Countdown to Meat Rabbits: A few pics from planning the colony

pinkfox

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kaboom, this is where your own record keeping comes in extra important as well as the extra time/effort involved in keeping track.

now if you breed everyone on the same day, your simply not going to know unless you mark your does and put cameras in all your nest boxes (or sit there all night for about a week watchign whos comming in and out...
sometimes youll get 2 or more does deciding to do a communal nest box ect...

but you could breed your buns a few days apart, means itll take longer to butcher if you want uniormity but at least youll know well Doe A was due to kindle last night and Doe B isnt due untill next monday so these are most likely Doe A.

if running a large scale production though this is definatly one of those points that has the "professional" meatproducers saying "it doesnt work" because it is much more difficult when your breeding some of the meat breeds to figue out who belongs to who.
(this is one of the reasons using a breed with colors might come in handier in a colony setting, as long as your good with genetics you can generally figure out who belongs where based on color.
another option is to seperate does out when due to kindle but then you still have to kep your cages handy/around.

in general colony does if given enough "houses" wil tend to pick a favorite box...this generally ends up being the house they kindle in...so knowing which doe prefers which box will also help.

getting good at palpation would also be of to a colony raisers benefit...
 

KaboomAngel

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Okay so how do you tell once they leave the nest box, what about nail polish on there ears or the like? Would that work?
 

pinkfox

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nailpolish woudl work, i know a few people with white bunnies who use koolaid (mix a little bit of koolaid with water and dab it n, it stains for about 2-4 weeks and is safe.)

perminent marker will also work.
 

BarredBuff

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Got a few things done in preparation for the colony today! :woot

I have lined up stuff for a run for the rabbits. :D

Made a free choice hay feeder, and am quite satisfied with it :D :D

Also got a buck cage setup, with feeder and bottle as well :D :D :D
 

pinkfox

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yay progress, and how are momma and the babbits doing?!
 

BarredBuff

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pinkfox said:
yay progress, and how are momma and the babbits doing?!
Doing great! :woot

Do you think I should cover the run to keep out raccoons? I dont see a problem with them because the colony run will be about 6 feet away from the dog, SO Im not seeing a problem. What do you think?
 

pinkfox

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if you planning on locking them in at night but allowing them acess to the indoor area during the day then no racoon protection needed...
if your planning on leaving the indoor part open at night if probably put a cover over the run but more to protect form owls than racoons, raccons will geneally stay low and try to reach through chianlink rather than bother climbing it...owls however will swoop right in.
during the day theyll spned most of their time lazing around but always aware and will scatter to the cover of thier indoor area if they see a hawk or other threat, and there most actige at dan and dusk...but once its actually dark/night time..there not realy all to aware and become easy prey for night predators if not locked up.
 

pinkfox

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yup, tarp/shade cloth, arial predators dont realy need a physcal barrier as much as a visual one...lol
 

BarredBuff

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Okay thanks!

ETA: So I can lock them in at night? What about in kindling time with the burrows?
 
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