Rabbit Fence for Netherland Dwarfs

[lpmorgens]

Hi all!

I'm new to breeding.. just had our very first kits ever!!!!!

Anyhow, we are going to build some rabbit hutches in the backyard (6 open acres with conservation land and lots of wild critters, from coyotes to foxes to turkeys, etc.).

Anyhow, for the most part, our rabbits will be housed indoors, but we are planning to build some hutches, runs, and play areas in the back. Just in case a rabbit gets out, we want to create a fence that covers a large portion of our yard, so cheap is important. We are down to either 36" tall or 48" tall vinyl coated hex netting (chicken wire) for the outer barrier. We are planning to dig a trench to bury some of the fencing, even though we don't think the rabbits will ever reach the fence for long enough to dig out. Here's the question:

We'd rather buy just a little of the 36" fence, but then would that be tall enough to keep Netherland Dwarfs from hopping over in a mad rush? The 48" fence would require up to build a much deeper trench (lots of work and expensive equipment would be needed). We do want it to look somewhat decent, so we do not want to fold the top down.

If we bury some of the 36" fence, we would probably be looking at a fence that is 28-30" tall. The rabbits are small, and it will only function as a safety, outer barrier. Thoughts? Thanks so much!!!!

 

[Preitler]

I use 80cm (good hight, can still step over it) fence with chicken wire at the lower half (up to 3lbs rabbits did squeeze through the 60x75mm fence), never had a rabbit jump it. I didn't bury anything, just let the grass and weeds grow in. Laying wooden boards inside the fence helps too if the buns have some hours to dig around there. Anyway, none of my rabbits dug under the fence on purpose, well, they did dig lots of tunnels, several meters long, and some happened to surface outside the fence - which wasn't a big problem, they don't run away if not scared by frantic attempts to catch them, normally they just go back when I give the other buns treats (I always shake the pellet bucket before I give them some, they come running at the sound) or shoo and nag them patiently in the direction of the hole or door (2 long sticks help, just blocking the ways you don't want them to go, and wait). But mine spend the whole day outside, and are 7-9lbs and are all outdoor bunnys.

Such a fence will not protect your rabbits from anything, so be sure your hutches have sturdy, welded wire that even a dog could not destroy. Also, be sure the rabbits have rooms and tunnels inside the hutch to hide, a predator rattling their door and no place to hide can scare them to death. After I shot a fox inside an empty hutch I added a high fence around the hutches to keep the foxes at least 2 meters away from the bunnys, improved the situation a lot.

Also have a wildlife camera out there, just to know what is going on and to identify weak spots and emerging problems.