I'm interested in getting rabbits ---- Edit: Just caught a dumped Bunny!!!

[HorsesRMe123]

Perfect! So pellets are kinda like the supplement of the rabbit world.
How much pellets should I feed? What kind as well? Lol! Is it out grass pellets like you would feed horses? We feed Timothy pellets to our mares.

I’d suggest feeding a quarter cup of pellets a day for your average sized bunny. I like to give more pellets if a rabbit seems thin (not really ever a problem but my 8 year old buck seems to have a bit more trouble retaining weight even though he eats a lot!). I feed my rabbits Purina rabbit pellets. I know a lot of people don’t like feeding that brand but my rabbits love it and it has 20% fiber which is very important in a rabbit’s diet. And 18% fiber is the least amount for rabbit pellets so I personally I don’t see a problem with feeding the brand I do. The most important thing is that they get healthy veggies and healthy unlimited hay. I’ve been feeding my rabbits that same brand all this time and have never had a problem with it. My 8 year old buck is very healthy and doing well. As well as my other 3 rabbits.

When feeding baby bunnies, you feed unlimited pellets until they reach 6 months old and then slowly transition them to adult feed and a limited amount after 6 months. So for my rabbits, I feed unlimited Sherwood alfalfa pellets (a little on the expensive side but I highly recommend) until they reach 12 weeks. Then I transition them to Oxbow young rabbit food and feed them unlimited until 6 months and then transition them to adult food with a limited amount.

 

[NatJ]

what are the requirements for winter/summer hutch? We got down to 18 degrees mid winter, so what does the hutch have to have for temps that low?

Hutch requirements for rabbits in winter:
--a roof
--protection from wind
--good ventilation

A wooden box for them to sit inside (if they want to) can be good, and a pile of hay.

For winter, get two water dishes per rabbit.
That way you can give them a fresh dish of water, and take the other inside to thaw.
Give them liquid water at least twice a day (morning and evening). More is better.

Do not use a water bottle with a small spout in the winter time. The spout freezes very quickly, and then the rabbit cannot drink, even when the bottle itself still has liquid water. With a dish, they are able to drink for longer before it gets too much ice on top.


For all seasons: be sure the hutch is predator proof!

 

[Weeg]

3x3 is the size I used for my larger meat rabbits when they were housed in a shed. I didn't use a run, but my outdoor hutches were 2x4 with 2x2 boxes in the back. I always used wire floors, but did provide a plastic mat if they wanted off the wire. They rarely did, as the wire is cooler. Some people use a ceramic tile in the summer since they stay cool to the touch.

Rabbits hate heat and like cold weather. In your climate, they will be fine outside in the winter if they have a good wind break, but make sure there is plenty of shade in the summer. Mine would seldom use their enclosed boxes even when it was well below 0. They have coats we would kill for.

Pellets and free choice Timothy or orchard hay is all they really need for food. Clover, plantain, and dandelion are good weed treats. So are apple branches. Fruit and veg treats should be small and rare. A quarter inch slice of carrot is plenty.

They are very low maintenance, and are very quiet. I don't think 100 rabbits make as much noise as 1 chicken.

I would not keep them with chickens. Chickens create a ton of dust, and coccidocis is a concern.

Perfect! I'm not planning on having very many, at least not in the beginning. I'm thinking 2-3 for starters. All females, then if I want to breed I'll add a male.
Would an 8x8 be good for 2-3 rabbits? I'm trying to come up with something easy to pic up and move, and still a good size.
We have two HUGE maple trees, they've got to be over 50 years old. They provide a lot of shade, and thats were I'm putting Doodle and Smudge, my two pet meat birds, in the summer as well. Them and the bunnies will be very that sensitive, so I'll be able to keep them cool together.
It doesn't get to extreme heats here either, usually between 70-80. Sometimes getting to 90 degrees mid summer. Thats probably pretty hot for a rabbit though.

 

[NatJ]

I’d suggest feeding a quarter cup of pellets a day for your average sized bunny.

What weight of rabbit? They can range from 2 pounds to over 15 pounds at maturity, and a quarter cup of pellets per day cannot be right for all those sizes!

 

[HorsesRMe123]

Perfect! I'm not planning on having very many, at least not in the beginning. I'm thinking 2-3 for starters. All females, then if I want to breed I'll add a male.
Would an 8x8 be good for 2-3 rabbits? I'm trying to come up with something easy to pic up and move, and still a good size.
We have two HUGE maple trees, they've got to be over 50 years old. They provide a lot of shade, and thats were I'm putting Doodle and Smudge, my two pet meat birds, in the summer as well. Them and the bunnies will be very that sensitive, so I'll be able to keep them cool together.
It doesn't get to extreme heats here either, usually between 70-80. Sometimes getting to 90 degrees mid summer. Thats probably pretty hot for a rabbit though.

