Keeping long-eared animals has long been practiced by industrial farms and ordinary people who have decided to organize a small farm on their property. Keeping furry animals is a pleasure, as they do not require constant attention and are quite easy to care for. For the business to be successful, you need to provide the animals with comfortable living conditions. Today we will tell you what rabbit cages you can make with your own hands.
When choosing a place for the future residence of animals and installing their cage houses, you need to pay attention to some parameters of the selected territory.
Cages for eared animals can be placed:
- on the street;
- indoors.
Of course, the first option is suitable only for those farms that are located in the southern regions with a consistently warm and mild climate. Otherwise, in winter, animals will not survive outside without shelter. If you and your rabbits are planning to live in just such a fertile place, consider the following rules.
- The level of air humidity that rabbits tolerate well has an upper limit of 75%. They will not be able to physically endure a greater percentage of it; they will begin to waste away and get sick. Based on this, the place to install the cages should be dry, located far from bodies of water, preferably on a hill.
- There are recommendations regarding sun exposure as well. Eared animals like to bask under them only in cartoons; in life, this will only bring harm and lead to widespread diseases and death of animals. To prevent direct sunlight from falling on the cages, install them in the shade of garden trees or arrange canopies. If rabbit breeding is your life's work, you can plant a bush fence that will scatter the sun's rays, letting them pass through.
During insulation, pay attention to those cages that are prepared for pregnant rabbits and newborn rabbits.
Requirements for indoor housing for rabbits
Growing, breeding and feeding rabbits
Building a comfortable hutch for rabbits is less than half the battle. It is equally important to properly organize the process of keeping, feeding and breeding rabbits. Read on to find out what features exist in the process of raising rabbits and what are the differences in the methods of keeping them.
Let's start building
Before starting construction work, you need to correctly select the materials that will be used in the process.
Necessary materials
When creating housing for rabbits, it is better to give preference to natural materials in order to bring the keeping of animals as close as possible to natural conditions. Therefore, as a basis for the cells, it is necessary to choose high-quality wooden blocks, which are additionally treated with antiseptics.
Additionally, to build cells we will need:
- boards and quality wood;
- thin plywood;
- fine-mesh welded mesh;
- wooden slats, 3-4 centimeters wide;
- metal wire of medium thickness;
- wide plastic trays according to the size of the cells;
It is best to line the inner surface of the cage walls with plywood, as it is a moisture-resistant and strong material. Chipboard, for example, is not suitable for such a purpose, since it absorbs moisture and collapses due to swelling.
What types of cages are there for rabbits?
All rabbit cages are built according to some general principles, however, they still have differences. All the nuances of construction depend on what breeds and individuals of the rabbit people will live inside the cages being built. There will be at least several species in your household, and here's why.
As you can see, cells can differ in many ways, depending on the characteristics of future residents. However, for each of them there are general construction instructions, which vary depending on the goals. Let's start looking at it.
Important nuances
Before we announce the instructions themselves, let’s discuss some important points. The standard dimensions of a spacious rabbit hutch are:
- 120-170 centimeters in length;
- about 50 centimeters in height;
- 70-80 centimeters wide.
As a rule, if the cell parameters change, only the length is reduced. The height and width remain standard, since these are the parameters that are most comfortable for care.
Mixing rabbits of different genders in the same cage is prohibited, as this can lead to:
- uncontrolled matings;
- difficult to track pregnancies;
- fights between males for the attention of females;
- fights of females for the attention of males;
- strangling of each other's offspring by warring females.
Instructions for building a rabbit cage yourself
So, let's move on to the step-by-step instructions for building a cage for rabbits. We propose to consider housing for eared animals, consisting of two sections. Adults will live in one of them, and pregnant queens with offspring will live in the second. For a while, until you have a nursing female with cubs, you can put houses for rabbits in the nesting compartment, in which they will hide when they are in a bad mood and want to take a break from their furry roommates.
Let's start building.
Step 1
Take the prepared wooden beams and treat them with antiseptics. This is necessary to prevent the tree from rotting and the penetration of harmful microorganisms into its structure, which can subsequently ruin the health of the eared animals.
Remember, the composition of antiseptics should be as gentle as possible and not contain large amounts of chlorine, which burns wood and destroys its structure. This is important because the cells are used mercilessly and it is necessary that they last a long time.
Step 2
Take a wooden beam prepared ahead of time and saw it so that you get parts with the following parameters:
- 4 beams of 1.5 meters each;
- the same number of bars 55 centimeters each;
- two pairs of bars 70 centimeters each.
Instead of four bars 55 centimeters long, you can make only two and two more 35 centimeters each. The smaller ones will be installed as frame pieces for the back of the cage where we will place the queen nest.
Step 3
Connect the shortest and half-meter beams together to create two identical shapes. If the parameters of the bars for the frame of the front and back of the cage are the same, then you will get a rectangle; if they are different, you will get a trapezoid.
Step 4
Now connect the rectangles together using pieces of wood 70 centimeters long. You should end up with a wooden frame structure that resembles a large box in shape.
Step 5
Let's start installing the floor. It can be made from several different materials. We present a comparative table of the pros and cons of each of them.
| Metallic profile | Fine mesh | Wood slats | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| + | - | + | - | + | - |
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A good solution would be to use combinations, for example, the first layer can be made from a metal profile welded in the usual way, without small and frequent holes. The second layer is made of fine mesh. The profile will prevent it from deforming and this floor will last a long time.
It is impossible to make a non-mesh floor in the main compartment, since animal feces will pass through the holes and accumulate in the tray under the cage.
Install the selected material on most of the future floor of the cage and secure it with fasteners. Leave 40-50 centimeters blank
Step 6
The remaining unfilled space under the floor must be made of wood and solid, since the rabbit’s nest will be located there. It is best to screw a board to the beams, which must be well sanded so that the animal does not get injured. At the junction of the cells and the board, screw in a metal strip and weld the mesh to it.
Step 7
Let's start covering the walls. The back one is also made from boards polished and impregnated with gentle antiseptics. The front one is made of mesh so that you can observe what your pets are doing. Leave the ceiling unclogged.
Step 8
We line the plank walls from the inside of the cage using plywood. The material must be multi-layered and of good quality. The thickness can be any, but you don’t need to take a very thick sheet so as not to make the structure too weighty.
You can fasten plywood using self-tapping screws or nails. The main thing is that the sharp part of the nail does not come out and does not injure you when caring for the cage.
Step 9
We are building a roof. To do this we need a sheet of plywood and hinges, like on doors or cabinets. First, we screw the hinges to one of the upper beams of the frame, then we plant a sheet of good plywood on them. Here it is better to choose a thicker material, because the roof of the house will constantly rise and fall. Make sure it fits snugly. If there are large gaps between the frame and the roof, harmful drafts cannot be avoided.
If it was not possible to fit the lid to the frame tightly, do not despair. Take some felt or padding polyester and cover the perimeter of the roof. This can be done even if there are no cracks, since in winter such insulation will be useful for long-eared ones.
Step 10
At the junction of the wire mesh and the boards, install a board that goes from floor to ceiling and from wall to wall. Make a medium-sized hole in advance so that the rabbits can move freely from one cage to another.
Step 11
Place the cages on supports that have been previously installed in the rabbitry. Now, mount the tray from the bottom of the cage. It can only match the size of the mesh part of the floor, since the feces of the rabbit and baby rabbits will not leak through the wooden floors.
Step 12
Now install feeders and drinkers inside the cages. You can also make them yourself from wood, in the form of small troughs. Be sure to find a place for hay as well. Some rabbit breeders place it in homemade hanging structures so that rabbits can reach it and at the same time not trample it, turning it into bedding.
Now that you have learned how to make the simplest version of rabbit cages, let's turn our attention to other popular options.
Family cage
The family home for long-eared animals no longer consists of two, but of three sections. A breeding male with good quality characteristics of health and appearance is settled there. Females live in the side compartments, and males live in the middle compartment. Between the rooms there are manholes, this time with valves. This is necessary so that at the moment one of the females is ready to conceive offspring, release her to the inseminator, and then do the same with the other rabbit.
This option for constructing cages is considered very effective for breeding purebred animals, as it allows you to sort out suitable individuals in advance and track upcoming pregnancies.
Construction Features
Let's name some points in building cells from three sections that will help you during construction.
Cages for rabbits in two tiers
The construction of a two-tier rabbit hutch structure is not too different from a single-tier one. Such a structure will have the following parameters:
- height 2 - 2.5 meters;
- width 1.4 meters;
- Along the edges of the structure, every 10 centimeters are allocated for the installation of feeders.
