New Zealand Rabbits

[tylajean]

So I'm trying to figure out where to buy a rabbit hutch with a run large enough to have 3 New Zealand rabbits; 2 does and 1 buck.
Or how large a hutch and run would need to be.
Can rabbits be kept in chicken coops?
Please and thank you!

 

[nchls school]

So I'm trying to figure out where to buy a rabbit hutch with a run large enough to have 3 New Zealand rabbits; 2 does and 1 buck.
Or how large a hutch and run would need to be.
Can rabbits be kept in chicken coops?
Please and thank you!

You do not say where you are. I'm from Wisconsin and the best cages at the best price are from Farm and Fleet. Check there or your farm supply store. Chicken coop? Running loose in the coop? No. This is not a good idea as it is unhealthy. Your rabbits would breed too frequently; not a good situation. With a chicken coop there is not enough control. I don't think it's a good idea to have bucks and does in the same cage on a permanent basis; again, no control on breeding. Many kits would be lost and the doe would soon be exhausted.

 

[chiques chicks]

Agreed. Rabbits raised for meat are best kept in individual cages and breeding is controlled.

30x36 are good for does, 30x30 will work for bucks. Plus grow out pens for weaned kits.

Bass equipment sells great cages and equipment.

Any enclosure with wood will be chewed, so wire is best. Also shelter from drafts and extreme heat. They are quite cold hardy.

 

[Bunnylady]

If your rabbits have been spayed and neutered, you might be able to keep them together, but unless this is three rabbits that you already know get along, you can't be sure that they will. Does can be very territorial; you may find that you need to have a separate house for each rabbit, even if you have a common run. I keep my rabbits in wire floored cages and hutches, and have never tried on-the-ground colonies, but those who have tell me that does are particularly bad about digging, so some measures to keep the rabbits from digging out and predators from digging in will be necessary.

I'm afraid I'm pretty much of a do-it-yourselfer, so I buy rolls of wire and build my own. One of my favorite suppliers is Klubertanz; you can find them online.