c - Agriculture Research Extension Network (ARENET)

and ultra-violet rays for reducing infection in the hutch. However the
hutch should not be exposed to so much sun heat, because heat stress is
one of the conditions that cause mortality in rabbits. Therefore rabbits
must be in a place which protects them from the mid afte :moon heat.
- .J - . Place the outdoor hutches next to the house in oraer . ro provide enough
security against thieves and predators.
'3utches must be constructed such that there is no excessive noise and
make which may seriously affect confort of the rabbits. Rabbits need a
luiet environment during feeding and farmers must locate the hutch in a
place that limits disturbance. Rabbits must be placed as far as possible
fiom the Kitchen to avoid smoke and heat stress.
4.6 Indoor Hutches
In commercial rabbit production on a large scale, it is advisable that the
farmer puts hutches indoors. This is done by construction of a large
building with suficient ventilation and security provisions.
Hutches within the house can be simple and can be made as boxes
suspended from the roof, Sometimes hutches are constructed on the floor
in a house. When the hutches are constructed on the floor, the rabbits can
be kept on concrete floor, which can be kept dry, or they can be kept on
marram floor where they can be allowed to burrow in the underground.
Rabbits can rear their young ones in the bumw. Bucks should be kept
separate fiom does and young ones to prevent unnecessary mating and
eating of the young ones.
Cleanliness must be observed strictly and over-crowding must be avoided.
4.7 Outlay and equipments needed in a rabbit house
The equipment in a rabbit house include the water trough, feed trough,
roughage rack and kindling box. A piece of wood can be placed in the
hutch for chewing because rabbits like to gnaw and chew and can easily
eat their way out of the hutch. This habbit is increased if the rabbits are not
fed properly.
e Water troughs
These can easily be made from a tin and a bottle. The Waterers should
be fixed to the hutch wall or floor to prevent tipping over. Regular