Beauty is due tomorrow so I will be going out there as often as possible to check on her. She let me feel her belly today and I could feel them moving around. Always a good sign. She has not pulled any fur yet but she did not pull much last year either.
We have a little snow on the ground and melting snow dripping from the trees and house. It is a little colder than I was hoping or our first spring litter but rabbits do fine in these temperatures.
This is the outside of our bunny house, wascally wabbits rabbitry, bunny barn, rabbit cage, rabbit hutch.... how ever you want to refer to it.
This is the inside where the rabbits are. Notice the window behind the cages. There are three of them plus half of front is able to open completely to allow plenty of airflow. Below this window is a screened in area that will also open during the summer. Ventilation is critical when the temperatures are above 60. A strong urine odor can cause illnesses and discomfort.
The tarp is an awesome way to keep everything clean and fresh. Cheap too. It catches the hay and rabbit droppings so they do not go on the ground. There is one opening in the bottom where all the urine drains and is collected in a bucket. This keeps the smell down and also makes it easy to collect the droppings to sell as a cold manure for gardens. Yes I have sold the poop! This system helps me keep my rabbit housing smelling like hay! (which is like roses for rabbits!)
Now that summer is coming, I will begin to collect and separate the droppings again. I will first collect the hay out of the tarp that is usually laying on the top of the droppings. They I drain all the urine into the bucket by lifting the tarp in each area. Once the urine is drained I collect what is left- the rabbit droppings or manure.
Since rabbit manure is a cold manure (meaning it can go directly into your garden) I can collect, dry and package. I dump the manure onto a large sifter and set in the sun. After a few hours the pellets start to dry and turn slightly white. I use a rake to rotate them so the pellets fully dry. As the manure dries the remaining hay is dry. Whatever hay does not blow away in the wind I try and gather with a small hand rake so only the pellets remain.
Meet the rabbits! The stars of the show!
First here is Beauty. Short for Black Beauty. Her general
color is black but at the tips of some of her fur, she has a lighter
color which gives her a shimmery look. Beauty-ful!
She is a very gentle and loving black New Zealand. Last litter she had 10 babies. I was able to feel babies moving around in her belly today. She is not very good at pulling fur so I will add pulled cotton balls to her nest box today. I really love her. She is always willing to let me pet her. If she is in the back of the cage, I can get her to come to the front right away to be pet. She had all her babies in the nest box last time and raised every one of her kits to weaning. In case you were wondering, I keep old toilet paper rolls and fill them with hay. They love to chew on them, throw them around their cage and eat the hay from the ends. It is bunny fun and can help keep the cage clean.
Last but my favorite..... BUCK! Short of Buck Rogers! He is so
adorable. I have had family members and even a stranger (someone who
bought manure) pet him. He will practically crawl out of his cage to
greet you!
I will be back with a posting after the babies are here. Thanks for visiting and hope you enjoy the fun and facts here at....... Wascally Wabbits Rabbitry! Please comment and hop on by again soon. Theresa
We have a little snow on the ground and melting snow dripping from the trees and house. It is a little colder than I was hoping or our first spring litter but rabbits do fine in these temperatures.
This is the inside where the rabbits are. Notice the window behind the cages. There are three of them plus half of front is able to open completely to allow plenty of airflow. Below this window is a screened in area that will also open during the summer. Ventilation is critical when the temperatures are above 60. A strong urine odor can cause illnesses and discomfort.
The tarp is an awesome way to keep everything clean and fresh. Cheap too. It catches the hay and rabbit droppings so they do not go on the ground. There is one opening in the bottom where all the urine drains and is collected in a bucket. This keeps the smell down and also makes it easy to collect the droppings to sell as a cold manure for gardens. Yes I have sold the poop! This system helps me keep my rabbit housing smelling like hay! (which is like roses for rabbits!)
Now that summer is coming, I will begin to collect and separate the droppings again. I will first collect the hay out of the tarp that is usually laying on the top of the droppings. They I drain all the urine into the bucket by lifting the tarp in each area. Once the urine is drained I collect what is left- the rabbit droppings or manure.
Since rabbit manure is a cold manure (meaning it can go directly into your garden) I can collect, dry and package. I dump the manure onto a large sifter and set in the sun. After a few hours the pellets start to dry and turn slightly white. I use a rake to rotate them so the pellets fully dry. As the manure dries the remaining hay is dry. Whatever hay does not blow away in the wind I try and gather with a small hand rake so only the pellets remain.
Meet the rabbits! The stars of the show!
 |
| Beauty |
She is a very gentle and loving black New Zealand. Last litter she had 10 babies. I was able to feel babies moving around in her belly today. She is not very good at pulling fur so I will add pulled cotton balls to her nest box today. I really love her. She is always willing to let me pet her. If she is in the back of the cage, I can get her to come to the front right away to be pet. She had all her babies in the nest box last time and raised every one of her kits to weaning. In case you were wondering, I keep old toilet paper rolls and fill them with hay. They love to chew on them, throw them around their cage and eat the hay from the ends. It is bunny fun and can help keep the cage clean.
 | ||||||||||
| Missy |
Next is Missy.
She is nothing like Beauty. I kept her from Foxy from last year
because she was large and white. A breeder of 300+ rabbits came to buy a
buck from me and really felt she was a male because her head was so
large. We checked twice because he was sure she was a male. Successful
breeding proved otherwise:)
She
is named Missy because she is Mischievous.... Missy for short. When
she was younger she would dart around her cage so much she would shake
it and make all kinds of noise. She is shy and timid and she does not
like my hand in her cage. She bred really well and I cant wait to see
what babies she gives off. Buck is white NZ, she is white but her
mother was grey (also called New Zealand Blue). She is due next Monday and I hope having a litter will help her settle down.
 | |||
| Buck |
I will be back with a posting after the babies are here. Thanks for visiting and hope you enjoy the fun and facts here at....... Wascally Wabbits Rabbitry! Please comment and hop on by again soon. Theresa
Great post Oma! I didn't realize how many post I have missed. I really love these great shots inside and out of your wascally wabbits rabbitry! : ) and as always I love seeing your big healthy and happy bunnies!
ReplyDeletePatti