Set-up in design phase and questions

[Jared77]

The wife and I are currently looking at buying a house, and once we do I've been given the green light to have rabbits. It would only be a trio, maybe 4 at most since we don't have the resources to show other than 4H or on a VERY local scale for our daughter and thats even if she wants to show.

So I wanted to bounce this idea off people who've been there and done that. I've never kept rabbits before so I want to do this right.

I saw a really slick set up where the person had the hutches over a compost pile so the rabbit manure would fall through the wire into the pile, saving time and effort. I'm hoping to replicate it in my area. The set up I saw was in California, so obviously they have plenty of good weather. However I live in Michigan so I know weather is a factor. Could I house them in an outdoor hutch year round with a wire bottom? I assume I'd have to have a shelter of some kind for them to go into but if the rest of the cage had an open wire bottom is that ok?

Plus when cleaning the shelter that would also be tossed right into the compost pile.

I had thought about putting the hutches on the edge of the compost pile and run poop boards angled and aimed right into the compost pile so the manure would fall right in. Trying to keep my hauling/clean up to a minimum while getting maximum benefits from my future rabbits.

This idea is based on the compost pile measuring 4' x 6' or 6' x 6'.

Thoughts? Comments? This is an idea that I've had bouncing around in my head for a while now so I figured Id throw it out there and see where it stands. If it a great idea or if its just a good idea on paper.

 

[Frecs]

Hi Jared,

I can't speak to the housing question as I live on the SE coast of North Carolina so my winter (what there is of it) is not on the same scale as what you experience.

As for having the compost pile under the rabbits -- sure, no problem. Just be sure you give yourself room to turn the pile without breaking your back stooping. I have my rabbits in an open sided shed with their droppings going on the ground beneath them. Since I have chickens, I don't have much to add to it other than leaves and the rabbits add their hay but it works well. Some folks add chickens to turn the pile but I find the chickens make a mess of the rabbit area so I limit their time there. (Not to mention they are a mite risk to the rabbits.) Oh, and rabbit poop doesn't actually need to age like other manures but if you have a compost pile for other materials, it will help to enrich the pile.

 

[Jared77]

After rereading my post what I meant to way was have the hutches on the outside of the compost pile with poop boards angled into and down into the compost pile so the bunny berries go right down and in that way I have room to access to add to and turn the pile without issue.

I appreciate the concern though. I'm just trying to make it as effective a set up as possible.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

It sounds like a great idea to me!

The rabbits should be just fine with an all wire floor. I would suggest building a three sided structure around the cages. If you have the walls extend a foot or so below the level of the floor, and the roof and sides a couple feet beyond, that should provide enough protection from wind and precipitation.

I would extend the roof and sides out far enough that you will have some protection from the elements while you do your chores.

Ideally I would make the side panels removable so in the warmer months there is plenty of ventilation.

You might use corrugated plastic panels for the walls- the rabbits will probably spray them with urine, and plastic can be cleaned.

Here is a pic of one of the end walls on my BunnyBarn. It is on a 2" x 2" lumber frame, and can be removed easily when required.

 

[Dood]

I live in southern Ontario and kept rabbits outside in the winter. I have an unheated colony pen now with an insulated house.

I had several long (4 x2) raised cages in a shed and with an insulated house at the end that was full of straw. I had 2 Netherland dwarfs (under 3 pounds each) share one, a 11 pound New Zealand buck in another and a 6 lb lop doe and neutered Dutch in a third.

As long as they are in a sheltered area, away from drifting snow and driving rain and wind, they should be fine. You need to water a couple times a day due to bowls freezing up and they eat more and need sunflower seeds added to their diet to stay fat but they should do alright.

I would worry about smaller breeds living in a cage on their own and some bunnies use the house as a toilet so you must be sure to keep it clean and dry.

 

[Frecs]

After rereading my post what I meant to way was have the hutches on the outside of the compost pile with poop boards angled into and down into the compost pile so the bunny berries go right down and in that way I have room to access to add to and turn the pile without issue.

I appreciate the concern though. I'm just trying to make it as effective a set up as possible.

You did actually mention that option and I forgot to say that that is an ingenious idea!

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Bunny berries don't actually have to be composted.... or alternatively, you can just let it pile up and it will compost in place. No turning necessary. I let mine pile up and every so often, I shovel it out and start new piles. I dump it in the garden beds or start new ones with it.

 

[Frecs]

Bunny berries don't actually have to be composted.... or alternatively, you can just let it pile up and it will compost in place. No turning necessary. I let mine pile up and every so often, I shovel it out and start new piles. I dump it in the garden beds or start new ones with it.

That's exactly what I do. All items that would go into a compost pile goes into the chicken run -- they are my "composters". But, I suppose in some situations where compostable materials are abundant but chickens are not...a compost pile receiving some bunny contributions could compost faster than without -- although the bunny berries aren't "hot" which is why they don't need to age. The urine is and so that would help a compost pile. (I don't worry about the urine in my method because the urine helps start decomposing the hay and so there is not issue with "burning" my garden bed with too much hot urine.)

 

[Jared77]

Sweet I'm glad to hear I've actually got a good idea! I'm going to have to show this to my wife! She supports me 100% but we are also trying not to make this set up as easy to care for but still effective and not ugly. I really don't want to be "that neighbor" and open myself to unwanted attention from the township or have a bad relationship with my neighbors.

I know that the bunny berries are a cold manure, and don't need to be composted. I'm looking more for a place to "send them" or "store them" rather than just on the ground beneath the cages if I can help it. I figure if they get added to the pile that way, its one less chore I have to deal with, one less mess I have to deal with, and it will only enrich the compost. It would be a good source of "brown material" to add to the "green material" for the pile and I think would ultimately help the process. Plus most of the veggie tops and veggie peels (like potato or apple) and assorted "extras" that would end up in the compost pile I know would end up as treats and end up in the compost pile via the rabbits anyway compliments of my daughter.

You might use corrugated plastic panels for the walls- the rabbits will probably spray them with urine, and plastic can be cleaned.

When you said this I immediately thought "what if I used a thicker sheet of plexiglass and created a track for each sheet to slide into in the fall/winter?" Then in the summer I pull the sheet of plexiglass out of the track, store it, and increase ventilation throughout the spring and summer. It may take some doodling and bouncing more ideas around, but its worth tinkering around with.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I immediately thought of using a thicker sheet of plexiglass and creating a track for each sheet to slide into in the fall/winter.

What an excellent idea! Make sure they are not in direct sunlight if you use clear sheets.

Plexiglass is kind of pricey, though... :thinking: Another option would be the plastic wallboard they use in bathrooms. It isn't very rigid, but if you braced the frame and made the channel deep enough for the edge to go in 3/4" or so, I think it would work. A 4' x 8' sheet is about $24 here.

 

[Jared77]

I was thinking of using opaque plexiglass so it didn't cause a greenhouse effect. White would probably be my first choice if I can find it. Im not sure what my options are though. Im assuming the wallboard is waterproof since its made for bathrooms?

How thick is it? Hmmm.........

 

[Marinea]

Another option for side boards is T-111 siding, the kind that is used a lot on the "Amish sheds". That is what we used on the sides of our chicken coop. Here is a pic (before it was painted):

The pop hole for the coop can be taken off and put back on easily. The siding is meant for outdoors, can be painted nicely, and is very insulating. The best part is that scraps can be had VERY cheaply.