In our pasture, they take 3-4 weeks longer, but we can feed 100% from grazing the tractor. Ours are 8 X 2.5 - the oddball 2.5 so we can maximize usage of walkways in the orchards/vinvard/bramble patches. A wide 4 footer won't fit the rows. 3 feet *barely* fits but 2.5 leaves wiggle room over roots and stumps and whatnot plus convenient with our available roofing material. Moves are all dependent on how full they are. Basically, we move them once a day for every 3 rabbits. 3 rabbits = 1 move. 12 rabbits = 4 moves. Any more than 12 and that's too much time spent moving ... and they get *really* heavy dragging with no wheels... and crowding induced fighting/aggression starts to show as the males get old enough to know what's what.
You're one of the only people I've seen use chicken wire on the bottom, which I thought would be the most logical. Most people either have no bottom (which can allow the rabbits to burrow out if you don't move it every day), or wooden slats, which block 50% of the rabbits' access to grass. Chicken wire prevents burrowing, but also lets them stand right on the soft grass, and they can eat all the grass. I've also made tractors using PVC instead of wood. Since you can't use treated wood, b/c it's not good for rabbits to chew on, PVC is a great lasting option that's also much more light weight than wood.
Great design. But don't your rabbits get sore hocks & feet on the chicken wire? I put a piece sheetrock in my rabbit cages for them to sit on. They'll occupy themselves by ripping up the cardboard on the sheetrock, doesn't hurt anything & the minerals in it will heal any sores they might have on the feet. Also the 'flakes' that fall under the cage are minerals good for your garden! Been doing it for years!! Learned from a professional New Zealand rabbit breeder.
Great idea! Never tried that. The rabbits feet never seem to have any problems. The wire pushes down into the grass with no problems. Thanks for watching! -Jason
Not recommended in TN where their smarty-pants raccoons know to just lift it up if there is no bottom screen, or reach right through the chicken wire! (snakes too!) Nice green field BTW!
A re-post for those worried about for closure, eviction, job loss/financial collapse etc and seeking a way out of city or suburbs life and costs:: There are still some inexpensive acre plus parcels of reasonably inexpensive land in the white mountains Arizona (near vernon, in vernon, near concho, etc). I'm sure this is the case in some other states too... But in the white mountains Arizona land prices are going up ---- it's turned into a sellers market with people fleeing the cities. Already parcels that used to be $3000 ish and now $6000 to $8000 -- that's raw land with no electricity hook up no city water no sewer. It's off grid land and prices are jumping up fast. It may be the same in other states. If you're considering raw land to go off grid later it may cost too much. Right now though it's still possible, though getting harder, to purchase a piece of land free a d clear up front or fast by paying it off super early. It's hard to get set up. I'm not going to lie or paint some pretty country vacation picture for anyone. It's tough -- hard work -- struggle -- lots of frustration and disappointed but it can be done. Currently the white mountains in Arizona where parcels are still reasonably inexpensive (there are still so.e cheaper pieces btw and you can find them on land watch.com then type in the area or nearby town like vernon or concho) still allows you to move in with an RV or travel trailer and many people have for decades now. It's the norm to start in an RV or travel trailer, often a cheap old one that can be had for cash so no monthly RV payment) and then people work on building there home over time. Many other places do NOT allow you to start in an RV or trailer and who knows how long this area I'm referring to here will. Once this is no longer allowed moving in will become insanely more expensive. Anyway, right now you can buy land, get a water tank so you can get water delivered, move in with an RV or trailer, and proceed to set up your parameter fence - get dogs (adult dogs at rabies animal control in the big city - here it's Phoenix go for $25 a piece of they've been there a while), set up your chicken coop and rabbit hutch etc. The major negative in Arizona is poor soil quality and water (it's crazy expensive to dig a well if you're not on city water but city lots cost a tin more and the housing type requirements are much more costly up front).... Another negative about rural Northern Arizona is it gets very cold during the winter so you'd want a woodstove or at the very least little buddy heater and really a woodstove is far better... Moving to the country or at least having a bug out property set up would give you a place to go if things get worse and you can't keep a city or suburban house... I recommend a smaller parcel of land in today's environment because you never know when your money will stop coming in and you can pay off a smaller parcel faster plus it's more affordable to put up the pasture fence (cheapest pasture fence runs $70 plus per 100 foot roll at tractor supply right now and it takes a little over 8 100 ft rolls to do and acre and 1/4 property -- then add the cost of lots of t posts)... Note: there are other e states and counties that allow you to start in an RV, trailer or tiny home but from my research not many. You have to check each area you're interested in by calling the county office to research housing type rules and restrictions. I think the Ozarks area still also allows rvs, trailers and tiny homes.... In any case and in general , note also that an uninhabited property with any kind of dwelling on it especially does attract thieves, looters, and squatters. Btw: I'm personally looking for a sane sober honest moral self-sufficient nomad who has his or her own RV or travel trailer or tiny home (a small one) to help watch my property -- no charge to park and live on the property in exchange for helping watch the property (in case such a nomad is tuning in and wants to stop traveling/stay in one place)..
