nest sizes?

[ohiogoatgirl]

what size nests do you have? are they boxes or tunnels or...? what breed(s) do you have? should i have maybe 6 nests so the does can choose which one they want. even though i won't be keeping 6 breeding does for quite a while yet. i was thinking 2.5 by 1.5 ft nests. i will likely have a little variety of breeds. i think the breeds i have access to are new zealand, dutch, netherland dwarf, hollond lop, and some "mutts".
thank you!

 

[Secuono]

That is a massive nest. Most are 20x12x8in boxes.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

hm... 20 inches long, 12 inches wide, and 8 inches tall? this is why i ask lots of questions

 

[MaggieJ]

It's very large for a nest box, but if you are going with nest tunnels in your colony, it will be just fine. Since the tunnels are covered they stay warmer... and the does really stack up the hay, sometimes filling the entrance completely.

 

[akane]

On the floor of a colony the rabbits seem to prefer something they can get completely in with room unlike in cages where they are given no choice but to use boxes just barely their own size. None of our colony rabbits will use a standard nestbox except a couple older does that had kits in cages previously and even then they have been branching out. The latest nest used the nestbox as one wall then buried the kits in a gap next to it.

After lots of failures from the younger does who know nothing of tiny cage nestboxes we built several 2x2' and 1x2' plywood boxes with hinged lids stuffed full of straw to dig in. They like this a lot better than something they have to hop in to. Their natural instinct is to dig down rather than go up over the edge of a container. In cages they have no choice but in colony with choices most seem to prefer anything but your standard size nestbox. Some got creative where they'd cram their kits. They were more likely to build nests in corners, behind waterers (that was an utter disaster), next to hay feeders, etc... than in that style of nestbox or the cat litter pans we've used in large cages before.

Last winter we used a kiddie pool flipped over with one end lifted on bricks and then a few large rubber horse feeders set the same way. This sort of worked but the plastic pool was getting eaten and sometimes things would get knocked off the bricks trapping everyone in or out. We tried to go back to regular nestboxes over the summer and that's when the inexperienced does started having trouble. I think outside of cages we only had 2 litters successfully raised completely in nestboxes from March to Nov. That's why we decided to make some new designs before the cold weather started.

 

[Secuono]

I've always thought the same would be best, Akane. But in cages, it is simply not possible. =(

 

[kotapony]

I went with 1' high x 1' wide x 2' long. The most common dimensions I read for next boxes for large breeds (I have californians) was 11"x12"x20". I went with just a tad bigger mainly because that works out perfectly to a sheet of plywood. I bought a half sheet of 1/4" and it gave me enough wood to make 2 boxes. A full sheet would give you enough to make 4. They'd end up like 1/4" smaller if you're skilled enough to allow for the width of the saw blade when making cuts, but that was more advanced than I could make my brain wrap around when I built mine. So mine aren't quite perfectly square, but so far the doe hasn't complained.

I posted a few photos of my nest box here. They're terrible as I took them tonight in the dark, with my phone, using the flash. But they at least let you see what I did. The first picture is of my last minute attempt at a nest box made out of a plastic soap drum. It's modeled after a more traditional box, and while that litter did all survive just fine I decided that type was way too drafty and was too hard to check on the kits when they were at the back. The next two pictures are of my second attempt. I can't recall now how big I made the opening, but I can measure if you'd like. I hinged the top to make it easier to look in there, and having full, easy access to the kits is nice. You can actually see some ears sticking up of my current litter in the second pic. The last picture is happy, eating bunnies. Just thought the pictures might give you some ideas.