# Rabbit Colony Answers (Pics)



## hoog (Mar 21, 2013)

Deleted


----------



## ohiogoatgirl (Mar 27, 2013)

i quite like your setup. though i think if it were me, i would add some more things for hiding in and playing on in the middle of the pens. make more shade for the summertime as well.

i cant do a ground colony yet but just started a "cage colony". i got an english spot doe with her 2month old litter (dad was a minirex but they are big) and kept her 2 daughters and freezercamp/sold the rest. so the daughters never left her in their lives. i had cages that i'd made for growouts that are 3ft by 5ft and 2ft tall. i hung 2 next to eat other and cut and fixed a "doorway" so they have access to both. making it 3ft by 10ft and 2ft tall. one side is hay and feed and water bottle, other side has the nests (small pet carriers). 

so far the momma had a litter on 3/14 (dad is minilop, litter of 8 but one got out of nest and died) and their eyes are all open and 3 have ventured out to walk around the cage but its chilly here so they went back to snuggle pretty quick like. i've been quite happily surprized at how fast they are growing. definitely my fastest growing litter since i've got into rabbits over a year ago. momma was bred back to an american white buck (always threw litters of 10 every time), due date 4/13.

the daughters i believe i feel babies in them. they didnt take the first breeding so i'd just been tossin em in with the bucks every once in a while and writin in down. possible due dates are 3/28, 4/14, 4/23. they were bred to the minilop buck, american buck and dutch buck. so cant wait to see what they have. 

the first breeding i put the minilop buck in the colony cage and then added the trio of girls. week later i took him out to his own cage. it bothered me that i didnt know what days to watch specifically for babies and cleanin out the nests for a week cause they werent due yet was annoying. so from now on i take the doe to the buck. 

its a mess in the barn right now and i need to upload my new update video but here is the latest video. sorry this one kinda got all the critters jammed into it... i think it is 8:30 into the video that the rabbits come in... (((feel free to look at my other videos  )))

http://www.youtube.com/user/girlwalkswithgoats/videos?flow=grid&view=0

i finally have a cali doe that took! due 3/27 or 4/9. depending on how things go i may be making my other two large cages into a colony cage for her. and the cali buck i'm finally getting.


----------



## RJSchaefer (May 8, 2013)

I'm looking into doing something similar, although I couldn't have my rabbits outdoors without being 100% enclosed. We're overrun with predators and neighbors are reporting massive chicken killings despite upped security.

I'm in the planning phase of an indoor colony. The rabbits are currently caged in the chicken coop, which is pretty big - 30'x12' - and I'm going to dedicate the back ~8' feet to an indoor colony. I just can't find information anywhere. I plan on it being about ~5 feet tall, with 2 or 3 levels, so they get more floor space to roam. 

The biggest hold up is I'm not a carpenter. The one you have set up - just dug fences and instacolony, is really appealing...but the predators...


----------