Funny you talk about snakes. Days after 9/11 I built a cage like yours and put a newly adopted rabbit inside. The first hour the rabbit cage became a snake trap, and I had to bury the dead rabbit that was too big for the snake to eat anyways.
Mentioning snakes and mice scares the hell out of me as I’m considering homesteading for my early retirement plan. May I ask, what do you do to fight them?
Do the rabbits do ok being separated like that? Researching on the Internet says they need to have a friend but i dont want to be two males and two females so theres two in each side.
May be leaving the bottom open so they could get to the grass would have been better? A small area with plywood on the bottom so they don't have to stand on the wire or ground all the time would be nice also.
You can’t leave the bottom open because the rabbits will quickly dig out. Plywood on the ground would quickly become wet and moldy and deteriorate. The wire pushes down into the grass so they can access it. Never had any issues with sore feet. Very healthy rabbits. Thanks for watching!
Can you do one on the breeding cage and when you separate them and how you keep the mother from killing the babies every time mine had babies the mother would kill them
You have to watch the mother and kit of bunnies for the first week carefully. If you breed them on a date you will know when they are due and be ready and set up. I use a big rubber made container with pine chips for the first 2 weeks in the garage and for the first week out a breeder box in side the container to keep the bunnies together, wire top. The mom will hop in and out of the breeder box as needed to feed them. After 2 weeks I put them in the rabbit hutch outside, and they are fine from then on. But watching them the first week is key.
Never use chicken wire or any type of wire for a floor for rabbits, all they're weight in rest on they're paws and they are delicate, they will absolutely form cuts, bruises and will eventually swell up, become red, purple & black and they will constantly be in severe pain, that will never stop because they're always walking on it, when they lay down it will do the exact same thing. Rabbits are also very aware of the surfaces they walk on and rest on, something like chicken wire will stress them out and will always be painful to walk on. I am not a animal rights nut, I hunt, trap & fish. I just know that chicken wire and any type on non solid surface destroys rabbits feet and they WILL become infected and in tremendous pain, it's not a "maybe", they absolutely will. Yes, you will have to clean they're cages, but you can easily litter train them with a box of hay, that way you only have to remove one thing and empty & fill it back up, but that's better than them suffering 24/7 365. If you notice the rabbits are constantly grinding they're teeth when they're just sitting or laying, that means they're in pain, they also grind they're teeth when feeling pleasure, but not as much and you can also check if a rabbit is well, sick, in pain, distress, by feeling both they're ears, if the ears are cold, the rabbit is sick, in severe pain and or maybe having gastral/ intestinal problems, rabbits need to eat hay daily or they're intestinal tract slows down or stops moving, which leads to a quick death.
![Joel Salatin Rabbit Tractor UPGRADE [How to Build It]](/img/n.gif)
In our pasture, they take 3-4 weeks longer, but we can feed 100% from grazing the tractor. Ours are 8 X 2.5 - the oddball 2.5 so we can maximize usage of walkways in the orchards/vinvard/bramble patches. A wide 4 footer won't fit the rows. 3 feet *barely* fits but 2.5 leaves wiggle room over roots and stumps and whatnot plus convenient with our available roofing material.
