A comfortable DIY rabbit cage

"Dietary and easily digestible meat" of a rabbit leaves no one indifferent, therefore many farmers are engaged in breeding these animals. An indispensable "helper" in such a case will be a multifunctional cage for rabbits, which they can build on their own. There are many options for creating such a design, nevertheless, it is worth giving preference to the best.

Choosing a suitable place for a rabbitry

Before starting the construction project, the location for the construction is determined. The nursery is located outdoors or in a utility room.

In the first case, a suitable area is selected, protected from:

• dampness;
• draft;
• direct sunlight.

The health of animals, as well as the quality characteristics of meat and fur, depends on proper conditions of detention. Therefore, the number of rabbit cages and section sizes are also considered. They select a cozy area for the mother liquor.

The air humidity in the rabbitry should not exceed 75%. Therefore, the building is installed away from water bodies or other sources of water.

Varieties and dimensions of rabbitries

For the full-fledged breeding of individuals, a whole "residential complex" is created. It can consist of several blocks, which are formed in 2-3 tiers to save space.

When keeping such a livestock of rabbits, up to 6 structures for different purposes are often erected:

• pregnant rabbits;
• young animals;
• males;
• giant rabbits;
• adults;
• females with offspring.

Calculation of the area for each individual rabbit. Adults are allocated up to 0.7 m² of space, and the young - only 0.25 m².

The size of the cage for rabbits is determined taking into account the needs and characteristics of the development of animals. The table below provides guidelines for the design of buildings for keeping different types of animals.

It is worth considering that females with cubs are sent to a nursery nest, which differs in:

• high-quality thermal insulation (foam or hay interlayer);
• special cleanliness;
• high sound insulation (double walls);
• sufficient space.

Adult rabbits are advised to be kept in block structures, divided into 2-3 compartments. A mesh is usually used as a partition. As the offspring mature, it is removed, making the sections impoverished among themselves.

Each rabbit cage must have space for:

• sleep;
• food intake;
• walks.

The optimal dimensions of each compartment are 30 × 60 × 50 cm. The space is zoned with plywood partitions. In each of them, holes are formed for the free movement of animals. The maximum height from the floor of the openings made should not exceed 15-20 cm. For young animals, a cage is built, the bottom of which is presented in the form of solid plywood. Mesh or lath surfaces in most cases contribute to the development of pododermatitis.

When breeding giant rabbits, their non-standard weight is taken into account. For this reason, the floor of the structure is additionally reinforced with a thick galvanized mesh or lathing made of bars.

What materials is a rabbit cage made of?

The main task of the farmer in the construction of such structures is to create conditions as close as possible to the natural habitat of rabbits. Based on this, only natural materials are chosen for construction. The ideal option for the frame and supports will be high quality wooden beams.

When constructing walls, the following are often used:

• boards;
• thick plywood;
• wooden slats;
• galvanized mesh.

Breeders do not advise using chipboard, as the material is highly hygroscopic. As a result, the structure will quickly absorb moisture, which will lead to swelling and destruction of the cell.

In accordance with sanitary standards, the tree must be sanded, sanded, and then treated with antiseptic agents. Next, they start designing.

As a standard, the rabbitry consists of several parts:

• main frame;
• walls;
• ceiling;
• roofs;
• supports.

Aviaries that are installed in the open air must be equipped with a powerful roof. It is not recommended to be made of metal, since the surface will overheat very much when exposed to the sun.

This will lead to heatstroke in the animals. Therefore, the upper part of the homemade rabbit cage is covered with slate or ondulin. Depending on the weather conditions, a flooring is formed from mineral or glass wool. Doors must be made by preparing a sufficient number of accessories: awnings and latches.

Additional materials: insulation, sanding and plastering, as well as solid wire mesh. Rails, corners, screws and nails are used as fasteners.

Rabbit cage from professional breeders

Building a nursery begins with choosing a suitable blueprint and calculating the amount of materials needed. Then they start making a frame from a wooden bar. The resulting base is coated with a primer paint. They lay the floor, attach the walls and partitions, and also mount the roof. Equip a separate mother liquor, install doors. When the rabbit cage is ready, feeders and drinkers of all shapes are placed inside the building.

In most cases, they are presented in the form:

• gutters
• bunkers;
• cups;
• ceramic bowls;
• nursery feeders.

In the production of these parts, plastic, tin, glass or wood are used. It must be understood that these animals are voracious rodents. Therefore, when constructing cages for rabbits with their own hands, the walls of the building in most cases are upholstered with sheets of tin.

Recommendations for slatted floors. The cross-section of the slats should not exceed 2.5 × 3 cm. They are placed opposite each other at a distance of 1.5 cm, but not more. Otherwise, the limbs of pets will fall into the holes, which will lead to injury to individuals.

Having familiarized yourself with the general concept of building a nursery, it is worth considering in detail how to make a cage for rabbits with your own hands. Renowned breeders offer versatile and practical breeding designs for these adorable animals.

