, 1994).

Parameter	Mulberry level (% BW¹)
Parameter	0	0.5	1.0	1.5
Dry matter intake (% BW/d)
Total	2.26	2.39	2.64	2.88
Sorghum silage	2.26	1.91	1.68	1.51
Daily gains (g/d)	- 128	- 29	164	195

¹ BW = Body weight

Monogastrics. The silk worm has a relatively simple digestive system, in certain ways it is comparable to that of the monogastric animals, thus, in theory, mulberry leaves could also be used at least as one of the ingredients in monogastric diets. In a trial with growing pigs in which a commercial concentrate was replaced by up to 20% by mulberry leaf (Trigueros and Villalta, 1997), the best level of substitution was 15%. It increased daily gains from 680g/d, with only concentrates, to 740g/d and also gave the best economic results. In rabbits, the reduction of concentrate offered daily from 110g to 17.5g with ad libitumfresh mulberry only reduced gains from 24 to 18g/d, but decreased to more than half the cost of the meat produced (Lara y Lara et al., 1998). The combination of mulberry and Trichantera gigantea leaves, as the protein source, and blocks made of molasses, cassava root meal and rice bran, as the energy source, gave better reproduction and growth performance than a diet of commercial concentrates and grass (Le Thu Ha et al., 1996). Singh et al. (1984) supplemented Angora rabbits, receiving pelleted diets, with mulberry leaves ad libitum and obtained intakes of mulberry equivalent to 29-38% of the total intake. This level significantly reduces feed cost. Deshmukh et al. (1993) fed mulberry leaves as the sole ration for adult rabbits. They found daily intakes of 68.5g for dry matter, 11.2g for crude protein and 175kcal for digestible energy (equivalent to 2.55Mcal of digestible energy per kg). The digestibility values were 74% for crude protein, 59% for crude fiber and 64% for dry matter. The authors concluded that mulberry leaves provided enough nutrients for maintenance. Narayana and Setty (1977) found better egg yolk colour and increased egg size and production with the inclusion (up to 6%) of shade-dried M. indica leaf meal in the mash of laying hens.

Other small herbivores, like guinea pigs, iguanas and snails, could also be fed mulberry leaves. In fact, wild green iguanas (Iguana iguana) came to feed on recently established mulberry fields in Costa Rica (J.E. Benavides, personal communication).

Livestock production systems

The traditional way of using mulberry as animal feed in silk producing areas is by providing ruminants with the residue left by the silk worm. A model of sericulture and milk production has been proposed by Mehlaet al. (1987), in which dairy cows receive mulberry residue and concentrates. The generation of edible protein and employment are much greater than with food grains. This refuse material is added to fishponds for herbivorous carps in the Chinese dyke-pond system, which is one of the most intensive agricultural low-input systems in the world, and generates food and outputs for a large number of people (Korn, 1996). In these silk areas, as well as where mulberry grows wild, cut-and-carry systems are practised and it is the most obvious way of utilising mulberry for livestock, either from pure stands or from associations with legumes (Benavides et al., 1995). Mulberry foliage can constitute the supplement to low quality forage (grass) based diets or as the main component of the ration.

A natural association of mulberry and livestock occurs in regions (e.g Near East and Central Asia) where mulberry trees are kept for fruit production. Fallen leaves in the autumn are consumed by domestic animals. Since fruit ripening happens in late spring or early summer, it may be possible to harvest leaves for forage one or more times before the winter.

The only suggestion of utilising mulberry for direct grazing came from Talamucci and Pardini (1993) who proposed a complementary association with clover (Trifolium subterraneum) for sheep and cattle grazing in Tuscany (Italy). Mulberry benefits from the N fixation by the clover and contributes with high quality forage during the summer. The association produces more forage over a longer period than the individual pure-stands.

Conclusion

The net result of long selection and improvement of mulberry has been that it is comparable or better than many other forage plants in terms of nutritional value and yield of digestible nutrients per unit of area, specially in tropical environments. Yield, quality and availability worldwide, make mulberry a very important option to intensify livestock systems, especially in those places where enough nutrients can be applied to obtain maximum response in biomass production. The high mineral content of mulberry foliage should be specifically taken into account in nutrient recycling and fertilising schemes to prevent loss of soil fertility.

Considering its high quality and palatability, mulberry should be relatively more valuable as a feed, the smaller the animals are. Under equal circumstances, stock with higher nutrient requirements (per kg of liveweight), should be given preference when feeding mulberry.

The greatest immediate impact of mulberry in animal production would be in tropical areas if introduced as supplement to lactating cows and as feed to growing calves. It could be grown near stables where simple harvesting and manuring practices could be implemented.

References

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Deshmukh, S.V.; Pathak, N.V. & Takalikar, D.A. 1993. Nutritional effect of mulberry (Morus alba) leaves as sole ration of adult rabbits. World Rabbit Science 1(2):67-69.

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Jayal, M.M. and Kehar, N.D. 1962. A study on the nutritive value of mulberry (Morus indica) tree leaves. Indian Journal of Dairy Science 15:21-27

Jegou, D.; Waelput, J.J. & Brunschwig. 1994. Consumo y digestibilidad de la materia seca y del nitrógeno del follaje de Morera (Morus sp.) y Amapola (Malvabiscus arboreus) en cabras lactantes. En: Benavides, J. Arboles y arbustos forrajeros en América Central. Volumen I. CATIE, Turrialba, Costa Rica. p155-162.