Moves are all dependent on how full they are. Basically, we move them once a day for every 3 rabbits. 3 rabbits = 1 move. 12 rabbits = 4 moves. Any more than 12 and that's too much time spent moving ... and they get *really* heavy dragging with no wheels... and crowding induced fighting/aggression starts to show as the males get old enough to know what's what.
Cool. I like that. Sounds like a project
Nice build. I am all about KISS.
Building something to make your animals happier and getting a workout in too - solid day! Keep up the great work gents
Thanks for watching!
-Jason
You're one of the only people I've seen use chicken wire on the bottom, which I thought would be the most logical. Most people either have no bottom (which can allow the rabbits to burrow out if you don't move it every day), or wooden slats, which block 50% of the rabbits' access to grass. Chicken wire prevents burrowing, but also lets them stand right on the soft grass, and they can eat all the grass.
I've also made tractors using PVC instead of wood. Since you can't use treated wood, b/c it's not good for rabbits to chew on, PVC is a great lasting option that's also much more light weight than wood.
Nice work
Great job
Great idea
Great design. But don't your rabbits get sore hocks & feet on the chicken wire? I put a piece sheetrock in my rabbit cages for them to sit on. They'll occupy themselves by ripping up the cardboard on the sheetrock, doesn't hurt anything & the minerals in it will heal any sores they might have on the feet. Also the 'flakes' that fall under the cage are minerals good for your garden! Been doing it for years!! Learned from a professional New Zealand rabbit breeder.
Great idea! Never tried that. The rabbits feet never seem to have any problems. The wire pushes down into the grass with no problems. Thanks for watching! -Jason
sheetrock has fiberglass in it does it not?
Not recommended in TN where their smarty-pants raccoons know to just lift it up if there is no bottom screen, or reach right through the chicken wire! (snakes too!) Nice green field BTW!
don't the skis raise it too high for foraging?
A re-post for those worried about for closure, eviction, job loss/financial collapse etc and seeking a way out of city or suburbs life and costs:: There are still some inexpensive acre plus parcels of reasonably inexpensive land in the white mountains Arizona (near vernon, in vernon, near concho, etc). I'm sure this is the case in some other states too... But in the white mountains Arizona land prices are going up ---- it's turned into a sellers market with people fleeing the cities. Already parcels that used to be $3000 ish and now $6000 to $8000 -- that's raw land with no electricity hook up no city water no sewer. It's off grid land and prices are jumping up fast. It may be the same in other states. If you're considering raw land to go off grid later it may cost too much. Right now though it's still possible, though getting harder, to purchase a piece of land free a d clear up front or fast by paying it off super early. It's hard to get set up. I'm not going to lie or paint some pretty country vacation picture for anyone. It's tough -- hard work -- struggle -- lots of frustration and disappointed but it can be done. Currently the white mountains in Arizona where parcels are still reasonably inexpensive (there are still so.e cheaper pieces btw and you can find them on land watch.com then type in the area or nearby town like vernon or concho) still allows you to move in with an RV or travel trailer and many people have for decades now. It's the norm to start in an RV or travel trailer, often a cheap old one that can be had for cash so no monthly RV payment) and then people work on building there home over time. Many other places do NOT allow you to start in an RV or trailer and who knows how long this area I'm referring to here will. Once this is no longer allowed moving in will become insanely more expensive. Anyway, right now you can buy land, get a water tank so you can get water delivered, move in with an RV or trailer, and proceed to set up your parameter fence - get dogs (adult dogs at rabies animal control in the big city - here it's Phoenix go for $25 a piece of they've been there a while), set up your chicken coop and rabbit hutch etc. The major negative in Arizona is poor soil quality and water (it's crazy expensive to dig a well if you're not on city water but city lots cost a tin more and the housing type requirements are much more costly up front).... Another negative about rural Northern Arizona is it gets very cold during the winter so you'd want a woodstove or at the very least little buddy heater and really a woodstove is far better... Moving to the country or at least having a bug out property set up would give you a place to go if things get worse and you can't keep a city or suburban house... I recommend a smaller parcel of land in today's environment because you never know when your money will stop coming in and you can pay off a smaller parcel faster plus it's more affordable to put up the pasture fence (cheapest pasture fence runs $70 plus per 100 foot roll at tractor supply right now and it takes a little over 8 100 ft rolls to do and acre and 1/4 property -- then add the cost of lots of t posts)... Note: there are other e states and counties that allow you to start in an RV, trailer or tiny home but from my research not many. You have to check each area you're interested in by calling the county office to research housing type rules and restrictions. I think the Ozarks area still also allows rvs, trailers and tiny homes.... In any case and in general , note also that an uninhabited property with any kind of dwelling on it especially does attract thieves, looters, and squatters. Btw: I'm personally looking for a sane sober honest moral self-sufficient nomad who has his or her own RV or travel trailer or tiny home (a small one) to help watch my property -- no charge to park and live on the property in exchange for helping watch the property (in case such a nomad is tuning in and wants to stop traveling/stay in one place)..
