Heating pad/lamp, or nothing

[jpm]

We are looking to be prepared for the winter and want to maintain our meat rabbit production schedule as much as possible. We live in Western PA along the I-80 corridor. Last couple winters have been BRUTAL cold, at least for us. Well below freezing for weeks at a time, nights regularly getting into double-digit negative range. I have done some searching on the site and have seen heating pads and lamps utilized. I'm looking at this model sold at Amazon (link below), what do you all use? From what I am seeing all I would need it for is a week at most and they should be fine even at very low temperatures.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NVC7DO/ref ... E83XQFTPJ2

Any other cold weather advice?

Thank you!

 

[EnglishSpot]

We deal with lake effect off of Erie. I wrapped my hutches in plastic and old blankets. They don't seem to mind the cold but don't like wind and wet. Biggest problem is frozen water and ultimately I changed water bowls three times a day. Last Feb was bad bad bad and the hubby had pity and we moved them into the garage. With the cold you'll need to feed them more so they stay warm easier. Cage and pan cleaning was interesting. <br /><br /> -- Mon Oct 05, 2015 9:41 pm -- <br /><br /> And I layered straw at the bottom of the cages. It blocked the wind from below and they could burrow if they wanted.

 

[akane]

Adult rabbits do fine in cold. We see -20F consistently and -30F some winters. Never lost an adult to it or had any illness. We did lose one to dehydration because it can be hard to keep water out there when at those temps water will freeze in droplets as it hits concrete.

 

[Zass]

In in NW PA and I had them breeding outside all last winter. It was brutal, for a human. In the -20 range for extended periods.
Not so much for a rabbit. :lol:

I tend to think heating lamps and pads are more dangerous then simply leaving them alone.

I prefer straw to hay for cold weather nest box material, because it's a better insulator and doesn't get soaked like hay can. A handful of pelleted horse bedding can be added to the bottom of a nestbox to help soak up excess moisture too.

No supplementary light was needed to get them breeding. They seem to like mating on nice days, breaks in the weather, so that's when we bred.

We wrap the rabbitry in plastic to keep the wind out. I gave hidey houses filled with straw to help keep the adults and older kits warm.

Wooden nest boxes with wooden bottoms meant no frozen kits in a nest, but occasionally one would get pulled out on a teat.
I've read lots of posts about does sleeping in the nestbox when it's cold out. It never happened to me, but I'm aware that it can. I like as few moralities as possible, so I started just taking the nest boxes inside with me and taking them to the does once a day to feed. Worked great.

The does just jumped in to feed any kits I happened to bring them right away, and I'd pull the box out when they were done. Not one doe ever stopped to even question if a box was hers or not.

Once they are old enough to leave the nest, I stop bringing them inside (or swapping them between does), mostly because transitioning from cold to warm air can be quite dangerous. Kits in the nest don't seem to have a problem, probably because they breath warmer air under all that straw and fur..

 

[EnglishSpot]

Zass, do you have wire cages or wooden hutches? I am wondering if that also makes a difference, since wood hutch sides would block a lot of cold wind. Having all wire cages, I worry about the breeze through the floor, hence the straw on the floor. What is your set up like, exactly??

 

[imajpm]

I use that heating pad in winter. I place it under the nest box with a few inches sticking out, in case a baby gets out. I also use that for angoras who have to get a hair cut in the dead of winter. I love those and so do my rabbits. They are much safer than heat lamps and use a ton less electricity. The cord needs to be anchored outside the hutch somewhere since some rabbits like to move things around vigorously and the chew proof part is only so long. I have a radiant heat hog warmer thing that someone gave me too. I am going to try that this winter for the angoras, once I work out the logistics of my "post haircut" quarters. <br /><br /> -- Tue Oct 06, 2015 9:46 am -- <br /><br /> I use mine longer than a week though. When the kits leave the nest box they all huddle up on that pad so I assume they are chilly.

 

[skysthelimit]

The last few years I have had no sucessful litters from Nov to may (one JW in Jan). Prior to, I bred all year long. I don't heat the barn. If I am worried about a doe I pull nest boxes. I live 5 miles south of lake Erie.

-- Wed Oct 07, 2015 12:43 pm --

 

[jpm]

Thanks all for the thoughts. Some things you all have been mentioning specifically about keeping out the wind has me concerned about our little barn. I included a picture below. Since the picture I did install a sliding door that covers the entrance nicely. My question is how "wind proof" to the rabbits need a structure to be? Our barn has open eaves, I added a red arrow to the picture to show you where they are. 4-5" gap between the roof and the vertical wall, should we be fine or do I need to take care of these gaps?

[album]3393[/album]

 

[imajpm]

I think that is fine. They need ventilation too so you don't want it air tight.

 

[skysthelimit]

hmm, true

One year I just threw some tarps over the crate stack at night, pulling it back during the day.

 

[Rainey]

The advice to have good ventilation and no drafts can be confusing. Fresh air is important whether you're housing rabbits or chickens or goats or whatever. Just make sure the occupants have places they can get out of any direct drafts. For our rabbits their buckets seem to help with that. You might want to think about that 4 to 5 inch gap as access for predators and make sure they are blocked out.

 

[macksmom98]

I would make sure to leave some space for ventalation, but then use spray foam insulation or stack straw bales that can later be removed, to keep the draft out. I currently live in TX but grew up in CO, and we didn't worry as much about ventilation in the winter. The cold weather kills so many germs and feces freezes, so things don't spred or smell like they do in summer.....