| and humidity of summer can present challenges to rabbit producers. Three primary issues include adequate water source, comfortable environment and proper nutrition.
All three can affect the health and reproductive ability of your rabbits. Rabbits do not cope well with temperatures higher than 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Such temperatures can cause male rabbits to become temporarily sterile. Heat stress can cause does to lose interest in reproducing. Therefore, it is in the best interest of rabbit producers to keep their rabbits as comfortable as possible during the heat of summer.
As temperatures rise during the summer months, so will the amount of water consumed by rabbits. Like all other mammals they require water to cool off their bodies. Don’t forget, rabbits have a fur coat they are unable to remove. A rabbit’s fur coat can serve as an insulator to some extent, but the rabbit needs water to keep from dehydrating. Whether your rabbitry has an automated watering system or individual watering bottles for your rabbit cages, rabbits must have constant access to water. They need to be checked once or twice a day to make sure water availability is continuous. If water bowls are utilized, they need to be checked more often than any other watering system.
As a rabbit producer it is important you make plans early in the summer on how to keep the environment of your rabbitry comfortable. Make sure your rabbits are in the shade, and never exposed to direct sunlight. If you are like me and only have a pole barn, and had tarps as outside walls, temporary walls need to be taken down to insure air flow.
If your building is enclosed then you need to make arrangements that insure sufficient ventilation. If electricity is available in your barn then several options are possible. Box fans are a viable option, just make sure they are not blowing directly on your rabbits. Exhaust fans provide plenty of ventilation; again, make sure there is not too much direct air flow on your rabbits. A combination of swamp coolers and exhaust fans is even better. If your barn is air conditioned, then you obviously have figured a better way to make money from rabbits than me.
Insuring proper nutrition during the summer months is just as important as any other season. Remember, as temperatures rise during the summer a rabbit may consume more water but its appetite decreases. If a rabbit is overweight or being fed too much protein, it will be more likely to become overheated. You could feed hays other than alfalfa, which is high protein hay and may cause a rabbit’s body temperature to rise higher than acceptable. Make sure they have access to feed, but do not over feed them.
You should now have a better understanding of the role water, climate, and nutrition play in keeping rabbits stress free during summer months and hopefully prolific at the same time. Each farm has access to different resources and capabilities. What works for one farm may not be feasible or practical for the next farm. As a farm manager it is your decision to determine and implement what works for your situation.
On another note, I would like to share some sad news about a person who has been instrumental in the success of rabbit production within Alabama. Eddie Williams recently passed away, his departure was unexpected. Many of you are familiar with Eddie, who had |
