EnviroLink Forum

Yeah: it's something that can't be overlooked.

The easy way is to simply provide the critters shelter at night. However, if one plans on letting them graze/browse 'open-range' that might complicate things.

Would it be possible to combine features from these two general concepts?
'Open-range' could consist of a trail; with barns/shelter at the end of each days march.

yeah, the crops are a head-scratcher too!

You have to combine features that keep the plants cool enough during the day, followed by being warm-enough during the night. Let me run this thru my head a bit!

That's a interesting point about the critter fur. A couple thoughts:(Just throwing these out for comment)

We'd have to look at critters who do endure big temp. swings. A couple that come to mind are (weird or silly as it may seem) camels and to a lesser extent, reindeer. I'm pretty sure camels could deal with things, I don't know how hot of temps reindeer can put up with.

I'm fighting for someway to make my open-range trail work, lol!

Well, deserts often have large temprature swings, so desert creatures have a chance. The problem being there aren't a lot of desert animals who make good farm-animals!

The native pasture will be consumable for earth-critters, so that aspect is taken care of.

But getting this open-range trail idea to work.....well. Herds of dozens of animals can be sheltered. Herds of thousands? I have serious doubts. Now, those thousands can be devided into many heards of dozens, but that's a lot of herd-persons and herd-dogs to keep track of things. It'd also be all too easy to over-graze the pasture.

Rainfall: Yes and as on earth, the amount varies on where you are. Where most of the agriculture takes place; rainfall is around 20 inches a earth year. (About the same as Utah)

If it rains at night, I'd expect either snow, sleet or freezing rain. Definately 'stay-inside' weather.

There are storms. occassionly violent. One regular feature during the hotter part of the year is something the colonists take to calling the 'twilight-winds'. The native inhabitants have their own word which translates as 'night-breath'.

What happens is the dayside heats up, causing air to rise. The air is much cooler on the nightside and this sets off convection: as the daytime hotsir rises, the nighttime air rushes in to take it's place. The result is a steady 30 to 40 mile per hour(Sometimes faster) wind that comes out of the east; starting a few hours before twilight and lasting to a few hours afterwards.

Ah....the seasons. Yeah, there's seasons and they get kinda rough, too. Winters, depending on location, can be brutal. The dead of winter is one thing:cold.

The worst part is the year is longer there and that coumpounds the problems even more. (Good planning on my part, eh?) By the end of summer, it's been hot long enough for there to be danger of brushfires. In winter, the polar seas freeze over for a considerable way equator-ward, allowing critters who live in the polar regions to come by for a visit.

Question:

Which is the most effective way to raise rabbits? (Assuming we're looking for meat-production). Cage or more of a open pasture approuch?

I'm guessing pasture is more 'green' but I have a hard time seeing bunnies running herd. Cages repersent more controlled conditions and perhaps easier predator protection but bunnies locked up instead of hopping thru the fields doesn't appeal to me, somehow.

What's the word, bunny-farmers?

Ok, I did a little looking-into and it seems cages are the perferred method.

I dunno. Can't rabbit be used as weed control in fallow fields?

Just wondering.