newbie questions

[ohiogoatgirl]

hello!
i've been reading tons on meat rabbits.
i'm gonna be getting new zealands.
and i might be building my cages depending on prices...
but i have some questions on where to put them.
i'm in ohio and i have space in the barn but i don't know if it'll be too cold in there for kits once i get started. it gets pretty cold here especially at night. and the barn doesn't have electric and a heater is out of the question. i will be starting with one buck and two does. any sugestions will be appreciated!
thanks!

 

[20kidsonhill]

Your biggest enemy with rabbits is heat. You can easily keep them outside, as long as the kits are born in a box in the winter with dry bedding in it, if you are going to have a completly opened bottom then you may need a little more winter shelter.

 

[20kidsonhill]

oh, if you build your own, don't make the wooden box part too big. Ours is 2' by 2' in the front all wire and the same in the back solid wooden box. The wooden box is too big, the smaller the wooden box the sooner and easier you can house train them to go to the bathroom on the wire side. I am not sure what the ideal size is, but maybe a small door going to 2'feet by only 1' deep would work.

We purchased ours off of Craigslist home-made by someone else. It is okay, but not perfect.

 

[wYs Ranch]

I'm in Michigan, and I've got a mine out in a covered lean off a shed. They are outside, with no heat etc.. and the kits feel very warm. Just keep them out of drafts. It's been about 5 degrees at night here for the past week.

Mom rabbit has packed extra fur around them a couple times, plus I pack extra straw around the box, and put a peice of hard foam under the box to keep some heat in the bottom.

they're growing fine!