Installing a few outside enclosures is significantly less expensive than building a large number of cages. A 110-square-metre area can house 200 free-range rabbits and ten breeding does. To match the free-range system, 25 cages with eight growing rabbits per cage would be required. Furthermore, breeding necessitates their own individual cages with nesting facilities, which means an additional 10 cages.
Rabbit urine contains a high concentration of ammonia, which can be harmful to their health if not cleaned away frequently enough, resulting in snuffles, an illness with a high fatality rate. Urine is securely absorbed into the soil in nature and outdoor cages with dirt flooring.
Rabbits excrete two types of droppings, one of which must be digested again. It contains essential nutrients as well as beneficial bacteria that are essential for the rabbit’s health. These droppings fall through the meshing of the cage system and are inaccessible to the rabbit.
Cleaning the cage system takes extra time and effort. First, the urine-soaked droppings that have accumulated beneath the cages must be removed. The floors and cages must then be cleaned on a regular basis. Nature conducts the cleaning for us, therefore an outside system is self-cleaning. As previously stated, the urine soaks away and the droppings dry up in the sun and soil, rendering them inert. The droppings can be raked up once or twice a month and utilized as organic fertilizer.
Feeding the rabbits and keeping a consistent water supply is another time-consuming and labor-intensive responsibility. Furthermore, the feeding bowls and watering systems must be disinfected on a daily basis. As you may expect, this job is lot faster with one or two enclosures than with 35 cages.
Rabbits have very few sweat glands and struggle to stay cool in hot weather. They have no ability to regulate their temperature in the cage system; the farmer must offer cooling solutions such as insulation or air-conditioning equipment. When temperatures approach 30 degrees, male rabbits’ sperm becomes malformed, and nursing does become exhausted and unable to rear their kits. Rabbits in outdoor enclosures can construct cool burrows that allow them to escape the heat. Alternatively, the farmer may supply them with a couple of shelters to keep them out of the elements.
Rabbits in cages are excessively anxious, bored, and aggressive to one another, resulting in reduced immunity to sickness, increased food consumption, and fighting injuries. Free-range rabbits feel comfortable together and keep each other engaged, which results in robust immunity systems, less feed (nervous bunnies use more energy), and fewer injuries.