Rabbitry

The rabbitry may consist of a few odd hutches or a welldesigned building or group of buildings in which have beenbuilt a number of hutches.

Floor layout must be carefully planned, for the ease of manage-ment depends largely upon correct grouping and spacing ofhutches. Full consideration should be given to details of!nailer expansion before the rabbitry is built, for very oftenhe rabbitry will be enlarged. Unless this expansion isIiireseen and provided for, a bad layout will often result. It should be remembered that work in a badly designed rabbitrymay easily take twice, or even three times, as long as the samework in one which is well designed.
There is also the question of the appearance of the rabbitry.Under the present law, embodied in the Allotments Act of195o, no Landlord may prohibit rabbit keeping unless,amongst other things, it constitutes a nuisance. It may welldi, this if the appearance is bad and presents an ugly view to aneighbour.

There are several advantages and disadvantages of indoorraid iitries, i.e. hutches enclosed within a building. Stock andcsitrnd:usts will be completely protected from the weather, coats will not be faded by strong sunlight, winter breeding isprobably a little easier, and losses of young during winterprobably a little less. Against these are the disadvantages thatyoung should have some sunlight, stock usually have slightlydenser coats when kept outside, the moult period may beslightly longer inside a building, and the initial cost of thebuilding would be relatively high.

For these reasons the most desirable system is often to befound in the stack of hutches with a shelter or extended roof Some arrangements must be made in the rabbitry for thestorage of food, bedding and equipment. In all cases the foodand bedding store should be vermin proof; and large bins ofeither metal or wood are ideal for some of the food. Storagespace for roots is desirable inside, although clamps outside therabbitry may answer the purpose adequately. It is alsoimportant to have a suitable bench on which to handle stock.A very common arrangement in many rabbitries is that inwhich rows of hutches face each other. This saves muchtime especially if the width of the passage way between issufficient for the easy passage of a trolley or small cart. Thedoors of the rabbitry must also be large enough to admit the largest barrow which is to be used, and if the floor level of therabbitry is above that of the ground outside, then a rampshould be made to the rabbitry floor.

Probably most rabbitries are insufficiently lighted. Theideal system is the use of hopper type windows, (to assist inthe control of ventilation,) situated between the level of thelop of the hutches and the eaves. In large span buildings,itdditional roof lighting is often desirable, and the installationof electric light is usually found to be of the greatest benefit.Windows should preferably face north or east so that stronglight does not fade the coats of the stock, and when rooflighting is installed it may be necessary to have some form ofblind to prevent this. The actual location of the hutches within a building isimportant. The passagesbetween stacks of hutches should be sufficiently wide. Stacksshould not be placed tight against a wall, an air space of atleast nine inches being desirable between the rear of the hutchesand the wall. This allows free ventilation of the building andprevents dampness.

The floor of the rabbitry should be solid, impervious to ratsanti mice, and easily cleaned. It should also be non-absorbent,non-slippery, durable and dry. A concrete floor is probably the best type if properly laid, that is a 2 inch thick layer of goodconcrete over 4 to 6 inches of well rammed coarse aggregate.The top layer of concrete can with advantage be re-inforcedwith a 2 inch mesh galvanised wire netting, which assists inpreventing vermin from entering the rabbitry.

Earth floors and floors made from bricks absorb urineand are very difficult to clean and keep hygienic. The ease with which a good floor can be kept clean will quickly repaythe initial extra cost. It is advantageous to have the floorsloping slightly to a gutter to facilitate washing.

The rabbitry roof should be of such material that providesinsulation both against cold and heat. A corrugated ironroof, unless it is laid over insulating material such as glass fibremat, is bad for this reason. Corrugated asbestos is probablythe most satisfactory material, but a wooden roof coveredwith a heavy quality roofing felt is as good though moreexpensive.

It is unusual except in a larger commercial undertakingfor buildings to he specially constructed for a rabbitry. Ingeneral, existing buildings are more often adapted. Sheltersare however another matter. They are much less costly toerect, and much easier. The shelter may consist of an ex-tension of the roof of the top hutch in a stack, or it may beindependent. For roofs extending more than about 2 feet,additional supports must be erected, and two feet does notreally provide adequate shelter, particularly for the attendant.Good protection is afforded by a shelter extended 4 feet fromthe hutches.

Attention to the comfort of the attendant is definitelyimportant, for sinless work can be carried out in reasonablecomfort it may be scampcd, particularly during the wintermonths when attention to detail is so important.

An ideal shelter may be made by extending the roof somefour feet from the hutch. This roof must be supported by aframework consisting of x 21 inch timber resting on aheavier beam running parallel to the hutches. The heavybeam is supported by uprights at eight to ten feet intervals.These uprights are ideally rested upon concrete footings.The roof must be anchored securely to the framework toprevent its being blown off by high winds. The use of corrugated asbestos gives added weight to the roof, and thusassists in preventing it being blown off. Sometimes a lightframework is fixed between the uprights, and wire nettingattached to the framework, thus forming an enclosed rabbitryat low cost. Sacking stretched over the wire netting also givesadded protection. It is common in America for the uprightsof the shelter to be used for the support of hutches, a systemwhich both cheapens the cost, and also allows completeclearance under the hutches.