Kamimura, C.; Koga, S.; Hashimoto, A.; Matsuishi, N.; Torihama, Y.; Nishiguchi, T. and Shinohara, K. 1997. Studies on the factors influencing the mulberry (Morus alba) productivity in fields. Journal of Sericultural Science of Japan 66(3):176-191.

Kellogg, E.A. & Juliano, N.D. 1997. The structure and function of RuBisCo and their implications for systematic studies. American Journal of Botany 84(3):413-428.

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Lara y Lara, P.E.; Sanginés G., R. & Dzib M., R. 1998. Utilización de hojas de morera (Morus alba) en la producción de carne de conejo. Memorias del IX Congreso Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico Agropecuario. ITA#2, Conkal, Yucatán. p257.

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Ojeda, F.; Martí, J.; Martínez, Nereyda & Lajonchere, G. 1998. Harina de morera: un concentrado tropical. En:Memorias del III Taller Internacional Silvopastoril "Los árboles y arbustos en la gandería". Estación experimental de Pastos y Forrajes Indio Hatuey, Matanzas, Cuba 25-27 noviembre 1998.

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SOURCE :

http://www.fao.org/ag/aga/AGAP/frg/Mulberry/Papers/HTML/Mulbwar2.htm

Mulberry: an exceptional forage available almost worldwide!

Manuel D. Sánchez

Animal Production and Health Division. FAO, Rome

10 Reason Why You Should Eat Rabbit Meat

2011-01-16T01:05:00.001+08:00

1. It is one of the best white meats available on the market today.
2. The meat has a high percentage of easily digestible protein.
3. It contains the least amount of fat among all the other available meets.
4. Rabbit meat contains less calorie value than other meats.
5. Rabbit meat is cholesterol free and therefore heart patient friendly.
6. The sodium content of rabbit meat is comparatively less than other meats.
7. The calcium and phosphorus contents of this meat or more than any other meats.
8. The ratio of me to bone is high meaning there is more edible meat on the carcass than even a chicken.
9. Rabbit meat with the many health benefits does not have a strong flavor and is comparable to chicken but not identical.
10. Rabbits are one of the most productive domestic livestock animal there is. Rabbits can produce 6 pounds of meat on the same feed and water as the cow will produce 1 pound of meat on the same feed and water.

So as you can see there are many health benefits to eating rabbit meat. It is healthy for you and cheap to produce. Why not try to incorporate some rabbit meat into your diet today.

Source : Beruas AgroFarm

At Last.. The New Update

2011-01-15T12:51:00.001+08:00

It's been a while since the school session opens last week.
Today, after finishing some urgent works, I finally able to update my new water system and pellet box.
If you look at the water system, I use a 10 Liter bottle to distribute the water to 4 cells. and as you can see, it's easier than before.
This is only a sample of the working system, If i have time, I will assemble the system to all my cages.

The pellet box, which I order from a fellow breeder in Perak, also helps me to save times in maintaining the bunnies.
I will brief more about the pellet box on next post.

2011, The Year Of Metal Rabbit

2011-01-07T11:19:00.001+08:00

The Rabbit ( 兔 ) (also translated as Hare) is the fourth animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. The Year of the Rabbit is associated with the earthly branch symbol 卯.

In the related Vietnamese zodiac, the cat takes the place of the rabbit.^[1]^[2] The Chinese symbol 卯 for the Rabbit sounds like (mão, mẫu, méo, mẹo, mẻo); the word "mèo" is cat in Vietnamese. Therefore, cat was translated from Chinese to Vietnamese as fourth zodiac sign instead of Rabbit.

Persons born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the "Year of the Rabbit," while also bearing the following elemental sign:^[3]

29 January 1903 – 15 February 1904: Water Rabbit
14 February 1915 – 2 February 1916: Wood Rabbit
2 February 1927 – 22 January 1928: Fire Rabbit
19 February 1939 – 7 February 1940: Earth Rabbit
6 February 1951 – 26 January 1952: Metal Rabbit
25 January 1963 – 12 February 1964: Water Rabbit
11 February 1975 – 30 January 1976: Wood Rabbit
29 January 1987 – 16 February 1988: Fire Rabbit
16 February 1999 – 4 February 2000 Earth Rabbit
3 February 2011 – 22 January 2012: Metal Rabbit
2023 – 2024: Water Rabbit
2035 – 2036: Wood Rabbit
2047 – 2048: Fire Rabbit

Source : WikiPedia

New Hope For The New Year....2011

2011-01-01T20:01:00.000+08:00

This week is the last week of the long school holidays. Are you ready to get back to school ? Are your preparations finished ? New bag, new shoes, new EVERYTHING. For those who will go to new school ( New form 1 students ), congratulations and be yourself. And for those who still at the same school, it's time for new resolution, STUDY SMART!

And for those who are in IPT's, "Start new Semester with new Everything, Don't bring your last semester STUPIDITY and DUMBNESS to this new semester" – This was once said to KDPM PI/PJK 98-2001 by one of our Mentor.

For all teachers out there, 2011 is the time to start a new beginning, a new syllabus ( KSSR ) and new aim, don't just teach, but to guide our students.

For all Homestay members, 2011 is a year with more challenges and more Guests. Always be prepared for inspections and to receive Guests.

For all Rabbits Fan out there, 2011 will be a new great year, with new line of breed. Watch out for our announcements......

