I currently own a chicken run for several poultry, a 15 "by 12" roofed chickenwire 'cage' with a garden shed for shelter during the night. I will be looking to move these into a larger better free range system so I have been thinking about converting the area to a rabbit run. I'm planning well ahead, I have no experience with rabbits so I want to try owning one first, but I'd like to know just how many rabbits I'd be able to keep. The shed can have the various hutches they need but I wanted to put them out into the run during the day to give them a more natural lifestyle. I'm not looking to keep hundreds of rabbits - I'm never out for tonnes of money - just say five females and a buck. Is this possible or will they all start fighting once they are out? As I said they'll be in separate hutches during the night but its the day period where they'd be loose that I ' d like to know about. Any other info would be great. Thanks!
You can't let rabbits out in a community run because they will fight, possibly causing serious injury or death. Since rabbits are induced ovulators, (they release eggs after stimulation of sex with the buck), they can get pregnant almost all the time, so does can't be kept with bucks, unless you're planning a breeding. The doe is taken to the buck, (never the other way around) and removed as soon as the mating is over. There's more breeding and doe and litter care on my website.
I would have said quite a lot, 5-10. But if you want 5 females and a male, they much be neutered and spayed because females can injure (very damaging) each other if not spayed, and obviously they will breed if there is a buck in with them.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Why not buy rabbit shelters and put cardboard boxes in so the rabbits can have space to themselves. Also keep plenty of toys and tunnels in there so the rabbits don't get bored!
Honestly, if you're looking into meat rabbits YA is just not the place to go.
If not, 10 sq feet MIN per rabbit. And keep them inside at night for their own safety.
