Growout pens?

[coffeenutdesigns]

I have 30 babies, 4 growout pens 30 x 30. Will that be enough or do I need to get more growouts ready? These are mostly Californians with a few that are not quite as big.

I also have a run on the ground (with a wire floor that is probably 4 ft by 2-1/2 ft or so to give them runaround room during the day when they are a little bigger. Thinking of alternating who gets a "field trip" each day.

 

[Fire-Man]

They would be ok for a short time in those 4 30x30 cages, but when they get 3 to 4 lb they will look kinda like a can of Vienna Sausage---Packed pretty tight.

 

[AnnClaire]

LOL - Amen Fire-Man!

Coffeenut, depending on how long you have to hold the growouts, you may be needing a bank of 24x24 individual cages to seperate the bucklings. As for the doelings, they will do fine paired up in 30x30 cages as they reach weight.

If you have the space for several long growout cages where you can put in dividers, you will be able to seperate the first buckling that starts harrassing the other bucklings. A lot of time, that first one is a week or more "ahead" of the other bucklings and the group will get along for a while longer before needing seperation.

 

[skysthelimit]

I third that. Even a litter of slow growing Rex, in a 30 x 30, did not make it past 7 weeks.

 

[grumpy]

I've got 20 grow-outs that are 24X30's. I try to wean the youngsters between 5-6 weeks. Now.....with this cooler weather, I'll put up to nine youngsters in each one (for a week or so). They'll snuggle up to stay warm, which I think helps them grow a little faster. They're not wasting energy trying to stay warm.

Once they start getting some size, I'll thin them out to 5 or 6 per cage and I do sex them. It's irritating seeing the young bucks humpin' and bumpin' all the time. That creates "stress", which reduces weight gain, which costs me money!!

In hot weather........no more than five per cage.

Grumpy.

 

[coffeenutdesigns]

Good deal. These are all early weaned babies, so I am not expecting fast growth and I really didn't plan on so many babies at once, but the 2 unexpected litters are throwing me off as far as what I need "this time" compared to what I will need overall. I actually have another 30 x 30 ready, I just need to rearrange a caging situation with one of my other rabbits and I will get to making some more. I do have another run as well, but it is open bottomed for baby chickens to transition outside, but I could put some wire in the bottom easy breezy if I need to. For that matter I have a large empty chicken coop that could be used colony style for this batch if it becomes necessary.

 

[Fire-Man]

Good deal. These are all early weaned babies, so I am not expecting fast growth and I really didn't plan on so many babies at once, but the 2 unexpected litters are throwing me off as far as what I need "this time" compared to what I will need overall. I actually have another 30 x 30 ready, I just need to rearrange a caging situation with one of my other rabbits and I will get to making some more. I do have another run as well, but it is open bottomed for baby chickens to transition outside, but I could put some wire in the bottom easy breezy if I need to. For that matter I have a large empty chicken coop that could be used colony style for this batch if it becomes necessary.

If it will help---6, 7, 8, etc week old rabbits are very Tasty!