{"id":118,"date":"2024-01-12T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-12T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/?p=118"},"modified":"2025-12-04T17:11:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T17:11:23","slug":"how-we-clean-out-rabbit-colony-pens-in-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/12\/how-we-clean-out-rabbit-colony-pens-in-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"How We Clean Out Rabbit Colony Pens in Winter\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/12\/how-we-clean-out-rabbit-colony-pens-in-winter\/#Introduction\" >Introduction&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/12\/how-we-clean-out-rabbit-colony-pens-in-winter\/#Similarities\" >Similarities&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/12\/how-we-clean-out-rabbit-colony-pens-in-winter\/#Spot_Cleans\" >Spot Cleans&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/12\/how-we-clean-out-rabbit-colony-pens-in-winter\/#Deep_Litter\" >Deep Litter&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/12\/how-we-clean-out-rabbit-colony-pens-in-winter\/#Full_Cleans_in_Winter\" >Full Cleans&nbsp;in Winter<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/12\/how-we-clean-out-rabbit-colony-pens-in-winter\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/12\/how-we-clean-out-rabbit-colony-pens-in-winter\/#Related_Resources\" >Related Resources<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Introduction\"><\/span>Introduction&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, Hello there<strong> <\/strong>and welcome to the homesteading kid. Today I am talking about how we clean out rabbit colony pens in winter. If you have not seen my other blog posts on cleaning out rabbit pens, please check out. <a href=\"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/30\/how-we-clean-out-our-rabbit-hutches\/\">How we clean out our rabbit hutches<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/13\/how-we-clean-out-our-rabbit-colony-pens-in-summer\/\">how we clean out our rabbit colony pens in summer<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Similarities\"><\/span>Similarities&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many similarities between cleaning out rabbit colony pens in summer and cleaning out in winter but there are some differences. The main ones are you cannot use the jet wash because it will take weeks to dry so you must use dry disinfectant powder, but more on that later. Another big difference is you must put straw down which is not essential in summer unless they are nesting of course, and depending on your setup you may have a different number of rabbits in the pen which of course makes they amount of muck in the pen that you have to clear up different amounts of poop because of course you cannot expect 2 rabbits to make half as much muck that you have to clear up in the same space of time than 20 rabbits do. And last but not least the weather in winter in the UK is pretty cold and most of the time it is raining dismally too. Trust me the weather being cold and dismal can be and sometimes is pretty much one of the biggest discouragements to go out and feed your rabbits let alone clean them out!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Spot_Cleans\"><\/span>Spot Cleans&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is pretty much the same as doing it in summer, but in case you haven&#8217;t read that one, I will put what we do here.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We usually do a spot clean every day. A spot clean is where you clean just the bits where the rabbits have been pooing using a poo scraper. Decorating scrapers will work too. We also clean out the litter trays. They are very quick and easy and take about 15 minutes a day, dependent on the number of rabbits in the pen. So, it is very easy to do quickly before school or other tasks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Deep_Litter\"><\/span>Deep Litter&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you are using deep litter in the pens you do not have to spot clean, but&nbsp;you still must empty out the litter trays, but you do not have to clean out pooy bits in the pen. Instead, you put straw down over the top of it and you can leave a full clean much longer, sometimes we have left our full cleans 6 weeks using this method! Deep Litter keeps the rabbits warm. In the summer you wouldn&#8217;t want to use it because they would get too hot and there would be a lot of flies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Full_Cleans_in_Winter\"><\/span>Full Cleans&nbsp;in Winter<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In deep litter you don\u2019t have to clean out your pens so often but when you do clean out, it will take a lot longer. The poo and hay can go mouldy when practising this method, so make sure you have your face masks on! Instead of jet washing the pens like I usually do in summer we put down some disinfectant powder which says it is for chickens but have never had problems using it, but as a precaution ask the seller if it safe for rabbits first as a precaution.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It is the not so glamorous part of keeping rabbits, but if you do it your mum doesn\u2019t have to and then she has more time and energy to do fun things with you. Also, if you are doing it together it is a great way to spend time with each other while getting something useful done. And by useful, I mean very useful if your rabbits aren\u2019t in a clean environment, they are more prone to illness, and to give you a fun fact, did you know that in the wild a mummy rabbit changes the bedding in her nest.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Resources\"><\/span>Related Resources<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/19\/7-foods-you-can-feed-rabs\/\">7 Foods You Can Safely Feed Rabbits\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/26\/4-easy-enrichment-ideas-for-rabbits-diy\/\">When Rabbits Get Bored \u2013 4 Easy Rabbit Enrichment Ideas DIY<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/30\/how-we-clean-out-our-rabbit-hutches\/\">How We Clean Out Our Rabbit Hutches\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/13\/how-we-clean-out-our-rabbit-colony-pens-in-summer\/\">How We Clean Out Our Rabbit Colony Pens In Summer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"pointer-events:none;user-select:none;-webkit-user-select:none;-moz-user-select:none;-ms-user-select:none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction&nbsp; Well, Hello there and welcome to the homesteading kid. Today I am talking about how we clean out rabbit colony pens in winter. If you have not seen my other blog posts on cleaning out rabbit pens, please check out. How we clean out our rabbit hutches and how we clean out our rabbit [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":238,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[7,26,22,27,12,6],"class_list":["post-118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rabbits","tag-homesteading","tag-hutches","tag-rabbit","tag-rabbit-hutches","tag-rabbits","tag-the-homesteading-kid"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/homesteadingkid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/blog-cover-photo-for-how-we-clean-out-our-rabbit-colony-pens-in-winter.jpeg?fit=2240%2C1260&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":241,"href":"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118\/revisions\/241"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homesteadingkid.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}