Outdoor rabbit pen?

[nattylite]

Hi,

I have been thinking of how I will design my rabbit areas on the farm for food production.

I know they can be kept entirely in a cage, but I want them to be able to enjoy the outside.

I had read that the problem with a small outdoor rabbit area is that the rabbits will start to dig dens and may decide to stay there instead of return to the hutch.

One way to prevent this was to bury a carpet of chain link fence under the soil so they could only dig so far. (not sure of the depth- 1 foot?)

Has anyone tried this? If so, was standard 2 inch chain link fence small enough to prevent tunneling?

[MooseToo]

unless you have a scrap source, chainlink is a pretty expensive thing to bury - galvanized 2x4 fence will last nearly as long as chainlink -- and i'd think well-compacted gravel under a foot of soil would probably work -

[momma_to_seven_chi]

Why don't you just put a kennel (chain link) on concrete? Layer the bottom with straw about 8" deep. If you put a bunch of dog houses, nest boxes, etc into the kennel run, the mamas will nest in them. I've done it many times in the summer. I have a run thats 12x16 or so. I have even made straw houses with bales. Just use a bunch of straw in there piled into shelters, or cover nest boxes with piles of straw for warmth.

Two things I can tell you from experience-
You have to line the bottom of the chain link fence with chicken wire about 12" high. Baby bunnies will squeeze through it until they are almost 2mo old.
You have to roof the top with tarps, nets, or something else to keep the neighbors nasty cats away from the rabbits. My neighbor has a stupid feral cat colony that she feeds. Worst creatures on earth. We need cat leash laws.

In the warm months, the rabbits are smart enough to get into a doghouse or nest box when it rains. Just make sure you have enough of them for everyone. And whenever you colonize, you have ample production, so you have to be willing to sort out rabbits on a regular basis to sell or cook.

[Mike]

You have to roof the top with tarps, nets, or something else to keep the neighbors nasty cats away from the rabbits. My neighbor has a stupid feral cat colony that she feeds. *Worst creatures on earth. We need cat leash laws.



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[silvergramma]

i would think that the same principles for the chicken tractor could be used for a rabbit tractor... look it up..that way they can almost be free range and still protected

[prepngo]

The one thing you have to be careful about in a colony/pen setting is the possibility of Coccidiosis a disease that can result from eating hay or straw contaminated by feces or urine. The best way to prevent this is to house rabbits in wire cages

For more information on rabbit diseases: Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine (http://www.radil.missouri.edu/info/dora/RABBPAGE/GI.html#II.)

There's also a lot of information at "Raising Rabbits for Meat" (http://www.survival-homestead.com/raising-rabbits-for-meat.html). This also contains instructions for building a 3-hole outdoor hutch.

Hope this helps.

[mtwildflower]

The other thing about colonizing rabbits...when my husband tried that, he said the bucks killed all the offspring by snapping their spinal cords at the base of the skull. don' tknow if I would allow my bucks to run amok in a colony like that.

[harvester]

colony breeding is an ok way to breed rabbits really. Its not that big of a deal. Make sure your area is big enoug. You only house one buck with the does. You have plenty of nesting places and hidey spots. Make sure your does get along with each other.

As momma said, a concrete floor is best because even if they do dig down to the wire under dirt, they can get their feet, legs and heads caught in the wire. Babies can get trapped etc..unhappy things can happen. concrete is best. A solid wall of wood, treated with a no chew substance such as crib stop will prevent the babies from getting stuck in the wire, and will cut down the curiosity from neighbor cats. A topped cage will prevent predatory birds from feasting on your bunnies.

The best colonly i ever had was merely meant to be temporary while the real colony was being built. I used my horse trailor! I used the emergency door as my door in and out and just put staw down for bedding along with many nest boxes. Keeping it cleaned was easy as I just caught the bunnies and caged them while I let the horse door down and the ramp and raked it out, and washed it. Also keeping my 150lb cat eating akita tied to the back of it was plenty for keeping feral cats and wild birds from attempting anything foolish.. ;D

[fancyfowl]

I used to innoculate my chicks for cocci by putting a small amount of poop from the older birds in the drinking water at a certain age for 1 day then giving fresh water, do again in 2 weeks. (recommended by a poultry scientist) never had a cocci problem. I have wondered if that might work for rabbits also???

I guess a well managed colony might work ok, I know a lady who has 8 colonies in a pole shed, 1 buck per 3 does in roughly 8x8 pens. I like more managem,ent tho as I breed and keep records.

[momma_to_seven_chi]

I've colonized rabbits off and on for years. Production is awesome. *I've never had a problem with bucks. Highstrung, hyper does can be an issue, but they are an issue in single cages too. *Nervous does are just too prone to killing their young. Nervous does just don't have a place in rabbit production at all. I just prefer keeping the rabbits in a colony.

One thing that did happen this week in the colony was that two does decided to use the same nest box. *I separated one doe to stay with all13 bunnies. So far she is feeding them fine. I was concerned that the two does might start to disagree about who could be Mom. *I never had that happen before, they usually always keep separate nests, but this time they decided to share for some reason. I even considered bringing in one doe to feed them then taking her out and allowing the other doe to feed them. *They have hair now, so the does were doing ok together for a few days. *Maybe separating the nest from the colony was the wrong decision, but I wanted to be cautious to avoid fights.

I have never had an issue with colony diseases. I assume it is possible, but I've never seen it. *You just have to clean out the shed or pen regularly. Production is very high in a colony setting. That is the greatest advantage.

As a side note, I also have a kid in with the colony. She is bottle fed, and I didn't have another small goat to put in with her. The rabbits seem to keep her good company. I do have to feed her grain high enough to keep the rabbits away from it because they are pigs. They rush up to the door and will eat from your hands while you sit in the shed. She and the rabbits all lay in a pile under the heat lamp to sleep at night. She never bothers the nest boxes, they don't hurt her. And having "friends" keeps her quiet.