Rabbit proof floor in colony

[ohiogoatgirl]

How rabbit proof would you consider concrete pavers to be? I was considering using 12x12x2in pavers, probably with some gravel for drainage then pavers on top. The walls would be metal roofing. This seems to be the most economic set up at the moment.

Each pen 3x8ft (24 sq ft) with doors for each on one wall. Building 8x15ft. 5 pens. Buck pen, 2 grow out pens, 2 doe pens. I could do grow out pen for each litter or male/female pens depending on how old I'm feeding them to. I'm also not against making a hutch on an outside wall for buck(s) to give me another pen for a third doe, etc.

 

[CedarRidge]

Wish I could help but I’ve not tried colony set ups yet. I’m sure someone here will chime in.

 

[tambayo]

30 x 30 cm should keep them in if everything is lined up flush en level. But rats can fairly easily dig under and move them to get in. I had a chicken coop like that. Revamp of the coop not only made it twice as big, but also gave it a double layer of pavers, bottom layer 40 x 60 cm and 50 x 50 cm (had enough of both) that mix lined up even with the 30 x 30 cm layer on top. Also added row of 30 x 30 cm upright as a border over halfway in the ground to make digging under less attractive to try. That floor stayed solid for 5 years, after that i left.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

Not ideal (money wise) but I've looked at these kennel flooring before. I could build a raised floor, with these kennel flooring, then lay the pavers on top. This should be fairly rodent proof? And the pavers should fit in pretty closely.

https://www.farmtek.com/prod/flooring/pgha2215.html
It would mean.. 20 panels of flooring.. $619 ouch..

Plus $1.38 pavers.. x120.. $166..

Plus lumber.. Dang maybe not..

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

I'm looking at another option...

Soil cement base.
Gravel/sand drainage/leveling.
Pavers.

Soil cement is basically some cement with lots of soil. Getting the most coverage for cement investment. About 160# in cement bags for my 120 sq ft area.

 

[eco2pia]

has anyone tried a solid rodent wall (2 foot vertical buried perimeter wall) and a simple wire over soil floor? I guess the wire would eventually rust out...I have considered the rodent wall for my chicken coop run, but I was worried about destabilizing an existing structure. Our soil is basically sand, so it is too too easy to dig in and a cement slab becomes a rodent roof near as I can tell.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

has anyone tried a solid rodent wall (2 foot vertical buried perimeter wall) and a simple wire over soil floor? I guess the wire would eventually rust out...I have considered the rodent wall for my chicken coop run, but I was worried about destabilizing an existing structure. Our soil is basically sand, so it is too too easy to dig in and a cement slab becomes a rodent roof near as I can tell.

I don't know about a rodent wall. Rats dig. I think it would slow them but not stop them?
Ya wire on the ground is pointless. It'll rust away faster than it's worth laying it down, let alone the cost of the wire.

 

[dlynn]

We

has anyone tried a solid rodent wall (2 foot vertical buried perimeter wall) and a simple wire over soil floor? I guess the wire would eventually rust out...I have considered the rodent wall for my chicken coop run, but I was worried about destabilizing an existing structure. Our soil is basically sand, so it is too too easy to dig in and a cement slab becomes a rodent roof near as I can tell.

We also live in sand country. My first colony shelter was my sister in laws chicken tractor repurposed. It had galvanized fencing on the bottom. I noticed when winter approached mice started burrowing in. I added 1/2 x 1" mesh coated wire on floor.its covered with hay. Same in quail aviary. Where it's covered with deep litter of wood shavings ( I add chopped leaves to shavings in winter they decompose and add heat)I have read info from galvanized fence manufacturers that claim should last 20 to 50 years depending on soil, acidity, climate. PVC coating is an additional protection. Seems to work well. New shelters I made elevated with solid floor padded with hay. Also works. My rabbits have free run of shelters and their yard during the day. Closed in at night for added preditor protection.

 

[eco2pia]

I have always run fence wire into the ground to keep dogs from digging under. It lasts for at least a few years, long enough for the dog to accept that there is no way out that way, but I discovered that in this area a rat will tunnel deeper than 1 foot and the 1X2 wire I chose for the dogs lets them go right thru anyway. In reading up on it vertical cement walls in the ground were recommended to keep them out...I am not sure I am motivated enough to do it to be honest.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

I'm considering stall mats as flooring. However I revisited my old colony thread and am reconsidering the "on the ground" part. I may not be able to make it rodent proof.

I've come up with a building design that is doable but I'm thinking to do it more Joel salatin racken house way. I won't have near the density of chickens as Joel runs and can keep them off the cages. Hanging cages. Chickens on deep bedding. And will be able to move the cages and everything and clean it out with the tractor.. which is a huge plus! In order to make it properly closed up for the rabbits I will have to hand pitch it. Which means it gets put off, and off, and off.

Chickens underneath will turn the bedding and eat wasted feed. Especially if I can work up more and more to raising the rabbits on as much as I can grow myself with minimal inputs as possible. This also gives one building two purposes.