The dimensions may vary depending on your idea, but making the cage smaller is not rational.
Construction instructions
So, let's start building a two-tier cage.
| Photo | Step |
|---|---|
 | Step 1. Exactly the same as in the first instructions, we connect the bars to make four frame frames. Each of them will serve as the bottom and top of two cells. We also saw off eight bars of equal height for the corner parts of the cell “skeleton”. |
 | Step 2. Making floors for cages. The larger part, as in the case of a single-tier structure, will be mesh, the smaller part will be solid, made of boards. We leave a small distance of about 10 centimeters at the back wall, where we will place a drain for animal waste. This distance should be covered with a dense mesh with cells larger than the main one for the floor. |
 | Step 3. The back wall is made of boards, then lined with plywood on the inside. The side and front walls are also equipped with mesh with medium-sized cells. |
 | Step 4. Using slats and metal plugs, we separate the inside of the house for the eared compartments, leaving between them space for a hay barn in the shape of the English letter “V”. |
 | Step 5. We attach metal sheets to the waste disposal compartment that go to the tray under the cage. Each cage has its own collection of excrement and is installed so that it can be pulled out and cleaned. For the upper tier it is placed on the ceiling of the lower one, and for the lower one - on special corners of the stand, mounted in the holding frame for the cages. |
 | Step 6. We equip the roofs for each of the tiers from plywood, reinforced with felt or thick linoleum. |
To make it possible to care for caged animals, make the back wall or roof hinged.
Video - Cage for rabbits, self-building
Cell according to the Mikhailov method
Today there are many popular methods of breeding eared animals. One of the most effective is Mikhailov’s mini-farm. The features of the mini-farm are as follows. It allows you to obtain a large number of healthy offspring and raise them into productive, mature individuals with minimal attention from the farmer.
The design features of Mikhailov’s mini-farm make it possible to achieve the following positive effects.
Cell cleansing occurs without human intervention. And we are talking not only about animal feces, but also about food waste containing harmful fumes. Rabbits do not inhale them and remain healthy. Due to the fact that such a high level of hygiene is maintained inside the rabbit houses, insects that carry the infection do not fly inside, since they simply have nothing to profit from.
Adding food and adding water to the feeders occurs once a week. Yes, now you are freed from the need to constantly monitor the presence of these batteries in the cage of your charges every day. The fact is that the feeders constantly fill themselves as they eat food from the feeders. Another plus is that in winter the water in the drinking bowls is automatically heated.
Areas for pregnant and newborn rabbits with their offspring are also heated in cold weather, which allows animals to crossbreed all year round and ensure the health of newborns.
The internal structure of the cell is as close as possible to natural conditions, which provokes the activation of instincts in animals. Thus, the queen cell reminds an animal of a hole, since it is located below the main level of the cell, and the entrance to it actually imitates a rabbit hole. The ceiling in the nesting compartment is slanted, as if this really is not a cage, but a long-eared dugout.
Open areas of the wall alternate with closed ones so that rabbits can get privacy and take a break from attention from humans or other animals.
Mikhailov's cage is also equipped with folding doors, which allow you to pick up a baby rabbit unnoticed by the rabbits or, on the contrary, add them. This is necessary when a litter is too small or too large for one individual. If there are too many cubs, the mother may kill or eat several alive. In this case, it is necessary to remove the baby and transfer it to the queen who gave birth to the small offspring.
The part of the cage that is installed to the north is insulated. The south side, on the contrary, is equipped with ventilation so that fresh air enters the houses. The roof is equipped with a pipe through which gases from animal excrement are emitted. Feeders and drinking bowls are sealed to prevent waste from getting into them.
Design Review
The area of each cell is 1.4 m2. Up to 25 heads fit inside. The main element of the structure is a shed - a barn consisting of several tiers of rabbit cages in one or two tiers. Such a shad can contain 70 houses. If we take this number as a basis, then queens will live in 35 of them, and adult males and young rabbits will live in the rest.
It is customary to make about two rows of cells, together occupying 8.5 m2. These cells have only one roof.
Implemented Mikhailov cage
The shelf life of Mikhailov's mini-farm is about 20 years. Then it will have to be renewed or completely replaced with a new design.
Necessary materials
We warn you that if you do not have sufficient experience in construction, it is easier to purchase a Mikhailov cage. But if you are confident that you can handle it, stock up on the following materials:
- sheets of plywood;
- paint;
- nails;
- roofing iron;
- wooden beam;
- boards;
- roofing felt;
- Fiberboard soft and hard;
- picket fence
Assembling the stand
Assemble the stand by carefully examining its image in the photo. The horizontal section of the stand will contain a support part for a homemade transformer compartment, as well as shelves for tools and a bench. A rectangular manhole is also installed here, leading from a sealed tank to a bunker for collecting excrement, which flows into it along the shaft walls. The shaft is covered with fiberboard and roofing felt, resistant to frost and moisture.
Walking area and nests
Two pairs of posts are mounted on the stand, the cross-section of which should not exceed 10 centimeters. The tier below will rest on them, consisting of several compartments in which rabbits are caught for inspection or are deposited.
The walking area is equipped with a drinking bowl and feeding trough. In its lower part there is a hole measuring 20 by 20 centimeters, which goes into the shaft. The floor is laid with a picket fence laid on slats, which are covered with strips of metal to protect against rodents. The flooring is made at an angle of 45 degrees.
The nesting compartment is equipped with a hinged door that folds open to create a free area for interacting with the rabbits. The location of the bottom of the queen cell goes down relative to the level of the main floor by 9 centimeters. The outside walls of the house for mothers and babies are insulated with any available materials. The entrance to the compartment is also insulated. To arbitrarily overlap it, install a view.
Drinkers and feeders
The drinking bowl is represented by an automatic structure. The water trough itself can be anything, be it a plastic bowl or a wooden one. This bowl contains outlets from several 5-liter canisters. Centimeter holes are drilled in each lid of the canister so that the water drains down gradually and only when the rabbit has drunk enough so that the trough does not overfill.
What size the area of the drinking compartment will be directly depends on the capacity and size of the canister itself, as well as the trough. The door to the compartment is made of a sheet of plywood and metal. One edge of the watering trough must be hidden from rabbits in order to install a small electric boiler there, which automatically starts working when the air temperature drops below +8°C.
A feeder is installed next to the drinking bowl, into which mixed feed in granules is poured. It is installed in a small gap between the parts of the flooring, in which the disposal device is located. It contains waste - crumbs and flour, as well as pellets trampled by rabbits. And from there they roll into the recycling bin.
The feed bowl for roughage is located at the top and bottom of the farm. From the outside of the cage, a tank is suspended from it, in which hay and vegetables are placed.
Installation of the upper tier
The upper tier can serve as a mother and jigging level. In the first case, it is made at an angle, in the same way as described above. In the second, they are divided into two sections of different sizes, into which small rabbits will then be placed.
The length of the upper tier is 25 centimeters longer than the lower one. A drinker and a feeder are also installed in each section according to the methods described above.
Roof
The roof is made sloping, and a pipe is installed on top of it to ventilate the premises. This pipe is necessary to remove from the cell accumulations of harmful fumes that are released during the life of eared animals.
Bottom part
At the bottom of the cage there is a box into which rabbit droppings are poured. This allows animal excrement to be used for gardening purposes and eliminates the need for the farmer to constantly clean the cages of feces.
The Mikhailov cage is an effective option for rabbit breeding business. This design requires minimal labor and time from the farmer. So, it takes about half an hour a week to care for the animals - to fill the feeders, drinkers and clean the trays. Long-eared animals kept in such a farm gain in three months of their life such weight that rabbits in normal care can only gain in 6-8 months.
Cages for rabbits Zolotukhina
Another famous farm concept for efficient rabbit breeding. Nikolai Ivanovich Zolotukhin studied the life of rabbits in natural conditions from an early age and, in the prime of his career, developed this amazing structure that increases the efficiency of raising rabbits by activating their natural instincts.
The Zolotuha cage farm has three tiers and is quite simply made. Let's start looking at the instructions for making it.
To build a cell, we need:
- wooden beams;
- boards;
- metal grid;
- sheet iron;
- high-quality polycarbonate;
- slate.
Construction instructions
So, first of all, let’s determine the dimensions of the future cell:
- the width of the rabbit's home is 2 meters;
- height of the structure – 1.5;
- the depth of the structure is no more than 80 centimeters;
- rear floor slope - 5 centimeters;
- the mesh at the back wall occupies 20 centimeters;
- the doors are made in the shape of a square with 40 centimeters in length on one side.