Funny you talk about snakes. Days after 9/11 I built a cage like yours and put a newly adopted rabbit inside. The first hour the rabbit cage became a snake trap, and I had to bury the dead rabbit that was too big for the snake to eat anyways.
What is the breed of the rabbit at 11:00 minute?
Should of made it wider, a little narrow for the rabbits
Mentioning snakes and mice scares the hell out of me as I’m considering homesteading for my early retirement plan. May I ask, what do you do to fight them?
We all screw up
Ask me how I know
Cats help control snakes and rodents but I’d recommend putting them in at night so owls and coyotes don’t get them
Do the rabbits do ok being separated like that? Researching on the Internet says they need to have a friend but i dont want to be two males and two females so theres two in each side.
Waste of time . They can’t even get to the grass … 😊
May be leaving the bottom open so they could get to the grass would have been better? A small area with plywood on the bottom so they don't have to stand on the wire or ground all the time would be nice also.
Do rabbits dig holes? Would they burrow out?
@@theoldguy9329 voice of experience.. yes they would dig their way out.
@@lyndabuchholz1216 I thought it was pretty self evident.
You can’t leave the bottom open because the rabbits will quickly dig out. Plywood on the ground would quickly become wet and moldy and deteriorate. The wire pushes down into the grass so they can access it. Never had any issues with sore feet. Very healthy rabbits. Thanks for watching!
Can you do one on the breeding cage and when you separate them and how you keep the mother from killing the babies every time mine had babies the mother would kill them
You have to watch the mother and kit of bunnies for the first week carefully. If you breed them on a date you will know when they are due and be ready and set up. I use a big rubber made container with pine chips for the first 2 weeks in the garage and for the first week out a breeder box in side the container to keep the bunnies together, wire top. The mom will hop in and out of the breeder box as needed to feed them. After 2 weeks I put them in the rabbit hutch outside, and they are fine from then on. But watching them the first week is key.
smokethirteen thank you for the information
Never use chicken wire or any type of wire for a floor for rabbits, all they're weight in rest on they're paws and they are delicate, they will absolutely form cuts, bruises and will eventually swell up, become red, purple & black and they will constantly be in severe pain, that will never stop because they're always walking on it, when they lay down it will do the exact same thing. Rabbits are also very aware of the surfaces they walk on and rest on, something like chicken wire will stress them out and will always be painful to walk on.
I am not a animal rights nut, I hunt, trap & fish. I just know that chicken wire and any type on non solid surface destroys rabbits feet and they WILL become infected and in tremendous pain, it's not a "maybe", they absolutely will. Yes, you will have to clean they're cages, but you can easily litter train them with a box of hay, that way you only have to remove one thing and empty & fill it back up, but that's better than them suffering 24/7 365.
If you notice the rabbits are constantly grinding they're teeth when they're just sitting or laying, that means they're in pain, they also grind they're teeth when feeling pleasure, but not as much and you can also check if a rabbit is well, sick, in pain, distress, by feeling both they're ears, if the ears are cold, the rabbit is sick, in severe pain and or maybe having gastral/ intestinal problems, rabbits need to eat hay daily or they're intestinal tract slows down or stops moving, which leads to a quick death.
Just wanna make sure you all know I work out...... did you guys know I work out???? Because I work out.
Its just a rabbit cage dude.