Where should I place the hutch?

[MidwestMatthew]

As mentioned in my other thread, my wife and I are seriously considering getting some meat rabbits. We live in the city and want to keep the rabbits discreetly.

We have two basic options for the hutches:

1.) In our attached garage: My wife is concerned about the urine smell, especially if the bucks spray much. Also, it gets really hot out there during the summer. On the upside, the rabbits would be well-protected, handy to care for, and although the summertime heat will be considerably higher in there than outside, we would have more options for keeping them cool (fans, swamp coolers, etc.)

2.) Under our back deck: It's raised about four feet off the ground, so it's plenty high to elevate the cages a bit so droppings can fall through, but would still require squatting to access the cages. It's well-protected, obviously shady, probably the coolest part of the yard during the summer, and it would be relatively easy to add additional wind and weather protection if necessary. Downsides are lack of space (there's only room for about three, maybe four cages), lack of sunlight, less convenient to provide care, and we can't see that area from the house. Also, there are some neighborhood cats that I assume could make nights stressful for the rabbits, even if they were totally safe in their cages.

We technically have room elsewhere in the yard, but anywhere else would be pretty visible from the busy(ish) road out front, while not at all visible from the house - a combination that makes me a little nervous, even with a fully-fenced yard.

Any thoughts on these choices, or other options to consider?

 

[chiques chicks]

Is it possible to put a shed in the yard? A garden shed can be rather easily ventilated with Windows or openings ( I suggest openings up high since hear rises.

I understand many zoning areas restrict shed size and location, that's why I ask. You will not want to be crawling under the deck to care for them in the snow!

 

[MidwestMatthew]

Unfortunately a shed isn't an option, mainly because getting it far enough from the lot lines to meet zoning requirements would put it right in the middle of what yard we have. Basically we'd have to give up our garden, or the kids' play area - both of which probably take a higher priority than rabbits for us right now.

We don't get enough snow in these parts to be a serious consideration for the hutch location. In any case, if we put the cages under the deck, the plan is to hang them from the underside with the doors and feeding/watering stuff towards the front. So we'd have to squat down to do anything with them, but not actually crawl around underneath.

My main concern with going under the deck is the neighborhood cats. There's no way to keep them out of our yard, and I'm sure some of them would enjoy tormenting a few bunnies in cages, even if they couldn't actually get to them. And we can't see the side yard from the house, so we'd really have no way to keep an eye on them from there.

 

[Latestarter]

Could you just build a long "lean to" against the back wall of the garage? You said you had an attached garage, right? You'd really only need the roof to extend out maybe 2 feet, maybe 3. It wouldn't need to be that elevated... High enough so you could kneel in front of the cages lined along the back, up against the garage. You could actually do 2 levels, 3-4 cages across, and have the doors open in the front/long side of the cage in 2 halves... one half for an open cage area, and the other side to place a hutch inside for birthing and winter. If you placed "drip pans" under the upper layer of cages that slide out and placed bins under the bottom layer, you could slide both out and just dump the pans into the bins once a week, then maybe once a month or every 6-8 weeks depending on levels, empty the bins into your garden.

Really, all you'd need is a basic frame and then use those translucent fiberglass panels cut down for the roof... let light in and yet still protect from rain. You could build just basic walls at either end to prevent wind from whipping through and put a rolled up tarp to be placed across the opening for snow storms. I would build one end unit (of each tier - upper/lower) a little longer to be used as a grow out for the kits to get them fattened up for the freezer. I'd build 2 (upper and lower) so I could separate boys from girls.

It doesn't have to be all that complicated or expensive, nor difficult or time consuming to build. It also doesn't need to look like an eye sore that neighbors could potentially take issue with. Since it would be totally behind your home, no passers-bye should ever become aware of it, and therefore I doubt you'd have any issues from the city. You mentioned cats... If you really wanted to get fancy you could build welded wire fenced swinging doors across the front as well to keep other animals out.