And for all of Teluk Ketapang Homestay Guests, Abah, Papa, Ayah, Umi, Ibu, Mama, Cik, Abang dan Adik mengucapkan terima kasih keatas kehadiran anda semua ke tempat kami yang tidak seberapa ini. Jika ada masa dan kelapangan datanglah menjenguk, kami disini sentiasa menanti dengan tangan terbuka, pintu rumah ternganga.

SELAMAT MENYAMBUT TAHUN BARU 2011

The Secret, Revealed...................

2010-12-30T20:00:00.001+08:00

My orders of new nipples for my rabbits arrived 2 days ago. It's not until now I'm able to look at the nipples carefully and I wonder how this nipples work.

So, I decided to dismantle one of the nipple and study it.

As you can see in the picture, the mechanism is very, very simple. a steel rod joined to a spring and attach to a red plastic screw thing.

To open this, I just used my furniture's Allen Key ( I think that's what they call it ). That mean the nipples can be adjusted to serve water to the animals.

If you push the steel rod and find it hard to move, just loosen the red plastic screw thing until you satisfied.

And to join the nipples together, 8mm tubes are the best solution. But how to join the tube to the bottle cap?

My solution is, use the tubeless motor tire valve. Cost me RM4.50 each and you can see it in the picture. But you have to remove the core inside it first.

If you don't remove it, there will be no water flow inside it. After that, assemble the valve as you like.

Now, after knowing the secret inside the nipples, I will assemble it, maybe during this weekend and I'll post back the result.

Monsoon Season... The Season That Sometimes Kills

2010-12-28T13:30:00.001+08:00

Malaysia is now in the Monsoon Season. This season is most feared by all farmers and breeders. During this season, the unpredictable strong wind and heavy rainfall can cause death. The drop in the temperature at night can also kill the younglings. And afar from that, there are also some diseases that attack the rabbit during the rainy season in Malaysia. Several gastrointestinal diseases are most common and how to prevent and cure them:

1. Colibacillosis (A diarrhea disease caused by Escherichia coli )

A. Etiology: Escherichia coli is a gram-negative, lactose-fermenting, indole positive rod. Rabbits are known to be affected by non-toxin producing, enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC). EPEC adhere to the intestinal mucosa through a 2-step process. First, a bacterial pilus first allows attachment of the bacterial cell to the enterocyte. Second, a more intimate attachment through the eae pathogenicity island disrupts the cytoskeleton and destroys microvilli. A secretory diarrhea is induced by an unknown mechanism. Receptors for EPEC attachment to the epithelial cells are not present in newborn rabbits. They first appear at 21 days and reach normal adult levels by 35 days. The stress of weaning and loss of passively acquired maternal antibody contribute to susceptibility at this time.

B. Clinical Signs: Rabbits have diarrhea, fever, anorexia, and may consume more water than usual.

C. Pathology: Fecal-stained perineal fur and fluid-filled intestinal contents with serosal vascular injection are seen. Edema and pyogranulomatous cellularity of the lamina propria without mucosal ulceration are prominent histopathologic findings. Edema or hemorrhage can be seen in the submucosa. Small bacterial rods (arrow) adhered to and effacing enterocyte margins are common in the ileum and cecum.

D. Treatment: Fluid therapy and supportive care are indicated. The salicylates in Pepto bismol may be protective. Chlorpromazine (1 to 10 mg/kg IM) may help decrease fluid loss from the the secretory diarrhea.

2. Tyzzer's Disease

A. Etiology: Clostridium piliforme, an obligate intracellular bacterium, is a Gram-negative, pleomorphic, filamentous organism that can produce spores.

B. Transmission: The disease is spread by spore ingestion (fecal-oral). Spores can remain viable at moderate to freezing temperatures for extended periods of time (> 1 year). The disease is perpetuated in breeding colonies by the infection of bunnies born into the colony. The incidence of disease is moderate.

C. Clinical Signs: Usually rabbits are affected shortly after weaning when passive immunity, if present, has waned. Acute, profuse watery to mucoid diarrhea, dehydration and death within 12 to 48 hours after onset of diarrhea are typical. The mortality rate is high. Exposure of naive adult rabbits may cause little to no clinical disease.

D. Pathology: Lesions in weanling rabbits include edema and hemorrhage of mucosa, submucosa, and musculature of intestinal tract (A.). It is unusual to see an enlarged liver with multifocal tan to yellow foci of necrosis or hemorrhage of the myocardium as is described in the literature. Extensive mucosal necrosis with a granulomatous cellular mucosal infiltrate may occur in the ileum, cecum, and proximal colon. Visualization of the bacterium is enhanced with use of silver stains. Argyrophilic intracellular bacteria in clusters or "pick-up-sticks" or haystack clumps are present in viable enterocytes in areas of granulomatous enteritis (B.), and if heaptic necrosis is observed, in hepatocytes adjacent to an area of necrosis.

E. Diagnosis: Histopathological examination of liver or cecum stained with silver will be diagnostic if intracellular bacterial rods are observed. PCR of feces, intestinal tissue or liver can be used to document the presence of the bacterium. An ELISA is useful to detect antibody in recovered or asymptomatically infected rabbits.

F. Treatment: No therapy has been uniformly successful. Supportive therapy may help when the enteric disease is mild and the rabbit is still eating.
G. Control: Prevent overcrowding and use good sanitation techniques. Stresses such as weaning and high environmental temperature may precipitate an outbreak. To minimize the stress of weaning, let the bunnies stay in the original cage and remove the doe. Work to prevent temperature fluctuations and keep the rabbits well-ventilated in high temperatures with fans. The spores are resistant to many disinfectants. A 1% bleach solution will inactivate spores that remain after the fecal material has been washed off soiled cages. Temperatures of water used to clean cages may also inactivate spores if the cages and supplies are allowed to contact 180oF water for no less than 15 minutes.

