Now that months of below-freezing temperatures are upon us, I have a question: what tricks do you use to handle winter rabbit chores? For one example, we use ceramic crocks instead of water bottles for water. What do you do for shelter, nest boxes, water/feed, etc. differently in the winter?
How do you cope with rabbit chores in the winter?
- Thread starter judymac
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Shelter is the same, outside wooden hutches. Roofs are insulated (3 sides wood/front is wire), but that's more to keep the heat out in summer. If it gets really cold (below -10°C) I cover up some of the front.
In winter I feed hay, plenty, and let it build up somewhat as deep bedding on the wooden slat floor, no worry about flies now. All that goes direct on my vegetable plot now and then, so in spring there is at least half a foot of hay there - no weeding, tilling or other fertilizing necessary.
I also feed some vegetablesn (apples, pumpkin, topinambur, chinese cabbage, etc), tree branches and a little pellets, in summer it's forage and same amount of pellets, except for nursing does. During daytime they have free run of the garden, barely anything green left by now.
For water I use stainless steel tip-proof dog bowls, with an electric heating element under it, running on an adjustable power supply. I use the bowls year round, imo way easier to maintain than bottles.
Same heating element goes under one corner of the wooden nestbox (rather solid wooden box with entrance on one side, 2" up from the floor) if a winter litter happens, which I try to avoid.
Winter is more comfortable for me, gathering forage can be quite a chore. And the rabbits don't mind the cold.
In winter I feed hay, plenty, and let it build up somewhat as deep bedding on the wooden slat floor, no worry about flies now. All that goes direct on my vegetable plot now and then, so in spring there is at least half a foot of hay there - no weeding, tilling or other fertilizing necessary.
I also feed some vegetablesn (apples, pumpkin, topinambur, chinese cabbage, etc), tree branches and a little pellets, in summer it's forage and same amount of pellets, except for nursing does. During daytime they have free run of the garden, barely anything green left by now.
For water I use stainless steel tip-proof dog bowls, with an electric heating element under it, running on an adjustable power supply. I use the bowls year round, imo way easier to maintain than bottles.
Same heating element goes under one corner of the wooden nestbox (rather solid wooden box with entrance on one side, 2" up from the floor) if a winter litter happens, which I try to avoid.
Winter is more comfortable for me, gathering forage can be quite a chore. And the rabbits don't mind the cold.
