Colony addition FINALLY complete!

Well, after two years I finally managed to find the time to finish the addition (well, 95%). There will be one doe on each side and Fred will spend three weeks with one then three weeks with the other. That way each doe will be alone when she gives birth and won't have Fred trying to make a new litter before she gets the old one out...lol.

It is sitting on 24"x30" patio stones so there will not be any dig outs. It is cleaned out about every two weeks or so and a fresh bale of straw is split between the two sides which provides plenty of bedding for them to play around in and keeps them off the cold patio stones. The old straw goes in with the chickens where they can dig around in it and it keeps the run cleaner and gives them an area to run around on in the winter. My neighbor gave me a bunch of old steel roofing he had lying around so it now has a metal roof on it which keeps everyone dry.

There are two solar light panels with two lights each that I have installed since the picture was taken. They are a kit made by Noma that I get at Canadian Tire which have worked very well and light up the colony pretty bright. I have similar kits in the chicken coops, feed shed and surrounding area. The whole place lights up like a city block at night and I can do my chores at night without a flashlight although I have a head light that I wear to make things that much easier.

I couldn't be happier with this setup. The rabbits seem very happy running around in the straw, the little ones run and jump and play. It's a pleasure to watch.There is a nestbox in each one and a clay pipe for a hidey hole. I"ll work on getting other play and hiding features in there as I think about them

Very, very nice set-up, Truckinguy! You've put a lot of thought and effort into it and it shows.

I've used the two compartments with the commuting buck in the past and it works very well. You should have great success with your rabbits this year. I like the idea of the solar lights... good for discouraging predators too.

Thanks, Maggie! I have panels that I made to board up the front for winter so the snow doesn't drift in. There will still be lots of gaps and holes for air movement. Last year the snow drifted right around to the door in the original half of the colony and I wasn't prepared for that. I had to dig a big drift out, board up the front, clean out all the bedding and snow and put fresh bedding in. I"m ready for it this year!

I still have Morgan and three of her daughters and I"m going to have to make a tough decision. I wanted to have two does per side but the three daughters are sharing the right side at the moment and are having some issues with each other. Two have litters because I left them together with Fred too long but both litters are doing great. I doubt Morgan is going to make the cut, she is looking a little worse for wear and after the apparent teat infection last winter she hasn't had any more litters. One of the daughters is very timid so she might be the other one to go. The other two are great, one is a big red doe, the other is a smaller blue but most of the kits I've had here have a touch of red in their coats, probably handed down the line from old Scarlett (miss her!). Fred is from her original litter more than six years ago now.

One lesson I learned after building this is to build it so I can stand up straight while cleaning it. Oh well, next time! I"m sure in a couple of years it will need renovation or replacement anyway.

Tough decisions for sure, Truckinguy. I know how fond you are of Morgan. But I think you have already made your decisions regarding which does to keep - just a matter of following through on it. Not easy, I know.

Wow, Truckin'Guy! What spacious digs! Took ya long enough, though...

Truckinguy":2m50mnor said:

One lesson I learned after building this is to build it so I can stand up straight while cleaning it.

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That does make things much easier- but sometimes it is hard to justify the cost of materials during the initial build.

Can you take pictures of the inside?

Bandits Bunny Farm":3033psnp said:

Can you take pictures of the inside?

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I'll see if I have some pics of the inside. Nothing special, just 2x4 frame and roof joists with chipboard on the outside and roof and metal roofing over that. I lined the inside with whatever I had lying around, 2"x2" fence wire, hardware cloth and chicken wire so they couldn't chew out through the wood. I"m going to remove the chicken wire and replace it with something else because the squares are small enough for a newborn kit to get it's head stuck in it and freeze to death (that wasn't a good morning).

The open side with the cage wire on it is double wired ie. wire on both the outside and inside of the 2x4's so that a raccoon can't reach through the wire and grab a rabbit. I've been pulling apart some of my cages to get the wire.

Here's a couple of pics of the original section during construction if that helps.

that's really neat! Thanks! After we move and are settled in the new house we might do something like that.... but somewhat smaller.

This looks great. I think once i have a spot and materials i want to do something very similar for my first colony.

Here's a pic of the colony last winter. I didn't get the panels on the front until after it drifted like that during a bad storm. I had to dig it out, replace the bedding and board it up. I'll have all the panels ready this year and have it boarded up snug before the big storms hit. I leave the wire opening in the door clear and there are vents at the top just under the roof so there's still lots of ventilation. They do fine during the winter and breed all winter long. I lose a kit here and there due to the cold but really no more than I would usually lose anyway.

Brrrrrrrr! Truckinguy, did you have to remind me what last winter was like?

I sure hope we don't get another one like that anytime soon!
:snowing:

Unfortunately, Maggie, I keep hearing it's going to be at least as bad as last year, maybe worse. Speaking as a truck driver, I'm not happy about that at all!

Truckinguy, that looks awesome! :hooray:

We're wondering about our winter coming up even here. The tallows and some other trees started changing color in August. :shock: The first weekend of October was cool... not something we normally see until the very end of October. It's cool again now. Currently 54*, bottoming out in the mid 40s tonight. Very unusual.

That is a BEAUTIFUL set up!

Edited because I actually re-read the first post which answered my question.

Great job Truckin!