EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

For yall folks that feed raw, do yall feed rabbits? We have a boat load around here all over my pasture. Is this a pretty nutritional option?  I still feed kibble but I would dang sure feed a rabbit every other day or so to cut back on the feed bill. Whats yalls thoughts?  Thanks for reading.

When I was a youngster we ate lots of potatoes and been and for meat it was chickens that we raised or deer meat when we wanted one...pretty much living off the land...very few scraps for the dogs with 9 kids to feed...I hunted my dogs about daily and they ate rabbit...usually one each or 1/2 for the smaller dogs...that was what they lived off of...it was some of my best times...they dogs struck and caught them...if they made it in the rose hedges no problem...I had a few rat terrier crosses and wiener dog crosses that would flush them out or catch in the hedges...fed rabbit for 6 or 7 years...

Thanks Ruben.  Did them dogs stay looking good ?  And if you dont mind look at that dog food post I put on here again and see what you can make of the ingredients.  You seem like a fella that knows what he's talking about.

any kind of raw meat is good for dogs . they weren't designed to eat corn any more than a horse was designed to eat raw meat .

a whole rabiit is a complete ration , they get the protein they need from the meat and the veggies they need from the entrials . and maybe even fiber from the hair ?

i'm not a rocket scientist but it could be thats how god designed k-9's to start with . ;)

the dogs stayed healthy on rabbit...I would hold the rabbit by its rear foot and pull the hide down some an chunk it to a dog or cut it in two pieces and give half each to the smaller dogs...they usually pulled the fur from the mid section but ate the heads hair and all...

the dog food...it is hard to say if it is a good quality dog food but if it says it is 100 percent nutritionally complete then it is supposed to be just that...just keep an eye on the dogs and if they look healthy then that should carry some weight...you can also add a tablespoon or so of bacon grease or used cooking oil over the dog food to boost the calories...the cheaper dog foods tend to have lower fat content...I keep a coffee can next to the stove to store the used oil. I usually add a little during the cold days...

Only concern I'd have with feeding fresh wild rabbit is heavy round worm load.

Have to stay on pretty good worming regimen.

When I lived in city I had an unending supply of tamed down city squirrel. The more we killed the more moved in from down the block thru the pecans and live oaks. My son and I would shoot with pellet gun and trap in live traps and kill squirrels everyday year round cause I hated em diggin in my garden or flower bed. Wasn't nothing to kill 3 a day. I started feeding em while to the dogs. After few months the was crapping and coughing up round wos like crazy. I started freezing squirrels for a while before I fed em after that...

Domestic rabbits bred in cages off ground you don't really get that problem...and had friends that did that.