Gardening w/ rabbits and heat, my new project, new drawings added

[Kassaundra]

I have been doing a lot of research into raising rabbits (for meat) and wanted to figure out a way to incorporate some of my odd gardening (not squares not rows not conventional) w/ raising some rabbits as natural as I can. My husband is a huge animal lover (but also eats meat) there is no way he would find the suspended 3x3 cages acceptable. (not arguing w/ anyone w/ that set up for sure, I understand the reasons behind those set ups, less preditor access, easier cleaning etc...). I have two big hurdles heat and $$$$. I have done a lot of research into how they grow rabbits for food in poor hot climates and think I have come up w/ a doable plan for me and my family. Much of the materials I plan to use I either already have or can get for free or cheap, and in the process will have a more natural setting for the rabbits. I have made some drawings to illustrate my ideas, but keep in mind I am not a draftsperson, or artist (at least w/o a camera) and couldn't find a pencil w/ eraser to clean up the drawings.

I am hoping this will be big enough to see. This I an over view of the whole set up w/ all garden spots (the pie shapes radiating from the center) and all 4 rabbit den/runs. The very center is the 4 food grade plastic barrels that will be the under ground portion of the dens, there will be walls (old tin I already have) to act as retaining walls it will be like a large raised bed garden spot covering the barrels completely and planted in rabbit friendly food stuffs.
The 4 squares protruding from the center are the 4 outdoor run areas, these are ground level and surrounded by garden. The dotted line rectangle inside each of these runs will be a raised wire area for growing fodder on the ground so the plants can grow through the wire and the buns can have access, I can just toss more seed (as it is seasonal) for them to eat as it grows (thinking things like radish, lettuce, clover, winter oats, new Zealand spinach etc.....) Outside each run on either side of the human door will be a comfrey plant. ( a bocking variety noninvasive)

This is a more detailed drawing of the outside run, the sguare in the back is the retaining wall of the raised garden that is making the dens underground, the circle is the barrel that will be the underground den. I will put a row of cinder blocks on the ground and build my A frame pallet walls on top of the blocks, just on the inside of the cinder blocks will be the raised wire planting area for growing fodder right in the run (not their only source, I will be giving them grain fodder and garden stuff too)

This just shows a little more detail in the run and that the outside will have comfrey and a human door is planned. The rainbow looking thing in the back is the enterance to the underground den.

This will be the barrel and underground den, I will put dirt in for dirt floor, the front will be cut out in large 1/2 circle shape and I will construct something that will sit in place all the time w/ a small rabbit opening but that can easily be removed for human enterance into the den area for cleaning or ness. business.




That is basically it. I know it looks more intensive then the suspended cages and not as easy to establish or keep up with. But the pros of my idea as I see it is made of 80% repurposed stuff, a place to escape the heat w/o needing electricity or my time, it is right in the garden for easy access to humans giving them their food daily, allows for more natural setting, allows for them to graze on living growing food right in the run.


Okay so you rabbit raising gurus, what are the negatives you see w/ my plan so I can either fix or decide if it is a negative I am willing to live with?

 

[bj taylor]

I can't see your drawing that clearly. what i'm understanding is you intend to have basically a raised bed situation. the barrels will be submerged to serve as dens. you're using tin as a surround to provide a barrier to keep them in? you mention comfrey a couple of times. what is the significance of comfrey?
in reading a rabbit book they say one of the hazards of putting the rabbits on the ground is they pick up much more in the way of parasites. what do you think about that issue.
is the underground den your way of coping w/the heat? the A-frame is an above ground place for them out of the sun?

have I interpreted your idea correctly? I too struggle w/the idea of them being caged. that goes against my grain to keep an animal caged. I want the meat though. I want to have the capacity to raise an amount of meat that is efficient.

 

[Kassaundra]

I can't see your drawing that clearly. what i'm understanding is you intend to have basically a raised bed situation. the barrels will be submerged to serve as dens. you're using tin as a surround to provide a barrier to keep them in? you mention comfrey a couple of times. what is the significance of comfrey?
in reading a rabbit book they say one of the hazards of putting the rabbits on the ground is they pick up much more in the way of parasites. what do you think about that issue.
is the underground den your way of coping w/the heat? the A-frame is an above ground place for them out of the sun?

have I interpreted your idea correctly? I too struggle w/the idea of them being caged. that goes against my grain to keep an animal caged. I want the meat though. I want to have the capacity to raise an amount of meat that is efficient.

Yes the raised planted area is to cover the barrel dens completely for cool contained underground den.

The tin is a retaining wall to hold the dirt and compost in around the barrels, they will act as the raised bed walls, and will only make one of the outside walls for the run, just where the outside run meets w/ the raised bed/den area on the inside. All other walls for the outside area will be pallets covered in wire, and a cinder block base.

Yes the parasites are a consideration for me, I think the young meat rabbits will be grown and processed before any serious parasite load can establish, especially in healthy well fed rabbits, however the parent stock will likely need a yearly worming program.

Yes the barrels are ALL about heat management, in a natural non $$$ non labor intensive way.

