What preferably perennial plants could be used for rabbit fodder?

I am pre-planning a homestead, and while I have raised rabbits before in the past, what plants (preferably perennials) do y'all use to make up a meat rabbit's diet?

We raise ours without outside purchased feeds,  We cut our own hay, with a scythe or a string trimmer, rake and toss and fluff it (teddering) for 3 days or until totally dry,  Feel of it, you will know when it is ready.  This goes into huge bags I make out of double bed sheets and into a waterproof enclosed cargo trailer we use for storage or the hay racks over the goat stalls in the big barn,  Rabbits get this in racks free choice, always, and it  is the majority of their diet. For protein, several plants stand out for us here in North Carolina mountain area.  Wild giant ragweed, Jerusalem Artichoke tops, both of which are fed fresh or dried as hay.  They also thrive on lamb’s quarters, a bit of root crop daily (wash it well), and we feed a small piece of butternut, pumpkin, or Hubbard squash daily.  If we have older, mature yellow squash in summer, we feed a bit of those too.  They always get an assortment i summer, dandelion, freshly cut grass, white clover, pea vines (which I also dry for winter feed), young dock, a little basil keeps them wormed.  Also give them pumpkin seed when we have it from the garden.  We make sure they have fresh water at all times and a small salt/mineral lick up in the hay feeder to keep it dry.  They also get a small amount, maybe a quarter cup of sunflower seeds daily.  For larger breeds, maybe a bit more.  They thrive on this diet and are very healthy,  If I had it, would feed moringa leaves, honey locust leaves and bean or pea leaves.  The trick is to give them a wide assortment and watch them to see what they prefer and then up the amount of that if you can, just a little.  This will change daily sometimes, as they get their nutritional needs met and may have lack of other things.  

The Jerusalem Artichoke tops and also the giant ragweed (aka: Greater ragweed) are almost equal to alfalfa in feed value,  You could also grow vetch, Austrian pea and other things for them.  They love radishes and radish tops are much higher in protein than turnip tops, which they also will eat.  Not too much on the turnip and radish tops, very high in oxalic acid and there should just be a balance.  Too much can upset their tummies.  Carrots and apples should be a treat, not a main food source,  Anything sweet can upset them if they get too much,  so easy on the fruit.  No seeds out of that fruit either.  Every now and then (I try to do it several times a week), cut some tulip poplar or elm or apple branches for them to chew on, there is something in the bark they need and it keeps their teeth worn down properly.   They will also eat fresh elm leaves.  Oak leaves are astringent and medicine for them in case of diarrhea, but not much, maybe a leaf or two,  A little honeysuckle is also a medicine plant for them, and I give them a sprig or two every now and then.  

Feye, that was a great answer!
I only have pet bunns,  and I feed them primarily purchased orchard hay.
I will suggest willow and pear branches, as well as chicory and comfrey leaves.

I knew they loved jchoke, but I never realized it was so nutritious.

Faye, I think your rabbits eat better than I do. Do you deliver?

The rabbits that I "have" are wild eastern cottontails that about devastated my winter garden. I thought it might be of interest to note which plants they went for, since they are the wild ancestors and presumably know what's best for them and how to take care of themselves, right? This is winter time and most of the plants I mention below stay evergreen in zone 7, i.e. available year round. So here we go, the "Top 10" on the winter diet of eastern cottontail rabbit in my garden:

1. Parsley. Parsley. Did I mention parsley? To the ground. Like it has never been there.
2. Kale. All kinds and varieties of kale, especially younger, tender leaves.
3. Red sorrel - they are very, very fond of it!
4. Green onions (I thought it was odd, but they absolutely mowed all of them to less than half height)
5. Yarrow foliage (not the colored cultivars of yarrow, which I also have growing and which they did not touch, but the native wild white yarrow, Achillea Millefolium)
6. Leaves of wild mulberry tree seedlings
7. Rose stems/branches - thorns, leaves and all. I was supposed to do my winter pruning in January but alas, there is not much left to prune. They got all stems within their reach that were new growth of the summer.
8. Entire canes of blackberries and raspberries. Blackberries seem to be preferred somewhat, but now both are gone.
9. Branches of young blueberry shrubs.
10. Chickweed (I don't cultivate it, it grows on its own around here and is considered a weed, albeit edible, and they seem to like it quite a lot)

I am a little mad, to say the least.. but I digress.

So it looks like during the winter months, a lot of fruit and berry plant prunings could be put to a good use!

