06.01
In Rabbits | Tags: 1x2, Baby Kits, Chicken Wire, Colony raised rabbits, colony setting, Compromise, Duh, Garden Fencing, Hell, Hmmmm, Legs, Long Edge, Money, Money Wire, Odyssey, Pasture Pens, pasture raised rabbits, Pvc Coated Wire, Rabbit, Rabbit Cages, rabbit colony, Rabbit Hole, Rabbit Holes, rabbit pasture pens, rabbit tractors, Rabbits, Raising Rabbits, Teeth, X2
I have to wonder how many “Rabbit Holes” I’ll write about before I get these rabbits in the freakin’ pasture pens for good. Summer’s coming and I’ve got to get them on the ground before it gets hot.
So, I was thinking the other day, as I was busy shoveling poo out from under the rabbit cages in the barn about what it would take to end this odyssey. Then it occurred to me… looking at the cages with the 1 x 2 welded wire sides and top…. Hmmmm, do ya think that maybe somewhere in the past whoever first tried to cage rabbits found that the largest open welded wire he could allow and NOT have rabbits get out was 1 x 2??? DUH!!!!!!!!!
I’m guessing that whoever it was, didn’t want to spend anymore money on wire then he had to, but anything larger than 1 x 2 and the rabbits got out. Hell, the baby kits can get out of 1×2 when they are a few weeks old. (Hence the “babysaver wire” on some rabbit cages). So I’ve probably been staring at the answer all along… The question is, do I dare go back to wire on the ground? Is there anything else that would last longer, not rust, not get chewed through? How will the rabbits be able to graze through those small openings. It’s possible, but it can’t be fun grazing that way… oh, stop laughing!
I’m thinking pvc coated wire is the best compromise. Coated chicken wire might be too thin, though. Something a little heavier to stand up to rabbit teeth. Oh wait, maybe that garden fencing to keep rabbits out??? smaller openings on the bottom wider on the top, about 28″ high, so I’d use one on each long edge. That might keep them in but allow a little more munching in the center of the pen…..
Maybe this stuff will work?
It’s 1″ wide at the bottom, but I can’t tell how long. Of course then there is still the problem of them getting their legs tangled up in the wire when the pen gets lifted to move. Or maybe just 1 x2 wire around the perimeter under the wood slats…..??? UGH! It seems that the corners are where the big gaps are. I’m gonna sleep on it…. what do you think? What else could I try?
4 Responses.
I’ve often just taken my rabbit cages out and sat them on the lawn, upside down. It works, especially if it’s a mowed lawn that is all prickly and sticks straight up. This is often a temporary solution when we’re having a stint of good weather, or barn cleaning, etc., but it’s something to think about. I’ve often said that if I follow through on my plans for pasturing after I move to a place with GRASS, that I will build pens like this, but with corrugated roofs that cover the entire cage, and with some mechanism for staking to prevent wind issues.
I’m really enjoying your Rabbit Hole adventures. One of the things I love about rabbits is that keeping rabbits is a constant adventure. My rabbit keeping methods are a continually evolving process, and currently, the little suckers live in a colony in the back of my tuck! (Which works quite well–wish I had a whole fleet of truck beds with camper tops.)
Yes, rabbits are a challenge, for sure. But, between the fact that rabbits traditionally can eat hay that is placed in hayholders outside traditional cages made of 1×2 wire, and the fact you are having some success with upside down cages, I may try putting coated wire on the bottom of one of the pens to see how it goes. Although dragging pens along a field will flatten the grass….. time will tell
I’ve often just taken my rabbit cages out and sat them on the lawn, upside down. It works, especially if it’s a mowed lawn that is all prickly and sticks straight up. This is often a temporary solution when we’re having a stint of good weather, or barn cleaning, etc., but it’s something to think about. I’ve often said that if I follow through on my plans for pasturing after I move to a place with GRASS, that I will build pens like this, but with corrugated roofs that cover the entire cage, and with some mechanism for staking to prevent wind issues.
I’m really enjoying your Rabbit Hole adventures. One of the things I love about rabbits is that keeping rabbits is a constant adventure. My rabbit keeping methods are a continually evolving process, and currently, the little suckers live in a colony in the back of my tuck! (Which works quite well–wish I had a whole fleet of truck beds with camper tops.)
Yes, rabbits are a challenge, for sure. But, between the fact that rabbits traditionally can eat hay that is placed in hayholders outside traditional cages made of 1×2 wire, and the fact you are having some success with upside down cages, I may try putting coated wire on the bottom of one of the pens to see how it goes. Although dragging pens along a field will flatten the grass….. time will tell