New Colony ( pictures)

Farm Girl · Jan 26, 2012

A couple days ago I switched my rabbits over to a colony.
Previously they were in cages above chickens (or chickens over them which was annoying) in a chicken "tractor".
But the chickens got booted out into a smaller pen and the rabbits descended to the ground.

The rabbits seem to love it. They can actually run. My one doe runs laps around the pen.

This is still in experiment mode, I am hoping they don't get it into their heads to chew through the chicken wire.

I still have to find some more shelter for a wind block, and get them a new feeder. If it works out I will give them an automatic waterer once it stays warm.
I am expecting popples in less than a month Yayyyyy!

There are three does and one buck in there, so far I have only seen one doe cooperate, but the others might have let him when I wasn't there.

If anybody has ideas for improvement I would love to hear them.

MamaSheepdog · Jan 26, 2012

Cool! Did you make that out of hog panels? Does it have a wire floor to prevent digging?

Jana15 · Jan 26, 2012

Awesome! I have been looking at outside colony set-ups, might have to add this one to the list of ideas! I have been wanting something similiar to this.

Farm Girl · Jan 26, 2012

Jana: If you make something like this and you want it to be movable, make the bottom out of wood, we made it from steel pipe and it is very difficult to move.

MamaSD: Yea it is made from hog panels. There is no wire under it, thankfully I haven't seen any digging yet, I have been watching. If they do dig and look like they will escape, they will go back to their cages.

Jana15 · Jan 26, 2012

Farm Girl":oko0qgx3 said:
Jana: If you make something like this and you want it to be movable, make the bottom out of wood, we made it from steel pipe and it is very difficult to move.

Ah, I see. I would want it to be easily moveable. I would probably have to put wire under mine though, Some kind of "Mysterious" Animal would dig under the chicken pen and killed one of the roasters. Darn wild life! :angry:

Macrocarpus · Feb 9, 2012

About digging: I have found that if I do not place anything next to the fence, if I leave a clear path all around the inside of the fence so that the rabbit is not "squeezed" between the object and the fence, they do not dig out.

I have a 25'x 25' outdoor pen of 2x4 wire, a net top. The rabbits have been inside for about three months now without a dig-out. When I first placed them in there I put a feeder next to the fence and they dug out behind the feeder.

Also, I have a double electric fence, about six inches off the ground and the second wire about for inches higher. Nothing has so far tried to get in. Before the electric fence I lost chickens and rabbits in pens like this.