You named your chickens that you’re going to butcher? I would feel too attached to butcher them then lol.

 

[HorsesRMe123]

What weight of rabbit? They can range from 2 pounds to over 15 pounds at maturity, and a quarter cup of pellets per day cannot be right for all those sizes!

That’s right. Rabbits can be all sizes! Quarter cup for an average size rabbit (about 6-10 lbs).

 

[Weeg]

I’d suggest feeding a quarter cup of pellets a day for your average sized bunny. I like to give more pellets if a rabbit seems thin (not really ever a problem but my 8 year old buck seems to have a bit more trouble retaining weight even though he eats a lot!). I feed my rabbits Purina rabbit pellets. I know a lot of people don’t like feeding that brand but my rabbits love it and it has 20% fiber which is very important in a rabbit’s diet. And 18% fiber is the least amount for rabbit pellets so I personally I don’t see a problem with feeding the brand I do. The most important thing is that they get healthy veggies and healthy unlimited hay. I’ve been feeding my rabbits that same brand all this time and have never had a problem with it. My 8 year old buck is very healthy and doing well. As well as my other 3 rabbits.

Perfect, we usually get whatever brand we can from our local feed store for the mares, but will fiber be on the label? I'll look into the brand we get most often, and see what the fiber amounts on that are.
I don't like Purina for chicenk feed, just because I prefer a natural/Non-GMO feed. The rabbits are only eating forage though, so theirs not a lot of additives like in chicken feed. I'de be fine with feeding Purina pellets if thats all that was available.

When feeding baby bunnies, you feed unlimited pellets until they reach 6 months old and then slowly transition them to adult feed and a limited amount after 6 months. So for my rabbits, I feed unlimited Sherwood alfalfa pellets (a little on the expensive side but I highly recommend) until they reach 12 weeks. Then I transition them to Oxbow young rabbit food and feed them unlimited until 6 months and then transition them to adult food with a limited amount.

Thank you! This is really great information, I appreciate it!

 

[HorsesRMe123]

Perfect, we usually get whatever brand we can from our local feed store for the mares, but will fiber be on the label? I'll look into the brand we get most often, and see what the fiber amounts on that are.
I don't like Purina for chicenk feed, just because I prefer a natural/Non-GMO feed. The rabbits are only eating forage though, so theirs not a lot of additives like in chicken feed. I'de be fine with feeding Purina pellets if thats all that was available.

Thank you! This is really great information, I appreciate it!

Yeah fiber is on the nutrition label. No worries! If you prefer not feeding Purina pellets I totally understand, that’s totally up to you! Oxbow is another pellet brand I highly suggest if you prefer not using Purina.

Glad to help!

 

[Weeg]

Hutch requirements for rabbits in winter:
--a roof
--protection from wind
--good ventilation

A wooden box for them to sit inside (if they want to) can be good, and a pile of hay.

For winter, get two water dishes per rabbit.
That way you can give them a fresh dish of water, and take the other inside to thaw.
Give them liquid water at least twice a day (morning and evening). More is better.

Do not use a water bottle with a small spout in the winter time. The spout freezes very quickly, and then the rabbit cannot drink, even when the bottle itself still has liquid water. With a dish, they are able to drink for longer before it gets too much ice on top.


For all seasons: be sure the hutch is predator proof!

Ya, I've read on other threads that the water bottles aren't a good option. Especially for outdoor bunnies.
That makes sense, we have lots of dog dishes for the chickens, so that'll be easy. Would a heated water pad be easier then refilling constantly in the winter?

Yes! Predator proofing will be key! We'll make the run as proofed as possible, but the hutch will have to be bomb proof incase something can get in the run.

 

[NatJ]

Would an 8x8 be good for 2-3 rabbits? I'm trying to come up with something easy to pic up and move, and still a good size.

If you start with just-weaned female bunnies and raise them together, 8x8 feet might work for several of them. Does that grow up together will often continue to live together peacefully. Or get an adult doe and one or more of her daughters that have not been separated from her, and let them stay together as the bunnies grow up.

But if you start with adult rabbits that have been living in individual cages, they will most likely fight and injure each other. Rabbits can be quite territorial.

(Of course, individual rabbits might be exceptions either way-- they might fight even if they grew up together, or they might get along even if they grew up separately.)