Anyone house grow out kits in a colony?

[Secuono]

I'm wondering if anyone does a colony style grow out pen for their meat kits?

Seems like they are fine to be mixed as long as they are not 9wks yet. So I was thinking of tattooing a very simple and unique 1 character per litter as I pull them to wean, then move that litter out into a big pen. And do that with the next litter, as long as the original litter stay under 9wks.

I think that might work a little better than having breeding colonies, where adults may fight or kill each other's kits.

So, anyone ever try this, how'd it go?

__________ Sun Jun 24, 2012 4:27 pm __________

No one? Would make sense.


Well, opted out of outdoor pigs and moved all my growers into the chicken yard. One of them had a snotty nose and I could hear/feel rumbles in his lungs so he is in an isolation pen until he gets to 5lbs. He is just 3.20 or so right now...ugh.<br /><br />__________ Sun Jun 24, 2012 5:08 pm __________<br /><br />

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

ooh i really like your little set up

i had originally wanted to do a colony but ended up doing cages... now i'm having coon issues and really wanting to do a little colony that other critters wouldnt be able to get into... :/

how many rabbits do you have in there? how big is it?

good luck with them. look like they like it

 

[Secuono]

There are 11 rabbits in there for grow out. From 3.5 to 6.5 pounds. I'm kind of wanting the Cali trio to stay permanently and breed them. Not sure if I could add kits later on if they stayed or not though...
Area is 12x13ft roughly.

The yard is wrapped in 6 strands of 8,000 volts of electric fencing. If you can, put up an electric fence to keep them away, then do w/e with the rabbits.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

ahh... if i do a colony it will be in a "room" in my barn. wood and metal roofing barn. and i will either be wiring the floor and a bit up the walls or cementing the floor and wiring up a bit of the walls. whichever will be cheaper.

 

[ollitos]

I have 10 kits together growing out. Then I have pens with 4, 6 and 6 kits in them, all for grow out. Some are close to weight so I numbered the pens and used a sharpie to number the ears.

Rabbit 2, 3 is the rabbit in pen #2 with #3 ear tag. I'm weighing them twice a week and rewrite the sharpie number when I weigh them.

The kits in the pen with 10 of them are still too small to even bother with yet.

So, it's not really a colony but they are all together and they are moved on fresh grass twice a day.

 

[Secuono]

I would have more in there, but the others sold.
Are those pens with their own litters or mixed? Would be just a regular grow out pen if they are all the same, wouldn't it?
This pen I can't move 2-4x a day....gotta scavenge up 5gal bucket's worth each night now.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Looks good! You might want to take the crates apart to double your hidey-holes. That will also save you the time of cleaning out the bottom half of the crates if they pee and poop in them.

 

[Secuono]

Looks good! You might want to take the crates apart to double your hidey-holes. That will also save you the time of cleaning out the bottom half of the crates if they pee and poop in them.

They have enough hiding spots, those are there to keep them out of rain as the roof ain't solid.<br /><br />__________ Mon Jun 25, 2012 8:14 pm __________<br /><br />Went out to feed/water everyone and the group was tracking me along the fence for their dinner, too cute!

 

[akane]

At about 4 weeks old when my doe has her next litter the previous litter is moved from the 12x12' divided up breeder side to a 12x12' growout side that also has the raised cages for extra bucks and those that don't get along in colony. I was starting the butcher of bucks at 8weeks and making it to the does of that generation by 12weeks but I've given up keeping track of ages with the offspring of 6 does being born days and weeks apart of the same color. Now I just butcher whoever looks to have made 5lbs or starts causing trouble.

 

[Legacy]

I've done grow out colonies. In my experience, when you add any new rabbits, there is a time of tussling and re-establishing who's in charge and then they all settle back into a hum-drum routine of living their lives at peace with one another. That happens no matter how many or what age. I even had some 13-14 week kits and they did the same thing but they did have plenty of room to move a lot. I wouldn't want to make it very crowded with them at that age. It's and iffy age for adding room-mates.

 

[Secuono]

Yea, I am trying to avoid fights like those mutt NZ rabbits had. The stupid things broke a leg and the other had 1.5in patch of skin ripped off down to the meat.

The younger they are, the better they tend to mesh.

 

[Stormy]

Great thread - had been wondering about doing a grow-out pen if I need to make more room... have a couple litters at 8 weeks and one at 2.5 weeks... Right now, just keeping them all together as one big family they love it. Didn't have any issues with does attacking each other's litters - they in fact preferred to kindle together in one litter box - ug. I wasn't home that week to separate them and my partner misunderstood my instructions, so we lost some of the littlest babies who couldn't get enough to eat. The remaining 13 are off the hook huge, with two moms!

The previous litters they did the same, but I separated them into a second nestbox, based on size. All the babies lived from that experience and the runts were not so runty, I will do it again if this happens again. It wasn't my idea for both does to breed but I discovered a meager 3 foot pen fence is laughable if there is a rabbit in heat. Either she gets out or the buck (who is allowed to roam) gets in. Like magic.

If you are going to keep your buck in there full time, realize your does may wear out fast - one week after kindling they are ready to go again, having babies every 5 weeks. I can see how my does did not recover their weight, energy, or vitality before having the second litter, and look a bit thin and haggard though I'm doing my best to fatten them up with lots of treats (like Goat milk kefir, peanuts, you name it...). I have them under tightened security now, and am working towards an outdoor run with a cover on it so they can't get to the buck, or he to them!

 

[DanaYares]

I move my 8 weeks olds in to an adjacent colony to finish growing. They live with the buck to keep him company and it works out really well. As I harvest, I move more in. There are pictures on my Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 650&type=1

 

[Stormy]

Thanks Dana - that is a really great idea! That way he doesn't get lonely, because they do. I LOVE your set-up! wow! I wish I had something as nice as that. Did you build it yourself?
I built my own portable colony cage but being 10' x 4' isn't that portable afterall... and not as secure from weather, I am realizing, once winter comes.

 

[akane]

Some of my does have had back to back litters for a couple years now except the hottest part of summer when the bucks go sterile. They do not lose any condition at all. In fact some are a little fat. You just have to feed them right and they don't wear out. They'll also turn down the buck and tell him to get lost for a few extra weeks if they feel they need a break.

 

[Secuono]

Running for food.