Let's start building.
| Photo | Step |
|---|---|
 | Step 1. Cell scaffolds are assembled using a method already familiar to you. Each of them is divided into two equal halves, between which there is a small distance to accommodate the hay barn. |
 | Step 2. This time, for the floor, not mesh is used, but durable slate. When laying and attaching slate sheets to the frame, calculate that you need to retreat 20 centimeters from the back wall. This space is covered with a welded mesh, through which the feces of the long-eared animals will be discharged. |
 | Step 3. Now let's start making the walls. The back walls are made of carbonate sheets at a specific angle. The upper part of each wall is mounted to the end of the slate floor of the next highest tier. At the very top tier it is straight. Thanks to this design, rabbit droppings roll along the walls of each of the tiers and eventually fall into the tray. |
 | Step 4. We make a door for the queen cells and feed compartments. In the first case, we prepare it from wood and insulate it to create the necessary conditions for the rabbits. In the second, we make it from mesh. |
 | Step 5. Nests for summer maintenance are also made with mesh walls. They are separated from the remaining space by a board partition, which can then be removed to create a spacious cage for young animals. Winter queen cells are wooden, with closed walls. The entrance to it is also wooden, with a closing hole, the lower part of which is in contact with the floor. Hay is spread on the floor. |
 | Step 6. We make feeders. These devices are a tray that occupies most of the wall of the cage located in front. The feeder is inserted into the cage only one third, its bottom is made at an angle. This is necessary so that the feeder can be filled from the outside without opening the cage. A drinking bowl is also installed inside. |
Zolotukhin cells are famous and have been successful for many decades. Their simple production makes them popular, and their rabbit-breeding effect is amazing.
Cages for dwarf rabbits: step-by-step instructions
Not only farmers, but also those who have chosen this cute animal as their pet can make a cage for a rabbit. Of course, it is easier to buy such a structure, but it costs a lot of money, which can instead be spent on buying vitamins and food for the eared ones.
Making a house for a rabbit with your own hands will take very little time and will not require serious labor costs.
Step 1. Assemble the frame for the cage according to the mechanism described above. This time the frame parameters will be as follows:
- length – 1 meter;
- the height of the bars for the rear wall is 55 centimeters;
- the height of the bars for the side walls is 70 centimeters;
- frame width – 70 centimeters.
Step 2. Assemble the frame so that there is a distance of 15 centimeters between the lower end of the back wall and the future floor.
Step 3. Nail wide wooden slats to the bottom of the cage or install a welded mesh made of a metal profile. This support is needed to give rigidity to the future mesh floor. When the slats or profile are installed, install fine mesh on top.
Step 4. Make walls for the cage. The back one can be made of plywood or boards, and the rest can be made of metal mesh with medium-sized cells. Make one of the walls also plywood or wood and cut a hole in it for the door.
Step 5. Make the door from a wooden frame and metal mesh and place it on the hinges to the hole.
Let's sum it up
Now you know many of the most popular ways to build rabbit cages. The choice of the option that suits you will be based on the following nuances:
- starting budget;
- rabbit breeding experience;
- region of residence;
- size of livestock, etc.
The main requirement is high quality design
For example, cages using the Mikhailov mini-farm method will help to minimize labor costs and loss of time for caring for animals, however, it is very difficult to place this serious structure inside a barn, which makes the use of the structure in regions with long cold winters almost impossible. In addition, the equipment of such a cage requires money and construction experience. Beginning rabbit breeders will not benefit from spending so much money, especially if they are not sure that they will want to keep rabbits for many years.
Zolotukhin's cages do not require large financial expenditures, but they imply that the number of rabbits contained in them will not be small. Therefore, this option is not entirely rational for farmers starting out in the rabbit business.
For successful keeping and breeding of rabbits, it is very important to choose the right cage for them, because the well-being of the animals and their ability to reproduce directly depend on its structure and type of material. Good, warm and comfortable housing is the key to a pet’s good health and good weight gain. There are two options - buy a ready-made cage in a specialized store or make it yourself. It would seem that the first option is easier and simpler, but it is preferable to do it yourself, taking into account all the necessary dimensions, depending on the expected number of individuals and the breed of pets. Having decided to breed rabbits, it is important to decide on the place where their cage will be located.
First of all, you need to take care of protecting your pets from cold wind and sunlight in the summer. Ideally, it is better to make the roof removable, this will facilitate the process of disinfecting the cage. So, how to make cages for rabbits with your own hands: all dimensions and drawings are presented below.
Types of cages for keeping rabbits
The main types of cages, mainly used by rabbit breeders in practice, are presented in the list below:
- a cage with an enclosure for walking a rabbit;
- standard cells with and without queen cell;
- a cell built according to the method of I. N. Mikhailov;
- cell according to the method of N.I. Zolotukhin.
Each cell has a standard base - walls, floor, ceiling and frame, door. Let's take a closer look at cell types.
An example of a drawing of a two-section cage for rabbits can be seen in the photo below.
Regular cell (with or without queen cell)
A standard cage, usually on high legs, with a mesh floor and tray, with two compartments separated by a partition with the ability to move from compartment to compartment. They provide a nest for the female rabbit and a place for feeding. The entrance to the cage is closed with doors. The high legs of the structure allow maximum protection of animals from moisture and drafts; they are usually made about half a meter. The mesh floor will allow the waste products of the rabbits not to linger in the cage; with the help of a tray, everything can be easily removed and the animals will be clean. Such cells can be found very often; they require minimal costs and a small amount of materials. Often designs with a mesh floor are used when breeding, since the paws of this breed of animal are resistant to damage.
Cage with aviary for walking rabbits
It is an ordinary cage (discussed above) made of a wooden frame, often on legs, with an enclosure attached to such a cage for walking.
Considering the mobility of pets and their love for an active lifestyle, having a place to walk has an extremely positive effect on the health of rabbits and increases their reproductive qualities. During the summer months, it allows the animals to enjoy fresh grass and soak up the morning sun. It is necessary to take into account all the details so that pets cannot escape from the enclosure and cats or mice do not get into them.
Do-it-yourself cages for rabbits: drawings according to Zolotukhin
The main difference between such a cage and other designs is the following: it does not contain a queen cell for the rabbit. It is assumed that the best option would be if she chooses a suitable place for herself. The feeder and sippy cup are located above the front door. These cages do not have a tray or a mesh floor; instead, only the back side of the structure is covered with mesh.
A small metal mesh is used. Analyzing the behavior of rabbits, you can notice that they relieve themselves at the back of their homes. These cages are built using slate or planks. To make the frame and partitions, boards up to two centimeters thick are used. The floor and roof are made of slate; if this is not available, it is made of the same boards as the cage frame. Wooden surfaces are covered with thin sheet metal.
Let's look at the construction of such a cell step by step:
The first floor of the structure should be located at a distance of fifty centimeters from the ground to protect rabbits from moisture and cold. The cage frame itself is made using four two-meter beams; the finished width of the frame should be two meters, and the depth should be eighty centimeters. Thus, three floors are built.
- The floor of each floor must be inclined at a slope of five centimeters towards the back of the cage to allow animal feces to drain off. Each floor is divided into two halves by wooden slats, the distance between them should be about thirty centimeters; in the future there will be a hay barn. The walls of the structure are made of wooden planks. Each floor is half covered with boards or slate, the resulting gap is closed with a fine mesh.
- The back wall must be made of moisture-resistant material; polycarbonate is a good choice; it can withstand fairly high humidity without deteriorating or rotting. The grid of the upper floor ends and a polycarbonate sheet is attached to it at an angle.
- It is convenient to make caged doors that are common to all floors; metal hooks are attached to the doors.
- Additionally, each floor can be equipped with side doors for fattening; bolts must be attached to each door.
Considering that rabbits love to chew everything and are good at it, each inner corner is lined with metal for protection.
The roof of the cage is made in such a way that it protrudes forward from the common part of the frame by at least five centimeters on all sides, in order to prevent rainwater from entering the room with the pets.
Cages for rabbits using the Mikhailov method
Rabbit cages using the Mikhailov method are the most complex and expensive, but at the same time the most convenient to use. They provide for a unified system of rabbit waste, heating of the queen cell with baby rabbits and a female rabbit, separate shelves for animals and a ventilation system. Their main feature is their sectionality - they include from two to four separate sections with a single compartment for collecting rabbit waste.
