Keeping kits in

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JueLee

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I built my colony rabbit pens out of stucco netting, which is plentiful and cheap here. It's basically 17 guage chicken wire, which I figured would be reasonably adult rabbit proof. But the holes are 1 1/2" and the kits can wiggle right through it until 4-5 weeks old, so I lined it with regular chicken wire to keep the kits in.

It keeps the kits in even when they're inside a 4' rat snake. :(

Rat snake stuck in chickenwire.JPG


-- Jue
 
wowzers. At least you can catch him that way and prevent him from getting anymore kits.
 
Do you know what bit his back? A dog or the rabbits, or something else(ie crow)?

Sorry for your loss, but I think outdoor colonies are probably at an increased risk for a certain amount of predation.
 
Eco, I think the snake tore itself up trying to get free.

This snake only got 2 kits. The last one I caught still in the nest box. It had swallowed 3, killed another and was attempting a fifth.

Colonies do come with risks, but it just makes me so sad to see rabbits in cages with so little room to move around. I can deal with a certain amount of competition in exchange.

-- Jue
 
Juelee,
Chicken wire even if it is doubled is a BAD choice
for housing/protecting Rabbits.
Rabbits can easily chew through Chicken wire.
I would suggest some type of much stronger wire
that is either 1"X1" or 1"X1/2" it would afford
much more protection for your herd and though
a bit more expensive will prove worth it's cost
in the saving of your Rabbits offspring.
Ottersatin. :eek:ldtimer:
 
We've used chicken wire but I wouldn't do it anywhere that it was absolutely important they couldn't escape. A buck just tore down our chicken wire barrier between colonies. A few more does bred this month than planned. We are working on a solid wood divider.
 
If you are bothered by snakes try the bird netting. It is small enough that they cannot get IN the colony, and it is CHEAP, an important point.

Now a question for all of you: My proposed colony enclosure is 2 x 4 inch horse panel. Plenty strong enough to keep out even wolves, but will a grown rabbit go thru it? (the 4' space is the vertical, two inches wide, four tall.)
 
I don't know if a full grown meat rabbit could get through that, but I think rabbits up to about six months of age could wriggle through is they were motivated. I'm constantly amazed at how small a space those youngsters can squeeze through. In my colony, it is just the division to the other floor pen and doesn't matter much. My does don't mind visiting kits from next door.
 
Maggie; I may have to triple layer the wire; a layer of small wire inside the horse panel, a layer of bird netting on the outside. I'm next to a creek, so there WIll be snakes whether I like it or not. A foot high is enough for the kits, is it not?

Now I'm wondering just how big the rabbits will have to be in order to stay inside the horse panel.
 
Oxankle. I'm not sure what would work best in your situation. A foot will keep very young kits from wandering through, but older ones may decide to climb and a foot isn't very difficult. Would chicken wire keep those snakes out? If so, you might want to go with a 3-4 foot high second layer of chicken wire inside the larger, stronger fencing.
 
I just went through this a couple of months ago with my doves. A 6' black rat snake got into the cage, ate all my baby and young doves (about 7-8) and could not get back out. Did I mention I keep my doves inside the house? I agree with Ottersatin on the wire size and how weak chicken wire is. Sorry for the loss of your kits. I had a wild rabbit get its head stuck in chicken wire in the yard and had an awful time getting it free without losing a limb.
 
Oxankle, it depends on the size of the rabbit. My meat mutts couldn't get through 2x4 inch fencing, but only as full adults. At slaughter age, they probably still could, so even though 2x4 fencing would have been another easy option for me, I never considered it seriously to fence in my rabbits.

I used chicken wire inside the stronger stucco netting specifically to keep very young kits in. It's only a foot high and not meant to withstand an older rabbit.

Sorry to hear about your doves, Arachyd. It's so sad to loose them this way.
 
a foot high will NOT keep kits in. I have a 18 inch play pen for my young rabbits. works until they get to about 7 weeks and then they CLIMB. After that they stay in cages until they hit 12 weeks and then I let them out again into a much taller ex-pen (but it also has wider bar spacing) which is why they need to stay caged until 12 weeks.
 

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