Don't know where to start

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coffeenutdesigns

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I currently have 2 trios of Californians, so 2 bucks and 4 does. Only 1 doe has had litters and she has become a good mom and had litters of 9 both times. The others have never been bred. I don't really have room in my shed for an extra set, so I think this might be a good time to start a colony, maybe tractor pen style so I can move the pens around the pasture.

The thing is, I have no idea where to start. I have some existing structures that have a 4 poles and a roof that I can convert to fairly large pens easily, but they don't move. These are inside existing corrals, which already keep out most predators. I also have 3 sided lean-to type barns I could close in with cage wire or fence wire at the front, also not portable. My thought is, I could make a few different stationary pens and move them from to the other, OR I could make a portable pen I could move around where there is more forage. I life in the dessert, so forage is scarce anyway.

I also have 2 large hutches I could use to put them in. They are crazy heavy, but well built. One I use as my chicken run when I have babies I am transitioning to outside. The other I got from a friend who was using it for her yard bunny. It is easily 5 or 6 feet long and probably 3-1/2 feet wide.

What kind of things do I need to consider for colony or tractor pens?
 
Long before making a pen, make sure the rabbits will even accept being in any kind of structure together.
You can buy 1x2 wire, make a pen of nothing but that, toss on an empty feed bag and you're done.
But again, first get the rabbits to like each other, many won't, some may only like one rabbit, etc.
 
I would opt for individual tractors rather than a colony. My colony was nothing but trouble. Unless you're willing to be hands off and let the rabbits figure things out on their own (which may mean injured or dead kits and/or adults), it is a big hassle. I would get very hopeful things were looking up then something bad would crop up.

A pastured tractor colony could be even worse. Now you have the possibility of a predator stressing two rabbits with babies at the same time, which could end very poorly.
 
This is what I would do:

Leave the does you have in their current location.

Fix up the structures you have with wire to make pens, don't forget wire on the ground to stop them digging out and some thing over the top.

Wean the kits into the big pens you've built.

When it comes time to "do something with them" remove all the rabbits except the does you want to keep as your next breeding generation.

If there is little forage, I wouldn't bother with tractors, I would hand pick the forage and take it to the rabbits.
 
Well, the 2 does have already been together in a colony setting. The new buck was doing fine with them, but he's an escape artist from the pen I had them in, so he got moved to a different pen for now. I think I could even do a pen inside the colony pen if I needed to.<br /><br />__________ Sun Jun 30, 2013 5:42 pm __________<br /><br />The reason I thought I might try a colony style right now is because I do have the extras and these aren't my "main" rabbits. If something goes horribly wrong, I still have my regular herd. I could maybe do pasture pens and rotate them out keeping one per pen. Maybe that is a better option.
 
I'm having pretty good luck with my colony. Just be sure if you build a colony put wire down on the ground or a dig bearier 2-3 feet deep around the whole colony to prevent tunnel escapes. Have does and their kits in the colony, keep the buck in their own pen. So not babies yet letting the little one grown a bit more before rebreeding. Good Luck
 
I also have had good luck with a small doe colony. It just depends on your rabbits. One thing though, you should keep the buck separate unless you have a lot of does and space or you want a ton of litters, and stressed out does...
It sounds like you have a lot of options... If you know that your does are good in a colony together, then I think the lean-to barn and the poles (maybe even both together, to make a huge colony?) would be easy. Tractors and moving pens are good for forage, but they are less predator-proof, and you have to move them a lot. In my opinion, tractors are awesome for "grazing" the rabbits for a few hours when I'm home.
 
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