The first cages of this type were designed for two adult animals, improved designs are designed for several teenage rabbits or two rabbits expecting offspring. There are two-tier and single-tier cages. The construction of a cage of this type is tied to the cardinal directions; for protection from cold winds, the back wall is made blank and placed to the north. Apart from the back, the other three are made of mesh material. The mechanism for heating the queen cell must be turned on, and ventilation of the premises is provided.
The floors of the cage using the Mikhailov method are made of slats laid diagonally. To simplify the design, such cells are conventionally divided into three parts:
- the upper one, consisting of one or two tiers;
- the lower part is a sealed part for collecting manure;
- stand-up
Thanks to the stand, the entire structure is fixed to the ground; without it, the cage can tip over. The total height of the legs is 140 cm; additional beams are installed at a distance of 40 cm from the ground for maximum strong fixation. Feeders and drinking bowls for rabbits are located inside the building, queen cells are in the center. To make such a design with your own hands, you must have the correct drawing with exact dimensions. The dimensions of the cage made using this method are relatively small; for two adult individuals, the total area of the structure will be 1.4 square meters. The height of the building is 210 cm, the width of the sections is 80 cm, the height is 70 cm. The angle of inclination of the lower section is 45 degrees. The sippy cup in the cage can be installed in any size, depending on the size of the section in which the pet lives. Let's consider the principle of constructing such a cage for four adult rabbits. The animal feeder is 15 cm long, 12 cm wide, and 30 cm high.
So, in order to make this design with your own hands at home, you must have:
- bars;
- slats;
- boards;
- metal mesh;
- automatic drinking bowls for pets;
- queen cell heater;
- box for animal feces;
- staples;
- self-tapping screws;
- stapler;
- screwdriver;
- drill;
- nails of different sizes and a hammer;
- sheet iron;
- material for protecting internal corners;
- slateruberoid.
Let's look at the construction of such a cage step by step. As an example for a detailed description of construction, let’s take a single-tier cage with three compartments. Having understood the principle of the method, it will not be difficult at all to complete the upper floors. We assemble the cage frame in accordance with the required dimensions and drawings.
- We start building the frame from the frame, then we build the cage itself and lay the floor in it diagonally with slats. Separately, we prepare the doors for the cage and install them, not forgetting the latches.
- We install automatic drinking bowls for animals inside the living quarters, and hang pre-prepared drinking bowls outside (also made in accordance with the dimensions of the drawings).
- We separate the queen cell for the female rabbit and the young rabbits with a partition in which there is supposed to be an exit door. Do not forget that the queen cell should be as dark as possible for the comfort of newborn rabbits.
- We make a roof, strengthen the slate with self-tapping screws.
- We make a sloped surface for manure in the shape of a rectangular funnel. A container is installed under the funnel to collect waste and waste products of rabbits.
An important point in such cages is that little rabbits are not separated from their mother. They are constantly with her in a heated queen cell and have the opportunity to receive mother’s milk for as long as possible, which significantly increases the animals’ immunity.
Mikhailov's method is based, first of all, on the fact that rabbits do not have direct contact with humans; for them this is a very serious stress. The idea of such an automatic house, where pets have round-the-clock access to a feeder and water bowl, has achieved incredible results. Rabbits living in such cages practically do not get sick, reproduce well and gain weight very quickly. There are even four-month-old individuals weighing up to six kilograms.
Video. DIY rabbit cage
Today, rabbits are bred in almost every corner of the world. If you also decide to start this profitable business, we recommend starting with organizing optimal conditions for keeping animals, namely cages for rabbits.
A rabbitry and all the equipment necessary for it (feeders and drinkers) can be purchased or built independently. In this article we will talk about what kind of housing these animals should have, and what materials will be needed to make cages for rabbits with your own hands.
Necessary materials
First of all, you should decide on the size of future cells. The most common option is a double design, which has two separate sections.
There are other types of housing:
- single-section;
- group (for young animals);
- with three sections;
- with mother liquor.
Creating any structure for keeping rabbits involves step-by-step production of the frame, floor, walls, ceiling and door, followed by assembly. In most cases, wood and metal mesh are used in construction. Therefore, for work you will need the following tools and materials:
The wood should first be sanded and thoroughly sanded, and the ends of the mesh should be securely fastened. All sharp edges must be removed, otherwise the animal may be injured. It makes sense to cover wooden surfaces inside the home with tin to make the enclosure more durable, since rabbits love to gnaw on everything that catches their eye. Thick wooden beams are usually used for the main frame, and the walls and ceiling are made of plywood sheets and mesh. Note that if the rabbits’ home is located outdoors, then the length of the legs of the frame should not be less than 80 cm. For cages placed indoors, 30-centimeter legs will be enough.
If the enclosure will be located in the open air, then it is important to pay special attention to the construction of the roof of the home. Direct sunlight, precipitation and drafts negatively affect the well-being and health of animals. It is not recommended to make a roof out of metal - it gets very hot in the sun, which can lead to heatstroke in a rabbit. It is better to cover the top of the structure with slate.
Types of cells and their sizes
On a farm to maintain a population of rabbits, various cages are required, intended for certain categories of animals:
- adults;
- young animals;
- representatives of giant breeds;
- females with offspring.
When planning the construction of a home for animals, as well as their resettlement, we start from the following figures: 0.7 m 2 of space is usually allocated for an adult rabbit, and 0.25 m 2 for young animals per individual.
For adults
Optimal cages for medium-sized rabbits should have a depth of 55-75 cm, a height of 45-60 cm and a length of at least 100 cm. Dimensions of the standard version: 120 × 75 × 45 cm (DHA). When keeping adult animals, it is advisable to use block structures divided into two compartments using a mesh. If mating is necessary, the partition is removed, combining the sections together.
In order to save space, cells are often arranged in blocks of 2-3 tiers.
Each room should have a designated area for sleeping, eating and walking. A small place for rest is required: approximately 30x60x50 cm. To zone the space, plywood partitions with holes located at a height of about 15 cm from the floor are usually used.
For young animals
Rabbits are separated from their mother at the age of 6-7 weeks and kept together in groups of 10-20 animals. When designing a home, the following dimensions are adhered to: 300 × 100 × 50 cm. The floor can be made either solid, mesh or slatted. The first option is safer from the point of view of the health of rabbits, because some individuals are susceptible to the development of pododermatitis, and the coating of slats or mesh contributes to the occurrence of the disease. However, houses with such a bottom are easier to keep clean, as they become dirty more slowly.
In winter, the floor is insulated with a bedding of straw and hay.
In some farms, special cages for young animals are not provided, and cubs weaned from their mother are immediately placed in housing for adult animals. With this option, it is necessary to calculate how many heads can be placed in one room to make the animals comfortable.
For giant rabbits
Owners of giants will need significantly more building materials, because adults can reach 70 cm in length and weigh more than 10 kg. The optimal cage dimensions for rabbits of giant varieties are: height of at least 65 cm, length - 150 cm, depth - 75 cm. If possible, it is better to increase the above parameters.
Young animals can be kept in group cages with an area of at least 1.2 m2. When constructing the structure, you should take into account the considerable weight of the giants and pay special attention to strengthening the floor, for example, making it from thicker galvanized mesh. To prevent sagging, a sheathing is made of bars under the floor, which are placed at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other. Experienced rabbit breeders recommend keeping giants in dwellings with a solid floor. However, cleaning in such rooms will have to be done much more often.
For a female with cubs
Some farmers believe that a special queen cell for a female with offspring is necessary exclusively in the cold season, while in the summer a regular cage is sufficient. However, this opinion is wrong. In an open room, partitioned only with a mesh, the female rabbit feels unprotected, which can negatively affect the feeding process and the health of her offspring. Therefore, it is imperative to equip your home with a closed, insulated place for the nest, and also leave enough space for walking.
The frame is made of strong beams, the back and side walls are made of plywood. The space is immediately divided into two parts - a large one intended for walking and a small one for a nest. Each of them is closed with a separate door: mesh (large compartment) or solid wood (nesting part). All walls, floors and ceilings must be double, with a layer of foam or straw for additional heat and sound insulation. The roof is made of slate.
You can learn more about the design and construction of a queen cell from the article on our website.
The most common design options
There are many different options, from which each farmer chooses the most suitable one depending on available resources, free space and other parameters. The following designs are very popular among breeders:
- solid wire;
- Mikhailova;
- Zolotukhina;
- Tsvetkova.
Solid wire
This is the most budget-friendly housing option that can be placed in any convenient location. Such cages are lightweight and durable, they take up little space and are easy to care for on a daily basis.