3. Coccidiosis

A. Hepatic Coccidia
1. Etiology: Eimeria stiedae

2. Transmission: Ingestion of sporulated oocysts (unsporulated in freshly voided feces) is the mode of transmission. The incidence of infection is moderate to high.

3. Pathogenesis: Eimeria stiedae excysts in the duodenum, travels to the liver via the bloodstream or lymphatic, and invades epithelial cells of bile ducts to begin schizogeny.

4. Clinical Signs: Signs predominate in young rabbits and may include anorexia, debilitation, and pendulous abdomen with hepatomegaly noted on abdominal palpation. Mortality is low except in young rabbits.

5. Pathology: An enlarged liver with multifocal, flat, yellow-white lesions containing yellow exudate and occasionally a distended gallbladder that contains bile may be seen at necropsy (A.). The pathognomonic microscopic lesion is marked periportal fibrosis surrounding enlarged bile ducts lined with hyperplastic bile duct epithelium that harbors inflammatory cell infiltrates, and E. stiedae macrogametes, microgametocytes and oocysts.

7. Diagnosis: An antemortem diagnosis can be made by examination of feces by direct smear, flotation or concentration/flotation methods. It can be difficult to identify E. steidae oocysts in fecal specimens since they may not be readily shed in the bile. On necropsy, the recognition of the flat liver lesions and identification of oocysts in the bile provide diagnostic information. The histological appearance of liver with identification of intraepithelial coccidial organisms will allow diagnosis from tissue biopsies.

8. Treatment: Drugs approved as coccidiostats for rabbits used for meat in US include sulfamerazine (0.02% in water), sulfaquinoxaline (0.05% in water or 0.03% in feed), sulfamethoxine (75 mg/kg BW in feed), and lasalocid (68-113 gms per ton of feed). Hepatic coccidia are difficult to eliminate with anticoccidial therapy, and lasalocid has been the most successful of the listed drugs in treating hepatic coccidiosis.

9. Control: Rabbits should be housed on wire-meshed floors. Bottoms of cages are to be brushed daily to remove adherent feces, and cleaned and disinfected regularly (1% chlorox). Weanlings should be raised separate from adults. Feeding fresh greens or hay will prevent use of forage that may be contaminated with droppings from wild rabbits.

B. Intestinal Coccidia
1. Etiology: Eimeria magna, Eimeria irresidua, Eimeria perforans, and Eimeria media are frequently observed pathogenic species. All species infect the intestinal tract and replicate in the absorptive epithelium of the mucosa.

2. Transmission: Transmission occurs by ingestion of sporulated oocysts. Incidence of infection is high.

3. Clinical Signs: Signs vary and are most severe in young rabbits. Poor weight gain, diarrhea ranging from mucoid to watery to hemorrhagic, polydipsia and sometimes acute death are seen. Older rabbits may shed coccidial oocysts without expression of clinical disease.

4. Gross Pathology: Fluid intestinal contents are often observed in heavily parasitized rabbits. One may see multiple white patches or ulcers on mucosal surface of the small or large intestine.

5. Diagnosis: Antemortem diagnosis can be made by examination of feces by direct smear, flotation or concentration/flotation methods. A postmortem diagnosis can be made on examination of mucosal scrapings and by observation of coccidial organisms on histological sections of intestine.

6. Treatment: As mentioned in the above section, drugs approved as coccidiostats for rabbits used for meat in US include sulfamerazine (0.02% in water), sulfaquinoxaline (0.05% in water or 0.03% in feed), sulfamethoxine (75 mg/kg BW in feed), and lasalocid (68-113 gms per ton of feed) have been provided in schedules of 3-weeks-on / 3-weeks-off periods.

7. Control: Rabbits should be housed on wire-meshed floors. Bottoms of cages are to be brushed daily to remove adherent feces, and cleaned and disinfected regularly (1% chlorox). Weanlings should be raised separately from adults. Feeding fresh greens or hay will prevent use of forage that may be contaminated with droppings from wild rabbits.

Taken from: All About Animals

Brass or Steel ?

2010-12-26T16:36:00.001+08:00

In my previous post I show 2 new gadget for the bunnies, today I'll post the same item, the nipple head, but from different material.

On my last post the nipple head was made using brass, but this one is made of stainless steel. After a few consultation I got from fellow breeders, they said that the brass can rust over a few period of time but not with the stainless steel. So, they suggest that for longer performance, the stainless steel is the best.

Acceptable Fruits and Vegetables for Rabbits

2010-12-24T20:07:00.001+08:00

VEGETABLES

alfalfa, radish and clover sprouts

basil

beet greens*

bok choy

broccoli*

brussels sprouts

carrots and tops*

celery

chard

cilantro

clover

collard greens

dandelion greens (pesticide free!)

endive

escarole

green peppers

kale**

mint

mustard greens

parsley*

pea pods (a.k.a. Chinese pea pods)*

peppermint leaves

radicchio

radish tops

raspberry leaves

romaine lettuce (NO iceberg or light-colored leaves!)

spinach*

turnip greens

watercress*

wheat grass

FRUIT (NO seeds or pits)

apple (no seeds)

blueberries

pineapple (beneficial enzymes)

melon

papaya (beneficial enzymes)

peach

plum

raspberries

strawberries

Sugary fruits such as bananas and grapes should be fed only as occasional

treats.

