High winds forecasted

[sommrluv]

I hope I'm not driving everyone nuts with all my questions.


We're supposedly going to get wind gusts between 50 MPH and 100 mph due to Irene here in NE PA. Should I move all my rabbits into the chicken coop? It's ventilated enough for chickens, but not sure about rabbits. it never occurred to me to have "emergency" housing available for them, we don't tend to get wild weather here. I'm not sure I have enough cages to fit everyone, but I do have an empty room in the house (literally, empty doing drywall, no flooring, etc.

I do have a concrete block garage but I don't think air moves in there much at all.

Also, I might have two pregnant does due any day now....will moving them screw anything up?

 

[MaggieJ]

I don't know what your current set-up is, but I'd tend to move them. Unless your temperatures are excessively hot, I would worry less about ventilation than safety for one day/night. I'd definitely move the pregnant does and any other rabbits that are particularly valuable or vulnerable into the house and the others into the garage. Those are very high winds and if they reach 100 mph could do a lot of damage. Will your chicken house stand up to them?

 

[eco2pia]

It all depends on your set up. I have high winds here yearly in the 50-60 mph range and mine are in outdoor hutches which are heavy and sturdy with 3 solid sides. They face the side of my house in an L shaped space between the house, the 6 foot fence, and the garden shed. During wild weather the rabbits all get nestboxes or hidey holes (even just a cardboard box stuffed with straw) to make them feel more secure. I have considered tarping the front of the cages with something but was concerned that the wild flapping would terrify them. One set of hutches was top heavy and blew over once. Now they are secure, with posts set in concrete. I am set up for it.

If they are secure and sheltered from sideways rain, I would just give them boxes so they can hide and they should be ok. You could cover part of the front of the cages with plywood screwed down, since for you this is a temporary situation, or turn them to face a building leaving just enough room for you to walk between. If your hutches are movable then you especially want them tied down somehow. A tie down strap to cement blocks for instance.

If they are in danger from trees, flying debris, or literally blowing away, or if you do not have 3 solid sides on the cages, you should put them in some kind shelter. I am not sure that too little ventilation during a windstorm or hurricane is going to be much of a problem. I would say that most does will not be harmed by a move near their due date--but lately I have been really lucky with steady temperaments, your mileage may vary. In any case there is nothing you can do about that, you have to get them secure even if it stresses them, so try not to worry about it.

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

I experienced hig winds and hail here last night-- Therabbits rode it out fine--When I had the ehrd in the woods, in a 'garage in a box" all I did was zipperthe doors shut, and pray no trees fell on the frame of the setup. Now, at one point, I did have smaller cages wired to chain ink fence-- and stuffed plastic between the cages and the fence, let it hang over the top-- secured with bungee cords-- during some hig winds-- the rabbits all fared well.

 

[sommrluv]

Thank you SO MUCH for all of your responses. Everyone here is very helpful.


My biggest hutch has a solid shingled roof, and three sides, and one side has a solid bottom (rookie mistake). My smallest hutch has a shingled roof, wire sides & bottom, and a three sided privacy area (well, four if you count the wall with the hole in it).

They are in a chicken run and somewhat sheltered by bean plants growing outside and over the run. (we don't like the taste of the purple pole beans, but the chickens love them and they grow "true" from leftover dried seeds).

Anyway, I just have a bad feeling so we moved everyone into the garage. The bunny I suspect is pregnant we just moved her whole hutch in, and everyone else got put in wire cages or dog crates. I'm somewhat taking a risk because I put the two NZ in together, but the boy hasn't "dropped" yet and they are ten weeks old. I just don't have anywhere else to put him. Hopefully everyone can go back where they belong on Sunday afternoon.

The dutch doe that is not in the hutch protested strongly to her new environment. She tried to attack the NZ's through the wire so I had to move them even further apart than 4 inches, and than she's grunting and charging me, no biting, but lots of scratching in a rapid digging motion. Hmmmm, she might be surprised at what that continued behaviour nets her! My roo never got a second chance after one go.


I've been out three times since moving them...it's a little warm but no one seems stressed.

 

[arachyd]

My concern is that my hutches, while extremely heavy, are tall. I have to make sure they don't tip in the high winds when the wind shifts. My indoor space is limited so I'm trying to decide which hutches are sturdiest, who can double up with whom, who must come in the house and who needs the bigger/smaller crates...... I'm also stocking up on greens because the yard may be under mud after all this is over.

 

[eco2pia]

arachyd is there a way to secure the tall hutches to each other at right angles or to a building? a short length of 2x4 works as "tape" to tie them together, using staggered screws...

 

[sommrluv]

We never got the gusts forecasted, but I'm glad I was prepared because I would have stressed myself out. We had some big gusts, but nothing ridiculous.

Even just ten miles south of me is flooded and no power though.

We still have everyone in the garage. They are CRANKY. Day 31 and no kits. Neither girl "feels" preggers (like I even have a clue) but they have put on a bit of weight. We can't call little gray bunny, little gray bunny for much longer, she's nearly all black now.

 

[fuzzy9]

Well it's always better to be safe than sorry. If you hadn't have moved them, you probably would have gotten the bad weather! :lol:

 

[sommrluv]

Oh, you are SO right.