Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

The long term plan is to be breeding them. It will not be feesable to bring them all inside. I would rather figure out a solution to keeping them cool outside. I'm thinking a homemade misting system and lots of shade. I have some unused ceramic tiles in the freezer now. I'll stick those out there for them to lay on once they start showing signs of stress. Still looking for water bottles to freeze.

Suprising they are stressing already has the temps broke 90F yet in houston. I haven't seen my bunnies stress until it's mid 80's F at night and triple digit for highs days. They definitely need to be kept shaded. Mine only see direct sun for a couple hrs around noonish and good afternoon shade. Metal roofs radiate a lot of heat. Rabbits sometimes have issues with their digestive track plugging up. If you could have gotten it soon enough to open it up it may have been obvious. Good air movement helps a lot also. Not sure about the misting though. I don't ususally do the frozen bottle thing until July/August although last June we went triple digits early. Not sure what to suspect with the other bunnies healthy. Food, Water and Environmental conditions all being the same it's probably something unique to that individual, but keep a close eye on the others. I had a spell with mosquitos and their ears are very volunerable. I use the Avon Skin so soft for the ear mites but also works well for Knats on people. Use it on spillway fishing trips. Deet still best for mosquitos.

I have don the frozen water bottle thing and after a few weeks it does become a pain, this past summer i simply put the table rabbits in the freezer and let the breeders out of there cages to rome the back yard except one male i cept confined where my AP system is because he would fight with the other male, no losses this summer, they found the cool spots around the yard and now they are all in there cages.
I did loose some garden plants though but the bunnys are doing well

I'm not sure I would be able to contain them in my yard. Lots of places to escape. We moved the cage to the back of the yard. They will get a lot more air circulation back there as apposed to the corner of the house where they were. They will not get as much afternoon sun either. But I will still have to do something about additional shade. I ordered cages from Tractor Supply today, so I will be able to seperate them into their own cages next week. I have one here in the office with me now cooling off.

Mark

New Zealand Doe had her babies last night. I think it was her first litter because she had 4 of them on the wire and half ate one. I'm guessing she figured out what was going on then filled the nest box full of fur and had some more in there. I didn't dig thru the nest but there was movement in the fur so I'm guessing there are survivors. I think my Californian is the only doe over a year old. And she should give birth in the next couple days so I'll see how she does.

Hey Bill - could you post some pics of your bunny hutch. My temps are about 70 overnight low and reaching into the 90's by 3 or 4pm. Looks like we will get a break from the heat after today and go back into the 80's. This is my first attempt at bunnies and I feel terrible thinking there is more I could have done to keep that little guy comfortable.

Also Bill - since I moved the bunnies to the back of the property, they are now attacked by mosquitoes something bad in the evening. When you say deet - are you just using OFF on them or is it something from the feed store? And is it safe for consumption?

My young does finaly got the hang of being mothers, after losing two litters each. The belgian giant died pregnant. I have replaced her with a young Califonian doe but she is to young to mate this spring. Now I have harvested one litter of six and have a litter of nine to go next week. Another litter of nine are soon to be weaned and the last litter of eight are still in the nest box. There is time before it gets too hot to get one more litter this year.
As long as it drops to 60 deg.F or below at night I dont worry about them. Beyond that I fire up the evaporative cooler at 80 deg. or above. It is very dry here and that cools down the rabbit barn well. I found that they will chew holes in plastic frozen water bottles so do not use them.

I don't see where you did anything wrong bumping low 90's shouldn't have stressed them. But yes the mosquitos are in the shade right now and get really bad just before dark. I spray all the surfaces with deep woods off, underside of metal roof, feeder, and sides of the wire cage. I didn't spray directly on rabbits as they tend to groom themselves like a cat but just not as often. I used the avon skin so soft on their ears. Seems to give them about 3 days of relief. I set up a bug zapper but those things don't really kill many mosquitos mostly moths, beetles etc. Although it may help draw them away. I will post some pics of the nest when I get off work.

Photo's of the babies. Looks like there were six, now only two. Last time that happened the two kits grew overweight pretty quick.



Looks like the Doe in the next cage over starting some nest building

The California Doe had her kits this evening. It was a suprise as she didn't pull any fur for a nest. If in the morning she still hasn't I will put a little vicks vapor rub on the New Zealand doe's nose and put the kits with her. By the time the smell wears off her nose the kits will have picked up her smell and the smell of the nest and will accept them.

That is really cool - nice trick!

That's an interesting way of doing it...

Allright guys - the joke is over. You can now enlighten me as to what to do with all this rabbit poo. I just cleaned the cage again and have even more of the stuff. This time it is sitting on the ground near the cage and not in a whealbarrel. I left the tray out so the bunnies can just poop on the ground now....please please...how do I get rid of this stench. I'm thinking cover it up with a bunch of newspaper and throw some hay ontop to try and luer the worms in. The ground is so hard I really do not feel like digging a big hole...and spending hours digging next to that stench would be awfull...although it may come to that.

I have one neighbor that never cleans up after his dogs and on hot days you can smell it from my front door....perhaps a revenge poop plan to channel the odor his way.

Hi DV
I have always claimed to be a lazy gardener and like to minimise digging.
If your not putting the rabbit poo into a compost heap or worm farm then I would do as you suggested leave it on the ground cover it with newspaper and then mulch but would locate it where you intend planting a tree or garden not only does it enrich the soil and improve worm activity it makes it far easier for future digging.
My uncle called rabbit poo smart pills and would offer them to all nephews and nieces when they visited his farm!!!