Greetings to everyone!
I really wanted to write something useful to start my presence here with, so I decided to write about how I keep my rabbits, because it might prove useful for some.
As I'm a kind of 'celibatarian housewife' right now, I don't want to use money for the upkeep of the animals of mine. (I don't really want to use money at all, but I have to wait some more years to can do that.) Also we're about to become fully self-sustaining soon, so because of that too, it is important to me to feed them of what I have all time.
We had rabbits before, but I was much younger by then, so not I was the one to decide but my grandparents, (also we lived in the city, we didn't have enough land to keep them fed) so those rabbits were kept in wooden cages, separated and ate mostly pellets, I really didn't like it. Now I wants to do it better.
First of all, their home.
I would never put my rabbits in small cages. It is very important to me that all my animals can live a natural life, and do whatever they enjoy to do, even if (MOSTLY if) they will be killed for food.
So I built a smaller 'rabbit tractor' that can be moved easily. -The houses are painted with water based paint, that can be used on child toys.- I planned to use it for the young girls that born here, so they will be separated from the boys, but still have space for grazing.
As my doe is only 6 months old now, and she really didn't start thinking about babies yet, I used it for her and her 'husband' during the day, as their original house (will write about that too) requires two person to move it, so I'm clearly not enough. (Who read my introduction knows that I live with my mother, but she works at the city during the day, so I really wouldn't bother her at dawn or dusk to carry that big one around to find the perfect spot for the next -half- day, so that one stays in place.)
This one is 160x80cm, made of the worst material I've ever seen, but it's what is available here...
Worked fine right until they decided to make a tunnel and went for a walk. I really wouldn't mind letting them free, but I can't make the fences rabbit-proof, so they should stay inside.
So after the escape, I really tried everyting to keep them in, but they also tried everything to get out, so they moved back to the big house even for the day. For now it's a spare run, if anything happens, and will be used next year for broody hens.
Their big home has 150x50cm floor area, and about 60-70cm at the highest spot, also made of horrible material, twisted and uneven, but it's what the shop sells... It has a 'nest room' with a wall, that is enough for both of them to go inside in cold weather if they wants to, and will have enough room for the young ones. Also have a litter box on the other side, it is separated from the other parts with a low board. I also put their green food in that area, so everything they don't want to eat will get into the litter box. It's on the top of a 150x100cm run, that is about 80cm high, and can be accessed from dawn to dusk by them. At night, the door to the run is closed, it has a wire mesh in the middle, so it has nearly the same ventilation during the night too.
As they really wanted to dig their way out after they did it in the small run, I had to attach wire mesh to the bottom too. I didn't want to do it with the tractor, as that pushes the grass down, and it becomes useless or even dangerous, but as I won't move the big one, it works fine here. They already pushed the wire into the ground, so it won't bother them. Also they stopped digging in one day, just as they realised that they can't get out.
Then the feeding:
For me, the important is to feed them naturally, no pellets, no shop bought rabbit food, but grasses, roots, fruits, vegetables and everything they could find in the wild. Also I don't want them to get in touch with chemicals. They grow slower, but they grow well, and had no problems so far. Also they knows the difference between the greens, and eats nothing poisonous (tested that once, but I always take care not to put anything in the run I shouldn't).
At first, I only had to move the tractor, but they got some herbs too in the morning, and for the night. After their escape, they got back into the big run, and the grass can't really grow high, so at dawn I start with going to the field to collect herbs. I need to feed them twice, with an amount I can hold in one arm of mine without letting any fall (about 0,5kg- that means that for two rabbits, feedig twice, I need a kg of grasses for a day. With this, I usually had excess food left. But I think this is not the same for everyone.) I collect the herbs from the garden, not the meadow, so at the same time I do the weeding(as weeds here are mint, amaranth, ragweed, yarrow and other great things. But I don't really weed, because that hurts the soil, rather I keep them short, so they will also provide more and more food.)