For production, two types of galvanized mesh with cells of different sizes are required. The coarse mesh (2.5-5x5 cm) is attached to the walls and ceiling, and the fine mesh (1.5-2.5 cm) is attached to the floor. The frame is made of durable timber, with legs 50-70 cm high. In the warm season, the structure is installed outside (under a canopy); in cold weather, it is brought into an insulated shed.
You can see step-by-step instructions on how to quickly make a simple all-wire dwelling for rabbits in the following story:
Mikhailova
A distinctive feature of the design, made according to Mikhailov’s drawings, is the heating of the queen cell and drinkers, and the presence of a container for collecting waste. Cells of this type can be one- or two-level. House dimensions: width 240 cm, height 70 or 210 cm (depending on number of floors). The distance from the ground to the structure is 140 cm - this space is necessary to place a special inclined chute and waste collector.
An additional queen cell (size 35×40 cm) is sometimes attached to the back wall, and feeders (30×15 cm) are attached to the side walls.
The floor is made of slats, which are laid at small intervals. This allows waste to flow down the gutters into a special container. The walls are made of wood, the doors are made of mesh. For better air flow, the home is equipped with a ventilation pipe covered with a canopy.
Thanks to the waste collection system, Mikhailov’s design ensures constant cleanliness in the cages, which greatly facilitates the work of farmers.
Automatic heating technologies are most often used when breeding ornamental breeds, since the cost of such equipment for the house and its maintenance is too high.
Zolotukhina
N.I. Zolotukhin is known in rabbit breeding circles as the creator of a simple and inexpensive design for placing eared ears. The original layout of the home allows for less frequent cleaning, and the animals feel more comfortable.
Such houses are multi-story buildings with a sloping plywood ceiling. The floor is made of mesh, which is laid in a thin strip against the back wall. The second tier is shifted relative to the lower one by the width of the mesh strip. The third floor is located similarly. The front wall, common to all three tiers, is attached at an angle.
In the process of creating such a home, you need to follow step-by-step instructions. First of all, you should purchase wooden beams and boards, slate sheets, metal mesh, polycarbonate and metal sheets. The frame, partitions and doors of the queen cell are constructed from wood. The mesh is used for doors and the back of the floor. The rest of the bottom is made of slate. The back wall is made of polycarbonate. The wooden surfaces inside are sheathed with tin.
Standard dimensions of a cage for rabbits according to Zolotukhin’s drawings:
You can learn about the advantages of a home of this design from the following video:
Tsvetkova
Experienced rabbit breeder A. A. Tsvetkov proposed a new original idea for a cage, the main valuable features of which were:
- gravity feeders;
- mounted queen cells;
- forced ventilation;
- feces removal system.
The frame is constructed from coniferous timber, which is usually painted with white paint. The sennik is made of moisture-resistant plywood, at least 8 mm thick, and the inside is lined with metal mesh. All wooden parts are sheathed with sheet metal, the cone-shaped compartment for drainage and waste collection is covered with slate mastic. The roof is covered with slate or roofing felt.
To heat water in the cold season, the house is equipped with a special boiler.
General manufacturing rules
When creating a rabbit cage with your own hands, you must follow the following rules:
- the frame is made of wooden beams with a thickness of at least 5x5 cm, the walls and partitions are made of durable sheet plywood;
- all wooden surfaces inside should be covered with tin;
- It is best to use slate to cover the roof;
- when processing parts, do not use antiseptics, varnishes and impregnations with a strong odor;
- To construct a floor with a mesh covering, use a mesh with cells measuring no more than 2.5x2.5 cm.
Experienced rabbit breeders often cover part of the mesh floor with a sheet of plywood, which helps the animals avoid pododermatitis.
Depending on the individual needs of the animals, the design of the building may vary. For example, a female with offspring needs a queen cell and a nesting compartment, and when keeping young animals in groups, one cannot do without insulated nesting rooms and covered spacious enclosures for walking.
After completion of construction work, each dwelling must be properly equipped: install a feeder and drinking bowl, prepare a hay barn and bunker device to provide the animals with the most favorable conditions.
Video
Practical advice on how to quickly and correctly make a house for rabbits is given by experienced farmers in the following videos:
Loving husband and caring father. A versatile person, interested in literally everything. Gardening themes are no exception. I'm always happy to discover something new and share it with other people. He is of the opinion that nature is a second home for every person, therefore it should be treated with respect.
Natural toxins are found in many plants; Those grown in gardens and vegetable gardens are no exception. Thus, the seeds of apples, apricots, and peaches contain hydrocyanic acid, and the tops and peels of unripe nightshades (potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes) contain solanine. But do not be afraid: their number is too small.
From varietal tomatoes you can get “your own” seeds for sowing next year (if you really like the variety). But it is useless to do this with hybrids: you will get seeds, but they will carry the hereditary material not of the plant from which they were taken, but of its numerous “ancestors”.
Tomatoes have no natural protection against late blight. If late blight attacks, any tomatoes (and potatoes too) die, no matter what is said in the description of the varieties (“variety resistant to late blight” is just a marketing ploy).
It is believed that some vegetables and fruits (cucumbers, stem celery, all varieties of cabbage, peppers, apples) have “negative calorie content,” that is, more calories are consumed during digestion than they contain. In fact, only 10-20% of the calories received from food are consumed in the digestive process.
One of the most convenient methods for preparing a harvest of vegetables, fruits and berries is freezing. Some believe that freezing causes the nutritional and health benefits of plant foods to be lost. As a result of the research, scientists have found that there is practically no decrease in nutritional value when frozen.
Oklahoma farmer Carl Burns developed an unusual variety of multi-colored corn called Rainbow Corn. The grains on each cob are of different colors and shades: brown, pink, purple, blue, green, etc. This result was achieved through many years of selecting the most colored ordinary varieties and crossing them.
“Frost-resistant” varieties of garden strawberries (more often simply “strawberries”) need shelter just as much as ordinary varieties (especially in those regions where there are snowless winters or frosts alternating with thaws). All strawberries have superficial roots. This means that without shelter they freeze to death. Sellers’ assurances that strawberries are “frost-resistant,” “winter-hardy,” “tolerates frosts down to −35 ℃,” etc. are deception. Gardeners must remember that no one has yet managed to change the root system of strawberries.
In Australia, scientists have begun experiments in cloning several varieties of grapes grown in cold regions. Climate warming, which is predicted for the next 50 years, will lead to their disappearance. Australian varieties have excellent characteristics for winemaking and are not susceptible to diseases common in Europe and America.
Living in a country house brings a lot of positive aspects in the form of clean air, lack of noise and city bustle, and the presence of a place for relaxation and entertainment. It is also important that you can grow garden crops or raise pets on your own plot. This can become a source of environmentally friendly products and help the family budget. If you want to get into animal husbandry, then there is no better option than raising rabbits. At the same time, the decision to raise eared animals alone is not enough. You will need knowledge about keeping furry beauties and comfortable cages where they can “gain weight.” Of course, it’s easier to buy a ready-made rabbitry. However, we recommend making the cages yourself, since this gives you the opportunity to choose the design and size of the structure in strict accordance with personal preferences and the availability of free space for its installation.
Purpose and structure of the rabbitry
Today, two main systems for keeping rabbits are used.
- In insulated, closed-type rabbitries, this method is relevant for northern regions and mid-latitudes. Adults are kept in individual cages, and rabbits are kept in communal cages, which are installed in a heated building.
- In outdoor cages. In this case, adult animals are placed separately from young animals, which are placed in group rabbitries and walking facilities.
The simplest cage for rabbitsOutdoor rabbit houses can be single or multi-person. Most often, the cage is designed to accommodate one adult rabbit or several young animals.
The cage is divided into two parts: a feed compartment with an area of about 0.5 square meters. m and a nesting “room” with an area of at least 0.25 sq. m. Often the feeding space is made common, with living compartments located on both sides of it.
The parts of the rabbitry communicate with each other using a round manhole up to 20 cm high. The aft part is equipped with a feeder, and for convenience it is made of lattice or covered with wire mesh. Access to this part of the cage is provided by a door measuring 40x60 cm.
The frame of the rabbitry is made of durable timber or round posts with a thickness of at least 8 cm, and the cage itself is placed at a height of 70–80 cm from the ground. The wall material can be wooden boards, clay wattle, hardboard, plywood, etc. The roofing material is slate, roofing felt or polycarbonate laid on top of the boards. Tin roofing is used only if the rabbitry is installed in a well-shaded place.
