Although I won't be showing any rabbits, I will still breed and raise them, for fur/meat, and also as breeding stock.
On Sunday, I was very fortunate to be given an opportunity to buy some much-needed hutches for rock bottom prices, and even better, there were also water bottles and feeders! 4 hutches, a total of 5 holes (compartments); the 2 hole hutch has a removable divider.
We loaded them up in the trailer, strapped them in place, and drove gingerly home (I didn't get pictures, but they were stacked pretty high), unloaded them and put them in position in the rabbitry.
Yesterday, I sprayed them down with a light bleach solution, let that sit while I scrubbed the feeders and water bottles, then hosed them down thoroughly and let them drip dry (dry being a relative term, since we're having so much rain right now) before starting to move the rabbits around.
First up was Cocoa, the New Zealand/Champagne D'Argent doe. She got upgraded to the largest single hutch with 2 access doors, and tomorrow her kits' nest box will be set on its side; this will allow them the same warmth and protection they have now, while giving them easier access in and out of the box, so there is much less risk of them getting too cold - and the bonus for Cocoa is that the side of the nest box will give her an anti-kit platform to relax on ;)
Sarge and Juno, the Champagne D'Argent pair, now occupy the 2 hole hutch with removable divider.
Ruby's bucks are in Cocoa's old hutch, giving them a little more room to stretch out.
Ruby and her does remained in the large grow out hutch, and I opened the divider, so they have the run of the whole thing; their own hutch palace :)
Zenith is back in her original hutch, with her kits romping around everywhere, bringing all the American Chinchillas back together in their 3 hole hutch.
Lightning is FINALLY back in a hutch, instead of that sorry excuse for a cage (divided dog kennel), so all the Rex are in their 3 hole hutch.
Today, I moved Honey Dew and Baby, the Creme D'Argent does, with their litters, back to outdoor hutches - they previously resided in the garage, and had been there since the cold snap weeks ago, which spurred me to overreact with concern for the safety of both litters. They were VERY happy to be back out in hutches, with more room to stretch out ;)
I also moved our newcomer, Pickles (Mini Satin X?), into one of the other single hutches. He'd been very patiently hanging out in his hutch, in our garage.
After indoor chores are caught up on, I'll need to get the brood pens and Pickles' hutch out of the garage, and then thoroughly clean/scrub everything to remove all traces that Andy ever allowed my small zoo to reside in his garage...with the exception of the Muscovy ducklings, since they're too young to be outdoors 24/7. They will be out in their pallet pen during the day, and brought back in to their garage pen at night, hopefully for no more than 3 weeks. Then they will be integrated with our chicken flock, and sleep on the coop floor.