Reality Check

I want to put my three does and buck into a colony in half of the goose shed this winter. If it works well, I'd like it to be a permanent set-up. I'm very lazy about keeping the rabbits bred and I am increasingly unhappy with seeing them in cages. Must be old age or something. :roll: So what I hope to achieve by putting them in the colony is better productivity, a nicer lifestyle for the buns and easier daily care for us.

My son, David, shares the critter chores with me and has many concerns about this idea. He worries the does will fight, that there will be multiple breedings of the does with loss of litters, that we will have frozen litters in the winter and that it will be more work in the long run.

I plan to use nest tunnels for two of the does (converted from an existing structure) and a roomy covered box for the third. They can sort out who gets what. The colony area will be about 8 x 8 feet. There will be resting spots on top of the nest boxes and a shelf along one wall. I plan to use a hay silo made of a section of 4" x 6" fencing and a large rubber water bowl during freezing weather. Naturally they will also have their grain and mineral block and fresh foods. I thought I would put a litter box in each of the back corners in the hopes that they will use it, but I'm not worried if I have to shovel out instead.

I'm looking for help in trouble-shooting from those of you who have colonies. Am I overlooking anything? Are my son's concerns valid or is he just being a worry wart? I've had does in a floor pen in the past (different does) and it went fine, but the buck was kept separate because I do not normally breed in winter.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Emily

Maggie,
I feel that your Son is "NOT" a worry wart!
Whatever you decide to do is you prerogative,
they are YOUR Rabbits so you have last say in all matters pertaining to them.
I would like to mention that in housing any number of rabbits together
for any excessive amount of time you run the risk of: Fighting, disease,
and loss of litters. Multiple breeding's often result in the loss of both litters.
Often a Doe will ignore the first born litter and take care of the second
and maybe she will just resolve herself of the whole affair by ignoring them all.
I cage my rabbits and they breed year-round with consistency.
It gets pretty COLD in upstate N.Y. but rabbits are very good with the cold.
[It's the heat that causes their problems] It is I that has the problems with the COLD,
but I enjoy having bunnies always available, and working with them gives me a warm feeling,
especially when I have finished feeding and watering and gone into the house to thaw out my hands.
I can see a point in doing what you suggest, but I also see a myriad of problems coming up in the future.
Best of luck with your venture, let us all know how it turns out.
Ottersatin.

Although not a true colony, I have had a pair of rabbits in an 8x3 cage for years (actually different pairs over the years ). I've never had a doe get double pregnancies and actually, they don't breed back-to-back that often. In the spring and early summer for sure, but otherwise, the doe seems to set the pace for litters and often takes a month or six weeks after kindling before she will let the buck rebreed her. If a doe in an 8x4 cage can set her own terms, I would think that three does will have no trouble kindling when they are ready and only when they are ready.

Of course, personality and temperament play a huge role in how pair/group housing works out, but you already know that I would say give it a try but keep your cages in reserve in case you need to remove someone.

I would definitely keep the cages in reserve and would be willing to go back to them if the colony didn't work well. It has seemed to me that so many people are having good results with indoor colonies that it might be worth a try. I am aware of the possible problems, but more and more I wonder if they are things people have experienced or just conjecture.

BTW, Moonkitten, it will be "our" NZR buck, Jasper, who would be enjoying the ladies' company.

MaggieJ":1ihg78jz said:

BTW, Moonkitten, it will be "our" NZR buck, Jasper, who would be enjoying the ladies' company.

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Ah, well if he's anything like his brother Jordan, I wouldn't worry about the does getting worn out. My red bucks tend to be VERY laid back and non-assertive of their domestic pleasures. In fact, you might need to take him out every now and then just so the girls seem like something new and exciting :mrgreen:

9 jw are so freaking happy set up much as you are describing I am having trouble placing any of them as I hate to think of them missing their gang

Now at the moment my 2 adult males are neuetered (Niobe and Dustbunny) so I can't speak to overbreeding but if you found yourself overurn it would be easy enough to seperate Jasper for a break

I say try it ... honestly I find MUCH less work in many different ways

I have never had a colony, and though I would like to, I just don't have the space at the moment. Maybe someday.