The floor of the cage is made from edged boards, sloping towards the back wall. A gap is left in this place for urine to drain. An excellent solution is a narrow strip of metal mesh located at the back of the rabbitry floor.
Common designs and their features
Livestock specialists and amateur rabbit breeders have developed many models of cages for keeping rabbits. The most common designs of rabbit hutches are:
- single-section cage;
- design with two sections;
- rabbitry with queen cell;
- three-section (family type);
- solid wire;
- Mikhailov mini-farm;
- Zolotukhin cells.
The most successful and simple design that can be repeated with your own hands can be considered a two-section one.
Two-section cages are very convenient for keeping rabbits To save space, the cages are installed in several tiers, forming a so-called shed. This design saves material and makes caring for animals easier. It is this system that is used in the designs of rabbit hutches by famous rabbit breeders Mikhailov and Zolotukhin.
A double cage with a queen cell (feed compartment) is used to place the female rabbit during birth. In the form of a queen cell, a removable type nesting box is used - newborn rabbits are kept in it until they reach one month of age. Between the food compartment and the main part of the cage, a hole measuring 20x20 cm is arranged.
At the time of giving birth, the female is placed in the queen cell. It is often done in an ordinary cage, setting up a closed compartment with a hole All-wire rabbitries are convenient for mass breeding or on farms. Along with the advantages of simplicity and ease of maintenance, such cages also have a significant drawback - they require a separate room for installation.
In a family-type cage you can place two females with young animals or two individuals of different sexes. The compartments between the compartments are made of mesh, slatted or solid wooden partitions.
Single-section cages, although they are the simplest to manufacture, are practically not used in private farmsteads due to the low hygiene and aesthetics of the structures.
Before starting the construction of a rabbitry, they prepare the tools and materials that will be needed for the work, and also take the necessary measurements and draw up drawings of the future structure.
Tools and materials
To make a rabbit hutch you will need the most common carpentry tools To build a rabbitry from wood and various available materials, you need to stock up on:
- wooden beam with a cross-section of at least 60×60 mm;
- planed boards 25–30 mm thick;
- slats with a cross section of at least 25×40 mm;
- plywood, OSB, plexiglass - for walls and partitions;
- polycarbonate, tin, slate, soft tiles or roofing felt - for roofing;
- mesh with cells no more than 40 mm for walls, doors and floors;
- furniture dowels;
- nails and screws;
- door hinges, latches, carrying handles.
In the process of work you will need ordinary carpentry and plumbing tools:
- hammer;
- screwdriver or set of screwdrivers;
- drill with a set of drills;
- hacksaw for wood and metal;
- jigsaw;
- grinder with a disk for woodworking or an angular circular saw;
- chisel;
- roulette;
- carpenter's square;
- bubble level;
- metal scissors.
When building a rabbitry, safety requirements should not be neglected. Be sure to use a protective shield or eye glasses, and when working with cutting tools, you must exercise extreme care and caution.
Calculation of optimal cell sizes
When calculating the size of rabbit cages, they are based on the conditions of their keeping, the breed, size of the rabbits, as well as the purpose of the rabbitry (mother cell, structure for single or group housing, structure with walking for young animals, etc.).
During the calculation process, certain standards and recommendations are followed.
- The length of the cage for nursing females should be from 170–180 cm in length and at least a meter in depth. The height of the structure is taken to be 60–70 cm. Rabbit houses are installed on pillars or supports dug into the ground at a height of 70–80 cm from the ground.
- The rabbitry for large individuals weighing more than 5 kg should be spacious - at least 130 - 150 cm long and 70 cm wide. The height of the front wall is 40–50 cm. The roof is sloping due to a decrease in the height of the rear wall by 10–15 cm.
- Young animals are kept in group cages of 8–20 animals at a time. In separate buildings, 3–5 rabbits that are less than three months old are placed, and older animals are kept in the amount of 2 to 4 individuals per cage. For young animals, the height of the cage can be reduced to 35 cm, but the living area should not be less than 0.25 square meters. m.
- Adult rabbits are placed in individual cages with a minimum size of 100x60 cm. If conditions permit, these dimensions are increased by 20–30 percent, which is especially important for mature males, since limited mobility in cramped conditions leads to their infertility.
- If a two- or three-tier shed is constructed from cages, then its width should not exceed 200 cm and its depth should not exceed 100 cm.
Of course, when calculating a rabbitry that you will make yourself, you can deviate a little from these recommendations. Nevertheless, it is still not worth reducing the size in order to save space or materials - animals should feel spacious and comfortable. At the same time, you will always not be at a loss - the rabbits will gain weight faster and get sick less.
Option drawings
Convenient, durable and inexpensive outdoor rabbit hutches can be made from a wooden frame covered with metal mesh or lined with solid material.
The presented drawings and diagrams of rabbit hutches range in size from 45 to 100 cm in width and up to 2.5 meters in length.
The frame of the cage is made of wooden beams with a cross-section of 50×50 mm or larger, and the doorway is made of slats with a cross-section of at least 25×50 mm. A plywood or plank roof with slate or soft roll covering must protrude beyond the perimeter of the frame by at least 150 mm.
The walls of the cells are made solid or covered with steel mesh. At the same time, mesh, lattice or panel partitions are installed in rabbitries for group housing. For this, 50x50 mm beams covered with mesh, 25x40 mm slats and boards with a thickness of 25 mm or more are used. The lower part of the rear and front walls has a rim made of boards 10 cm wide. The design of the rear and side walls must exclude drafts, therefore, depending on the installation location, these elements can be either solid or lattice.
Having chosen the appropriate drawing and made the necessary calculations, you can begin making the rabbitry.
DIY rabbitry - manufacturing instructions
Let's look at two models of rabbit hutches that are easy to make at home. The first design is a three-section type cage, designed to contain two adult individuals or females with young animals. The second model, which we propose to make, is a more complex two-tier shed - the Zolotukhin rabbitry, famous among rabbit breeders.
A simple three-section cage of an original design (with step-by-step photos)
A rabbitry can be a real decoration of the economic area and a source of pride in the work done To build a rabbit hutch you will need minimal experience with plumbing and carpentry tools. During the work you will need lumber, plywood or OSB, steel mesh, soft roofing and plexiglass. Despite the simplicity of the design, the rabbitry has an original shape and can decorate the economic area of a suburban area. At the same time, the design has natural ventilation, which is undoubtedly beneficial for the health of animals.
Construction of the frame
Placing the cages at a distance from the ground will keep the animals safe and make feeding easier. The height of the installation is such that it is possible to involve not only adults, but also children in caring for the animals.
Drawing of the frame of the rabbitry A convenient shelf installed on the lower tier will be an excellent storage for hay and feed, which will always be at hand.
The supporting legs of the frame are made of wooden beams with a thickness of at least 60 mm. Their height is 850 mm.
- The boards of the upper frame and the supporting structure of the shelf are attached to the main racks with self-tapping screws. The elements of the lower trim are mounted at a distance of 372 mm from the ground. The work requires using a level and a carpenter's square to ensure that the cage is level and stable.
Installation of the lower frame - For a cage with an additional compartment, a cut is made in the front trim of the upper frame, after which the cut-off part is attached to its original place using a piano loop. In the future, this folding board will provide convenient access to the inside of the rabbitry.
Installing a piano hinge - In order to secure the upper base and shelf, support rails are screwed onto the inside of the upper and lower frames. Precise adjustment of these elements will give them the opportunity to perform another role - spacer bars for the supporting legs of the cage. This will reduce the wobble of the rabbitry and significantly increase its stability.
Installation of spacer rails - The boards for the base of the cage and the shelf are cut out of boards, thick plywood or OSB. To ensure that these parts fit into place, shaped cuts are made in the corners for the supporting legs of the rabbitry.
Adjustment of base and shelf panels - The shelf and base are mounted in place.
The final stage of frame assembly is the installation of base panels and shelves How to make the main compartment
Drawing of the main compartment - The assembly of the rabbitry body begins from the door frame. It is assembled from slats reinforced with furniture dowels. Cutouts are made in the side jambs so that the door can move vertically.
The elements of the main rabbitry compartment are assembled using dowels - The sliding door body is assembled from slats and covered with mesh. Furniture dowels are installed on the outside of the door, which will serve as guides when opening it. The door is installed in the frame, for which the dowels are inserted into the slots on its side posts.
Door installation - The frame of the nesting compartments is assembled on both sides of the door. Mount the base of the rear and side walls.
- They make rafters to make the roof. To do this, the slats are cut at an acute angle and assembled in pairs using self-tapping screws. The rafters are installed, attaching them to the upper cross members of the frame.