During the warm season, I collect and dry all the grasses I cut, and all the grasses I mow, so that will provide the hay for winter. I use a reel lawn mower in the backyard,(also no money needed to maintain) it has a collector, and it only places the grasses on top, it doesn't get compacted. I let the grass grow, so I will be able to bale it. (I built a hand baler for that.) On the meadow I use a scythe of cousre, the grasses there are much longer when collected.
Some time ago I gave them hay even if they got the grasses from the field, and they didn't touch it, or if they did, they just pulled them out and dropped them on the floor, so if they has fresh greens, they get no hay.
This winter I will figure out the needed amount of hay too for a day/month, will write about that too, but I want to wait for a really cold month to calculate with.
I also give them fallen fruits, carrots, that grew too small, and everything they can eat, but not in an amount to change their daily needs of grasses. Also they get branches with leaves on it, or leaves I collect. They get willow, aspen and birch. I also collect green leaves to dry them as hay. Actually they like birch leaves more when they're yellow already.
Cleaning:
As I said before up there, I use a litter box in their house. It is on the right side, the nest is on the left, the middle is the space that is the biggest and that they use the most, there is the hay holder, and the drinking bottle, and they also sleep there.
I clean them one or two times a week. I empty the litter box, under that I place fresh wood shavings(only thing I have to buy for now, but will replace that with something else as soon as I can), in case if it has some urine on it, and place the box back. In the middle, they usually let many hay fall on the floor, some of this will be placed into the litter box, and if it's dirty somewhere, that will be removed. When I clean the middle too(about every second week, or whenever needed) I remove everything, and place wood shavings along the walls. They kicks the shavings from the middle, so I don't even put there any, they will fill it with hay later. Also every day I put some of the dirtier fallen hay/shavings in the litter box, or if they get greens from the outside, they will do it themselves by leaving the unneeded parts there. (With this method, I get a full bucket of manure every week from this two -without wasting precious meterials, or throwing out clean bedding-, in case you're a farmer too, and wants to use that.)
I think I wrote everything that came to my mind. I really hope that some of you will find it useful!
I really wanted to write something useful to start my presence here with, so I decided to write about how I keep my rabbits, because it might prove useful for some.
As I'm a kind of 'celibatarian housewife' right now, I don't want to use money for the upkeep of the animals of mine. (I don't really want to use money at all, but I have to wait some more years to can do that.) Also we're about to become fully self-sustaining soon, so because of that too, it is important to me to feed them of what I have all time.
We had rabbits before, but I was much younger by then, so not I was the one to decide but my grandparents, (also we lived in the city, we didn't have enough land to keep them fed) so those rabbits were kept in wooden cages, separated and ate mostly pellets, I really didn't like it. Now I wants to do it better.
First of all, their home.
I would never put my rabbits in small cages. It is very important to me that all my animals can live a natural life, and do whatever they enjoy to do, even if (MOSTLY if) they will be killed for food.
So I built a smaller 'rabbit tractor' that can be moved easily. -The houses are painted with water based paint, that can be used on child toys.- I planned to use it for the young girls that born here, so they will be separated from the boys, but still have space for grazing.
As my doe is only 6 months old now, and she really didn't start thinking about babies yet, I used it for her and her 'husband' during the day, as their original house (will write about that too) requires two person to move it, so I'm clearly not enough. (Who read my introduction knows that I live with my mother, but she works at the city during the day, so I really wouldn't bother her at dawn or dusk to carry that big one around to find the perfect spot for the next -half- day, so that one stays in place.)
This one is 160x80cm, made of the worst material I've ever seen, but it's what is available here...
Worked fine right until they decided to make a tunnel and went for a walk. I really wouldn't mind letting them free, but I can't make the fences rabbit-proof, so they should stay inside.
So after the escape, I really tried everyting to keep them in, but they also tried everything to get out, so they moved back to the big house even for the day. For now it's a spare run, if anything happens, and will be used next year for broody hens.