Tanya Nova wrote:The rabbits that I "have" are wild eastern cottontails that about devastated my winter garden. I thought it might be of interest to note which plants they went for, since they are the wild ancestors and presumably know what's best for them and how to take care of themselves, right? This is winter time and most of the plants I mention below stay evergreen in zone 7, i.e. available year round. So here we go, the "Top 10" on the winter diet of eastern cottontail rabbit in my garden:

1. Parsley. Parsley. Did I mention parsley? To the ground. Like it has never been there.
2. Kale. All kinds and varieties of kale, especially younger, tender leaves.
3. Red sorrel - they are very, very fond of it!
4. Green onions (I thought it was odd, but they absolutely mowed all of them to less than half height)
5. Yarrow foliage (not the colored cultivars of yarrow, which I also have growing and which they did not touch, but the native wild white yarrow, Achillea Millefolium)
6. Leaves of wild mulberry tree seedlings
7. Rose stems/branches - thorns, leaves and all. I was supposed to do my winter pruning in January but alas, there is not much left to prune. They got all stems within their reach that were new growth of the summer.
8. Entire canes of blackberries and raspberries. Blackberries seem to be preferred somewhat, but now both are gone.
9. Branches of young blueberry shrubs.
10. Chickweed (I don't cultivate it, it grows on its own around here and is considered a weed, albeit edible, and they seem to like it quite a lot)

I am a little mad, to say the least.. but I digress.

So it looks like during the winter months, a lot of fruit and berry plant prunings could be put to a good use!

I've noticed the wild rabbits in my yard will go for the dandelion leaves first, clover and other vegetables second. The ones I've eaten have a sweeter taste to them than farmed rabbit meat. I haven't done a controlled test yet to see if it's the dandelions giving them that flavor.

I've had good luck with mulberry, the leaves are full of protein and my rabbits love gnawing on the bark.

Thats funny,  my buns don't much care for mulberry.
I've tried it myself, its not great, but its way better than the horribly bitter chicory that they seem to love.

Hay, hay and more hay.
Orchard grass, alfalfa, timothy and a little clover will go a long way. A rabbit can live almost exclusively on hay and a mineral block.
After that, dandelions, plantains (plantago), blackberry canes and mulberry trimmings. Sunflowers and oats. Kale too. Parsley. Anything in the rose/apple family.

Thanks for all the comments.  I forgot to mention mulberry leaves, as they are a complete protein.  Glad someone else thought of it.  I never knew rabbits liked radishes until the wild rabbits “mowed” an entire row I had planted.
Was just reading on a site about a farm in Africa where they collect the urine and poop (poly panels slanted underneath cages and a rain gutter to drain into buckets) and sell for high prices.  They sell it as liquid bunny fertilizer, as they strain it into jugs for marketing.  More money made on the liquid fertilizer than on the rabbits themselves.  Of course, we all know what a great fertilizer it is and anyone raising rabbits is surely using it themselves for that.  What a great idea to market that product!  

Great answers already. My rabbits also enjoy mulberry, they are not thrilled about moringa (and I'm finding it fussy in 9b, so not sure how it would do in zone 7). In terms of perennials, I think that's really it. Everything else I do is annual with an extended season (chicories, dandelion/catalonia, all types of basil and mint-- here shiso gets crazy out of control). They do enjoy the asparagus fronds when I have to cut them back.
I also grow fast-growing vines specifically for them to eat (chayote, native squash, bitter melon, loofa, etc).

We have a farmstead and keep rabbits, in addition to baling and storing our own grass hay in the summer (we supply horse/cow people and keep our own to use) there are a lot of plants around that I harvest to supplement our rabbit's forage. I have a long list of plants I researched at one time, some of which I use and some of which I never have, I'll see if I can find it and write something up, but in the meantime, I'll emphasize blackberries - not just the leaves, but the canes, are a wonderful staple for our rabbits. With a lot of things, you have to be careful not to give them too much, but blackberry canes are excellent bulk food for them, helps their digestion, and if you have invasive "wild" blackberries like we do, its great to have another use for them besides harvesting berries or simply tossing the canes on the burn pile.

Most things in the rose family, including cane berries, make good forage for rabbits. Our rabbits seem to really enjoy raspberry trimmings as a treat but we don't have nearly as many as we do blackberries, which they don't ever seem to tire of. You can harvest leaves and canes during the growing season and dry them up to store as "hay" supplement for winter, too.

After pruning my backyard  pear tree and using the prunings for cuttings, I had a bunch of leftovers.
I kept even the tiny bits, because my bunny loves pear branches more than almost anything.

Willow is one that most buns seem to love, as well - both the leaves and twigs. In fact, it's good to have some always on hand for them, not just for food, but for self medicating.

