Keeping babies warm

[mama24]

I'm getting a lot of my info from the farmer I buy meat from at the downtown Greensboro farmer's market (I'm in the GSO area.) He sold me my goats and has been a great resource to me. He is even willing to come and help if I need it during kidding with my goats. He also has rabbits and meat chickens. He keeps his rabbits in a small roofed shelter with removable sides, like a pop up carport, but smaller. In the summer, he takes down all the sides but one needed for shade and hangs up box fans. He still loses some rabbits every summer, usually kits, they are much more vulnerable to temp changes than adults. I was talking to his wife about it while I was there and asked if they'd tried putting a misting hose in front of the fans to cool the air even more. Not sure if they tried that, but it may be worth a try. I put a hose on mist for my chickens last summer and they loved it!

Thanks for the upside down box suggestion! My girls peed in theirs today, so I moved it to a different corner. We'll see if that works for them. If not, I may have to drill holes in the bottom or get something like a basket that drains. I want the girls at least to have more of a box so they can keep them when they're grown and having babies! I moved the boys' box back again for the 3rd time, but they started moving it before I was even finished feeding and watering, so I will try turning it upside down and cutting a door hole in it. What part of WV are you from? If you are from up North, you are probably from close to where I'm from. My family is in the Johnstown area, close to Somerset, maybe 30 mi from the WV border, in the hills.

 

[secuono]

I wire everything down if they move it. Most of my food and water bowls are wired because the rabbits toss and fight with them if food runs out.
My Holland Lop has a plastic dog crate for her to keep warm in. It's the smallest size crate, only the top half in use and placed so it's a little building and the bottom is the wire, so pee and poo goes out. I stuff it with hay and even when she was just a tiny baby rabbit in freezing temps, she did fine. Its her fav place to be and she loves to sit on top on warmer days.