Taa-Daaa!
Just as an FYI - when I picked this up, I did do an impromptu white girl jiggety jig in the gravel turn around of a farm in the middle of nowhere.
It's not coordinated, when I dance, but what it lacks in beauty I more than make up for in enthusiasm.
The same Famous Chicken Guy who built my coop built my rabbit A-frame. All I did was email him and send some pics of what I was looking for and asked him to make adjustments as needed. He builds these things all year round, in addition to breaking and training horses, breeding chickens and running a homestead.
The guy's a work machine.
I borrowed a truck and a friend and hauled my ass out to the middle of nowhere to pick up this thing. It was a very pretty drive and also a fun drive, seeing as the speedometer in my friends truck is broken. It was this general all around guessing game at how fast we were going. Hint: when the semi trucks are honking at you, you're going too slow.
Anywho - we hauled it home and it's now parked in the back shady corner of my yard.
Anywho - we hauled it home and it's now parked in the back shady corner of my yard.
The doors come off, see? THEY COME OFF. And the top is their living quarters. The whole hutch is divided down the 2/3 1/3 line - big half for momma and kits and the little half for my buck.
Did I mention that the doors come off?
Yeah. They do.
There are little ramps leading down to the "scamper and play" area - and the doors open up to the outside there as well. Which I didn't ask for, but was sheer genius. I would have had a devil of a time getting Stu and Franny out when it's time to move the A-frame, so I'm glad he put those in. It is 6 feet long and 3 feet wide at the base. It is about 4 feet high and a polycarbonate shield and notched boards to keep the rain out. All I had to do was seal it when I got it home with Thompson's Waterseal (why, oh, WHY do they only sell it in gallon jugs? Not all of us are contractors, Home Depot. Respect.)
So I am new to raising rabbits. I know most people put their rabbits up off the ground in hutches that look a little like so:
Which is actually a really cute hutch and I thought about doing that and just putting the hutch in the chicken run. I might still do that - just raise the A-Frame up, put wire underneath, and let the chickens scratch through the poop.
I had three problems with a stationary hutch:
1) The chickens are in a somewhat sunny place with limited shade - enough for them to take cover when it gets hot, but no real big shady spot to put a hutch. And rabbits overheat very easily when they are in sun.
2) I kind of wanted to make a hutch big enough to put over some raised beds so that they could scratch around and deposit poo right into the beds over the winter. I wouldn't call it laziness, seeing as I have to actually PICK UP this monster and move it. And it's a heavy beast.
3) The soil at my new house is painfully devoid of all animal matter. I dug for 2 hours the other day, putting in plant transplants and found NOT ONE WORM. No ants, no beetles, no nothing. I didn't know whether to laugh or run screaming in horror. The soil desperately needs rabbit poop. And chicken poop. And human poop from a composting toilet (my next extreme want that will require a MAJOR sell job to the H).
Generally, you want to have about 5 feet of floor space per rabbit - but you could get away with 3 if you are going to be raising production rabbits. I like the idea of free ranging them, but plenty of people set them up in a hutch raised off the ground and they do just fine. Rabbits need a shady spot, protected from the wind and rain. They should not get wet - but can withstand cold up to -20 degrees Fahrenheit. Even kits born in extreme cold will be fine if the doe is given a good box to nest in. Rabbits should not walk around on a firm solid surface for long periods of time - it causes their nails to grow up and in at a funny angle. Their feet do well on hardware cloth or actual ground.
I got an excellent deal on this hutch because it was a "prototype" - the first of it's breed to be made by the Chicken Guy. I won't tell you how much it was, but I can tell you that other bids I solicited put the price at about $500. One was $425 and it was a light bid, I think, because he had a lot of the wood already.
Stu and Franny are all moved in. They are ever so much happier then they were in their temporary crate. They bounce and play and cavort around. I want to learn how to make treats for them, too. Since the store bought treats are positioned on plastic that is not recyclable. BAH.
3) The soil at my new house is painfully devoid of all animal matter. I dug for 2 hours the other day, putting in plant transplants and found NOT ONE WORM. No ants, no beetles, no nothing. I didn't know whether to laugh or run screaming in horror. The soil desperately needs rabbit poop. And chicken poop. And human poop from a composting toilet (my next extreme want that will require a MAJOR sell job to the H).
Generally, you want to have about 5 feet of floor space per rabbit - but you could get away with 3 if you are going to be raising production rabbits. I like the idea of free ranging them, but plenty of people set them up in a hutch raised off the ground and they do just fine. Rabbits need a shady spot, protected from the wind and rain. They should not get wet - but can withstand cold up to -20 degrees Fahrenheit. Even kits born in extreme cold will be fine if the doe is given a good box to nest in. Rabbits should not walk around on a firm solid surface for long periods of time - it causes their nails to grow up and in at a funny angle. Their feet do well on hardware cloth or actual ground.
I got an excellent deal on this hutch because it was a "prototype" - the first of it's breed to be made by the Chicken Guy. I won't tell you how much it was, but I can tell you that other bids I solicited put the price at about $500. One was $425 and it was a light bid, I think, because he had a lot of the wood already.
Stu and Franny are all moved in. They are ever so much happier then they were in their temporary crate. They bounce and play and cavort around. I want to learn how to make treats for them, too. Since the store bought treats are positioned on plastic that is not recyclable. BAH.
Very nice! Be careful though, my dad built my bunny a cage like that and our neighbors dog dug a hole right under the cages. My poor rabbit!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip, Kelli! Our yard is fenced all around by a 6 foot tall privacy fence and all we have is a geriatric one eyed pug who would prefer a warm lap to getting her paws dirty.
DeleteI think if it were out in the open, I would have definitely gone for the elevated hutch option - most notably for that one reason! Also - bunnies like to burrow, too...
Stu and Franny are lucky bunnies!
ReplyDeleteDoes The Chicken Guy make these human-sized?
I know, right? I want him to make the Tot an A-frame tree house!
DeleteWhat a lovely hutch!
ReplyDeleteAnd just wanted to let you know that I found a butchery and tried the rabbit. And it was so damn expensive! But we considered it an investment. First I roasted it, was okay but came out a bit dry. So we took the roast and stuck it in the slow cooker with veg and it made a FANTASTIC stew. So guess what, we getting rabbits too! Just have to make a hutch. Thanks again!!!!
Just so you know, you ROCK. I'm so glad you're doing this too! we can exchange notes on recipes, as well.
DeleteI know that some pastured rabbit around here goes for between 15-25$ per butchered rabbit. It's insane. Or a niche market that we need to fill...wink, wink.