I just wanted to point out that you seem like a practical lady Maggie, and I imagine if things don't go well, you would notice and be able to put everybunny back in cages. What is the worst that can happen? You lose a litter that you might not have bred for otherwise? The beauty of this is that you are not committed to anything here--you can always scrap the whole plan.

If you can't try new things, life gets pretty rotten. So if you want to try it, I say go for it, you really don't have anything to lose and you can only learn something by trying.

And the rest of us get to learn something vicariously! Sooo, really, you owe it to the group of us, as a scientific experiment!! :mrgreen:

I like the way you think, Eco2pia!

I guess what I'd like to establish before jumping in is whether anyone who has actually tried an indoor colony has run into serious problems. When I started asking questions about natural feeding (over on HT 5 plus years ago) many people were horrified. Of course, none of the nay-sayers had actually tried doing it.

I'm betting you already know my answer. Do it.

Make sure the girls get along together. That would be my first concern. they will probably bond fairly quickly since they've been housed together/near each other. Lots of room. 8x8 with hidey holes and places to hop up on is great. Tunnels are good.

Start with a couple of separate areas for food bowls. After awhile, you'll see them just go from one to the other, and they'll share. It's very much a "yah, I'm full, gonna go have a rest now" kind of thing. Plenty of hay so they can share a big pile together and get to know each other.

I'm telling ya...those does TELL the buck to back off! When they're withing a week of kindling tho, they get tired of it..and justkind of lay there. Altho with 3 girls, that might not be a problem. I've been removing chuck from the Angora girls simply because I don't want to have an immediate re-breed.

My girls all share mothering duties. This last was the 3rd time I saw that. I'm guessing that Mama and Clone will be the same way. I'm giving them 2 nest tunnels (actually a box and a tunnel) but so far they've both shown interest in just the one tunnel.

I CAN tell you that a colony is LESS work than cages. One waterer. One daily feed in a pan. a pile of hay in the corner. They don't just pig out and get fat. They easily learn to regulate themselves. Even mama-san, after I put the three of them in the same colony, stopped getting fat. She's a healthy trim bunny again, and there is always food available. She just eats what she needs, and goes off to snooze or play cribbage.

by the way. I have 3 bucks in a colony now. Girls AROUND in another colony. but they can't get to them(i hope). They boys get along just fine. They're from different litters, so they didn't grow up together. It's just they have a LOT of room to roam in. Each has their own special house that's sort of off limits to the others.

She just eats what she needs, and goes off to snooze or play cribbage.

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This cracked me up, Ann! :lol:

Yeah, I think I'm going to give it a try. Everyone who has had a colony seems to think its a good idea. I'm hoping David will like the idea better once it's in place.

he's a guy. and a GEEK guy to boot. Not really meant to be "change friendly" unless they think it up themselves I live with one. I have to get the change started slowly..and sneak it in on him.

I stopped asking what he thinks about changing things around. All kinds of reasons it won't work. So I just go ahead and do it. After a week or so he notices the change and says "yah, thought something was different. works better this way" :roll:

LOL, Ann... Sounds like you may have hit the nail on the head!

there might be some fighting sence the does are adult, i would put in more than the three nest tunnels so they have more options while setting up their social status an all that, i would also try and have a deep litter setting so if they want to dig around in stuff to work off energy they can,
i dont think your going to have problem with multiple breedings, the doe controles all that, when she is done she is done, and as long as she has a secure place to put her litter it will be ok,

i have even seen where the does can and will dig into hay bales makeing their own space,

Good ideas, KSALguy! I definitely intend to go with deep litter... much warmer for our winters and it provides a lot of entertainment for the rabbits. I guess an extra nest tunnel or two might be a good idea... not sure how much room there will be for it but I'll work something out.

BTW, nice to see you over here!

things have been crazy here but i figured i should stop by and see whats going on lol,