Their big home has 150x50cm floor area, and about 60-70cm at the highest spot, also made of horrible material, twisted and uneven, but it's what the shop sells... It has a 'nest room' with a wall, that is enough for both of them to go inside in cold weather if they wants to, and will have enough room for the young ones. Also have a litter box on the other side, it is separated from the other parts with a low board. I also put their green food in that area, so everything they don't want to eat will get into the litter box. It's on the top of a 150x100cm run, that is about 80cm high, and can be accessed from dawn to dusk by them. At night, the door to the run is closed, it has a wire mesh in the middle, so it has nearly the same ventilation during the night too.
As they really wanted to dig their way out after they did it in the small run, I had to attach wire mesh to the bottom too. I didn't want to do it with the tractor, as that pushes the grass down, and it becomes useless or even dangerous, but as I won't move the big one, it works fine here. They already pushed the wire into the ground, so it won't bother them. Also they stopped digging in one day, just as they realised that they can't get out.
Then the feeding:
For me, the important is to feed them naturally, no pellets, no shop bought rabbit food, but grasses, roots, fruits, vegetables and everything they could find in the wild. Also I don't want them to get in touch with chemicals. They grow slower, but they grow well, and had no problems so far. Also they knows the difference between the greens, and eats nothing poisonous (tested that once, but I always take care not to put anything in the run I shouldn't).
At first, I only had to move the tractor, but they got some herbs too in the morning, and for the night. After their escape, they got back into the big run, and the grass can't really grow high, so at dawn I start with going to the field to collect herbs. I need to feed them twice, with an amount I can hold in one arm of mine without letting any fall (about 0,5kg- that means that for two rabbits, feedig twice, I need a kg of grasses for a day. With this, I usually had excess food left. But I think this is not the same for everyone.) I collect the herbs from the garden, not the meadow, so at the same time I do the weeding(as weeds here are mint, amaranth, ragweed, yarrow and other great things. But I don't really weed, because that hurts the soil, rather I keep them short, so they will also provide more and more food.)
During the warm season, I collect and dry all the grasses I cut, and all the grasses I mow, so that will provide the hay for winter. I use a reel lawn mower in the backyard,(also no money needed to maintain) it has a collector, and it only places the grasses on top, it doesn't get compacted. I let the grass grow, so I will be able to bale it. (I built a hand baler for that.) On the meadow I use a scythe of cousre, the grasses there are much longer when collected.
Some time ago I gave them hay even if they got the grasses from the field, and they didn't touch it, or if they did, they just pulled them out and dropped them on the floor, so if they has fresh greens, they get no hay.
This winter I will figure out the needed amount of hay too for a day/month, will write about that too, but I want to wait for a really cold month to calculate with.
I also give them fallen fruits, carrots, that grew too small, and everything they can eat, but not in an amount to change their daily needs of grasses. Also they get branches with leaves on it, or leaves I collect. They get willow, aspen and birch. I also collect green leaves to dry them as hay. Actually they like birch leaves more when they're yellow already.
Cleaning:
As I said before up there, I use a litter box in their house. It is on the right side, the nest is on the left, the middle is the space that is the biggest and that they use the most, there is the hay holder, and the drinking bottle, and they also sleep there.
I clean them one or two times a week. I empty the litter box, under that I place fresh wood shavings(only thing I have to buy for now, but will replace that with something else as soon as I can), in case if it has some urine on it, and place the box back. In the middle, they usually let many hay fall on the floor, some of this will be placed into the litter box, and if it's dirty somewhere, that will be removed. When I clean the middle too(about every second week, or whenever needed) I remove everything, and place wood shavings along the walls. They kicks the shavings from the middle, so I don't even put there any, they will fill it with hay later. Also every day I put some of the dirtier fallen hay/shavings in the litter box, or if they get greens from the outside, they will do it themselves by leaving the unneeded parts there. (With this method, I get a full bucket of manure every week from this two -without wasting precious meterials, or throwing out clean bedding-, in case you're a farmer too, and wants to use that.)
I think I wrote everything that came to my mind. I really hope that some of you will find it useful!
