Less than a month ago, my boyfriend's sister gave our son two young rabbits and a very nice hutch. I've been interested in keeping rabbits ever since I ate my first domestic one a few years ago but I never wanted to deal with cleaning the cages, and it always seemed cruel to keep them in cages anyways. So I improvised, knowing I had time to figure it out as I went along, as both rabbits we received are does. I found an old metal bunkbed frame at the dump, strapped the pieces together for fencing around the hutch, and then wrapped the frame-fence in chicken wire. I let them out of the hutch during the day, and considering the problems I recently had with weasels, I secure them in the hutch at nightfall. In their yard I placed a large wooden box upside down with a door cut into it, and a particleboard ramp leaning against that. Because we were approaching our first snowfall when I constructed this ramshackle rabbitry, I didn't worry about burying the wire to prevent them from burrowing. I'll worry about that come spring.
My son, his trains, and the mack-daddy hutch
We named this one Satin
A better picture of hutch
The Ramshackle Rabbitry
Well about a week ago some folks in town heard that we acquired rabbits and contacted me, saying they had 4 bunnies and two breeding adults they needed to get rid of. I guess maybe some things are meant to happen? Although I had meant to ease into raising rabbits slowly, how could I pass up free bunnies when I already had the set-up going? So a few days ago I picked up the doe and the buck, leaving behind the two-month old kits until I acclimated them to my other rabbits. I put a wire kennel in front of the box-hole door with the back of the kennel removed, so the new rabbits could go in and out of the box, but still be separated from the original rabbits. To keep them temporarily safe from weasels in the wee hours, I just slide a board over the box-hole door at night.
The new box colony
Yesterday I brought the 4 new bunnies home, and shoved them in the box colony as well. Because the snow turned to slush today and I was feeling sorry for the soggy little fuzzy buns, I decided to give them a little incandescent light in there as well, plugging it in to the timer loop I have going for the rest of my menagerie. Well I opened the lid of the box, and saw a bunch of grey rabbit hair from the doe. I knew from what little research on rabbits I've done that this was a classic nesting sign. And lo and behold! I found a cozy little nest in which five tiny kits were snuggled! The doe must have kindled either the first or second day I brought her here. What timing! So now I have a total of 13 rabbits, that is if all kits survive. I thought about bringing them inside, but I think it's better for them to have the body warmth of their family and their mama's milk. I didn't snap a picture yesterday, but the following photo is from today, and it appears that mama moved some of the kits into a different nest. Either that or there is a new litter! I'll have to go investigate when I have a few free moments.
Two tiny nests in the forefront, and one of the adolescent bunnies
I worried about the adolescent rabbits trampling the nest, so today I set out to introduce the 4 junior does to the original rabbits and devise some kind of third bachelor pad for the buck(s). All in hopes of giving mama some space to raise her new kits. I asked a few friends to help me sex the little buggers, and all three of us believe that the 4 adolescents I brought home yesterday are does. So I let them and the original bunnies have the run of the hutch and yard, kept mama and kits in the second box colony, and set up a small buck yard for daddy.
Daddy-O in his lonely little yard where he can kiss his kiddos through the fence
The Ramshackle Rabbitry- hutch in the back, box colony in front,
triangular bachelor pad on the far right behind the box.
For now, until a new litter appears somewhere (hence I either sexed wrong or Daddy-O knocked up one of his lil gals), I think I've got things under control. In the meantime, I'll have to look further into keeping rabbits in outdoor colonies as opposed to hutches. The workload seems much more manageable, for both the daily feeding and cleaning chores as well as setting up housing for them. My plan is to provide the junior does with more furniture and hiding spots, cover the entire Rabbitry with a tarp tent, and probably butcher some of the does when the current kits are hopping around. I'll open up the box colony then, and when I'm ready for more kits (probably not until spring), join Daddy-O back into the fold for a bit.
Anyways, I look forward to writing more about keeping rabbits in colonies as I gain more experience, but what a way to start off a rabbitry! Kits on the second day of introducing a new clan!
