# Pic's of My Hutch and some set up ?



## Joe.G (Feb 16, 2012)

Hi, I have this hutch attached to my Chicken Coop, The Hutch is 8 Ft long and about 2 Ft wide, There is a Removable divider in the center I can remove if they get a long.

They each have there own feeder and there own water bottles.

I have wood shavings that I may put in the en closer with some hay on top so they get comfy.

Is there anything I need to do diffrent for the summer and the winter so they stay safe?


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## ZRabbits (Feb 16, 2012)

Very nice set up. Is that one of the kits? I've seen something similar to this structure. 

Good for you. Chickens and rabbits work well together. 

K


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## Joe.G (Feb 16, 2012)

No me and my Girlfriend built it on our won, we just built as we went. I got the wood for free from the local sawmill, so I have very little money tied up in it. I don't build many things so I am very happy with how it turned out.


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## Ape337 (Feb 16, 2012)

Nice set up!
I'd only make sure the shavings are not cedar or pine bc it causes respiratory problems. I don't know much about keeping rabbits outside but there are some great people here who do! Good luck!

Off-topic but sweet rotti. Makes me want to cry, I lost my rotti in August to cancer. I miss him every day


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## Joe.G (Feb 16, 2012)

I have aspen Shavings, 

And I have two Rotties, My Female ( The tailed one ) is a Retired show dog and a great family Member, My male who just turned a Year Is great dog also, He is young and came from a Working background and is very High Drive.


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## BertNErnie (Feb 16, 2012)

Wow that's a great set-up you have there


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## funnybunnymummy (Feb 16, 2012)

Do you have pics of the inside of the hutch? Is it a solid floor or wire? If wire, make sure they have somewhere solid to get off it for awhile. There are woven mats you can get that are great for rabbits. They'll eventually chew them up to nothing, but it gives them something to entertain themselves too. 

Look into litter training them too. Makes for much easier clean up than letting them go wherever.

Lots of straw or aspen shavings (no pine or cedar) in their hutches will help them stay warm. Make sure they don't have a direct wind on them. Put a blanket or tarp (or both) over the hutch to keep out the wind. Make sure their water doesn't freeze. Crocks, I think, are supposed to be better for that over the water bottles.

In the summer, you'll want to supply them with either frozen water bottles or a piece of tile to lay on so they don't get too hot. 

I'd like to see a run built underneath for them. 4 x 2 is pretty small to live in 24/7. I recommend putting a run underneath at least the same size as the hutch above. Double the size would be better. Also I recommend down concrete patio pavers as the base. Rabbits can be notorious for digging to freedom. Plus it will give them somewhere cool to lay in the summer. 

Also, if you bought 3 bunnies, you're going to need another hutch until the boys get neutered! Like I said before, 2 (or 3) can turn into 20 (or 30) in no time!

Hope that helps!

Rue


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## Joe.G (Feb 16, 2012)

The floor is solid on the enclosed part and the the open part has a weld wire floor, I do want to get the males fixed, the two dutches are only a month old. at this time.


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## funnybunnymummy (Feb 16, 2012)

Only a month old? Better get them some probiotics (either small animal or the stuff for horses will work best). Most breeders and rescues recommend not rehoming babies till they're at least 8 weeks as their digestive systems are so delicate at that age.

Hope that helps!

Rue


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## Joe.G (Feb 16, 2012)

They gave me stuff for them,There a little over a month.


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## funnybunnymummy (Feb 16, 2012)

Oh good. Just watch that they don't develop mushy or liquidy poop. That's mucoid enteritis and can be lethal to young bunnies. That's an emergency situation that needs prompt vet attention.

Hope that helps!

Rue


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## Bonnie Lee (Feb 16, 2012)

I absolutely love what you built! It's looks so professional!


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## Ape337 (Feb 17, 2012)

Lovin' those beautiful Rotties :biggrin2:

I'll post my baby in my blog if you want to see him

btw you should build those for people, might make some $$$$!


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## Joe.G (Feb 17, 2012)

I would love to see pictures, I haven't been all around the site yet, I am assuming there is a place for pictures, Where is your Blog I would like to see the pic's.

