Most people, engaged in breeding rabbits, prefer to keep them in cages. However, due to their natural activity and energy, being in close confined cells adversely affects these animals., they start to get sick a lot. For freer movement they should be kept in cages. Those hosts, which, in addition to benefits, worry about the condition of their pets, create such living conditions for them.
The aviary allows them to run a lot, jump and play. Keeping rabbits in such conditions provides them with a happy life.
What is an aviary for keeping rabbits
The open-air cage represents the open space fenced by a fence. Its size depends on it, how many rabbits it is planned to keep in it. Example, if the area of the enclosure is 20?25 m2, it will be able to contain no more than young individuals 30 things.
The aviary is usually made with their own hands. It should be located on a hill, so as not to be flooded during heavy rains.
The walls are made of any improvised materials:
- slate;
- wood;
- metal sheets.
One side should be made of mesh, so that such a space is ventilated and the sun's rays fall on it. The walls must be at least one and a half meters, because bunnies jump very high.
The enclosure for rabbits with their own hands must have a filling. That pupils didn't run away, the walls are buried in the ground to a depth of 40?50 cm, or on all perimeter of an open-air cage kill meter iron rods through everyone 10 div. The advantage of earthen floor is, that it can be cleaned not too often. Also, animals in this version of the floor can dig holes, this allows them to develop physically. To grid the wall, which is in the ground, did not rot, it is treated with special anti-corrosion agents.
The floor near the enclosure can be raised with your own hands above the ground or filled with concrete, the result should be something like a cage, only without a roof. The floor can also be made of mesh, but not all breeds of rabbits tolerate this coating well, resulting in often suffering from subdermatitis. It is desirable to insulate the concrete floor with straw or sawdust.
There must be a canopy over part of the enclosure, which will save pets from precipitation. For animals, you can build your own one large barn or several small houses, raised above the ground. In such structures, the walls must be lined with mesh or sheet metal, so that rabbits can't grind their teeth.
Feeders and drinkers in the enclosure should be in such quantities, that all livestock be provided with food and water in abundance, otherwise there are fights and congestion. Since rabbits love to bite something, they need to throw young shoots of trees or branches.
Breeding rabbits in aviaries
All animals must be housed in an aviary at once, which will be contained there. If the rabbits are from different mothers, then to distract them from the smell of others, they are given delicious treats. If females will grow with each other, since childhood, then they will then be friends as during pregnancy, and during the period of feeding the offspring. If you settle a stranger to them, then, probably, they will not take it.
Rabbit enclosures
Before settling rabbits, they should be checked for parasites or infection. It is best to get vaccinated against the most common diseases.
To keep mating under control, males are evicted from the main population. Also for this purpose, three or four-month-old male rabbits are removed from the offspring. They are killed, or simply resettled.
Rabbits differ from hares in that, that other people's children will not be fed for anything. The rabbit must have a familiar smell. If you keep rabbits all together, then they will smell the same, and any female in the aviary will allow such rabbits.
Advantages of aviary keeping of rabbits
- The aviary is a more economical option for keeping rabbits, than the cell. Much less material is needed for such a structure, as well as drinking bowls with feeders.
- Keeping children on such a playground is a much less time-consuming process. To feed all livestock, you do not need to open and close numerous cells. You just need to provide rabbits with the necessary amount of food, that it was enough for everyone. Aviaries are also cleaned much less often, than cells.
- If you use sawdust as a litter, you can later get a great fertilizer for vegetable crops.
- Aviary keeping of rabbits lifts their spirits and improves appetite, as it allows them to play to their heart's content.
Disadvantages of aviary rabbits
- Breeding rabbits in aviaries is unprofitable for medium and large farms, who raise these animals for meat. Due to active physical development, the meat of such rabbits is enriched with muscle tissue. The color of the meat becomes bright red, and it tastes quite hard. They are reluctant to buy such meat.
- If an infection occurs in the aviary, all livestock will die very quickly.
- Aviary breeding in the winter presents certain difficulties. All livestock are moved to a warm room during the cold season or all young animals are slaughtered.
Conclusion
Aviary keeping of rabbits is a rather troublesome process, but interesting. Caring for pets is quite simple, the main thing, that there was water and food was always in the right amount. Such a room can be cleaned infrequently. As a result of such good behavior, rabbits will always be happy and active.