NO GRAINS, LEGUMES OR NUTS!

*Good source of vitamin A, feed at least one daily

**high in either oxalates or goitrogens, use sparingly

Some Treats For Your Bunnies

2010-12-24T20:04:00.001+08:00

Here are some recipe to feed your bunny… enjoy it.

( taken from the net )

Ingredients
500g grass hay
1cupo freshly cut grass
1/4 freshly picked clover
4 green beans
2 celery tops-the leaves from the top of a stick of celery
6 carrot tops-just the leaves from freshly picked carrots
1/2cm slice of carrot(no more)
Serving method
Rinse your ingredients with clean water and serve immediately
Alternative greens include dandelions and radish tops.

Treats for rabbits
Ingredients
1 slice of apple,0.5cm thick
2-3 raisins
1 pistachio nut
pinch of oatmeal
apple cider
dish of herbal tea
Serve treats fresh to your rabbit

Rabbits feelings poorly
Ingredients
2kg grass hay
1 cup freshly picked grass and clover
Serve fresh to your rabbit.

Source(s):

http://www.aaps.org.au/usefulinfo/rabbit…

Foods rabbits, guinea pigs should avoid
Brassicaceous vegetables
Vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and kale can cause too much gas to be produced if fed in large amounts to rabbits and guinea pigs

High Oxalate vegetables
Greens such as Spinach, beet leaves and to a lesser extent parsley can have high levels of oxalates. Fed in high amounts these can interfere with calcium metabolism and cause damage to kidneys. Carnivores are unlikely to consume enough of these to cause a problem but herbivores such as rabbits and guinea pigs could be at risk if fed these greens as the bulk of their diet. They are not a problem if they are fed in small amounts to healthy animals

Grain-based diets
These are too high in energy and do not contain enough effective roughage. the high energy results in fat pets and the lack of roughage contributes to dental diseases and poor intestinal health.

Recipes from Nibble Munch Chomp, the art and science of feeding your pet, by Dr. Sasha Herbert-Senior vet at the lord smith animal hospital.

New Gadget On The Way.........

2010-12-23T13:06:00.000+08:00

I've been searching for another alternatives to make my task feeding the rabbits easier. So, After searching the net, I finally found 2 item that can make my task easy.

Water Nipple Head - can be attached to a 8mm pipe and can be adjust to only use a single line piping and single water tank. The spring that hold the nipple head is the main holder to make sure that the head never fall.

Zinc Pellet Box - will be the replacement for all my clay feeder and the metal feeder, which look alike but more expensive.

All of this will be arriving soon and for next year ( a week from now), My cages will be modified and a new installation will be made.

--

KNZ Supplies Enterprise

Raya Eve Tragedy.........Monkey ATTACK!!!

2010-09-09T20:15:00.001+08:00

Today, after breaking fast I heard a havoc in my bunny cages. I went to the cages and saw a monkey jumping around on the cages. A MONKEY. Where the heck it come from ? After I throw some peebles, the monkey climb up to the roof and ran using the power line.
I went to my cages and what a shock. 5 of my bunnies, including one of my friend's died. Their neck are broken and I cannot do a thing. This is my first time I've been attacked by a monkey. This surrounding area never had monkey before. The monkey reach the bunnies through the cages and this is my mistake, I never realized that the gap between the bars on the cage can be breached. Here is the sample of the cage.

The others that use another type of cage are safe. The gaps between the bars are small so the monkey cannot put it arms inside the cage. Here is the safest cage.

The Glorious Moment Is Here

2010-09-06T13:38:00.001+08:00

During this festive seasons, we, the management of K&Z Supplies Rabbitry would like to wish all readers 'Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri'.

Kami ingin memohon keampunan sekiranya kami ada melakukan sebarang kesilapan, samada dengan tutur kata atau tingkah laku, gurauan yang tak kena tempat dan sebagainya.. MAAF ZAHIR BATIN.

Some improvements

2010-08-30T05:52:00.000+08:00

10 days had past and the bunnies got better and made some improvements. Some of the infected areas had dry up and revealed a new skin. Maybe i have to wait for a few more days to returned it to their owner.

I'm a Vet Now ....?

2010-08-20T12:16:00.001+08:00

Actually there is nothing to post right now. I've been tending sick bunnies for almost 2 weeks now. They are not mine. They belongs to my friends. I'm just helping them. There are 9 bunnies infected with the sickness. They got mites and I've injected them with Ivermec, got from the vet clinic here in Terengganu. Some got better and some got worst. The worst one need to be re-inject with Ivermec.. again. These bunnies will be quarantine for 4@5 weeks to make sure they never be infected again.

Here is some explanation about mites :

Ear mites - this is very common. It is caused by the mite Psoroptes cuniculi. Sometimes another mite is involved - Sarcoptes scabiei, however this mite tends to prefer the whole head area and feet and not just the ears (note that this is a mite that isn't particular about who it infects, if you handle your infected bunny, you will also start to get itchy lesions too). What you commonly find is that your rabbit starts to shake its head a lot and scratch their ears. You would also notice greyish crusty material on the ear lobe and the ears stink.
- This notes was taken from : http://www.ask-the-vet.com/rabbit-diseases.htm

My First Open Sale

2010-07-29T23:29:00.000+08:00

Today is my first ever selling bunnies on open market. A very hectic, tiresome and full of crowd day. I snap a few pics but forgot to snap a few pics of the crowd gathering on my booth. Actually the booth is owned by Teluk Ketapang Youth Club (MAYC). I just take a corner of the booth.

