Hello -- having been surfing for info on here, I thought I should share what I've done. It has rights and wrongs, I'm sure -- feel free to comment either way. I'm new at this and aiming for happy rabbits who happen to provide healthy meat occasionally. But it's all a bit of an experiment so far.
The pen is only 10 feet by 10 feet -- I thought it was much bigger (apologies to earlier thread) but actually measured it today. (Not good at maths!)
A subtropical/temperate zone means I don't need closed-in sides, but I'm growing vines and greens to add shade for next summer.
The nestboxes (purple stripe is part thereof) have been replaced, but the basic style is as above.
To this I've added brick nestboxes. My original nestboxes were refashioned plant pots with wooden fronts, but the rabbits didn't like them very much. Now they have:
Which as you can see is almost impossible to make sense of. Still, I can tell you that there are 2 brick nestboxes with timber lids smothered under all that straw (which is light and fluffy).
Removing the fluff you get:
...and then:
...and then (top view; lid has been removed and is leaning upward to the left):
Each nestbox has a floor of sand with straw on top. The whole pen is on a concrete slab, so there can be no digging.
The nestbox bricks are lightly mortared so they won't cave in if the bunnies indulge in destructive play.
Each has a concrete block as its doorway, with a hole just large enough for each (pregnant) rabbit.
Elsewhere in the pen, there's also a plastic drainage U inverted to make a tunnel, which the rabbits have been sleeping in prior to nestboxes being added.
They're good rabbits who never go to the toilet in their nestboxes or tunnel, but only in the corner of the pen. So far, so good.
Now for feeding. I'm giving them as natural a diet as possible, starting with lots of fresh daily greens.
This is how I supply greens: using a bungee cord (invisible because of the grass) in a straight line across, and tucking in the grass with blades pointing upward, so they appear to be 'growing' naturally. The rabbits love to pick the grass out of the bungee cord. I can bunch heaps and heaps of grass in there, and it stays upright and edible all day. Since the bungee cord is attached flush to the wire there's no danger of strangling, as when the grass is removed the cord simply returns to its tight, straight position. However on initial use the rabbits tended to bite through the cord... They don't do it any more, thankfully.
Interestingly, their favourite green feed appears to be blue morning glory (ipomoea indica), which is noted on some websites as dodgy or partially toxic. There's no sign of toxicity and the rabbits are eating huge bunches of the stuff, which I figure means they know what they're doing. To be safer I always make sure they have masses of other greens that I know they love and are good for them (grass, farmer's friend or Cobblers' Pegs, comfrey, chickweed, spinach, dandelion, catsear, chicory, dock and of course sprouts) so there's no way they're simply eating the morning glory because it's all they have.
As well as the above wild greens they get sprouted wheat/corn/peas/sunflower either like this:
or mixed with fermented soybean meal with a pinch of seaweed meal (which I don't have a picture of, but it basically resembles a sprouty meal).
And they also get alfalfa hay, as much as they want. I find they cycle through each of the feeding stations munching for a while at one thing, then taking a break, then coming out and eating something else. It took them a week or so to get used to the fermented soy meal sprout mixture taste, but they seem to enjoy it now. Their feces are always health and firm looking, with no sign of digestive upset. They were well used to greens before I got them, and I slowly withdrew pellets (which they were largely ignoring in the end) as I added everything else.
So that's the basic feeding system... The soy meal is something I'm only adding until the garden starts to produce peas and beans (for methionine, an amino acid). I ferment the soy meal because it adds probiotics and reduces anti-nutrients, which are there in some degree even after the meal was produced. It also helps in the same way as cider vinegar helps, in preventing gut nasties. (Some people say fermented feeds are bad for rabbits, however I would say actively fermenting foods are bad, but properly fermented foods of the right sort are just fine. Silage is a case in point.)
I'm also planting tagasaste, which is a type of fodder tree, and have 2 small tortured willow trees growing in pots for later use as fodder.
At the moment, I'm spending about 10 minutes a day gathering greens. Even if kits double or triple that figure it's not much. However I'm spending a lot more time setting up the feed growing areas -- I figure that's structural work, and it won't be there next year, as everything will be in place.
And here's an experimental feed option I'm looking into (though haven't started doing yet):
Most of my prior experience was with chickens and sheep and goats (a little with cattle and horses as well). I'm bringing that experience to my rabbits, but I'm aware that rabbits are quite different creatures, so I expect there'll be a pretty steep learning curve. Still, so far (nearly 2 months) all is well. The does are soon to kindle. That will be the big test, I suppose.