 

[Ponker]

You could fence or trellis around the under side of the deck - protecting the rabbits. Just make a large gate in the front where the cage doors open so the fence or trellis can be opened to allow access to the rabbits. Hanging some small fans for ventilation is even practical with a set-up like that. You could put large totes underneath the hanging cages to catch the waste and empty it frequently into the garden. How do you plan to house your 'grow-outs'? Four days apart two of my females each had nine babies. That is eighteen grow outs out of three rabbits! Meat rabbits still need a place to grow into butchering size. Do you plan on using the bunny tractor method?

Having them in a garage would be difficult - but doable. I have mine in the barn. They are messy even with the waste collection system I have. (simple, just tarps hung underneath at an angle to channel urine into totes and catch the berries.)

 

[MidwestMatthew]

@Latestarter, I can't do that behind the garage (not enough room between it and my lot line to satisfy city ordinances) but I might be able to work something out on the side. There's a lot of reflected heat there in the summer, but I might be able to work something out for that. Will give it some thought.

@Ponker, I like those ideas and will look into them, too. Housing the grow-outs is a detail I haven't worked out yet and have had trouble finding information about online. What do you recommend?

Our place is really kind of troublesome. I'll spare the details, but suffice to say that despite having a large lot, we're surprisingly limited in what we can do because of the layout of the property. It would be easy if we could build the rabbit hutches near the lot line, but we have to be a certain distance away and that's causing some problems.

 

[Ponker]

The grow-outs can be housed together. Many people cage their grow-outs all together and butcher them in 10 to 12 weeks. If you like more meat, saving pelts, or raise a slow growing breed you may consider separating them into male and female grow-out cages.

I use a 8' x 2' x 18" tall hanging all wire grow out cage. It has 3 doors on the front and wire partitions that can be added to make it a 3 hole cage (or 2 hole depending on your needs and where you put the wire partitions). Some people use bunny tractors (like chicken tractors) that move around the yard and feed the grow outs in the yard. There is a good book on the subject by Boyd Craven. Its a view that deviates from the normal pellet feeding but I took his ideas and meshed them with some of my own and some from a great group on facebook, Backyard Meat Rabbits.

The under deck placement is surprisingly popular for people with limited options. I was zoned out of my property rights after buying my property 23 years earlier with no restrictions upon it. After a fruitless and infuriating battle with the local government, I sold my business, sold the house, closed my bank accounts and moved my money to a free state. I was living in Illinois. So I can relate to the myriad restrictions that zoning can place on a property. (Also HOA's can be very strict!) Rabbits (along with everything else) were forbidden in my zoning code... and I actually lived in the country and fell under county zoning. Like I mentioned, it was infuriating. Glad that is over! I am content where I am and love it here in Arkansas!

 

[63redtudor]

Opinion-wise I would go with the under the deck. Heat is usually more of an issue with rabbits, you said you don't get all that much snow and it would certainly be easy to tarp off.
Not all that sure cats will be that much of a problem. If anything, we encourage the cats to explore the hutch (ours is a lean-to next to a shed) as they go after the mice. I think that you'll find mice to be a bigger problem. Many, if not most, urban areas are having more and more problems with other wildlife moving in. Foxes, raccoons, skunks, coyotes (belive it or not) and others would more likely be a problem as they might actually try to fool with a cage.

 

[norseofcourse]

I don't raise rabbits, but this got me thinking.

In general, the more convenient something is, the more I enjoy doing it. Conversely, the less convenient something is, the less I enjoy doing it, and I tend to put it off. I've found that with the ponies and the sheep, every time I do something, whether major or minor, to make things more convenient, I am really glad I did so. Anything from building a hay shelter so I could store plenty of hay right beside the sheep's feeder, to pounding a nail in a handy place to put a pair of scissors to cut hay strings.

Only you can decide how much weight you want to give to 'convenience', but maybe something to consider.

I also wondered, if those are your only two options, what about putting the cages under the deck in the summer, and in the garage in the winter?

 

[MMWB]

Yes, heat is a killer. Cold, if the rabbits are dry, well fed and not exposed to wind, is generally not a concern. I wouldn't worry about cats but, as stated above, other animals can wreak havoc. Raccoon particularly are tenacious, strong little beasts that can tear an average cage open. Foxes, skunks and opossums also could be a concern. Coyotes (living in many urban areas now) and dogs are usually much worse. As stated, make sure you can secure them where they are. One of the best preventatives is to have an outdoor dog in the yard.