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Legacy Lane

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My buns have spent their first full day in their colony. A couple days ago I put them in the pen to get some exercise and they didn't escape- I was amazed.
This pen is about 25ftx10ft probably about 4 ft tall, it is fenced on three sides, the 4rth (long) side is my dads garage, it also has 24inch chicken wire along the bottom, it was originally built for my dog a couple years ago, then recently turned into a chicken coop (why it has the wire), but after a few months they started flying out so they have a new pen with netting on the top. It has a large dog house in it (that my dad built by hand it is HEAVY you can't lift it with out 5-8 people, fits 2-3 large dogs)it is raised about a foot off the ground, with a ramp. I built them several places to hide in/under and places to jump on.

My previse plan had been to use "hoop" shelters out of cattle panels but it seem you get more square footage for less cost with a pen. :)

Anyways when I move in a couple months the pen will not come with me, so I need to figure out the best way to fence an area for the buns. I will probably run chicken wire on the bottom foot. I want to use the cheapest fencing I can. I would like at least 4 foot tall. I will put netting on the top. What are your suggestions ?

Oh and right now I have one meat mutt doe (adult) and one meat mutt buck (around 13 weeks), I plan on going to pick up a couple more in a few days/weeks. I want a pen to hold at least 10 breeding does, the bucks will be housed separate. I am thinking a 40x40 :)

Thanks!
 
I plan to make a pasture for rabbits using stucco wire. It is cheap, 2x2 wire that I can bury. The whole farm is surrounded by the same wire and we have no land predators to speak of.
 
While thinking of different pen styles I came up with this.

I will have (3) 1/4+ acre pens for my goats, fenced with 5ft woven wire. A light went off in my head, put the rabbits in with the goats! So here is my "first draft idea" I literally just came up with this 1 hour ago.

-12 inches of chicken wire along the bottom
-5ft tall woven wire main fence
-an area where the rabbits are fed and watered, but the goats can't get into -(a corner fenced with woven wire that has chicken wire all around it but in one hole so the rabbits could come in and out but could easily be locked in).
-hidey boxes/dens in several places over the field that the goats could climb on and the rabbits could hide under to escape from predators or the goats

I would shut the hole in the feed pen while they were eating if I want to catch some.
if any were to become "uncatchable" they would be left if not causing issues -(making others hard to catch)
or I could turn my basset hound in the pen to run it (he hasn't been trained just has good instinct to run, normally doesn't kill) hopefully into a hidey box or the corner feed pen, if that didn't work I could shoot it while it is in the pen.

This pen would be for adults or future breeders 6 weeks +

when a doe is to be bred she is captured in the feeding pen and put in the buck cage (a large cage, like a small colony with only 1 animal)
we would have to find a way to mark them some how (tattoo ??) so we would know to move them to the "kitting colony" at 26 days.

Kitting Colony .
-chain link floors
-chicken wire 12in
-netting roof
-nesting boxes.
- not for sure on size I would probably want to be able to have 3-6 does in the pen at a time
they would be held their until weaning at 6 weeks, where some would go into grow out colony's (doe/buck) and any keepers would go into the goat/rabbit pen

Grow out Colony's
hold kits from 6 weeks until 12 weeks- butcher age
does in one bucks in the other (side by side)
10x10? 10x15?
chain link floor
netting roof


So what do you think ? With 1/4+ acres I don't think the rabbits would have to much of a chance of getting hurt.
 
I can't argue with the chain link fence. Whatever you get make sure its feral dog proof. Hardware cloth is not btw.
 

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