# rabbit tractors (pics)



## rabbitgal (Feb 12, 2005)

I just put some pics of our rabbits tractors online at www.geocities.com/cremerabbits/pasture.html. Same page also has a photo showing the inside of the Salatin's "Raken" house at Polyface Farm. The Raken house combines poultry and rabbits in the same building - rabbits are in hanging cages along the walls and laying hens range underneath.


By the way, can anyone recommend a website or blog with pics and more info on colonies/pasture pens? I'd like to get all the information on "natural" management gathered in one place if possible.


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## rabbitgal (Feb 12, 2005)

Erm...there goes the hourly bandwidth limit on my website. 

Here's the photos:

This shows the wire shelf running along the back side of the pen - it helps reinforce the structure and it gives the rabbits a dry place to get off the ground when it rains.









Lush stand of clover after 48 hours of grazing. The rabbits were much less interested after a day of grazing.









Another view of the back of the tractor, showing the feeder and water bottle.









Finally, a shot showing the whole tractor. The pen is about 4' x 8' x 2' tall, constructed of 1" x 2" welded cage wire and 2x4's. The ends are 1/2" x 1" welded floor wire. Door is in the end facing the camera.


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## rmaster14145 (Mar 14, 2007)

looks like a great cage for the rabbits. do you have any problems with animals wanting to get in to them?

rm


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## ailsaek (Feb 7, 2007)

Those are great. Do they mean you can give up lawn mowing? 

Seriously, though, I like the idea of tractors much better than cages. Those look extremely possible.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Very nice job, Rabbitgal. How are you going to get them out when it's time to send them to freezer camp?


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## rabbitgal (Feb 12, 2005)

So far, the only loss to predators was a batch of older rabbits. It looked like they dug out and were snatched by something "waiting in the wings". The field we're using right now has no cover and gets a lot of dog/people traffic, so I think that keeps most predators away. If the pasture was more remote, I'd probably put up some Electronet around the tractors to keep stuff away. 

Maggie, we're definitely going to redesign the door to make it easier to get the rabbits out. I have to crawl in there... It's almost tall enough for me to kneel inside, but it's crazy trying to catch the suckers. I'm thinking about building a lumber and chicken wire tractor with a roof that's completely removeable.


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## turtlehead (Jul 22, 2005)

Looks great! Plenty of space and doesn't look too heavy, either. I can see how it would be awkward catching the little critters.

I covet your clover.


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## sallygardens (Mar 8, 2007)

Whats on the base, is there wire on the floor that they graze thro or is it straight onto the ground? If the latter, don't they burrow out?


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## moore_farm (Jan 11, 2006)

you have any more pics of the Raken house


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## dunroven (Dec 6, 2004)

Rabbit Gal

I have Joel Salatin's book, "You Can Farm". I saw the pictures of the Rakens. Some people say that you shouldn't run the two together because of coccidiosis.

I did just recently get Joel's Book, "Pastured Poultry Profits." I found it on amazon.com in the used book section a little less expensive than original and it is in good condition.

Anyway, back to the Rakens. My husband said the main problem he could see with it would be the chickens roosting on the rabbit cages and pooping on them, cause we have had a couple of our chickens get in with the rabbits and that definitely happens.

I wonder what they say about the cocci? I haven't found anything about it yet in these 2 books but maybe he will mention it after I get further along.


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## varabbits (Nov 14, 2002)

Here is a link for some PVC projects that includes a portable poultry pen http://www.pvcplans.com/

Marty


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## rabbitgal (Feb 12, 2005)

We have only poultry and rabbits and the pastures were full of tall fescue, so we felt that planting clovers and low-growing forages would allow the animals to make better use of the pasture. There's still some fescue growing in spots - it's funny, because they'll avoid the fescue and go straight to the broad-leafed weeds and planted stuff.

There's nothing on the bottom of the pens right now, but we are planning to try a wire skirt around the outside of the pen to see if that makes it more secure. The young rabbits seem to do little (if any) digging if they have enough to keep them busy eating. :shrug: Plus the pasture the rabbits are on is very level. There's rarely any gaps between the bottom of the pen and the surface of the ground.

I've tried housing adult does in the same pen, but that didn't work too well...they dug out overnight. (I've heard that the adult females are the ones that construct burrows in the wild, so maybe that explains it?)


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## rabbitgal (Feb 12, 2005)

The pics on the website are the only ones I have of the Raken house, unfortunately.

Yes, chickens roosting/pooping on rabbit cages is something I think is a big disadvantage of the Raken house. Maybe if you provide nice tall roosts the chickens will be less interested in the cages??

Apparently, the Salatins have owned the same breeding population all along (roughly 18-20 years by my calculations). Joel said they started with a New Zealand, a Californian, and a Dutch and maintained a closed herd - all their rabbits are descended from the original three animals. He also said that they had a LOT of problems with coccidiosis at first and had to cull heavily. They'd slaughter about half a litter and check the livers for signs of coccidiosis and only kept rabbits for breeding if their siblings showed no signs of the parasite.


From what I've been hearing, chickens can't "give" cocci to rabbits. (It's species-specific) But since they're digging through the rabbit manure, they can pick up rabbit coccidiosis "eggs" on their feet (or even eat the occysts and pass it through their manure) and drag it up onto the cages where the rabbits are infested. 

I'm much more worried about Salmonella. Apparently, poultry can carry the germ without showing _any_ symtoms and it will *really* do a number on rabbits.


Has anyone else tried the "Raken" house concept??


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