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Turnip varieties for winter feed

 
Posts: 52
Location: Benson, VT
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We have a small homestead in Vermont and have raised meat rabbits for many years, recently cut back to about a dozen. I typically feed them Jerusalem artichoke leaves and tubers during the warmer months and we are trying to get away from dependence on bagged feed in the event of a major disruption to the supply chain. Unfortunately Jerusalem artichokes doesn’t store well.
I had read somewhere about a fella that grew a type of turnip, French variety possibly that stores excellent all winter and supplies his rabbits with adequate nutrition. Anybody have any experience growing a turnip that fits the bill and could possibly be grown this year to stock up for winter? We have extensive gardens but are on a small one acre property so it limits growing some crops. Thanks
 
Steward of piddlers
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Location: Upstate NY, Zone 5, 43 inch Avg. Rainfall
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Forgive me as I am not well read with rabbit nutrition so I'm taking a shot in the dark.

Could you be referencing Mangelwurzels?

It is a fodder beet, not a turnip, but I figure I'd try and be helpful.
 
Dennis Hillier
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I seem to recall the particular article referencing a turnip variety that was pretty large. I will check out the beet variety that you mentioned as that might be an option as well. Thanks!
 
gardener
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Might it have been a swede - rutabaga also known as a turnip. Both the leaves and roots are grown as a fodder crop.

We eat the roots but I also grow it for our chickens who love the leaves.
 
steward
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Google tells me that there is a french variety of turnips.

And google say turnip store well in sand ...

The French word for "turnip" is navet (pronounced nah-vey). It can also refer to a rutabaga or swede, which are sometimes called "French turnips".

 
Dennis Hillier
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I did a little research on the suggestions from people in this post and there seems to be a pattern of not recommending certain turnips and other root crops as a steady diet due to high sugar or starch levels. I read an article from the 1940’s that said many meat rabbit farmers fed a regular diet of these French turnips with no issues. It sounds like it’s one of those just try it scenario’s, our rabbits are pretty well versed in eating root vegetables and greens so I am hoping a transition away from
pellets might not be to difficult.
 
pollinator
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Do you / could you have a root cellar?  You could  store any root vegetable, for your and for bugs bunny. I dont and wished I did.  Like Ive been saying for years. "Maybe next year I'll have a root cellar."
 
Dennis Hillier
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The only place I have is the seller in my old farmhouse, but I typically don’t store things down there. It can get a little humid. I have an unheated workshop area that I keep most of my stuff in inside milk crates, and it stays typically in the low 40s there winter.
 
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I think I might have a little experience, I’ve got an idea of how to grow white egg variety
 
Dennis Hillier
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I’m all ears, please continue
 
gardener
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Jerusalem Artichoke stalks dry easily, makes for good hay.
Have you tried storing the roots in compost or sand?
 
Dennis Hillier
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I haven’t tried storing Jerusalem artichoke in sand or compost, my experience is they don’t keep very well and storage space would be difficult for a winter’s worth stored in the above scenario. I do feed them Jerusalem artichokes May through October along with my other animals, supply starts dwindling by the end of the season.
 
Laura Cadwell
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Have you tried storing the roots in sad?
I’ve got a tutorial video though, if your interested
 
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