William Bronson wrote: After pruning my backyard  pear tree and using the prunings for cuttings, I had a bunch of leftovers.

I had a bunch of fresh prunings from my eating apples and ornamental apple trees. Somebody posted a request for free, not sprayed apple branches for their parrots. I dropped off a box on their front step.  

I have to be careful with this sort of thing. If it becomes known I do good deeds on the sly, it will ruin my reputation as the neighbourhood curmudgeon.

Faye Streiff wrote:  A little honeysuckle is also a medicine plant for them, and I give them a sprig or two every now and then.  

Is this vine or bush? I have fed vine Lonicera japonica, but I have been planning to look into the bush variety.

Kathryn,
 I’ve only fed the vining honeysuckle.  Don’t know how they would do with Japonica variety.  

Looking for rough quantities: Approximately how many trees of various kinds, or square feet of hay, or artichoke plants, or pumpkins, or anything you're growing are needed per rabbit? Anyone got an approximate guideline? Exact numbers aren't required.

I did a lot of research on forages for livestock and made up a chart I use in the classes I teach here at Heartsong Farm.  
Poplar leaves have 15 to 16 percent protein, sunchoke or sunflower leaves 14 to 28 percent, depending on whether young leaves or older leaves.  Dandelion is 12 to 20 percent, with loads of other nutrients, and high in calcium.  Lamb’s quarters are 24 to 28 percent, smartweed 22 to 26 percent.  Multiflora rose is 14.5 to 18 percent and has a 59 to 1 calcium to phosphorous ratio, making it ideal for nursing moms.  Brambles similar to rose.  Young pigweed (wild amaranth) is 21 to 26.  Young Ragweed comes in at 25 and the seeds are even higher.  Plantain is 11 to 18 and kills bacterial infections in the gut.  Black locust is 24.   Chicory is 18 to 22 and sweet potato leaves 17.  Elm leaves are 7 to 8 and honeysuckle 13 to 16,  Lespedeza sericea is is 12 to 16.  Birds foot trefoil is 15 to 28.  Kudzu is one of the best forages, but toxic if hit by frost.  It has 24.5 percent protein, and very high in minerals, especially calcium, good for growing, pregnant or lactating stock but might be too rich for adult males if they get a lot of it.  Compare these percentages to alfalfa which is generally 17 percent.  This is by no means a complete list and I hope this encourages you to research those plants which grow in your area.  Always feed a wide variety so they don’t get too much of any one thing.  

Faye Streiff wrote:I did a lot of research on forages for livestock and made up a chart I use in the classes I teach here at Heartsong Farm.  
Poplar leaves have 15 to 16 percent protein, sunchoke or sunflower leaves 14 to 28 percent, depending on whether young leaves or older leaves.  Dandelion is 12 to 20 percent, with loads of other nutrients, and high in calcium.  Lamb’s quarters are 24 to 28 percent, smartweed 22 to 26 percent.  Multiflora rose is 14.5 to 18 percent and has a 59 to 1 calcium to phosphorous ratio, making it ideal for nursing moms.  Brambles similar to rose.  Young pigweed (wild amaranth) is 21 to 26.  Young Ragweed comes in at 25 and the seeds are even higher.  Plantain is 11 to 18 and kills bacterial infections in the gut.  Black locust is 24.   Chicory is 18 to 22 and sweet potato leaves 17.  Elm leaves are 7 to 8 and honeysuckle 13 to 16,  Lespedeza sericea is is 12 to 16.  Birds foot trefoil is 15 to 28.  Kudzu is one of the best forages, but toxic if hit by frost.  It has 24.5 percent protein, and very high in minerals, especially calcium, good for growing, pregnant or lactating stock but might be too rich for adult males if they get a lot of it.  Compare these percentages to alfalfa which is generally 17 percent.  This is by no means a complete list and I hope this encourages you to research those plants which grow in your area.  Always feed a wide variety so they don’t get too much of any one thing.  

Approximately how many of these do you need to plant to have enough to feed one rabbit?

I don’t really plant much of anything.  These plants are all wild foraged on our property.  A larger breed, of course, eats more, and a nursing mom eats a lot more than a non pregnant adult rabbit.  Generally they need a chunk of hay about the size of their body, about a cup of grain (in my case sprouted grain), and as much other wild plants, grass, leaves, clover, etc., as I can find per day.  You can also grow collards, or other leafy greens for them.  They love sweet pea vines or leaves from green beans.  Avoid too much of the high oxalic stuff like spinach or chard.  They eat a lot.  If growing grain, it depends on the soil fertility,amount of rainfall and too many other factors to consider or compute into the equation.  We know how to grow the grain, but usually just buy it.  We are getting old (late 70’s and 80 ish), so don’t work quite as hard as we used to.  I’ve had deer and groundhogs raid the sunflowers this year and get into the corn, oat or wheat patch and eat everything.  

