!!! Giant Movable Colony, Pasture, huge scale!!!

[mommaebear]

Background
I started with 4 rabbits in two carriers one day. The next day I built a hutch tractor, and set to work on building pens. Two pens are 7x14, and a tin shed 6x8. In the winter once the ground freezes behind the shed I have a third pen about 20x15.
This year we built a new giant pen at the farmers market. It is about 30x30, circular, and in the middle is a 5 ft high hill about 15 feet around built by throwing sod on top of a pile of crisscrossed logs. The burrowing is unbelievable and we have no escape or predator problems.

Currently
I've been reaserching Polyfarms run by Joel Salatin and how they raise rabbits and poultry(everything really but these are relevent to the topic). I loved the tractor idea but it seemed so small scale and like it could be done more efficently. But the chicken set up of a movable roosting shep and fencing is genius.
So my buddy at the market tells me he has something for me. He brings me to this old giant cattle feeder 15x20x15, and tells me this idea of making a pasture around it and moving it every few months and housing rabbits in cages inside. I thought he was crazy and was going to suggest it for chickens.

So here's the plan

Put the feeder on tires, and off the beams, so we can roll it. Fill the bottom of the feeder with packed dirt and cubbys and houses and fill it with a balanced colony to burrow in it ad carve it all out. Install boxes and houses, screened in ramps, shelves, and levels and get them used to the place as a refuge.

Then we put up a mesh electric fence for them to pastur in 80x80 and once they eat all the grass after a few days or a week depending on how many are in there we herd them into the shed mostlyand pull the pen mesh in to contain them better in a smaller area and pull the shed and pasture to the next site and expand it back out.

So that's the plan Did I mention my friend is funding it for me for free!!!

 

[ladysown]

intriguing....

 

[mommaebear]

I have all the space pasture and hay feilds I need, on such a large scale that if we did have a few escapees there would be lots of room and we would have the means to hunt them down, not be prohibited by having neighbors close.
We the rabbits eating strait out the hay feilds it eliminates so much work haying for their summer feed, the risk of sickness and parasites is lower since the sight is always moving, same with the risk of predators. Plus they can fertilize the feilds as they go.
Even in the winter where we are covered with snow about 6 months out of the year, we can move from site to site on the snow on top of the feilds leaving deposits of poop to soak into the soil when the snow melts, or even have winter pastures and instead of a dirt colony hill we build a giant hill our of plowed snow, and come spring the hill melts meaning we can retrieve and control the herd.
There is a possible future addition of roosting boxes on the outside to incorperate chickens for laying at a later date so instead of the chicken pasture following to clean up and scratch the poop it could all be in one set up.

 

[Anntann]

I think your idea might work quite well There is a lady who has her permanent colonies fenced just with above ground and electric (to keep critters OUT). she doesn't have rabbits digging to get out because she says, "they have lots of room, and unending food inside ".

If you keep the feeder in the middle of your fenced area, I would think you'll be fine

Can not WAIT to see pictures of this! very exciting

 

[mommaebear]

The new plan for the moveable fencing is to run a partially filler fire hose around the bottom since the ground is uneven it will form as it is dragged

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

that fire hose idea sounds unique-- what will it be filled with? And where does one get it?

 

[mommaebear]

We would fill it with water. My partner picked up the hoses at auction and they are used mostly for water pumps to fill and empty ponds around here.