Making rafters - Triangles are cut out of OSB or plywood and secured in the openings between the middle compartment and the roof. According to the drawing, they are screwed to the rafters with self-tapping screws.
Attaching the main compartment trim - Rectangular roofing elements are cut out of sheet material, and then attached to the rafters. At the rear, a folding roof panel is made by cutting out a rectangular section of the roof and installing it on a piano hinge.
Making a panel for lining the rear part of the roof - After assembling the frame, the wood is treated with drying oil and painted. The piano loop located on the roof of the cage is protected with adhesive tape.
Cage lining and external arrangement
- All walls are sheathed from the inside with a metal mesh, which is cut with metal scissors and secured with self-tapping screws and a screwdriver.
Covering the side elements of the frame - First, the sides are sheathed, after which the front wall of the rabbitry is installed. For ease of transportation, folding handles are screwed to the side elements of the frame. A latch is attached to fix the folding plate on the front board of the frame and a latch to fix the door.
Gate valve installation - You can increase the aesthetics of the cage with a rabbit figurine, cut according to the presented template from sheet lumber. After painting, it is installed on the front surface of the roof.
Rabbit pattern for cage decoration - The roof of the rabbitry is covered with a soft roof, which is attached to the plywood base with metal staples using a stapler.
Fastening roofing material using a stapler - To make a ridge, a narrow strip of bitumen shingles is cut off, after which it is glued with a special glue for soft roofing.
The ridge is glued with special glue for soft roofing - To protect rabbits from drafts, use a plexiglass shield cut to fit the side wall. It is attached to the frame frame at the bottom with furniture dowels, and at the top with a latch.
Installation of a protective plexiglass screen - Assemble and install the inner rabbit box and ladder. After painting, these elements are installed inside the rabbitry.
Making an inner box that acts as a nest - The cage is installed in the chosen place and the rabbits are populated.
How to build a Zolotukhin cage with your own hands
The design of the cage, developed by the famous Russian rabbit breeder N.I. Zolotukhin, has become widely known due to its ease of manufacture, low cost and a number of improvements that make caring for animals easier.
The rabbitry designed by N. I. Zolotukhin has received recognition from many amateur rabbit breeders Design Features
General view of Zolotukhin cells The Zolotukhin rabbitry is a three-tier shed made of double cages. A special feature of the design is that the floor at the back wall of the house is made of mesh to a width of 20–25 cm and each upper tier is shifted back by exactly the same amount relative to the lower one. Since rabbits relieve themselves primarily at the far edge of the rabbitry, their waste passes freely through the mesh cells and ends up in a pre-installed collection container. This allows cleaning to be done several times less frequently and reduces the maintenance time for each department.
Another option for cages in which, instead of shifting the upper tier, the rear wall of the cage is sloped Other advantages include the ability to quickly convert an ordinary cage into a queen cell and a specially designed feeder that does not allow animals to transfer food. The doors of the feeding sections provide the necessary ventilation, so you don’t have to think about installing a forced air intake.
Due to the fact that the roof of the lower tier is the floor for the upper cells, it becomes possible to save roofing material, and the construction of a common frame for six cells allows you to reduce the consumption of lumber.
Dimensions and correct layout of the rabbitry
Zolotukhin cells are undemanding when it comes to material. For their manufacture, scraps of boards and slats left over from repairs, pieces of tin and polycarbonate, slate sheets and metal mesh are suitable.
The design of the Zolotukhin cell is extremely simple A well-known rabbit breeder says that exact dimensions and drawings are not needed to build a rabbitry. To build a cage, a diagram and approximate dimensions are enough:
To arrange a queen cell, a partition with a hole up to 0.2 m high is installed in the cage.
A 10-centimeter piece of board is nailed to the bottom of the hole to prevent the baby rabbits from falling out of the nest.
Step-by-step manufacturing instructions
- Front and rear support posts are cut out of timber with a cross-section of at least 6x6 cm.
- Four frames are made from the same timber. Of these, three structures serve as the base of the cages, and one serves as the roof of the rabbitry.
- The frames are attached to the support posts, taking into account the height of the cages and the slope of the floor to the rear wall. In order to ensure proper geometric accuracy, a building level and a carpenter's square are used when assembling the frame.
When assembling the frame, you can use metal corners, which will ensure the strength of the connections - Vertical struts are installed, which divide each tier into nesting and feeding compartments. These same elements will later serve as door frames.
Bottom frame trim - The floor of each tier is installed from flat slate or boards connected into a groove or quarter. In this case, a 20–25 cm gap is left at the far wall.
- Install a strip of metal mesh on the remaining part of the floor of each tier.
Installation of a mesh floor section at the rear wall of the rabbitry - Door frames are made from slats with a minimum cross-section of 25×40 mm. They are covered with metal mesh.
- The doors are installed on hinges and bolts are installed.
- The rabbitry is sheathed with panels cut from polycarbonate, plywood or OSB, as well as steel mesh.
The cage lining can be made of any material, for example polycarbonate. - Cover the cage with the selected roofing material. Under soft coverings (bitumen shingles, roofing felt) a continuous plank sheathing is installed.
Of particular note is the original design of the feeder. It is assembled from wooden slats in the form of a tray the size of two-thirds of the aft compartment. The outer frame of the feeder should be twice as high as the inner one, and the bottom should have a slope of at least 35º. With this design, the side walls are sewn up with plywood triangles with their vertices down. The feeder is installed directly into the door, bending the mesh inside the rabbitry. The tray is secured as follows: on each side, through the door frame and the upper part of the side wall of the feeder, a through hole is drilled into which a metal rod is installed (a long nail can be used). The design allows you to rotate the feeder for cleaning without opening the rabbitry door.
An excellent drinking bowl can be made from an ordinary plastic bottle You can buy drinking bowls for rabbits or make them yourself. A very popular design is a plastic bottle screwed upside down to a mesh and a low water container. Thanks to rarefaction, the liquid flows out of the bottle gradually as it is consumed or evaporates in the summer.
Tips from an experienced rabbit breeder for creating quality houses (video)
As you can see, there are no pitfalls in the design of rabbit hutches, so even the most complex cage can easily be made with your own hands. When starting production, you should remember that the rabbitry may not be ideal from the point of view of aesthetics and geometry, but it simply must be safe for animals. Therefore, while working, carefully treat wooden surfaces, bend the protruding ends of the mesh rods, and remove the protruding parts of nails and screws. In the process of breeding rabbits, carefully follow all the requirements for keeping and breeding, and they will definitely repay you with a good appetite, excellent health and rapid weight gain.
Living in your own home outside the city limits attracts many: fresh air, the absence of the usual fuss and, of course, physical labor, which brings certain results. It doesn’t matter what exactly you grow on your plot. You can limit yourself to just flowers. When you hold in your hands a banal cucumber that you yourself have grown, you experience an unusual feeling of pride and joy from unity with nature. And you know for sure that you have created a pure product. Gradually the idea arises of whether to get chickens or rabbits. For rabbits, for example, you can build a rabbitry with your own hands. But first think, are you ready to support these animals?
- Meat. Rabbit meat is a dietary product useful for people of all ages. It contains a set of amino acids that promote protein synthesis in the human body. In addition, it is low-calorie and natural food.
- Liver. Even though one animal contains only 100 grams of liver, it is a real delicacy.
- Skins. Dressing hides requires not only additional time and knowledge, but also special preparations. It’s not a fact that you will want to spend your time searching and using them.
- Bones and other waste. These products can be cooked and, in the form of a stew, given to the dog.
- Manure. In terms of its qualities, this manure is superior to pig and cow manure, but inferior to horse manure. In spring and autumn it can be added to the soil, and it will respond to you with a glorious harvest.
- Communication. Even the simple contemplation of these cute fluffies gives a lot of positive emotions.
But in the last point of advantages there is already a catch. It’s also worth talking about the disadvantages of rabbit farming:
- Slaughter. Yes, the rabbits will have to be killed. Even if this is a mediocre farm, it makes no sense to hire someone to do this work.
- Mortality. These animals often get sick and are rarely cured. Especially in the summer, when an epidemic wave occurs.
- Accommodation. In this article you will read how to make your own rabbitry, so you can ignore this problem.
- Food. These picky animals won’t eat just anything. They eat up to 30 times a day, but more often the food and drink are simply spoiled by mixing it with waste. Conclusion: there should be a lot of quality food.
- Reproduction. Despite the theoretical fertility of these animals, in practice there may be many offspring, or there may not be any at all.
