Rabbit breeding is quite a lucrative business. Animals gain weight and reproduce very quickly. In order for this lesson to give good results, it is necessary to become familiar with the peculiarities of keeping herbivores.

Keeping rabbits in cages for beginners

Correct selection of the cage and compliance with all care requirements are the key to the activity and health of herbivores. A beginner breeder is bombarded with a lot of information on arranging a pet house, so it is important to figure out how to keep rabbits and whether they are allowed to be in the same room with other pets.

Advantages and disadvantages of the cellular method

Some may think that keeping herbivores in cages is inhumane. The pet is deprived of the possibility of free movement and is forced to sit in a cramped room for a long time. However, it is worth remembering that rabbits in their natural environment live in burrows, so being in a confined space is natural for them. The correct approach to organizing and combining maintenance methods eliminates all the disadvantages of finding a pet in a cage.

Rabbit keeping

The advantage of being caged:

  • control of behavior and breeding of pets;
  • the ability to isolate a sick individual;
  • there is no need to catch a pet for procedures and vaccinations;
  • restriction in movement contributes to active weight gain;
  • rabbit meat acquires a delicate and juicy taste;
  • control of feed consumption.

The main disadvantage of keeping pets in cages is the time spent. Keeping each house clean takes a lot of the owner's time: it is necessary to clean the floor, replace the bedding, add food and replace the water in the drinker. The installation of an automatic feeder and drinker, as well as equipping the floor with a double structure for collecting waste, will partially solve this problem.

Installing an automatic rabbit drinker

Features of seasonal content

Animal cages are home, so they must be well protected from drafts. It is also important to make good ventilation, as pets can start to get sick due to the gas pollution of the room from excess manure. A beginner breeder needs to pay attention to humidity: the house must be protected from moisture due to weather conditions or lack of heating. In some cases, the problem may lie in the malfunction of the drinker.

In warm regions, animal cages are placed outside - some breeds are quite frost-resistant and feel good even at -30 ° C. The optimum temperature for keeping fluffs is + 10 ° С - 20 ° С. In winter, in frosty weather, you can insulate the houses with blankets, foil or special removable glazed frames and shields.

Cage equipment

Recommendations for choosing a cage

When making a house for herbivores, durable materials are used. Since the animal can chew on the structure, the thickness of the wooden slats should not be less than 15 mm. Oak and maple are suitable for a rabbit house. Internal floors can be additionally upholstered with iron sheets or mesh.

Often, the floor in the cages is mesh: it is easy to maintain cleanliness, but it can provoke the development of paw diseases in pets. You can take care of the health of pussies by equipping part of the cage with a solid floor made of wooden slats. Such a coating is also suitable for arranging queen cells.You can also build a removable floor or a structure with a second bottom.

Important! When buying two-tier cages, it is important to pay attention to the presence of a double floor in the upper tier. This design will protect against leakage of waste and waste products to the lower tier.

Can rabbits and chickens be kept in the same room

Due to the lack of space, some farmers decide to keep different types of pets together in the same enclosure. In this regard, the question arises: is it possible to keep rabbits with chickens? Experts say that it is possible, but not desirable. Such joint content has its own nuances associated with the nature of animals:

  • Herbivores and chickens are very different animals, each having an opposite character. If rabbits love peace and quiet, then the birds are very active, noisy and practically do not sit still.
  • The diet of pets is very different: chicken feed can cause fatal poisoning of the herbivore. Sour food and spoiled food are dangerous for fluffy animals. Boiled porridge also belongs to harmful products, as it leads to constipation and poisoning of the eared ones. Animal feeding should be separate.
  • Safety. For the full development of poultry, the presence of hard stones in the barn is important, while in keeping rabbits it is important to avoid sharp objects that can harm pets.
  • Some diseases can be transmitted from females to herbivores and vice versa.
  • The difference in sanitary requirements and temperature conditions. Herbivores are very sensitive to overheating and drafts, while chickens are comfortable in such conditions. Colds can be fatal for poultry, but they are not afraid of a rabbit.

Chickens and rabbits in the same room

Keeping rabbits outdoors in winter

Chickens and rabbits in the same room - advantages:

  • reducing the cost of maintenance of premises;
  • one-off disinfection;
  • cumulative vaccination planning.

If the farmer has no choice but to keep the animals together, then it is necessary first to prepare comfortable conditions for them.

  • protect the eating area, herbivores should not have access to food for birds;
  • regularly clean the contents of the feeders;
  • take care of maintaining the temperature regime, get rid of drafts and protect against overheating;
  • provide animals with individual zones for sleeping;
  • exclude the possibility of keeping two rabbits in one room in order to avoid fights.

Note! Two rabbits with ten hens are allowed. If there are more birds, the animals may have disturbed sleep, they will lose their appetite, become nervous, irritable and begin to show aggression.

Rabbit cages can stand in a barn with chickens, it is recommended to take them outside in winter. It is worth considering that joint maintenance will bring inconvenience to both chickens and herbivores. The presence of neighbors will scare, irritate and disrupt the natural behavior of animals. Rabbits feeding young animals are very wary of birds. Experienced rabbit breeders told about cases when birds attacked and pecked young animals. Also, the eared do not feel well in a gassed room and can get sick due to lack of fresh air.

Keeping rabbits and chickens

It is not difficult to keep rabbits, even a novice livestock breeder can figure out this matter on his own. It is important to properly equip the pet's housing and make sure that sanitary and hygienic standards are not violated. In some villages, thanks to the insulation of the cages, rabbits are kept outdoors all year round. In the conditions of keeping in the country, it is allowed to grow herbivores together with poultry. However, the experience of specialists shows that this is additional stress and discomfort for animals, so it is better to keep pets separately.