Hutches, runs and colonies

In short

• Shade and air matter more than warmth. The rabbitry must never stand in the sun in summer; in winter it only needs shelter from wind and rain, no heating.
• A hutch for a medium-breed doe is roughly 120 × 70 cm and 60 cm high (4 ft × 2 ft 4 in × 2 ft), plus a nest box; the rabbit must be able to sit upright and stretch out.
• Wire floors only with a resting board or mat; otherwise sore hocks follow.
• A run on soil needs mesh dug in 50 cm (20 in) or mesh across the whole floor, because rabbits dig and foxes come from below.
• A colony is more natural but needs experience and brings more coccidiosis; hutches are safer to start with.
• Every day droppings and water, between litters wash and dry the nest box, twice a year a full disinfection.

What's inside

Chapters

1. What a rabbit needs from its housing
2. Which system for whom
3. Hutch sizes
4. A row of hutches: step by step
5. Hutch equipment
6. Floor, bedding and droppings
7. The run and the movable ark
8. The colony
9. Summer and winter
10. Predators, rats and insects
11. Cleaning and disinfection
12. Building, rules and neighbours
13. Common mistakes
14. Printable checklist

Worksheets

• Shopping list for a block of 3 hutches
• Materials and cost calculator
• Sketch of my rabbitry
• Upkeep through the year
• Rabbitry log