Cage prices are ridiculous. I'll be building those as well. I'm drawing up different ideas for different size cage blocks. (30in x 10ft)
Everything 30x30 for simplicity?
Does 30x30. Bucks/juveniles 24x30. Growout groups 30x60..??
I'm not to that point yet so we'll see.

And I can always try a small set up later and test it with some grow outs once I'm going.

I think my biggest thing with the colony is that it seems like natural feeding would be easier. I've laid hay and forages on cages before plenty. 18" cages. And the rabbits mostly decided that was too much like work and just picked at it some. I'll have to revisit cage design and feeder design.

 

[tambayo]

Build cages to be flexible i.e. can split them or use as a double makes moving animals around for say if they don't like their neighbours way easier. And in many ways bigger works better, so if you have the room build as wide as you can structural wise, but only about 60cm/2 feet deep due to armlength and reaching inside the whole cage. Also think about how easily (weight & size) you can move whole cages or cage sets about alone, there may not be someone around to help you, and buildings mean doors and such that limit how big things are that can get in or out.

 

[ladysown]

can you easily reach back into a far corner of a 30 x 30 cage? if not consider doing 36 x 24

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

The floor wire is 30" so that's the floor width. But yes I can reach in that fine.

I'm planning for everything to be movable. Because it will all come out to clean with the tractor. I'm making a plan for cages on a rack/legs and a frame that the cages hang in. To decide how they would look and what makes more sense.

I haven't settled on a design yet but the whole front wall needs to be easy to remove. So the full end will be open for the tractor. I'm thinking something in sections.. knee wall for retaining bedding build up.. upper wall with door frame..
So to clean it out I'd take the door off, take the upper wall down, then take the knee wall down. Still drawing.

 

[Skai]

I have always run fence wire into the ground to keep dogs from digging under. It lasts for at least a few years, long enough for the dog to accept that there is no way out that way, but I discovered that in this area a rat will tunnel deeper than 1 foot and the 1X2 wire I chose for the dogs lets them go right thru anyway. In reading up on it vertical cement walls in the ground were recommended to keep them out...I am not sure I am motivated enough to do it to be honest.

I'm going to be building a new rabbit shed in the Spring. My idea is that using hardware cloth may work if it's laid flat ON the ground around the perimeter rather than vertically digging it into the ground. I'll stake it down in several places and cover it with dirt, gravel, etc. I doubt rats, or other diggers, are smart enough to start their digging two feet or so away from the building and if they don't see it, once they dig awhile and hit the hardware cloth they should get discouraged after a few tries.

 

[eco2pia]

I'm going to be building a new rabbit shed in the Spring. My idea is that using hardware cloth may work if it's laid flat ON the ground around the perimeter rather than vertically digging it into the ground. I'll stake it down in several places and cover it with dirt, gravel, etc. I doubt rats, or other diggers, are smart enough to start their digging two feet or so away from the building and if they don't see it, once they dig awhile and hit the hardware cloth they should get discouraged after a few tries.

sorry, rats in my area have tunnels for tens of feet at least. I have seen whole systems. It will for sure stop dogs tho!

 

[eco2pia]

one time I built a chicken coop over an old driveway with decades of gravel compacted deep into the soil. no rats in that one!!

 

[Skai]

sorry, rats in my area have tunnels for tens of feet at least. I have seen whole systems. It will for sure stop dogs tho!

I never knew rats would dig tunnels like that. We have loads of rocks in our soil that deters many critters from tunneling. I forgot about that bit.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

one time I built a chicken coop over an old driveway with decades of gravel compacted deep into the soil. no rats in that one!!

Makes for a very long term plan to build that way though lol waiting for years of driveway use to properly pack it in.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

Hopefully this is clear enough to understand what I'm going on. Walls are 8ft. Inside roof clearance is 11.5-12ft, I'm not totally sure exactly what it'll be after the trusses but close enough, the tractor cab is under 10ft. I just want wiggle room. Plus the tractor has the bucket on the front so bedding depth won't affect it.

The rabbit cage block is drawn here in the original design. 10ft long. 5ft wide, for back to back cages 30" deep. Sloped roof to keep chickens off.

I'm not totally sure that I could hang the cages right from the building. That would be great but we'll see.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

Well here we go... Neighbor just posted he has a litter of rabbits. He's selling them cheap so I'm picking them up Thursday. So tomorrow I'm pulling out the cages I have and building a temporary hanging rack or stand.

Litter of 5 but one doe was already pending. So I'll be getting 2 broken does, 1 broken buck, 1 solid buck. I think all agouti from the not so good pics. Dad is a Californian, mom is an unknown brown rabbit.
If the does look decent I may keep one/both. I could take them back over to their dad to get bred if I don't find another buck by that time.
If they are kinda crappy they'll just be dog food.

But this will be a good toe in either way and not feeding pellets. I have mixed grass hay and some mostly clover hay. I mix the sheep feed: oats, whole corn, and a concentrate pellet. So I'll test sprouting some oats and feeding oats as is (still in hulls). I think the sheep pellet would be fine for them too, as a supplement to get the protein up.
https://www.kalmbachfeeds.com/product/36-sheep-lamb-ration-balancer/
I always say I'm not getting any animals until I have their set up ready for them... and then I go and do this again...