Hey guys. What is the maximum number of litters would you guys put in a large enough growout cage? I am thinking of putting multiple litters together to better utilize my rows of cages (at the design stage). Maybe 2 litters in 24 x 72 (16" high) or 3 litters in a 24" x 100"? I have a few rabbits now and I like the idea of having two feeders (large Fine-X with extenders) and 2 water sources in a cage to have backup and capacity. That way I am not worried as much about a water source blockage of stuck pellet flows. Any thoughts? I may eventually scale this out to a large rabbitry with hundreds of does.
Maximum number of litters housed together and pros/cons
- Thread starter Kent
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If the litters are the same age, I don't usually worry about how many litters so much as how many kits total.
I'm averaging 9-10 kits at weaning, and I'll be honest and admit that my 24"X48X18"" cages start looking awfully crowded with just one litter around 6 weeks. I usually divide the litters up into two such pens (separating by gender) between 6-9 weeks to create a little more space.
I'm averaging 9-10 kits at weaning, and I'll be honest and admit that my 24"X48X18"" cages start looking awfully crowded with just one litter around 6 weeks. I usually divide the litters up into two such pens (separating by gender) between 6-9 weeks to create a little more space.
This is just an opinion, based on my experiences with rabbits in cages. Combining litters may cause enough stress to slow down growth rate. Even though the rabbits are young, there is a comfort level in being only with their siblings, as they have been since birth. Additional interactions may lead to the less assertive rabbits getting less than their share of feed and water.
You seem to have plans for sufficient space, but there are other factors you may not have considered. Catching individual rabbits in a very large cage is likely to be difficult. Even with two feeders and waterers, a cage with perhaps 20 or more rabbits in it will not give good access to food and water.
If you decide to go ahead with this idea, please consider a Plan B that would allow you to partition cages if it proves necessary. That means extra doors too.
You seem to have plans for sufficient space, but there are other factors you may not have considered. Catching individual rabbits in a very large cage is likely to be difficult. Even with two feeders and waterers, a cage with perhaps 20 or more rabbits in it will not give good access to food and water.
If you decide to go ahead with this idea, please consider a Plan B that would allow you to partition cages if it proves necessary. That means extra doors too.
