Wild rabbit cover

[Randy Dandy]

Im going to make some more permanent predator protection for the rabbits. So my question is would you go with 3" or 4 " pvc pipe.
I was thinking that the 3" might be too small for the rabbits but the 4" might be big enough for a small fox ?

[Darren]

I have a couple of ravines where I pile brush placing the thicker branches on the bottom with the smaller stuff on top. We've seen quite a few more rabbits since building the piles. I add to them every year.

[Danaus29]

Brush piles. The wild bunnies love the one in my garden.

[poppy]

Foxes are very good at hunting in brush piles and will even make dens in them if they are large. A number of small brush piles are better than 1 large one. I have seen hawks sit in a tree for hours watching a brush pile. Four inch pipe works fine for rabbits to hide in. Thickets with briars are great too.

[Pops2]

good idea to plant rugosa roses or blackberry brambles around the brush piles to help cut down on the number of predators.

[poppy]

An Amish restaurant near us has a tame rabbit colony in a fenced in area. It has a large pile of dirt in the center with 4 inch plastic pipe coming out of the pile in several locations. I don't know how they tied them together in the pile but the rabbits seem to love the setup.

[Randy Dandy]

Thanks for all the great ideas.
I have some brush piles now.
So Im thinking that the 4" pipe would be a better size than the 3"
Thanks

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

what about adding a woven stick fence in with holes just big enough for a rabit or a fox but with snares set just a little higher so that when the fox runs thru he is yours

anamals take the easiest routes normaly so if you can create a way to funnel them in like a convieneint hole in a fence they can be easy to catch fewer fox would = more rabit

but this gets the next question do you just want more rabit or do you want more so you can eat them instead of the fox

[poppy]

Originally Posted by GREENCOUNTYPETE

but this gets the next question do you just want more rabit or do you want more so you can eat them instead of the fox

It is nice to have a sustainable population of rabbits around. I like a few wild rabbits a year to eat. Keeping good habitat for them is passive way to keep the population going and since it is on your property, you can tell pretty well how the population is doing from year to year and alter your number of rabbit suppers accordingly.

[Oldcountryboy]

My dad was a truck driver and he use to throw some of his old truck tires back out behind the back garden area. The wild rabbits just loved to den around this stuff. I took it that the truck tires absorbed some daylight heat which the rabbits preferred on winter days.

[VOR.]

Move to TX. You'll have more rabbits than you know what to do with. I shoot at least 100 rabbits a year and I am still over-run with them.

[Randy Dandy]

Thanks again for the help and ideas.
Yes GREENCOUNTYPETE I do want to eat the rabbits after getting a good population.

[pheasantplucker]

brush pile

[swamp man]

If you can salvage some pallets, toss 'em down and build brush piles on top....works like a charm.
I'd also sling some rye grass around...green grass for them during much of the year when most everthing else is dormant.