This set up idea works for me b/c my garden is already established in the way the drawing lays it out (octagon w/ pie shapes) the center where the barrel/dens are going was a chicken coop, which we took down. It was one we put up when we first got chickens and didn't realize how brutal heat was for chickens, we built a bigger much much more open air coop and are repurposing this area for the rabbits. (When we first got the chickens I was inspired by Linda Woodrow's Mandala chicken gardens and set up our gardens similar to hers)

Comfrey is an awesome plant good as high protein fodder, plant food, mulch, compost starter, and external medical applications.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

If rabbits are born in a hutch then they know no difference. I have some born wild and they got to run all over the place and then the younger ones have never touched the ground. The young ones show no interest in getting out. They have a routine and they are waiting for you to come take care of them. I have some thumpers who will thump if I am late. If I go out to visit them when it is their nap time, they might not even look at me. I go out and walk past all of them I am not sure how many times a day. The rabbits that were born wild do not try to get out and I think they like where they live. I watch them play and watch what they do. If they looked sad, unhappy or were trying to get out then I would not be happy with this hutch thing, but also I am not raising them to eat and I want them to be healthy and they are BIG rabbits and we are going to have something different where they will be on the ground, but that is another story. Being on the ground can be bad. They have a hutch big enough where they can almost run. If they were smaller they could and they kind of do now because they will run around the edge and then disappear into the back and the one on the next side is doing the same, so kind of tag. They can go in the back and see each other through the wire and then decide to run back out again.

The rabbits do get startled and they get scared. When they were running free, they would run down in tunnels. In the hutch they have an opening that goes back to an enclosed box and they feel safe and also are safe. When they were free and the neigbors moved off and left them they spent most of the time fighting or hiding. I chased off I don't know how many dogs that tried to get in the fence to get them. We built the hutch high so that if a dog did try to get them they could not get them from beneath and the hutch cannot be tipped over.

I guess what I am trying to say is if they are not in a hutch then they need to be safe. I read a lot of stories also of rats getting in the hutch and eating baby rabbits. That sounds about like the worse way to die I could think of. The rabbits would love the tunnels and eating the plants and if they are safe from coons, dogs, rats, fox, hawks, owls then it might be the best, but they also are kind of wild and hard to catch. They can hide when sick and not be caught down in a tunnel. If they have a hutch where they are safe, not hot because they will die fast, not in bad weather so they are dry, they have other rabbits, because they do want company, and they have a big enough area to hop around then they will be happy. Only problem is you can get really attached to them. They love to be petted. Hot Shot is jealous and thumps his feet if I do not come see him and I am baby talking another rabbit. They know if I pass out food then they all get food. If I pass out something I went in the garden and picked they are watching me and then they better get their share too and also they know when I am passing out petting and they want their petting. If you watch videos of them they do some funny things and can be taught, but that is the same with goats and other animals.

 

[Kassaundra]

Here are some new drawings, I found a sharpie marker these may be clearer and easier to see. These are not drawn to size though.

This is a closer look w/o showing the garden sites that the other one did

Hope this makes what I was saying clearer.

 

[baymule]

Kassaundra, I am of the hanging wire cage group. That said, I think you have a good plan for what would suit you and your family the best. I can't critique your plan because I never attempted to raise rabbits like that. Please post pictures and chronicle your adventures.

 

[NwMtGardener]

I know nothing about rabbits, but a few thoughts occured to me...are you planning on putting wire mesh under the outside portion of their run? And how big are the barrels you're planning on burying? I was wondering because if it was big, like 55 gallon drum size, you may have a hard time accessing the rabbits if they were deep inside it. It seems like it would be less materials if you had several barrels enter the same outside run...are you wanting them separate for a specific reason that i didnt think of?

 

[Kassaundra]

I know nothing about rabbits, but a few thoughts occured to me...are you planning on putting wire mesh under the outside portion of their run? And how big are the barrels you're planning on burying? I was wondering because if it was big, like 55 gallon drum size, you may have a hard time accessing the rabbits if they were deep inside it. It seems like it would be less materials if you had several barrels enter the same outside run...are you wanting them separate for a specific reason that i didnt think of?

Yes the runs and living area for the buns needs to be separate, they are very territorial especially mothers w/ babies, and the only way to plan the birthing cycles is to separate the male from the female.

There are some that do colony type setups, and I did look into that but think the separated gives much more control over things.

The barrels are 55 gallon, that is why the cut out opening was going to be about 3/4 of the end, w/ a removable "door" it should make it accessible to the back end.

 

[hoodat]

Before you get too invoved You might want to read this article. You will need to have something like Adobe reader installed so you can read a PDF.
This system has been used and proven for quite some time in countries with hot climates and where most rural people have little money for elaborate setups. It has been used long enough that most of the problems have been solved by trial and error. It incorporates both wire cages where feeding and cleanup is easy and underground tunnels with a seperate chamber the rabbits can retreat to in the hot part of the day. Most adult rabbits will not soil an underground chamber but will go to the cages to defecate but you will need to be able to clean the chamber between litters as babies are not as well behaved and mama won't clean up after them. The diagrams are easily understood and can be modified for your particular setup
http://om.ciheam.org/om/pdf/c08/95605275.pdf

 

[bj taylor]

hoodat, I can't tell by looking at the diagrams. is there a 'lid' that allows a person to access the underground chambers to retrieve a rabbit or deal with some problem?