Zolotukhin's cage - more than just comfort

The famous rabbit breeder Nikolai Ivanovich Zolotukhin developed an original building plan for animals. Thanks to the successful design of the structure, the animals feel as protected as possible, and the farmer does much less cleaning in their home.

The main features of the Zolotukhin rabbit cage are:

• formation of 2-3-tiered nursery;
• ensuring the correct slope of the rabbit cage;
• replacing the mesh floor with slate or plywood;
• mobile / mobile feeder;
• lack of a stationary nesting place.

Traditionally, Zolotukhin's cage is designed for 6 adults. However, you can increase or decrease the number of sections.

The floor of all compartments is made at a slope of 20-30˚ (6-8 cm) so that animal excrement spontaneously rolls into the far part of the structure. Along the entire length of the back wall, a lattice (width 15-20 cm) is attached, through which animal waste will exit. Each subsequent floor is mounted with a shift, exactly the width of the mounted mesh. Such a rabbitry arrangement is very practical, since, as has been noticed, pets urinate precisely at the back wall of their home.

The feeder in such buildings is presented in the form of a bucket, which is attached with screws to the door frame of the cage. The food device rotates freely around its axis, like a swing. This makes it easy to clean.

In this design, there is no mother cell. However, the nest is arranged in a shaded corner of the building, separated by a board ½ the height of the rabbit cage. A sufficient amount of hay is put there, from which the female independently forms a nest. As soon as the babies are one month old, the separating sheet and place are removed.

Scheme and nuances of building a cell

Nikolai Ivanovich considered it necessary to install a sennik between the cells. The breeder divided each tier with a device made of wooden slats. The academician connected the lower ends of the slats, and left a distance of 20-30 cm in the upper part. The resulting triangular block will take up to 40 cm in length. When constructing a unique cell, Nikolai Zolotukhin proposes to use ordinary drawings.

The three-tiered rabbitry with 6 compartments can be dimensioned as follows:

• height - 132 cm;
• length - 248 cm;
• depth and width of compartments - 60 cm;
• the height of the legs of the rack - 40 cm;
• edging or interconnecting strips - 4 cm.

The height of each tier is different. The blocks on the first floor are 35 cm high, on the second - 49 cm, and on the third - 40 cm.

It is not always necessary to install a net at the back of the rabbit cage. It is enough just to make a 2 cm gap on the back side, and also to raise the floor of the structure by 8 cm. The wooden block is laid on the frame, and then the floor is laid from plywood or slate. As a result, you will get a hole through which the feces will come out. Since the 2 parts of the structure are set against each other with the back wall, a sewer gutter is mounted between them at the bottom. Moreover, it is done under a slight slope.

The frame is made of 4 beams. For strength, they are fastened with transverse wooden

Mikhailov's multifunctional rabbit cage

The main feature of Mikhailov's rabbitry is the technology of automatic heating of the drinking bowls and the mother-house. For the most part, such designs are intended for decorative growing of pets.

The structure includes:

• 4 main departments;
• 2 compartments for water;
• cone-shaped feces outlet;
• 2 side feeders.

Often, a rabbit cage is made in 2 tiers. However, such a project is rather laborious and expensive.

Depending on the number of storeys in the nursery, the dimensions of the device can be as follows:

• height - 120 or 70 cm;
• width 240 cm;
• waste collection cone - 100 cm;
• rack supports - 140 cm.

The optimum cage height does not exceed 70 cm. The width of the adult compartment is 60 cm, including the drinking bowl.

If necessary, a queen cell is mounted to the back wall of the cell, the dimensions of which are 35 × 40 cm. The feeders are made trapezoidal and attached to the side walls of the structure. The floor is assembled from slats, laying each of them at a distance of 1.5 cm from each other. The feces gutter is formed from plywood or mesh at an angle of 45˚. A container for collecting manure is screwed to the hole of the waste disposal unit.

Be sure to install a ventilation pipe, which is covered with a visor. This ensures proper air circulation in the cage.

Making a mini-farm with your own hands is fraught with some difficulties. The ventilation outlet and heating system require precise calculations.However, Mikhailov proved that when the outside air temperature drops to + 5˚C, rabbits need warm water. This feeding technique helped the breeder to retain up to 95% of the young, and also to increase the percentage of females fertilization in the winter.

When it comes to installing several tiers, 2 boards with a slope of 30 are installed on each floor. They serve as both a roof and a drain for removing faeces.

Rabbit cage according to Tsvetkov's method

A distinctive feature of these cages for rabbits are several feces collectors, as well as gravity feeders. The containers are attached to the side wall of the structure. In addition, the design provides for hinged queen cells, which are also fixed to the facade. The frame of the building is made with your own hands from a coniferous bar.