It did come out well, I would hae liked to have built it just a touch bigger, And I am either going to add on another rabbit hutch for two Bunnies or make a free standing one, I built this one for two Bunnies and i came home with three.

A lot of people have asked me to build them, I am on a Other animal/Pet forums also and I have gotten good feedback.

The cost of the ones I was looking at were $1,500 and up, for ones that aren't as nice, I built this one a lot cheaper.

I am not going to stain it yet I want the wood to age I am tring to get th eold barn color out of it. The coop was almost white when I built it in the fall and it is now a yellowish color.


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## ZRabbits (Feb 17, 2012)

Great Job doing this without plans or a kit. And using material from other projects, what a way to save money. Better than spending $1,500 for one that wasn't as nice. But I have to say, doing it yourself is the best way to go. 

Love the Rotties. Beautiful dogs. 

Look forward to seeing your bunnies as well. 

K


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## Ape337 (Feb 17, 2012)

On the main page there's a section called "warm and fuzzy", and just under that title is a section called "bunny blogs". In the legend on the left side of everyone's posts is a spot called "RO Blog". If you Navigate to the bunny blog section you can scroll down until you find that persons blog name. That's where you can find info on the members bunnies, or whatever else they choose to throw in. Mine is "Beach Bunnies". My favorite pic of him is there, he's all dirty just like he always loved to be.


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## Joe.G (Feb 17, 2012)

I tried finding it but htere are quite a few posts, do you a link?


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## Ape337 (Feb 17, 2012)

Unfortunately I don't know how to do a link, but if you go into the photo gallery on the main page, then touch A in the alphabet menu at the top, you can scroll down to Ape337, click on that and see my pics. He is right on my first page of pics, you can click on his image to see a larger pic.

I'm not very tech savvy


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## funnybunnymummy (Feb 17, 2012)

Here, try this:

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_post.php?post_id=917017

Links are easy to post here at RO. Simply cut'n'paste the URL from the search box in your browser window. It will become clickable once you hit post.

Hope that helps!

Rue


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## funnybunnymummy (Feb 17, 2012)

BTW, your rottie was gorgeous. We had a friend who lost hers quite young due to cancer too. So sad. 

Rue


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## Ape337 (Feb 17, 2012)

funnybunnymummy wrote:


> BTW, your rottie was gorgeous. We had a friend who lost hers quite young due to cancer too. So sad.
> 
> Rue



Oh thank you! I never knew how to do that :biggrin:

Chewy was my baby. So many Rotties are dying young with cancer. Next time I will be doing base line ultrasounds at 3-4, then maybe yearly to watch for changes. By the time we found his tumor he was already dying. It was so sudden though, no symptoms until one Thursday he was a bit depressed so I rushed him to the vet (I'm a worrier), Monday was his ultrasound, Wednesday I held him in the vets office and sent him to heaven... I don't have kids, I have my animals. My family took his death very hard, and I still shed tears over him. My bunnies are really helping me to heal and giving me a place to pour my love in (poor bunnies!) :wink


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## Joe.G (Feb 18, 2012)

Rottweilers are hit hard by certain health issues, Both mine came from good lines and I hope they are here for many many years. How old was your boy? Did he come from good lines? Do you have his background? I am just wondering. Are you on any of the Rottweiler Boards?


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## Ape337 (Feb 18, 2012)

Joe.G wrote:


> Rottweilers are hit hard by certain health issues, Both mine came from good lines and I hope they are here for many many years. How old was your boy? Did he come from good lines? Do you have his background? I am just wondering. Are you on any of the Rottweiler Boards?



Chewy was 9.5 years old. I bought him from a PA breeder when he was a puppy, chose him from his litter. I have his pedigree and was registered with the AKC. I'm thinking his line was inbred too much and I would never use that kennel again as I have heard some really bad things. I believe the dogs there are bred for size. His father was 150lbs. And his mother was 140 lbs, way over the standard for the breed. I held him down to 95 lbs bc he had blown cruciate ligaments in both knees and had thousands of dollars of surgery. I called him my 10,000 dollar dog. He was also dysplasic in both hips, which had been x-rayed by my vet and were considered excellent prior to 3 years old.