A managed to sell a few pairs of bunnies and lot's of booking.

Here's the pics :

Our First Outdoor Sale

2010-07-25T20:13:00.000+08:00

K&Z Supplies Rabbitry will be taking part in Hari Belia Peringkat Negeri Terengganu at Kompleks Stadium Tertutup Gong Badak on this Thursday, 29 July 2010. We will be selling some local bunnies during the one day event and we invite all to attend at our booth. More about this event will be posted soon.

What is Nopstress ?

2010-07-23T12:12:00.000+08:00

NOPSTRESS WITH ELECTROLYTES Nopstress is scientifically formulated combination of water soluble electrolytes and vitamins to combat stress in poultry during hot weather, vaccination, disease, transportation, etc. It supplies the essential vitamins which are especially required to improve resistance to disease infection during stress. Nopstress is easily dissolved in water, leaving no residue and sedimentation.

contains per 150g:
Vit A - 1.0mil IU
Vit. D3 - 200,000 ICU
Vit. E - 300 IU
Vit. B6 - 200mg
Vit. B12 - 1.0mg
Ascorbic Acid - 2,000mg
Folic Acid - 25mg
Vitamin K(MSB) - 500mg

Contains Electrolytes of Sodium, Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium as the Chloride, Acetate and Di acetate salts.

Direction for use:
for tank and barrels
dissolved 150g (1pct) in 200L of water. mix thoroughly

for automatic medicators
Dissolved 375g in 4L of water. Set the medicator to deliver 40ml of solution/4L of drinking water.

Use as sole source of water
Make sufficient fresh solution daily and to be consumed within 24hr. change medicated water every 24 hrs.

HOW DO I KNOW MY RABBIT IS PREGNANT - Taken From Shamza Blogpost

2010-07-22T20:06:00.000+08:00

Many people don't realize their rabbit is pregnant until she begins to have babies. But there are a few signs to look for that might give you an idea before then:

your rabbit begins to gather hay in her mouth
your rabbit puts on a lot of weight in the abdomen
your rabbit starts to dig in her feed bowl
you see movement in your rabbit's abdomen
your rabbit starts to pluck fur from her legs, abdomen, and sometimes back

None of these is sufficient to diagnose pregnancy. Rabbits do have false pregnancies, gain weight, and dig in the bowls for other reasons. And, conversely, many pregnant does show no signs of pregnancies until a few minutes before they are ready to kindle.

About 11 to 15 days after breeding, an experienced breeder can palpate a doe and often determine whether she is pregnant. It's definitely possible to miss the small fetuses or to detect fetuses that fail to mature.

By about day 27 or 28, it is possible to feel the fetuses once more in the abdomen. It takes much less skill at this point to feel the babies, but it does help you if you know what an non-pregnant doe feels like.

What To Do

Unless your doe is underfed, there is no need to increase her feed during pregnancy, though some breeders will increase it during the last week. The exception is for very large breeds that produce huge litters. I do not increase the feed for my Hollands when they are pregnant.

If you know when your doe was bred, place a kindling box into her cage on day 28. She is due on day 31. Yes, it is just 31 days from breeding to kindling!

If you don't know when or whether she was bred, place the kindling box into her cage now. Be sure to keep an eye on her because does will use the nest box as a litter box if it is placed too soon. You will need to clean the hay as needed.

You can fill the box with hay or straw. Or, you can place the hay or straw into her cage and she will make the nest herself.

You can make your own nest boxes. Or, you can order them from an on-line rabbit supply company such as Bass Equipment Company.

You can read more about caring for newborns at The Nature Trail Rabbitry.

False Alarm

Once you are sure that your doe has not been with a male for at least 35 days, you can assume that the pregnancy was a false alarm.

Source : http://shamzaagroproduct.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-do-i-know-my-rabbit-is-pregnant.html

Merging To A New Era

2010-07-22T11:06:00.000+08:00

As I stated before, this is not just a part time game but it will be my additional income. So, to make it more business-like, I merge this project into one of my company, K&N Supplies Enterprise and name this project as K&N Supplies Rabbitry.

So, from now on, all transactions will be made under this company. I will post the bank account later when the new batch is ready to enter the market.

Here's the new logo :

The New Bunnies

2010-07-20T19:52:00.000+08:00

Here are the pictures of the new batch of bunnies I bought. These pictures are taken from their owners' blog post.

Sorry, only 4 pictures of NZW can be obtain. The Chinchilla pic will be uploaded soon.

New Bunnies in The Joint

2010-07-10T23:57:00.003+08:00

The last batch of my new bunnies arrived early this morning (Saturday). 5.00am to be exact. The first batch arrive 1 hour late, at 6.00 pm on Thursday. They all arrived by Transnasional buses. Thanks to pakcik drivers. The new bunnies adapt very quick and their condition are very energetic after a long 7 hours of journey inside a box. Their pictures will be uploaded soon.

I've been thinking why there are not a single company that can transport pets like rabbits, cats, goats or anything breathing in Malaysia? This is to be consider as a new business. For what I see that there are lots of needs for this kind of business.

Maybe our MyRPA can do something about it. Buy a fully equip and state of the art van or small lorry for this business. open braches in every major city and we might even lead the this business.

That's just my point of view.

To Shamza, the chinchilla is very big and heavy, my daughter call it giant. And the NZW is so adorable. She made a spin when you pat it on the back.

