Promise Acre: Our Journey

[promiseacres]

Frozen 2 liter bottles of water in cages help with heat in rabbit tent/barn at Fair. Replace every 12 hours to prevent bunnies from chewing plastic. Also take extra crocks for water (Fair cage water dishes are never enough IMO) and put in an ice cube every so often from your cooler. Heat takes off weight since they won't eat. Can ruin your meat pens by changing weights. !00 degrees usually during our Fairs but no humidity.

We have gallon ice bottles, calf manna mixed into their feed, changing ice every 5,6 hours....our rules don' let 1st yr members show meat pens..,so no worries there. yeah heat index has been 110-112...

 

[Ridgetop]

Way too hot!!! Your rabbits are probably used to the high heat so it should be ok. You are doing all the right things to keep them cool.

 

[Pastor Dave]

When it gets close to !00(had to go there, Haha) or heat index up in that range, I also use 12"×12" ceramic or clay floor tiles. I just keep half in the same freezer I use for their ice bottles. I rotate them out abt every two hours if I can.
I like the big 3Liter pop bottles. They stay frizen longer. If I put a gallon jug with a handle in with them, they chew a hole in the handle and ruin it. I rotate the ice bottles out late afternoon or early evening to take them into sundown. And, I have a second set trying to get a full 24 hours to freeze while using the current set.

 

[Ridgetop]

Love the idea of frozen 12 x 12 tiles! Better than frozen bottles that the rabbits can chew. You can often get them on close out at a hardware store for 39 cents. If you got saltillo clay tiles you could soak them in cold water instead of freezing too.

 

[promiseacres]

Problem we have with tiles is we have several does who promptly pee on them... then they get lay on them.... then you get nasty bunny butts!

 

[Ridgetop]

We used to put 8" x 14" pieces of cheap plain drywall in cages to allow rabbits place to sit not on wire. They didn't have any problems with nasty butts. OK, nix the tile idea. I use misters on the outside edges of my pole barn but water use may become a problem in future. And of course that is at home where everyone has their own set up to cool off the rabbits.

 

[Pastor Dave]

I can see that being a problem, but mine must be accustomed to having them in the summer because they stay fairly clean minus the occasional pellet. They are too cold for winter, so after the heat is past I go back to 1" thick boards to sit and rest on.

 

[promiseacres]

We used to put 8" x 14" pieces of cheap plain drywall in cages to allow rabbits place to sit not on wire. They didn't have any problems with nasty butts. OK, nix the tile idea. I use misters on the outside edges of my pole barn but water use may become a problem in future. And of course that is at home where everyone has their own set up to cool off the rabbits.

I did buy some heavy plastic resting pads with holes, made for bunnies for the problem does. so far it's helping.

 

[promiseacres]

Sunday we had kiddie tractor pull, girls had lots of fun, John won his class.
Survived Ag Tractor competition last night... got in bed at 2. John got 2 5th places, 1 4th. He had some problems but as a first year member has plenty of time to learn and improve.

Rabbit show went very well. Special, our sr Doe got BOB, BOV and Reserve 4 class!! our JR buck Brownie got BOSB, BOSV, Jr Doe Ninja got BOV and our old man C3P0 just got a first... his kids beat him!! I was a bit confused, didn't expect that!! He's been BOV SOOO many times! guess our does match him well.

Set a VERY high presidence for the next few year, all blue and purple ribbons.... (Ag tractor just gave blues as they no longer do 1st to 5th... not sure what's up with that..probably nondiscrimination issues). Took me 8,9 yrs of 4H for such a year.... guess he's got an advantage of a crazy Mom and Dad who help and teach. Tomorrow rabbits can come home. Am ready!

 

[Bruce]

The kiddie tractor pull is in adult size tractors?