Pillow Mounds/Rabbit Islands - An Ancient Form of Rabbit Keeping

I am moving into my new property in central Portugal next week and have been getting carried away planning the garden and livestock, for want of the ability to actually get on with it...

We're interested in meat rabbits. I know hanging wire-mesh cages may be the most efficient way of keeping them, but I had pet rabbits as a kid and I wouldn't want to keep them like that. Personal choice I guess. I've looked into tractors and colony systems.

My research led me to reading about 'pillow mounds' - a mediaeval form of rabbit-keeping where you construct an artificial warren, surrounded by a moat (to stop the rabbits digging out) and a fence (for predators). In the middle is a man-made burrow, which is basically a mound of earth built on top of a layer of stones that prevent them burrowing too deep. In the middle of the mound is a central trench with side off-shoots that the rabbits expand and nest in, presumably. I recall seeing the remnants of one in Yorkshire a few years ago.



Tiny bit more info here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren

I was wondering if this system could be adapted and improved.

I also found this rabbit island in an Italian garden (still in use for rabbits today) showing that they can be kept in entirely by water (and perhaps a short vertical drop).



I am planning to build a rill in the garden. It will be basically a long, thin pond that snakes around the plot. Our land is connected to the public irrigation system - the acequia - so we can request water to run through for an hour a week. There is already a stone-lined waterway that runs through the garden for this purpose, so I was planning to create a system that allows me to divert the water into the rill/pond system when it arrives to top up and aerate the ponds.

This is all getting a bit silly, I know, but I now sort of want to try a rabbit island/pillow mound with a moat.

I was thinking the mound design itself could be improved with artificial tunnels. The tunnels could be lined with hardwood planks or wire mesh on the sides and bottom, partially buried with a lid at ground level, allowing us to access the burrows and clean them.

I would put straw in these and encourage the rabbits to breed in those tunnels/nests. I have read that if their home is appealing enough, they don't feel a massive need to dig out more nesting burrows.

I would put a small hedge/short fence on the inside edge of the moat... I like the look of having the rabbit island mainly enclosed by water. I would mulch the island with straw as I imagine all vegetation would disappear quite fast. I think the straw would be mostly retained by the hedge. Mine would be smaller and a lot more rustic-looking than the Italian one shown above!!

I'd like to keep fish in the rill and was thinking I could occasionally rake droppings from the rabbit island into the moat, to feed fish/eventually flow through the system as the weekly irrigation flushes it through.

Alternatively do the same thing, but with cuy/guinea pigs instead of rabbits. They don't dig, apparently.

I should note our garden will exist for beauty as well as productivity, so I am interested in animal systems that are attractive as well as (hopefully) practical.

Just thought I'd share this idea.

My grandfather used to recount a story of having a bunch of loose and relatively low value hay in the basement of a barn.  He said they dropped a few rabbits down there, and then had a supply of rabbit meat whenever they wanted it for several years until the hay was all eaten up.  Just go harvest a few bunnies when you wanted them.
I've often thought that was a good idea.  An old barn foundation or basement to prevent digging out, toss down old hay, put a roof partly over it... seems low effort.  We have a section of the barn where pigs used to be raised: 2 sides are cement, I could easily use wood or cinderblocks to finish the enclosure, and then we could have a easy source of bunnies.  There are cats and raccoons around (and even in the barn)... that would throw a wrench in my plans.  Also, the fact that my wife has no interest in rabbit meat... I've thought starting a colony to use as dog food... but it probably will never happen.  

Thomas Dean wrote:My grandfather used to recount a story of having a bunch of loose and relatively low value hay in the basement of a barn.  He said they dropped a few rabbits down there, and then had a supply of rabbit meat whenever they wanted it for several years until the hay was all eaten up.  Just go harvest a few bunnies when you wanted them.
I've often thought that was a good idea.  An old barn foundation or basement to prevent digging out, toss down old hay, put a roof partly over it... seems low effort.  We have a section of the barn where pigs used to be raised: 2 sides are cement, I could easily use wood or cinderblocks to finish the enclosure, and then we could have a easy source of bunnies.  There are cats and raccoons around (and even in the barn)... that would throw a wrench in my plans.  Also, the fact that my wife has no interest in rabbit meat... I've thought starting a colony to use as dog food... but it probably will never happen.  

