too many losses!

boundarybunnyco · #1 07/30/12, 10:42 PM

I'm convinced that my losses are being caused by two things. 1) the temperature in the metal shop that houses most of my rabbits; and 2) the poor air quality due to inadequate ventilation. I even have fans...
the big shop I thought would be a great rabbitry just...isn't.
so we are going to build an addition onto a small pole building we used to shelter our calves. please give me suggestions and ideas how to make it bunny friendly. it is built with 4x4 timbers, 2x6 framing, plywood siding, and a metal roof. dirt floor.

mekasmom · #2 07/30/12, 10:44 PM

If you have a dirt floor they will get out. You will need to make sure you have some wire buried or something. I learned that with our colony.

boundarybunnyco · #3 07/30/12, 10:54 PM

sorry, I should have stated that this building will include hanging cages. I've not attempted a colony yet.

Rollochrome · #4 07/30/12, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boundarybunnyco

sorry, I should have stated that this building will include hanging cages. I've not attempted a colony yet.

Thats what I have..

I took an aluminum folding beach canopy....probably 10'x10'....staked it down at the feet.....then used electric fence wire to suspend the big cages that Tractor Supply sells under the thing.

Then I ran a TSC mist system on top of the cages..

I also throw frozen water bottles in with them about lunchtime everyday.

its been 108 air temps here for a week....on top of hitting at least 100 degrees EVERY day for almost two months....and both my Californians are fine.

With no walls....the ventiliation is perfect..which I am now convinced is half the battle.

Rollochrome · #5 07/30/12, 11:13 PM

I say "they're fine".....

They look absolutely miserable.....but they are not dead...

Treewhisper · #6 07/30/12, 11:38 PM

I had the same thing happen to me. I put up a 30 x30 "pole barn" with a slanted metal roof to drain the rain off to one end with 4x4 timbers, 2x6 framing with a dirt floor also. I did not put up plywood siding. Since the 4x4's were 8 feet tall i enclosed all four sides with 8 feet chain link fencing i got for free off of craigslist and used a 6 x8 feet chain link panel as a door. This is the key for excellent cross ventilation as the wind changes direction during the day so the air wont stagnate. I went to a greenhouse supply store and bought 80% shade cloth and put it up on the inside of the upper half of the timber frame on the north, south and east side. The western part of the barn never seems to get the direct sun. The mesh is fine enough to also break up driving rain into a mist and i used cardboard boxes draped over the top and the side of the cage facing the rain and it keeps them really dry from the mist. Its worked great so far. I havent had any further losses and all my kits born during the one week heatwave here were it was in the low 90s with 90% humdidity have all made it. I sit my cages on a frame that i made from wood pallets. I cut the horizontal wood pieces on the pallets to one inch so the rabbits wouldnt make a mounding poop mess and the poop falls easily to the dirt floor.

Keep your metal shop for winter when they can be moved inside to keep them warm. Dont hang your cages because its a pain to unhook and move them with the change in seasons. I keep my cages sitting on wood pallets that i cut really fine for good waste removal. I run my chickens in below them with some scratch feed and they scratch/stir everything up so i dont have to worry about the smell, urine spots, poop mounds or cleaning them out. I get great compost and worms for the chickies. Come winter i move them into my greenhouse which was my summer death trap.

One thing i noticed in the summer heat was i had more losses from black colored rabbits to white ones so my rabbits are now all light colors and that may have helped them keep cooler too.

PD-Riverman · #7 07/31/12, 06:32 AM

I built mine under the tree so it stays shady. I used chain linked dog kennels for the outside walls. My top has about 2ft over hang and I have cut pieces of tarp hanging from the top of the walls down to almost the top of the cages to control blowing rain but still give them ventilation. This picture was taken about the time the trees started getting a few leaves so it does get more shade in the summer. In the winter I hang tarps or plastic around the sides to close it in. I also do not breed where they will be born during the hottest couple months.

too many losses! - Rabbits

Haven · #8 07/31/12, 07:10 AM

I keep mine in outdoor pens in the shade. They have plenty of air circulation and I have never lost one to the heat in 2 years of record temps. If the temps get near 100 I hose them down. Seems like everyone who keeps them in sheds and barns and brings them in and out of the house to cool them off looses rabbits constantly.

arnie · #9 07/31/12, 09:57 AM

Those metal bildings get way to hot just hold your hand on the walls you may be able to mount a lawn spronkler on the roof and run it on sunny days but I know moat people don't have free water and this is not cost effefective my new pole shed has no sides and is underneath a huge sycimore tree for shade 'the coolest spot next to a creek the rabbits iked the barn with its wooden walls and the wire cages didn't move sitting on the 2x4 frames but even though ther is cracks between every board it was to hot do you think you could remove the sheet meatle from the sides during hot weather . or posably move the whole bilding to a shädy spot some people build trellises round and over there rabbits and have grape vines or gourds growing to make shade seen pitchers of this where the rabbits were in the wood n wire hutches I'm hoping to be able to aford plywood siding that I can put up with screws for the winter in an attempt to keep the water from frezzing and to keep them out of the wind

boundarybunnyco · #10 07/31/12, 11:30 PM

good ideas here. I can't move the shop, it's 30'x40' and has a cement floor. I've also thought of building a cinder block rabbitry. that would stay cool wouldn't it?

lonelyfarmgirl · #11 08/01/12, 06:20 AM

Make your building on the north side. cinder clocks would be fine. Make it so both ends can be open air. I have a tarp building with both ends open. I close the one end in the winter and only pull the front flap down if we are having a blizzard. They need air and will not suffer in the cold.

6e · #12 08/05/12, 10:07 PM

You can use metal buildings, but the people I've seen that have done it and succeeded put insulation on the underneath side of the metal to keep it from transferring heat. We have ours in a metal shed, but we have to haul the rabbits into the AC daily while the temps are over 100. Other wise we have large barn fans and misters. It's a fine balance between trying to get enough air flow in the summer to keep them cool and keeping them snug and warm without all the air flow in the winter. We have super strong north winds in the winter and it seems to seep in through every crack.