Everyone knows that a rabbit is valuable fur and a few kilograms of easily digestible meat. You can not only eat it yourself, but also realize it with profit. It is not surprising that many owners of private houses decide to supplement their households with dozens of these rodents - they grow quickly, multiply even faster, do not need particularly difficult care, and are quite unpretentious in food. Very popular is the aviary keeping rabbits. Therefore, it should be told in detail about him.
What is it
To begin with we outline briefly - what is an aviary. In most cases, this is simply a piece of land fenced on all sides by a fence - usually from a netting net. In it, rabbits are free to run, frolic, play with each other.
But this is the simplest type of aviary. In some cases, an elevated aviary is used. In this case, a sufficiently large (usually several tens of square meters) platform is first built, elevated half a meter above the ground. And already it is surrounded by a fence around the perimeter. This option may be successful in order to protect rodents from small predators, such as rats or weasels. It is also suitable for areas where small flooding often occurs - seasonal or after heavy rains.
Aviary in a barn is sometimes considered. Yes, this is also an acceptable option. However, in this case, you need to make sure that the walls of the shed are buried in the ground - otherwise the rabbits will easily dig and run away.
It is also necessary to provide good ventilation - the waste products of rabbits smell very unpleasant.
Finally, one must not forget about lighting. Rabbits that grow in the shade usually get sick, become more timid, which is why they gain weight worse. The problem can be solved either by installing a large number of large windows, or using special, powerful enough lamps.
Main advantages
Now let's talk about the main advantages of the aviary keeping rabbits. Their correct content is provided by a rather large area - much larger than when using ordinary cells. Therefore, rabbits can actively run, play with each other. Of course, this has a positive effect on the development of animals - they become stronger, less likely to get sick, have better appetite, which means they gain weight more intensively.
A serious plus is that the construction of an aviary takes significantly less time, effort and resources than the construction of cages. No need to use boards, to construct numerous cells - just enclose a suitable area with a grid and run the inhabitants there.
Feeding and grooming in general also takes significantly less time and effort. Cells have to be cleaned quite often, and in most cases this is rather inconvenient. Also, each need to open, put food there.
With an aviary, everything is much simpler. Cleaning is much less common - due to its larger area. And feeding takes very little time - you just need to give the rabbits a verified amount of food.
Shortcomings
However, any solution that has advantages will have certain disadvantages. Of course, aviary breeding of rabbits is no exception.
For example, due to the fact that animals actively move, play a lot, their meat becomes more red and stiff. On the one hand, it is more useful. But rabbit meat is highly valued precisely because of tenderness. And in this case you have to put up with a coarser product. Implementing it is much more difficult.
The risk of animals escaping from the aviary or a dangerous pest, such as a weasel or a rat, gets to them, is much higher. Still, cages for keeping rabbits at home provide a higher level of safety.
An additional problem is the seasonality of keeping in the aviary. Of course, in the warm regions of our country, where even in winter the temperature rarely drops below -5 ... -10 degrees Celsius, there will be no problems. But still, most of the territories are characterized by a harsh climate. Because of this, we have to somehow solve this problem - we will talk about different ways to achieve the desired result a little later. Of course, this does not apply to the enclosure of rabbits in the barn - if there is good thermal insulation and there are no gaps, then such difficulties will not arise.
Choose a place under the aviary
Breeding and keeping rabbits at home begins with arranging the correct enclosure.
The first step is choosing a suitable place. It must meet a number of requirements. First of all - it is better to choose shaded areas - under the trees, near any buildings. If there is no such place, you will have to take care of creating artificial shading. Otherwise, on hot summer days, rabbits will suffer from heat, lose their appetite, which will affect growth and health. They can also get heat stroke even in the presence of water.
In addition, the site must be protected from strong winds. In general, drafts pose a considerable danger to rabbits - they mow their health and can even cause death. This rule should be remembered.
When a place is chosen, you need to determine the size of the future aviary. Nevertheless, there are certain pitfalls in the enclosure of rabbits. Their correct content is directly related to the size of the aviary. Each rabbit with a brood should have at least 4-5 square meters of aviary. And for one adult rabbit - at least 1 square meter. Overpopulation may cause conflicts. Rabbits will just start fighting each other, dividing the territory. This often leads to serious injuries, the treatment of which will take a lot of time and energy. Moreover, the lack of space can not be compensated even by abundant feeding.
We equip the aviary
After determining the appropriate location and establishing the size of the site, you can begin to work. In general, there are no problems here. Stakes or metal (with rust protection or reliable waterproofing) reinforcement are driven into or buried around the perimeter along the perimeter. The quantity depends on the size of the plot. For example, if it has an area of about 10 square meters, then you can do with four stakes - around the perimeter. But if you want to get a more spacious plot, then the stakes will have to be driven in more often to keep the fence.
The next step is the selection of suitable material for the fence. However, in the vast majority of cases, experienced rabbit breeders and beginners give preference to a regular netting net. On the one hand, it’s cheap. On the other hand, the installation is not difficult, you can handle the entire installation in half an hour or an hour. At the same time, she is able to serve the owner for many years, without needing repair. Especially if there is a zinc coating that protects the mesh from contact with moisture and, accordingly, rust. However, you can also take ordinary boards, plywood or professional sheet. But in this case, be prepared for the fact that with a strong wind, the fence may well be turned out of the ground along with the stakes. Because of this, rabbits can suffer or just scatter in different directions. And in general, the process of erecting a fence is much more complicated.