To NewHillz, the buck has a unique tattoo and the does are really hungry.

Thanks to both of you, Shamza and NewHillz, maybe I can buy lops from you, maybe next few months.

Ketapang Bunnies and Teluk Ketapang Homestay

2010-07-08T13:16:00.004+08:00

I just integrated this blog with Facebook and received lots of queries and comments regarding this blog. For your information, Ketapang Bunnies is part of Teluk Ketapang Homestay product. We are still improving our rabbitry to house more high quality bunnies. So far we accommodate 20 bunnies ( after we sold 34 bunnies last month ) and will received 5 more bunnies in a few days. The 20 bunnies we have are pet bunnies ( mostly a cross breed between Lionhead and Anggora, we call them Ganu Fluffy ) and the additional five are meat bunnies ( 4 New Zealand White and a Chincilla ).

Our rabbitry are schedule to be open to public in November 2010. but lot's of work still in progress. For those who want to buy some bunnies from us, please wait for our announcement or advertisement.

Home Improvements !

2010-07-06T16:15:00.004+08:00

It has been more than two months I post on this blog. I'm very busy in the past 2 months and not been able to make post. Now, with all the works are done, maybe I can start to make new post regularly.

On my previous posts maybe you've seen my cages, the wooden ones and after using it for a few months, the BRC and the woods start to break and some are beyond repairs. So I sketch a diagram and sent it to a welding shop to make a new one, TWO new ones.

here are some of the old cage pictures :

Above : When it's new
Below : When it's old and broken

These are the pictures of the new cages :

I'm still waiting for 4 NZW and a Chinchilla to arrive maybe next day or so.

RABBIT DIET - Taken from Shamza's Blog

2010-04-28T20:39:00.001+08:00

What are the basics of a good house rabbit diet?

A rabbit's diet should be made up of good quality pellets, fresh hay (alfalfa, timothy or oat), water and fresh vegetables. Anything beyond that is a "treat" and should be given in limited quantities.

What makes a good pellet?

Pellets should be fresh, and should be relatively high in fiber (18% minimum fiber). Do not purchase more than 6 weeks worth of feed at a time, as it will become spoiled. Pellets should make up less of a rabbit's diet as he or she grows older, and hay should be available 24 hours a day.

What kinds of veggies should I feed my rabbit?

When shopping for vegetables , look for a selection of different veggies--look for both dark leafy veggies and root vegetables, and try to get different colors. Stay away from beans and rhubarb. Here's a suggested veggie list.

Is feeding hay important?

Hay is essential to a rabbit's good health, providing roughage which reduces the danger of hairballs and other blockages. Apple tree twigs also provide good roughage.

What quantities of food should I feed babies and "teenagers"?

Birth to 3 weeks--mother's milk
3 to 4 weeks--mother's milk, nibbles of alfalfa and pellets
4 to 7 weeks--mother's milk, access to alfalfa and pellets
7 weeks to 7 months--unlimited pellets, unlimited hay (plus see 12 weeks below)
12 weeks--introduce vegetables (one at a time, quantities under 1/2 oz.)

What quantities of food should I feed young adults? (7 months to 1 year)

introduce timothy hay, grass hay, and oat hays, decrease alfalfa
decrease pellets to 1/2 cup per 6 lbs. body weight
increase daily vegetables gradually
fruit daily ration no more than 1 oz. to 2 oz. per 6 lbs. body weight (because of calories)

What quantities of food should I feed mature adults? (1 to 5 years)

Unlimited timothy, grass hay, oat hay, straw
1/4 to 1/2 cup pellets per 6 lbs. body weight (depending on metabolism and/or proportionate to veggies)
Minimum 2 cups chopped vegetables per 6 lbs. body weight
fruit daily ration no more than 2 oz. (2 TBL) per 6 lbs. body weight.

What quantities of food should I feed senior rabbits? (Over 6 years)

If sufficient weight is maintained, continue adult diet
Frail, older rabbits may need unrestricted pellets to keep weight up. Alfalfa can be given to underweight rabbits, only if calcium levels are normal. Annual blood workups are highly recommended for geriatric rabbits.

If I feed fewer pellets, how do I compensate?

When you feed a lower quantity of pellets, you must replace the nutritional value without the calories, which is done by increasing the vegetables. Also, a variety of hay and straw must be encouraged all day long, we do this by offering fresh hay a couple of times a day.

Related Articles

Suggested Veggies

Suggested Fruits

Veggie shopping list for your mobile phone

Poisonous Plants List (from OR Rabbit Advocates)

Pellet Nutrition

Food Pyramid

The Importance of Fiber

FAQ: Treat Foods

Lowering Blood Calcium

Natural Nutrition Part II: Pellets and Veggies

Digestibility in the Rabbit Diet

Primary Author(s): Marinell Harriman
Sources: HRH, various articles from the HRJ, RHN

Fact About Rabbit - New Zealand White

2010-04-27T20:49:00.000+08:00

New Zealand white rabbits are a breed of rabbit, which despite the name, are American in origin. In 1916, W.S. Preshaw bred the first litter of New Zealand white rabbits with a plan to produce a rabbit that would be excellent for meat and fur trade. The original breeds that were used are unknown, but Angoras are believed to have played some part. (Verhallen 23-35)

Physiology

New Zealand white rabbits were bred for their meat and fur, but their body type helped to contribute to them becoming the favorite breed of domestic rabbit. New Zealand whites have well-rounded bodies; slender and muscular faces with round cheeks; large, long back feet; and small, short front feet (Rubins). They have long perforrated ears that stand straight up. Unlike the thick, snowy fur on their bodies, their ears have shorter fur that allows the delicate pale pink of their skin to show through (Rubins). The most noticeable characteristic of New Zealand white rabbits is their bright eyes, which range in shade from pale pink to bright ruby red (Rubins).

