I want to build an outdoor rabbit run, covering the ground also so they cant dig out. What is the cheapest way to do this ?
do you really want to go cheapest or do you want to use a quality wire that will last, the cheaper wire will rust out and can kill or cripple the rabbits. for cheap you can use poultry netting. for quality i would use a coated wire put into the ground and covered with soil and then planted. just remember if you move the pens it will be hard to get the wire up no matter what you use.
I'm not a rabbit person, but I saw this post and couldn't resist. 6' rebar pounded 2' into the ground, pallets on edge attached with zip ties or wire to the rebar, chicken wire or hardware cloth over the top, sides, and extending 12" in on the ground on the inside to prevent digging. I don't know firsthand that it works, but that's what I would do.
Sorry fin29, that might work well for some animals, but rabbits will bite through the zip ties. They will eat the wood to nothing. Predators will have no problem tearing/biting through chicken wire and devouring the rabbits. The ragged areas of chicken wire will snag the rabbits skin and rip it right off of them. Last but not least, rabbits will dig a hole in the middle of the pen, tunnel for a long distance and you will find the exit in the next county. There are people on this list who raise rabbits in outside, on the ground pens. They will probably help with some suggestions. I raise mine in hanging wire cages, because it is safer for the rabbits, produces safer meat, is less labor intensive, allows me to control the breeding and is more cost efficient. Good luck, Mike
Can't access private email as I'm not logged in? My DH and I have trouble with the killing but would like to raise rabbits. Any suggestions? Email at hsnrs@vtc.net as this forum won't allow us to send messages to private email section. Thanks.
The cheapest (while still sturdy) in my experience is the welded wire w/ 2" x 4" holes. You can put this in the ground 6-12 inches and reinforce what's above ground w/24" chicken wire (to keep in baby bunnies, chicks etc.) It ends up about $1.50 per foot (including t-posts) and I have used this to even keep horses in at 4 ft high! (Good horses, tho! I also once heard of someone using old grates out of ovens, and refrigerators (shelves) slightly buried inside the perimerter fence. Don't think ANYTHING could dig through that! He just happened to have a lot of them around for free!
