yes, that's right! I said ANGORAS in a colony.
I'm new at the rabbit thing. With a lot of research on the topic, I decided to try it out. 4 French/English Angoras were purchased at 12weeks old, and put in an 8x8 pen in an unused bedroom in my house. They loved it. Eventually the boy had to leave for his own 3x4 area (and 1 month later we had 2 litters of lovely little bunnies...but I digress).
The pen has a rubber sheeting (like roofing stuff) as a base, with 4ft high sides made of 2x4s for a frame and chicken wire as a barrier. It's bedded lightly with shavings, and they get a good quality timothy/alfalfa hay just chucked into the center. Also, a baby pig waterer (1 gallon size) and a communal feed pan.
There are numerous places for them to run through and hide in...which they use A LOT. Flue tiles, tubs with cutout doors, shelves, and they quite often rest on the 2x4 that is part of the fence..horizontal, about 2feet off the floor.
I've harvested wool from them 2 times now and it's never matted, never has stuff in it. It's also not stained. They keep each other clean by grooming, and as they move around things the shavings and hay just fly out of the wool.
I do NOT think they would do well outdoors in a typical full blown colony. Come summer they will go outside on good days tho. (they do love their greens!)
I will also have a full blown outdoor colony of NewZealands come Spring. It's mostly set up, just waiting for the snow to melt and the ground to thaw.
If anyone ever has questions or suggestions for me about this...just holler.
I'm new at the rabbit thing. With a lot of research on the topic, I decided to try it out. 4 French/English Angoras were purchased at 12weeks old, and put in an 8x8 pen in an unused bedroom in my house. They loved it. Eventually the boy had to leave for his own 3x4 area (and 1 month later we had 2 litters of lovely little bunnies...but I digress).
The pen has a rubber sheeting (like roofing stuff) as a base, with 4ft high sides made of 2x4s for a frame and chicken wire as a barrier. It's bedded lightly with shavings, and they get a good quality timothy/alfalfa hay just chucked into the center. Also, a baby pig waterer (1 gallon size) and a communal feed pan.
There are numerous places for them to run through and hide in...which they use A LOT. Flue tiles, tubs with cutout doors, shelves, and they quite often rest on the 2x4 that is part of the fence..horizontal, about 2feet off the floor.
I've harvested wool from them 2 times now and it's never matted, never has stuff in it. It's also not stained. They keep each other clean by grooming, and as they move around things the shavings and hay just fly out of the wool.
I do NOT think they would do well outdoors in a typical full blown colony. Come summer they will go outside on good days tho. (they do love their greens!)
I will also have a full blown outdoor colony of NewZealands come Spring. It's mostly set up, just waiting for the snow to melt and the ground to thaw.
If anyone ever has questions or suggestions for me about this...just holler.