When the material is selected, you will have to work with a shovel. The fact is that rabbits love to dig holes and all sorts of digs. Therefore, digging a path under an ordinary fence will not be difficult for them. To prevent this, you need to deepen the fence. Usually 50-80 centimeters are enough. Dig a narrow trench around the perimeter of the future corral and install the fence material.
Above ground, the future fence should rise no less than a meter. This is quite enough - on the one hand, rabbits probably will not jump over it without extreme need (for example, if a predator does not enter the corral), and on the other, material is saved, and you can feed animals without going inside. Of course, at this height it is entirely possible to refuse to install doors.
The material is securely attached to the stakes (or, if you chose not another mesh, but some other) to the transverse bars.
It will not be superfluous to install several boxes here. Here the rabbits will be able to sleep until they dig holes for themselves. And also hide from the wind, bad weather.
That's all! The corral is ready and you can instill in it the first inhabitants.
Proper check-in
This issue also needs to be approached very seriously. In general, the best solution is to populate several (depending on the area of the enclosure) pregnant rabbits in the pen. They will not fight among themselves, but calmly give birth to cubs who quickly get used to a new place. Growing up side by side, they will live in peace, conflicts between them, if there is enough food and living space, certainly will not arise.
If you are going to colonize juveniles in an aviary, it makes sense not to feed them for a day. And immediately before moving in, put food in the feeders. Then, in the first minutes, the new inhabitants will be busy with food, not with a showdown. Further mutual grinding will go much easier and certainly will not cause unnecessary trouble.
But if you plan to populate new rabbits in the aviary, especially pregnant rabbits, it is better to refuse such a thought. The formed team is unlikely to be delighted with the new inhabitants. Old-timers may well attack the newcomer with a whole flock and inflict terrible wounds or even kill. Despite the peace-loving (at least most people think so) disposition, the rabbits are well armed - sharp claws and powerful incisors turn into serious weapons if necessary.
Determine the diet
From the very first days, it is necessary to provide decent conditions for keeping rabbits. Of course, first of all, this is the right diet.
Due to crowding in a small area, they will not be able to get enough feed naturally. This means that feeding falls entirely on the owner.
The basis of the diet is the following foods: green food, juicy, rough and concentrated. It will also not be superfluous to give them nutritional supplements. Now let's talk about everything in more detail.
Green food is almost any grass. But the best choice would be dandelions, nettle, alfalfa, plantain, rhubarb.
Juicy foods include turnips, turnips, Jerusalem artichokes, carrots, beets, as well as pre-harvested silage. Of course, the latter is given primarily in winter.
Coarse feed is mainly straw and hay. But it will also be useful sometimes to give branches of trees - deciduous and coniferous. Rabbits with pleasure gnaw bark from them, and at the same time grind constantly growing incisors. If they do not do this, the teeth will grow so much that you have to seek the help of doctors.
Finally, concentrated feed. It can be both various compound feeds, and usually grain - wheat, oats and much more. Can be added to the diet and corn, but only two to four weeks before slaughter. Thanks to her, rabbits quickly become fat, their meat becomes more tender and juicy.
Nutritional supplements are mainly chalk and bone meal - they are most important for pregnant and lactating rabbits, as well as for young.
Do not forget about proper care
Rabbits love to live in clean enclosures. But at the same time they eat a lot and defecate. And they do it not in one corner, but anywhere. Therefore, you will have to do the cleaning regularly. It's nice that it will have to be carried out much less often than when keeping rabbits at home in cages. Waste (leftovers and excrement) should be sent to a compost pile - after a few months you can get high-quality fertilizer.
You also need to make sure that there is always clean, fresh water in the drinkers. Drinkers themselves need to be washed at least once a week. This is very important - most often the cause of infectious diseases is precisely dirty water. And in the corral, where rabbits live quite crowded, such diseases spread rapidly and can affect all the inhabitants in a day.
As you can see. In general, the care and maintenance of domestic rabbits is quite simple - regularly feed, drink, clean up waste and that's it.
Wintering
Serious problems can only occur in the fall, shortly before the onset of cold weather. Many rabbits simply will not survive the temperature drop to -20 degrees and below. How to be in such a situation?
Firstly, you can well insulate the boxes for living - rabbits will come out of them only to eat and warm up a bit. The rest of the time they will spend in warm housing.
Secondly, they can be transferred to the barn. A good option that allows you to easily monitor rabbits and at the same time provides a high percentage of survival. But not every owner will want to build a warmed shed for them.
Thirdly, shortly before the onset of cold weather thin out their ranks. Yes, the aviary of rabbits is often used for rearing. Most of the young and the oldest producers are allowed to go under the knife, and the selected ones (the strongest, healthiest and largest) are transferred for the winter to a warm room, where they live in cages. A good option on either side, if only the owner is not going to seriously expand his household. Then in the spring (it is important to correctly guess the time for crossing), it will be possible to again drop pregnant rabbits into an already constructed paddock, look after the young all summer, and with the approach of winter enrich their household with several tens of kilograms of high-quality, environmentally friendly, dietary meat.
Conclusion
On this our article comes to an end. Now you are much better versed in the enclosure of rabbits. You can not only build an aviary, but also take care of your pets, providing yourself with a skin and a clean product.