The kids came in to tell me there were dead baby bunnies in the colony enclosure. Sure enough, two little newborn kits in the dirt beside the burrow they'd dug for the most recent litter. Both were already dead, and one was crawling with ants. The kids reached as far into the burrow as they could, we looked, we checked, and could find no more babies (or the nest). I made a judgement call and blocked it off with wire and filled it over. I don't think any more bunnies were down there, and if there were, they were likely all dead from the ants anyway. Sad, yes, but also a learning experience. As much as I'd love to let them dig their own burrows, this is the third or fourth litter we've lost from letting them do this. There's plenty of dirt over the wire, so they can still dig and play in the dirt. They just can't burrow deep anymore.
Has anyone else managed to chicken, duck, goose, and deer - proof their garden without installing an 8-foot fence around everything? I'm open to ideas!