More air or more shade delimma

[Lil Acorn Acres Farm]

Newbie here. I need some input please. My rabbits are in a metal indoor barn. The front is mostly open, with a shade cloth in the open space. I have misters and a fan going. I put in frozen water bottles for them to lay near. I can take down panels to create more air. Or not. I can take just the upper. Or just the middle. Then put up more shade cloth. But shade cloth still let's in sun. So what's best?

 

[ladysown]

more ventilation is better than none. I'd take out the middle ones if I couldn't take out bottom ones.

 

[Lil Acorn Acres Farm]

more ventilation is better than none. I'd take out the middle ones if I couldn't take out bottom ones.

Thank you. This is what I have.

 

[ladysown]

so, taking out the middle would be right about the level of where the rabbits are housed? good place for ventilation.

 

[eco2pia]

What you really need is a crosswind and that's best managed by putting an opening on one side low and on the other side high (or having roof vents) so that you get a chimney effect. Also, depending on the humidity, I might run some kind of a sprinkler or mister directly on the ground underneath the cages.

 

[Scooter1A]

how hot does it get in their cages? I would want to keep the sun off them which it looks like it is and you have fans going with a mister. ??

 

[Lil Acorn Acres Farm]

how hot does it get in their cages? I would want to keep the sun off them which it looks like it is and you have fans going with a mister. ??

Yes. It was 103° here the other day. But with the mister and fan, the temp was 95°

 

[Lil Acorn Acres Farm]

What you really need is a crosswind and that's best managed by putting an opening on one side low and on the other side high (or having roof vents) so that you get a chimney effect. Also, depending on the humidity, I might run some kind of a sprinkler or mister directly on the ground underneath the cages.

Ok. Thank you. There is filtered sun through the shade cloth. But it's only a few hours in the morning, before it gets up to 75°

 

[Lil Acorn Acres Farm]

so, taking out the middle would be right about the level of where the rabbits are housed? good place for ventilation.

Yes. Right at cage level.

 

[Scooter1A]

Yes. It was 103° here the other day. But with the mister and fan, the temp was 95°

oh ya thats hot. Has it been cooling down at night?

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

I live in central Texas. I have 3 suggestions.

#1 - cheap & easy - hang some towels, burlap sacks, etc either inside, or on top of the cages so they get wet from the mister. You're basically making an evaporative cooler. When I did this, I did not use a fan because it replaced the cooler air with hot air.

#2 - put shade cloth OVER the top of the metal roof. Try to keep it off the roof by a few inches. PVC pipes, ropes etc can be put under it to lift it. You'd be amazed how much difference it can make.

Put your hand up to the ceiling without the cloth - if it's like mine, it will feel like a broiler radiating heat into the rabbit cages.

#3 - possible? I was able to make a (much) smaller pen that would hold the cages and I moved them to a tree-filled area. It is routinely 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the yard. If that's a possibility, you might want to try that. I have to have mine within a larger pen because there are feral dogs and coyotes that would love a nice fat rabbit. (or 10)

Good luck! - Liz

 

[Lil Acorn Acres Farm]

oh ya thats hot. Has it been cooling down at night?

Yes. To about 75° Today was much better. Only in the 90's. Took down 2 more panels. Big difference.

 

[Lil Acorn Acres Farm]

I live in central Texas. I have 3 suggestions.

#1 - cheap & easy - hang some towels, burlap sacks, etc either inside, or on top of the cages so they get wet from the mister. You're basically making an evaporative cooler. When I did this, I did not use a fan because it replaced the cooler air with hot air.

#2 - put shade cloth OVER the top of the metal roof. Try to keep it off the roof by a few inches. PVC pipes, ropes etc can be put under it to lift it. You'd be amazed how much difference it can make.

Put your hand up to the ceiling without the cloth - if it's like mine, it will feel like a broiler radiating heat into the rabbit cages.

#3 - possible? I was able to make a (much) smaller pen that would hold the cages and I moved them to a tree-filled area. It is routinely 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the yard. If that's a possibility, you might want to try that. I have to have mine within a larger pen because there are feral dogs and coyotes that would love a nice fat rabbit. (or 10)

Good luck! - Liz

Yeah. I can't move them because I can't control varmits. I fenced in where I took the panels down. I'm gonna try the shade cloth over the roof. And damp Towels on top of their cage.

 

[Joewood]

You might try putting a couple of DIY swamp coolers in there.
Chickens mag. July/August 23 has a good article and there are several you tube videos on DIY swamp coolers.
DIY 5 Gallon Bucket Swamp Cooler
Hope this helps!

 

[Scooter1A]

Yes. To about 75° Today was much better. Only in the 90's. Took down 2 more panels. Big difference.

great. i put in a frozen water jug for my two, sometimes they like it.

 

[Lil Acorn Acres Farm]

You might try putting a couple of DIY swamp coolers in there.
Chickens mag. July/August 23 has a good article and there are several you tube videos on DIY swamp coolers.
DIY 5 Gallon Bucket Swamp Cooler
Hope this helps!

Great idea.

 

[RabbitDad]

Not having a clue what I'm doing or what's best for my rabbits, I provided pretty much everything so they can decide what's best.
The hutches are in a temperature controlled barn (mid 70s 24/7). They have access to an indoor pen to run around.
Then I extended the pen outside, with a wire mesh on top (predators). I can close off the hole in the wall if I want.
After watching them for a couple weeks, they use all of it. Basically I still don't know what they prefer.
Sorry I couldn't help.

 

[Lil Acorn Acres Farm]

Not having a clue what I'm doing or what's best for my rabbits, I provided pretty much everything so they can decide what's best.
The hutches are in a temperature controlled barn (mid 70s 24/7). They have access to an indoor pen to run around.
Then I extended the pen outside, with a wire mesh on top (predators). I can close off the hole in the wall if I want.
After watching them for a couple weeks, they use all of it. Basically I still don't know what they prefer.
Sorry I couldn't help.

Something like that might be on our future. Our predators are also the slithering kind. Walked a king snake out last week. I have a hot wire 2 inches off the ground. They still manage. Coyote poop next to the goat pen. 8 ft. Fencing. And yet they still come.

 

[Scooter1A]

Something like that might be on our future. Our predators are also the slithering kind. Walked a king snake out last week. I have a hot wire 2 inches off the ground. They still manage. Coyote poop next to the goat pen. 8 ft. Fencing. And yet they still come.

Ew, what are they doing, mating? I know people like their snakes but I'd shoot it or get the ax. Seriously.

 

[RabbitDad]

Something like that might be on our future. Our predators are also the slithering kind. Walked a king snake out last week. I have a hot wire 2 inches off the ground. They still manage. Coyote poop next to the goat pen. 8 ft. Fencing. And yet they still come.

We too have coyotes, but with four German Shepherds, several times their size, they stay far away.
The only snake(s) I've seen are in one particular spot on the road several miles away.
Diamond Back rattle snake(s). Quite large too. The most recent didn't have a rattle but was definitely a Diamond Back.
I've heard that was possible but had never seen it before.
And no, it wasn't a case of mistaken id. The color / pattern, head shape and obvious behavior made a believer out of me.
I don't know what the big attraction is for that area but in the warmer parts of the year, it's expected to see one or more there sunning themselves on the road.