When I moved in Rabbits were high up on my list of critters and after seeing a lot of other folks set ups for rabbits.......... Lets just say I was not impressed. So I decided to build something much different that actually looked nice and was also highly functional and protective. The first Rabbits, Khaki Campbell Duck and Muscovy were kind of a cart before the horse impulse And on the ground in cages was far from ideal. The first order of business was to just get them up off the wet ground. Because yeah building the rack before the actual building makes perfect sense LOL. I used the old Kubota BX25 to dig the area out behind the old barn level and got to framing the building add on around the cages. I used all treated lumber for the frame as rabbit urine is pretty rough on lumber in general but more so untreated. Pretty much just used my air compressor, nail gun and chainsaw for the build. Since this pic was taken those pokey out boards have been screwed into joining short boards to bring them in and even with the other boards. I used 5/4 6" wide decking for the walls and 1/2" hardware cloth for the windows. Something else added since this pic is a framed drop down on hinges to cover the hardware cloth openings during cold and storms. I made the door 5' wide so the BX had room to come in and out of it. A lot easier to put the turds in a tractor bucket than a wheel barrow It is not giant but it is 14x28 and houses all of my breeders. At some point I am going to put plastic on the walls and screw foam board insulation on to seal it up a little better for winters. Some of the first litter born here, the females. The whole Old Barn and the Rabbit on is going to be rabbits This main section and the side section below I am going to put a concrete pad on and use for grow out pens.Because YEAH it is a total PITA feeding and watering in individual cages! I will eventually set up a auto water system with nipples but for now it is all by hand in 24 cages every day LOL. This is the 3rd section of the old barn. I am going to use it for the feed and hay roomand hey there is a hydrant inside the barn! The old barn had a lot of Rot along the base and half the post were rotted a couple feet up making for a lot of holes and sag. Structurally everything above the old rot was sound and solid old oak. So I jacked it up and the sag out and sistered new treated 4x4s onto the rotten post and let them down on concrete pills 6" off the ground. That add on with the no trespassing sign on it must have been someone in the past get away, It has heat, AC and Couch in it LOL and is super insulated. After I get it cleaned out..... I am going to set it up with incubator and set it up for hatching and brooding Chickens, Ducks and Muscovy. I intentionally bought a place with only 5 acres of open land in the valley floor to limit myself. I know me if I have the open land and space again.... I will have a herd of cattle and hogs again! I DO NOT WANT HOGS AND CATTLE AGAIN A large part of my move to a NewHome was to move in a Different Direction from the last 30 years. Rabbits, Chickens, Ducks, Muscovy and Hair Sheep are my plan and future. Ok the chickens are the same but there are not going to be 600 layers and 20,000 meat birds per year here I am after all retired so maybe 100 layers and 300 meat birds is more reasonable now days
That's a lot of rabbits...although, what the hell do I know about rabbits? LOL! Are you selling the meat of is it just for home use? EDIT: Seeing all these photos of projects got me thinking about adding a lean-to to my garage, something I should have done when I built it a few years back. I had to build a second garage/shop as the wife simply crowded me out of the first one! I figure it was easier to simply build the second then fight a war I couldn't win. She's a fanatic gardener, with garden crap wall to wall...
It is a lot of rabbits for just breeding stock. But I am approaching it like I did Hogs. Going figure out which pairings produce the biggest litters and best performing off spring and cull them down from there. So far I have learned that a slow growing Flemish Giant Buck crossed with a Silver Fox Doe produces litters of 8-9 that grow fairly fast. And that one of my silver fox bucks is mean and will latch onto a finger given half a chance and wont let go LOL. He is heading to the frying pan soon Going to whittle them down to 6 does and 2 bucks. And go up or down from there as I need. NO I am only producing for my self now!!! 30 years of raising and growing for other folks is now at a end! At most I will sell live ones to other folks to cover some of my feed cost. Same with the Chickens, Ducks and Muscovy. If they want to butcher them GREAT I am only butcher and freezing for myself!