New Zealand white rabbits have large, broad, and muscular bodies. Bucks (males) weigh between 8-10 pounds, while the does (females) weigh between 9-12 pounds (Verhallen 23-35). In addition to their greater size, females are distinguished by the presence of a dewlap, which is flap of fur below the chin that is pulled for a nesting box during pregnancies.

Albinism

New Zealand white rabbits have a genetic deviation called albinism. Albinism is caused by a lack of melanin, which is a vital pigment that gives all creatures, including humans, their skin/ fur/ hair/ eye color. The snowy coat of a New Zealand white rabbit is a normal length like other rabbit breeds.

Diet

The diet of a New Zealand white rabbit is no different than for any of other rabbit breeds. A high quality feed pellet (protein ~ 15-16%), along with unlimited timothy hay and fresh water and exercise will maintain a healthy individual.

Domestic use

In the beginning New Zealand white rabbits were not bred to be a domestic pet. Instead they were bred for their excellent fur and meat. Fryers are slaughtered at two months of age and older rabbits are sold as roasters. The rabbits with high grades of fur are used to make fur coats and fur trimmings. The lower grades are used to make felt hats and glove linings ("Commercial Rabbit Raising"). New Zealand white rabbits are the number one meat rabbit in the United States (Bare 63-65).

Along with commercial purposes, New Zealand white rabbits are also used for laboratory purposes. Over one million New Zealand white rabbits execute roles during laboratory testing. Rabbits react similarly to humans to diseases and medications. This reaction allows them to be used at pharmaceutical laboratories, the U.S. Public Health building, cancer research centers, and university hospitals. New Zealand white rabbits have been used to develop tests and drugs for diseases like diabetes, diphtheria, tuberculosis, cancer, and heart disease. The effects of skin creams, cosmetics, special diets, and food additives have also been tested on New Zealand white rabbits. (Bare 63-65)

Breeding

A female rabbit (doe) is fertile all year long. The gestation period is around 28–31 days. A few days before birth, a nest box should be provided for the new mother. The doe will pull fur from her dewlap and, along with hay or other materials provided, will create a nest. The young are called kittens and are born hairless with their eyes closed. Fur begins to grow in by day 5 or 6 and after 10 to 12 days the kits' eyes will open. At the age of three weeks their mother will begin to wean them off milk, meanwhile the kits will begin to eat hay and pellets. The average number of kits per litter is six but can range from two to twelve. Because rabbits are induced ovulators a doe can become pregnant by the simple act of mating if conditions are right. A doe can get pregnant soon after birth.

Cannibalism is rare but can happen. In the wild it is a defensive mechanism to remove all blood and dead tissue from the nesting area to avoid detection by predators. If young are stillborn or die after birth, many times the doe will ingest the remains. Males (bucks) rabbits have no part in raising the young. In the wild, bucks will kill litters to induce the female to mate with them, therefore passing along his genes. (Rabbit Production, Cheeke et al.)

New Zealand Whites are popular rabbits as pets, in the show ring, and unfortunately in the laboratory and meat/fur farm. New Zealand White Rabbits are easily distinguished by their relatively large and solid bodies covered in dense white fur, their upstanding white ears, and their red eyes. New Zealand Whites have become the poster child of the Easter Season, and are often depicted as being the Easter Bunny.

The name "New Zealand White" is a bit of a misnomer however, as New Zealand Whites were originally bred in America. They were destined for the meat and fur trade even at their inception, and fate has not been much kinder with their widespread use in laboratories. However, as with many animals bred to be slaughtered or tested on, the New Zealand White Rabbit has a cheerful and friendly disposition. They are affectionate, intelligent, and one of the easier breeds to teach tricks. These factors make the New Zealand White an ideal pet choice, as unlike many of the other rabbit breeds, they are less likely to be standoffish and aggressive.

How big will they get ?

Generally New Zealand White Rabbits grow to the following sizes:

Buck: 4 - 5 kgs / 9 - 11 lbs

Doe: 4.5 - 5.5 kgs / 10 - 12 lbs

If you are interested in showing your New Zealand White Rabbit, here are some of the characteristics you should be looking for:

Head: Should be strong and muscular looking, but should not be out of proportion with the rest of the body. The neck should not be long, in fact, a non-existent looking neck is highly regarded in the New Zealand White Rabbit. Those little red eyes should be bright and alert, and should be a nice deep red, and the ears should stand erect.

Body: The New Zealand White should have a broad and muscular body, well shaped, with large, long back feet and short front feet. There should be plenty of 'meat on the bones', though this should not tip over into sloppy heaviness. The toenails should be either white or flesh colored. The fur should be nice and dense, and should be a lovely white color. It should not be too soft, but have a stiffness to it. If your rabbit is moulting, it is not a good time to show him or her.

Faults: It is not considered positive if a New Zealand White is too long, or too short in the body, has fur that is woolly or stained, or that tends towards a yellowy cream color rather than white. Long narrow heads also find disfavor, as do ears that don't stand nicely erect.

Showing rabbits can be a lot of fun, but even if your New Zealand White isn't a champion, they are sure to be a delightful pet and a quiet and gentle companion.