- Breed. To maintain the population level, a replacement male breeder is required every six months.
Here are the main disadvantages of rabbit farming. If you add to them labor-intensive cleaning, rodent control and the daily need for owners to care for their pets, it becomes clear that rabbit breeding is not an easy matter. If such prospects do not frighten you, let's talk about placing animals.
Rabbit meat is good for the elderly, children, and even the sick: it is a real dietary low-calorie product
Killing a rabbit is not so easy: you get used to these animals, but there is a way out of the situation. You can breed decorative rabbits for sale
Planning the future livestock
How to build a good rabbitry without knowing how many rabbits will live in it? If you just want to have animals “for testing”, one rabbit with offspring is enough. They can easily get by with 1-3 cells on the site. In order for the supply of meat to be regular and uninterrupted, 20-30 individuals of different ages of different categories are needed.
To begin with, you can get a few rabbits and care for them throughout the warm season to determine how well this activity fits your plans
Optimal rabbitry sizes
If it is necessary to accommodate two adult individuals, it is enough to build a two-section room. Design parameters:
- length from 140 cm;
- width within 60-70 cm;
- height from 50 to 70 cm.
Along the edges of the structure there are bunker drinkers and feeders. This will make it more difficult for animals to get their paws into them. An inclined net is placed between the sections into which hay can be placed. This internal structure is called a sennik. To save space on the site, the rabbitry can be arranged in two tiers. In addition to being compact, this design allows you to quickly add food to animals and speed up the cleaning procedure.
A small cage of two sections is perfect for keeping a couple of rabbits: everything they need is in this building
A room for young animals is constructed based on the following parameters:
- length approximately 200 – 300 cm;
- width up to 100 cm;
- height ranges from 35 to 60 cm.
For young individuals whose age does not exceed 2 months, it is necessary to calculate the actual volume of cells based on the total number of animals. One such rabbit needs a minimum area of 0.12 m2.
Female and her offspring
To accommodate a female with offspring, you need at least 0.6 m2 of space. For newborn rabbits, a special nesting box is placed in the cage, which must have the following parameters:
- length 35 cm;
- height 30 cm;
- width 25 cm.
In such a box, mother and her rabbits will feel calm.
The simplest nest box looks like this, it is not difficult to build. You can put hay or sawdust inside to make the kids feel cozy
What building material should be used?
To build a rabbitry you need relatively inexpensive but durable material. Please note that for all their cuteness, your future pets are rodents. This means that they will absolutely test any construction to the teeth.
Rabbits are rodents, so the internal bars made of wood must be protected from their attacks. It's easy to make protection from tin
If you want those parts of the frame that are made of wood to last more than one season, cover them with metal. In order not to buy it specifically, you can use tin from beer cans or galvanized steel for roofing work for these purposes. This additional work will not take much time, but the useful life of the cells will increase by ten years, or even more.
The most inexpensive and simple material for the frame is wood blocks, the cross-section of which is 50x50 mm. Wood should not be impregnated with an antiseptic. This impregnation is toxic enough to poison young animals. It is better to dry the frame thoroughly. This increases its durability.
A rabbitry with a frame made of well-dried wood can be considered the most economical design: it will last you more than one season
For the roof of each tier of the structure it is necessary to take moisture-resistant material. Flat or wavy slate is perfect for this purpose. If the structure will be located on the street, do not use metal for its roof. This material has the unpleasant property of getting very hot in the sun. As a result, the cell actually turns into an oven.
Now you need to choose the material for covering the frame. For this purpose, a galvanized chain-link mesh with a cell size of 20x20 mm is best suited. By the way, the chain-link itself got its name from the word “rabbit” pronounced in English.
Steel mesh is used for the side of the structure, its doors and facade. The compartment for storing hay - the hay barn, located between the sections - must be made of mesh, the cells of which have a size of 50x50 mm. This will make it easier for animals to get the food they need.
For the bottom, a flat galvanized mesh with cells of 25x25 mm or 10x25 mm is used. Its installation is carried out on load-bearing wooden slats. This solution allows you to do cleaning much faster. Rabbit feces simply fall through large enough cells. It does not stick to wood or galvanized surfaces, which would have to be scraped off each time. The accumulation of manure occurs either in a special receiving bunker, or on the ground if it rolls down the inclined surface of the roof of the lower tier of the structure.
As a rule, continuous flooring is not used for rabbitry. The reason is that wood immediately absorbs caustic urine, and feces simply stick to it. As a result, the microclimate in the cage worsens, and the boards begin to quickly rot. Therefore, it is better to make the bottom lattice. For this, planed floor bars are used. The gap between adjacent bars does not exceed 1 cm.
This photo clearly shows the slatted floor; each slatted floor is reliably protected from rodent teeth by small strips of metal
Rabbits cannot tolerate drafts and can get sick. To prevent this from happening, the rear wall of the structure is made blank. To create it, you can use polycarbonate, boards, simple plywood or OSB board.
If the structure will be located on the street, its supporting frame is made of metal. So, the supporting structure is welded from a corner with parameters 45x45 mm. After which it is simply filled with ready-made sections assembled from stamped mesh. The mesh must be secured to frames welded from steel rod. Another option is a wooden frame. Read below how to make it.
You need to know that animals may develop calluses on their paws; they bring suffering to the animal. To prevent this from happening, you can install a small plywood sheet on the floor to protect the paws. But such plywood must be periodically removed, cleaned and thoroughly dried.
An element such as plywood is needed only in those cages whose floor is made entirely of flat mesh. It is necessary to prevent rabbits from developing corns.
The net will not be able to protect animals from rain or snow. It is better to place such a cage under a slate canopy or in a barn.
A little about Zolotukhin’s method
Nikolai Ivanovich Zolotukhin has been breeding fur-bearing animals for many years, has studied their habits well and, summarizing his experience, has created his own method of effectively equipping rabbitries.
The combined floor looks exactly like this: a slightly sloping large solid front part and a 15-20 cm wide mesh at the back wall of the rabbitry
Zolotukhin suggests:
- Make the floor combined: its front part will be in the form of an inclined flooring made of flat slate, and the back part should be made of steel mesh;
- The feeders into which grain is poured are made not just of hoppers, but of a rotating design: in this case, they will be easy not only to fill, but also to clean.
Zolotukhin chose such a non-standard floor surface not by chance, but on the basis of reliable statistical data and his own observations. Approximately 95% of rabbits relieve themselves at the back wall of the cage. Just where the grid is located. 70% of feces end up there. The animals scatter the rest of the feces all over the floor, but it is dry, so sweeping it up is much easier.
A simple rotary feeder from Zolotukhin differs from a regular bunker feeder in that it can be deployed by slightly pulling towards you
Nikolai Ivanovich uses bedding that would absorb moisture only to teach young animals to urinate at the back wall of the room. His buildings are always dry, and he has to spend less time cleaning than others. For more information about the Zolotukhin method, watch the video.
Let's start building the rabbitry
To accurately calculate the consumption of materials needed to set up a rabbitry, you need to either use a ready-made drawing or make your own sketch based on the dimensions suggested above. After purchasing the material, you can start working.
This is a drawing of a two-tier, two-section cage that can accommodate four adult rabbits. It is equipped with an intersectional hay barn, drinking bowls and bunker feeders.
If the frame is wooden, cut the slats to size and connect them using self-tapping screws. Be sure to make sure there are no distortions. To do this, we check horizontal surfaces with a level, and vertical surfaces with a square. First we assemble the front and rear frames. Now, using short ceiling and floor jumpers, we connect them into a single structure.
If you look at the rabbitry from the side, you can clearly see exactly how its roof needs to be made so that it is sloping
The frame is ready. Now we install the bars of the hay barn and doors. We lay the slatted floor, not forgetting that the gap between its elements should not exceed 10 mm. After completing this work, we cut the mesh and plywood to attach them to the frame with self-tapping screws.
Now let's lay the roof. For the first level of the roof, you can use moisture-resistant QSB sheet. We cut it so that the edge of the sheet protrudes 10-15 cm beyond the dimensions of the cage. To build the second tier, we take corrugated slate. It is attached to the inclined bars of the frame itself.
All that remains is to install OSB doors, drinkers and bunker feeders. The work is completed. Watch the video, it will help you with your work:
All-season option with insulated compartments
Another rabbitry, this time all-season, is presented by a master who made it with his own hands. Below we provide a drawing of the structure and a video made by the author himself.
Another version of the rabbitry, this time it is equipped with warm compartments, which helps the furry animals successfully survive the cold and bad weather
How-to video:
