The Bunny Hutch...
I've often thought I'd love to be a fly on the wall in
other rabbitries... how are they set up? What works for
other breeders? We try to keep flies to a minimum in our
rabbitry, so just come on in and take a look!
"For I know the plans I
have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you
and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future. " Jeremiah 29:11
This is what the plaque
reads just under the window...a favorite verse of mine!
This is the front entrance to our 12 x 24 foot, 75
hole rabbitry, which sits just beyond our backyard in
the barn area. After years of raising our rabbits in our
bigger pole barn with the other critters, we finally
built this insulated rabbitry off the back of our
existing shop. The main goal was to eliminate the frozen
water system in the Winter, as well as making a place
where everyone could be comfortable year round... both
the bunnies. and us. We achieved just that!
As you walk in the rabbitry, there are 10 stacks of
24X24 cages, stacked 4 cages high. Above these rows are
2 large, high windows to let natural light in and for
ventilation. There is another door on the far end of the rabbitry.
Both rabbitry doors are secured by heavy duty security
screens so they may be left open for ventilation
whenever possible, while giving us the assurance no dogs
or other preditors can get to the bunnies. Florescent lighting keeps the
rabbitry bright and cheery and keeps the does producing
all year.
Proper ventilation is absolutely critical to herd health. These
window fans were simple to install (I put them up
myself) and can blow air in
or exhaust air out at the flip of a switch. We adjust
the speed depending on the season, but leave the 2 exhaust fans running
non-stop, pulling stale air, ammonia, and heat up and
out of the rabbitry. Fresh air is pulled in through the
screened doors. In the summer, the exhaust fans keep the
rabbitry amazingly cool just by pulling the hot, stuffy
air out of the barn.
This is a closer look at our bank of cages. Each cage
has a plastic J-feeder, hayrack (placed high so the
bunnies have to stretch up high to pull the hay
through), a water nozzle, and one or more toys for
entertainment. Plastic Dura Trays are much easier than
metal ones. We use a gravity fed float tank, flexible tubing water system,
which is simple to install and reconfigure (I set the
entire water system up myself). I prefer the tubing
lines to run on the front of the cages so we can
easily check to see if nozzles are working. The larger
doe a & litter cages have 2 nozzles per cage.
 
But the real fun is who's in those cages! Each bunny is
given daily attention and allowed time outside of their
cages several times a week for exercise and stimulation.
We keep extras of everything on hand... extra feeders,
nestboxes, trays, everything. When we notice something
is dirty, we simply replace it and wash the dirty item
at our convenience.
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This is a look straight down the rabbitry from the front
entrance. Our larger 30X30 and 30X36 doe and litter
cages are on the right. These roomier cages give our
moms and babies the extra space they need. In the center isle, is a
grooming table, a multi-level exercise pen that we
rotate the bunnies in, and 2 trash
cans, one for feed and one for hay. All of these items
are on castors, so they can be easily moved to one side
while cleaning trays and such.
The cement floor is easy
to clean and keeps mice out. Of course there is a step
stool since cages are stacked 4 high. You can see the Vanodine spray bottles, an invaluable disinfectant in
the rabbitry. Jobin's Best In Show trophies are above
the door (the ribbons get too dusty out here, so we
leave them in the house). At the very top of the
picture along the wooden beam, is a fly spray dispenser.
There is one above each door and they really help
control flies in the summer.
We use laminated cage cards with each bunny's name and
information, more for the barn sitter while we are away.
If they have a question about a bunny, we don't have to
guess which one they are referring to. We recently
installed short, 2 inch urine guards to the front side
of each cage. These also help keep in babies that find
themselves out of the nestbox too early from wriggling
through the wire onto the cold floor.
This is the view standing at the back of the rabbitry
looking towards the front entrance. There are a
few stacks of smaller, 18X24 cages used for holding sold
rabbits or growing out juniors. There is another window
at this end of the barn behind the door, as well as a
door that leads into the shop, where we store all our
feed & show carriers. Our water system float tank is
high above the door on a shelf and you can see the lines
coming down to supply the water to each side. There is a
clock (to remind me I've been out here for hours!) and a
radio. We joke that our bunnies are so sweet because
they listen to Christian music day and night!
This lower window is opened and closed, depending on the
weather. We cover it with blinds in the summer, but
enjoy the extra light it provides in the cooler months.
We've planted a tree just outside it to help shade the
rabbitry from the late afternoon sun. Since the rabbitry
is on the back side of the shop, it is shaded most of
the day, til late afternoon. You can see the
frost-free faucet that supplies water to the float tank.
Plastic sheeting is tacked up on the walls to help keep
them clean.
Just outside the back rabbitry door, you will find a
cement slab, trash can, extra trays, mop, broom and the
manure spreader parked. This is where we clean our trays
and hose them down. The manure is quickly and evenly
spread in the pasture simply by pulling it behind the
quad, Jobin's favorite chore. It's a win-win situation,
as it's an effortless way to remove the rabbitry waste
and it fertilizes the pasture for the mules... okay, the
spreading part is effortless, but the cleaning trays
part is still work!
In short, our rabbitry is far from fancy, but it is
extremely functional and serves it's purpose well. It is
set up for convenience of barn chores, which
allows us more time for the bunnies!
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