This is interesting. I do actually have a sort of barn with a stone-lined basement. Funnily enough it used to be used for meat rabbits, albeit kept in hutches. I have thought about just letting them run around loose in there but it's kind of dark. I just am not sure to what degree rabbits need or appreciate sunshine on them.

I guess you could accomplish something similar by digging a pit outside (lined, of course, with something they can't dig out through). I like the idea of keeping them as self-sufficiently as possible.

Buns do need sunlight, as well as shade. I LOVE the pillow mound concept! It seems far more humane, sustainable, beautiful, and pleasurable for them than any caging arrangement I've seen - ever. The burrow shelters will give them hidey places, and a way to cool off in the summer heat, with the rocks not only keeping them from digging too deep, but also providing drainage, when the rain seeps in. The only thing I'd add is overhead protection from our plentiful (wild, of course) raptors.

Things like clover, purslane, a blueberry bush or two, depending on how many rabbits will be kept (more give more fruit, and shade/ shelter), and other perennials & wildflowers can also be planted on the mounds, to enhance their diets and happiness, as well as lowering the need for additional feed.

I'd also add a bench or two, and some shade, to make it more welcoming for human/bun interaction, which will greatly ease health checks and catching for harvest, as well as turning it into a human refuge, where (at least for me) spending time with them could very effectively ease the many stresses of farm life and provide gentle entertainment, and a place to rest, if needed, while harvesting their incredible fertilizer.

Hi Rudyard,
I don't have any knowledge to add. But I wanted to say that this sounds like a cool idea. Something I might have to try. I have been trying to figure out the rabbit equivalent of a mobile coop and movable fence for chickens. This is stationary, but it sounds more natural than metal cages in a garage.

That is a very cool system!  In my area the moat would be solid for 4 months of the year...  So if the predators were kept away, the bunnies could free range more distantly on the snow/ice.  That assumes they'd stick around home all winter and aren't caught on the wrong side of the moat when it thaws.

Carla Burke wrote:I'd also add a bench or two, and some shade, to make it more welcoming for human/bun interaction, which will greatly ease health checks and catching for harvest, as well as turning it into a human refuge, where (at least for me) spending time with them could very effectively ease the many stresses of farm life and provide gentle entertainment, and a place to rest, if needed, while harvesting their incredible fertilizer.

That sounds idyllic! I think watching them hop about would be very therapeutic somehow.

Mike Haasl wrote:That is a very cool system!  In my area the moat would be solid for 4 months of the year...  So if the predators were kept away, the bunnies could free range more distantly on the snow/ice.  That assumes they'd stick around home all winter and aren't caught on the wrong side of the moat when it thaws.

Ah, yes, maybe not the best system for places that get thick ice! You might be able to do it with a deeper trench, possibly.

Matt McSpadden wrote:Hi Rudyard,
I don't have any knowledge to add. But I wanted to say that this sounds like a cool idea. Something I might have to try. I have been trying to figure out the rabbit equivalent of a mobile coop and movable fence for chickens. This is stationary, but it sounds more natural than metal cages in a garage.

I think the main problem would be trying to stop the island from becoming a dirt pile that gets soggy in the rain. Maybe it could be used as a summer habitat, then grow brassicas or something hardy on it in winter to take advantage of the 'rabbit enhanced' soil.

Rudyard Blake wrote:

Matt McSpadden wrote:Hi Rudyard,
I don't have any knowledge to add. But I wanted to say that this sounds like a cool idea. Something I might have to try. I have been trying to figure out the rabbit equivalent of a mobile coop and movable fence for chickens. This is stationary, but it sounds more natural than metal cages in a garage.

I think the main problem would be trying to stop the island from becoming a dirt pile that gets soggy in the rain. Maybe it could be used as a summer habitat, then grow brassicas or something hardy on it in winter to take advantage of the 'rabbit enhanced' soil.

This is where my shade idea comes in. A willow tree would quickly soak up excess water, process their urine, provide them another source of nutrition, as well as pain medicine they'll take advantage of, if they need it, and... shade. Another thought I'd had was not building the tunnels for them. Too much like work, imho - but, they'd love doing it, themselves. A base of rock, a willow, blueberry bushes, some clover and other yummy growie things, the moat, and maybe (until the willow is big enough to provide shade) an awning to provide shelter, while they dig their tunnels and warrens.

Sounds like a great idea! I saw a YT video recently of a family who built hegelkulture warrens with cage tops. I can’t find it now though (lol).