I'd welcome any thoughts, but thanks in any case for letting me post.
best wishes
Jen
The pen is only 10 feet by 10 feet -- I thought it was much bigger (apologies to earlier thread) but actually measured it today. (Not good at maths!)
A subtropical/temperate zone means I don't need closed-in sides, but I'm growing vines and greens to add shade for next summer.
The nestboxes (purple stripe is part thereof) have been replaced, but the basic style is as above.
To this I've added brick nestboxes. My original nestboxes were refashioned plant pots with wooden fronts, but the rabbits didn't like them very much. Now they have:
Which as you can see is almost impossible to make sense of. Still, I can tell you that there are 2 brick nestboxes with timber lids smothered under all that straw (which is light and fluffy).
Removing the fluff you get:
...and then:
...and then (top view; lid has been removed and is leaning upward to the left):
Each nestbox has a floor of sand with straw on top. The whole pen is on a concrete slab, so there can be no digging.
The nestbox bricks are lightly mortared so they won't cave in if the bunnies indulge in destructive play.
Each has a concrete block as its doorway, with a hole just large enough for each (pregnant) rabbit.
Elsewhere in the pen, there's also a plastic drainage U inverted to make a tunnel, which the rabbits have been sleeping in prior to nestboxes being added.
They're good rabbits who never go to the toilet in their nestboxes or tunnel, but only in the corner of the pen. So far, so good.
Now for feeding. I'm giving them as natural a diet as possible, starting with lots of fresh daily greens.
This is how I supply greens: using a bungee cord (invisible because of the grass) in a straight line across, and tucking in the grass with blades pointing upward, so they appear to be 'growing' naturally. The rabbits love to pick the grass out of the bungee cord. I can bunch heaps and heaps of grass in there, and it stays upright and edible all day. Since the bungee cord is attached flush to the wire there's no danger of strangling, as when the grass is removed the cord simply returns to its tight, straight position. However on initial use the rabbits tended to bite through the cord... They don't do it any more, thankfully.
Interestingly, their favourite green feed appears to be blue morning glory (ipomoea indica), which is noted on some websites as dodgy or partially toxic. There's no sign of toxicity and the rabbits are eating huge bunches of the stuff, which I figure means they know what they're doing. To be safer I always make sure they have masses of other greens that I know they love and are good for them (grass, farmer's friend or Cobblers' Pegs, comfrey, chickweed, spinach, dandelion, catsear, chicory, dock and of course sprouts) so there's no way they're simply eating the morning glory because it's all they have.
As well as the above wild greens they get sprouted wheat/corn/peas/sunflower either like this:
or mixed with fermented soybean meal with a pinch of seaweed meal (which I don't have a picture of, but it basically resembles a sprouty meal).
And they also get alfalfa hay, as much as they want. I find they cycle through each of the feeding stations munching for a while at one thing, then taking a break, then coming out and eating something else. It took them a week or so to get used to the fermented soy meal sprout mixture taste, but they seem to enjoy it now. Their feces are always health and firm looking, with no sign of digestive upset. They were well used to greens before I got them, and I slowly withdrew pellets (which they were largely ignoring in the end) as I added everything else.
So that's the basic feeding system... The soy meal is something I'm only adding until the garden starts to produce peas and beans (for methionine, an amino acid). I ferment the soy meal because it adds probiotics and reduces anti-nutrients, which are there in some degree even after the meal was produced. It also helps in the same way as cider vinegar helps, in preventing gut nasties. (Some people say fermented feeds are bad for rabbits, however I would say actively fermenting foods are bad, but properly fermented foods of the right sort are just fine. Silage is a case in point.)
I'm also planting tagasaste, which is a type of fodder tree, and have 2 small tortured willow trees growing in pots for later use as fodder.
At the moment, I'm spending about 10 minutes a day gathering greens. Even if kits double or triple that figure it's not much. However I'm spending a lot more time setting up the feed growing areas -- I figure that's structural work, and it won't be there next year, as everything will be in place.
And here's an experimental feed option I'm looking into (though haven't started doing yet):
Most of my prior experience was with chickens and sheep and goats (a little with cattle and horses as well). I'm bringing that experience to my rabbits, but I'm aware that rabbits are quite different creatures, so I expect there'll be a pretty steep learning curve. Still, so far (nearly 2 months) all is well. The does are soon to kindle. That will be the big test, I suppose.
I'd welcome any thoughts, but thanks in any case for letting me post.
best wishes
Jen