My contract said I could have returned him at any time in his lifetime if he developed a genetic defect, but only if he was in tact. I fixed him as soon as he was old enough, but I wouldn't have traded him for the world! He was my baby. And had the sweetest disposition in spite of the amount of pain he lived with for nearly his entire life off and on. As to whether some genetic variation would have prevented his tumor? Who knows...


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## Joe.G (Feb 19, 2012)

I am curious as to who his parents are, I just fixed my female after Christmas she was 5.5 Yo. My male just turned a year and he is still in tacted not sure when or if Ill be fixing him. They say the males should not be fixed in till at least 18 Months old do to them not being completely grown and matured and also cancer rates. 

Are you going to get another?


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## Ape337 (Feb 19, 2012)

Sending you a PM, it makes it easier not to have to search for the thread


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## Joe.G (Mar 10, 2012)

Ok I have added boot trays to the bottom of the Hutch to catch all of there Droppings and boy do they have a lot, It has made clean up so much easier and make the whole clean up process so much better. ( did the same to the bottom of the Chickens roost ).


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## ZRabbits (Mar 11, 2012)

Yea, everyone I talk to about outside set ups love those trays. Makes it very easy to keep clean up. Do you do anything with the poo? They are very good to put in the garden or compost. 

Nice looking chickens. See you have some guinea hens. They are excellent to have around to keep the bugs and ticks away. What I hear, they think bugs and ticks are yummy. 

K


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## Joe.G (Mar 11, 2012)

Right now I toss it in one of my streams, I don't know what else to do with it since my dog's will not stay out of it.


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## ZRabbits (Mar 11, 2012)

Great natural fertilizer. Promoting good algae growth, but I wouldn't over do it. You don't want to change the stream's balance. The fish will love it. 

Know what mean about dogs and rabbit poo. Won't hurt them. As a matter of fact, to a dog that's roufage (sp? sorry it's early). But every thing I've read, it's not harmful to the dog. And dogs eat grass all the time to remove the mucus from their digestive system. 

K


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## Joe.G (Mar 11, 2012)

I have some big streams on my property I hope I don't add enough, I want to make a pile of the Chicken and the Rabbit stuff to use for the gardens. Ill have to fence it in to keep dog's out of it.


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## ZRabbits (Mar 11, 2012)

Just an FYI, if using antibiotics on any of your animals, I would throw away their waste. Not in the stream or garden. In the trash. Give it a few months and then you can start over. It's just that you don't want to put that antibiotic into your streams or your garden. 

But sound like you got a plan. Wishing you all the luck. 

K


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## Joe.G (Mar 11, 2012)

There just on feed, and some treats, I didn't want to put it in the stream but no matter where I put it the dog's would find it, So for a temp solution that's what I came up with I figured all of the wild animals around here who go or there waste find there way into the water a little extra wouldn't hurt, I know when we spread the fields some finds it way into the streams.


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## ZRabbits (Mar 11, 2012)

Your bunnies and chickens are fine now, but if they ever need antibiotics, I would refrain from dumping their poop while medicate. That's all the FYI was for. 

Gee wish I had clean streams here in New Jersey. At least in my area. The environment here has been totally destroyed. It's a shame. This used to be the Garden State, now it's the "Dump your Crap" State. 

Example: The NJ Transit near our streams dumped or spilled 26,000 gallons of diesel fuel. You should see what has happened to our streams. And they are denying it ever happened. That's how pathetic it is here. Bad enough we are in the township that houses the 4th Deadliest Superfund site in the Nation, known as GEMS and they are allowing man-made uranium to be pumped thru secondary sewer lines. And this Superfund sits in our aquifer. So basically the drinking water is now being pulled from the Delaware, which this sewage after so-called cleaning is being dumped in. 

bunny poop is totally harmless. Just watch when you need to use medicine. Otherwise, do what you must. You are not hurting anyone or anything. I just didn't want you putting it in your garden and then you will be exposed to the medicines.

Stay safe. 

K


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## Joe.G (Mar 11, 2012)

Gotcha.


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## BunnyLover13 (Mar 14, 2012)

WoW amazing job on the hutch!!!


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