If you had to plan quantities of each plant for a new garden, about how many of each plant would you place for each rabbit? I’m trying to get a rough estimate of what all would be needed, can’t seem to find quantities on any resource anywhere. I don’t know if I need one or one dozen elm trees, one or one thousand square feet of hay, etc.

Christopher, I think there are so many variations (climate, feed type, rabbit type/size) that maybe aside from saying you need a flake of hay and cup of pellets per day per rabbit I don't think I've seen anything helpful.
Personally we feed a huge variety of stuff depending on what's available. I have 1 mulberry tree per rabbit, but they only eat that rarely, when there's nothing else. I adapt my number of rabbits to suit my stream of edibles (not the other way around), since waste processing/fertilizer production is their main purpose for me.
I think the best option for you will be to keep records on your rabbits as to how much they eat and what you can grow for them.

Christopher,
I think your best choice would be to start very small, keep lots of records and grow into it.  Maybe plan for your first litter when weather is warm and there are lots of wild foraged edibles available to help with feed, keep several bales of hay on hand, and grain if you are feeding that.  See how they do, change up according to the season and what is available (slowly so you don’t upset their digestive system), and what foods they prefer.  Food preferences change constantly according to how much they need certain minerals in those foods.  Remember variety is key.  Not too much of any one thing, except hay free choice.  If they waste hay, change the type feeder you put it in and do lots of research.  Also you can try putting out a half portion at a time and adding more as they eat it.  We use bowls for water as they cannot always get enough out of the bottles and those tend to go awry a lot anyway.  This year a baby got its feet wet in the water bowl and froze to death during the night due to being too cold.   So now I take the water out at night or in really cold weather and if freezing, bring slightly warm water to them twice a day, then remove the bowl.   I also put less water in when there are babies so they don’t have so many accidents or fall into water and drown.  You can use a shallow bowl and put a rock in the center so they can’t climb into water, much like people do with baby chicks absent a commercial type watering device.  

Most rabbit pellets have soy as the primary protein source, which I prefer to avoid as it is always GMO and has too much estrogen.  They also have alfalfa, corn, grain byproducts, a little molasses, and some vitamins/minerals added.  I use dried kudzu, honey locust when I can get it, clover, trefoil, as a protein source, and they get sunflower seed for both protein and vitamin E and minerals.  The winter squash seeds are high protein and high in zinc and other things good for them.  So pick a system that will work in your area and with your available feedstuffs and jump in.   Nothing is carved in stone, be flexible enough to change it up when they are not thriving or growing as fast as you’d like them to.  

Good luck with your endeavors!

C Mouse wrote:Hay, hay and more hay.
Orchard grass, alfalfa, timothy and a little clover will go a long way. A rabbit can live almost exclusively on hay and a mineral block.
After that, dandelions, plantains (plantago), blackberry canes and mulberry trimmings. Sunflowers and oats. Kale too. Parsley. Anything in the rose/apple family.

Rabbits can be like toddlers. Mine didn't like mulberry at first. But when I fed it dry in the winter, they decided it wasn't too bad. By the next summer, it was one of their favorites.

Carla Burke wrote:Willow is one that most buns seem to love, as well - both the leaves and twigs. In fact, it's good to have some always on hand for them, not just for food, but for self medicating.

Mine devour the entire new branches.
You can micro irrigate willow trees to grow where they might not otherwise.
Although, from experience, two straight years of real drought puts a hurting on them.

Cut and dried is just as good for the winter. High protein content. And as mentioned, there is medicinal value.

Perennial plants suitable for rabbit fodder include alfalfa, clover, timothy grass, dandelions, chicory, plantain, yarrow, and comfrey.

maan mallik wrote:Perennial plants suitable for rabbit fodder include alfalfa, clover, timothy grass, dandelions, chicory, plantain, yarrow, and comfrey.

Welcome to permies! Do you breed meat rabbits?

I read that jacaranda makes good animal fodder but cannot find for which animals this is true. Is it safe to feed jacaranda leaves to rabbits?

i had a bit of a search and didn't find anything definitive. many sources saying it's non toxic to cats, dogs and humans, and many people asking about ruminants and not getting answers.

I did find a local article saying the biggest enemy of a native jacaranda here in Brazil, dalbergia nigra, is wild rabbits-- not sure what kind of jacarandas you have where you are. also they're eating the sprouts of regenerated trees in this case, not the foliage.