This is followed by step-by-step instructions:

• lay a mesh floor and walls (cells no more than 25 × 25 mm);
• install partitions from plywood sheets;
• upholstery wooden surfaces so that the animals do not gnaw the frames;
• mount hinged feeders with sliding doors on the facade of the mini-farm;
• place drinkers between them;
• a manure collecting hopper is made from the back of the structure;
• cover the roof with slate.

Drinkers fixed at an angle of 30-45˚. The lower part of the tank is closed with a lid in which 2 holes are made. Due to these design features, rabbits will not be able to wash their paws in drinking water.

A gutter in the form of a cone is assembled from galvanized steel (0.5 mm), carefully connecting the joints. These devices are placed close to and parallel to the wall. The upper part of the structure is attached to the cage itself. Plastic buckets with lids are mounted to the openings of the waste bins. Clips are used as fasteners. To protect rabbits from pododermatitis, the mesh floor is covered with boards. When breeding young animals, a room is provided for walking babies. The nesting areas must be insulated with another sheet of plywood or foam.

Modular cell designed by Komov-Kuzmin

Anyone can make such a rabbitry. It includes vacuum bottle drinkers and double doors on the manger. All walls of the shed are made deaf, which guarantees a stable microclimate inside the building all year round. The facade of the building is made of mesh. The feed tanks are mounted on a monorail in the central part of the nursery. Closer to the edge with the help of tourniquets, the inverted bottle and water tank are fixed. In the central zone, a gutter-sennik is installed.

The parameters of the modular rabbit cage are optimal:

• compartment height - 44 cm;
• depth - 80 cm;
• width - 65 cm;
• sennik - 20 cm.

The rear walls are equipped with pallet cleaning hatches. These vents also provide ventilation during the summer.

These homemade rabbit cages are commonly used as queen cells. The farmer has to clean up in such structures on his own, using special devices.

Budget option - solid wire rabbit cage

Among the advantages of such homemade rabbitries are their special strength, light weight and compactness. Such nurseries are installed under a canopy, using them only in the warm season. In winter, the structure is brought into a heated room.

For the manufacture of the proposed economy version of the cage, a galvanized mesh is chosen:

• coarse-mesh (25 or 50 mm) is used for the construction of the ceiling and walls;
• fine-mesh (15 or 20 mm) - for the floor.

A nursery diagram is drawn on a sheet of paper. All the elements of the support frame are prescribed, the placement of the feeders / drinkers, the location of the doors. Indicate the connection points of fasteners. Indicate the dimensions of the structure with the calculation of the space for young animals 0.12 m2 / individual, adult rabbits - 0.17 m2 / individual.

The standard cell parameters are taken into account:

• height - 40-50 cm;
• length - 130 cm;
• depth - 80 cm.

The frame is erected from a hard wood beam.The height of the legs is made optimal: 50-70 cm. Cut sheets from the wire array of the required size. Mounting brackets are made of wire. Connect the main parts of the structure. The floor must be reinforced with wooden slats, nailing the bars in increments of 30-40 cm. If necessary, install the walls made of mesh or plywood. Cut doorways at the front of the nursery. The doors are fixed on metal rings. For the roof, they take slate, sometimes a metal profile.

The place reserved for the rabbit is equipped with an additional sheet of plywood. Hay is laid on it. This nesting area is separated by another partition.

Rabbit Net Cage Step by Step

The structure is assembled from wooden beams and metal mesh. It is being built in 2 tiers. It provides 3-4 separate chambers for adults. No special professional skills are required from the breeder to assemble this cattery model.

It is enough just to be creative and follow the detailed instructions of the project:

• 4 bars make a base frame (1 × 2 m);
• 3 transverse slats (90-100 cm long) are nailed at a distance of 65 cm from each other as dividing elements;
• attach a mesh to the frame (cells 12.5 × 50 mm, thickness 2 mm);
• the sharp edge of the net is hammered with a hammer so that the rabbits do not get hurt;
• legs 55 cm high are mounted on the corners of the structure;
• strengthen the supports, fixing transverse bars around the entire perimeter at a height of 20 cm from the floor;
• make the internal partitions a frame of 3 × 3 cm slats (the length of one frame is 90-100 cm, and the width is 65 cm);
• cover the sections with wire (thickness 0.8 mm, cells 25 × 25 mm);
• on each side of the frame, the feeders are fixed with self-tapping screws;
• the entire structure is covered with a 50 × 50 mm galvanized mesh with a thickness of 1.5 mm;
• the back and side walls are upholstered with plywood or boards;
• the back wall is made with a gap of 2 cm to remove feces;
• doors are made from slats: they are fastened with corners and sheathed with wire;
• set the hinges to 40, screw the handles;
• holes for drinkers are drilled in each section;
• extend the water supply pipe at a height of 25 cm.

At the final stage, the roof is mounted at a slight angle. A rail is fixed along one side of the frame to raise the roof structure. This will ensure that the water drains out during bad weather. Then up to 8 slats are nailed across the building.

A drain gutter is made of tin. The second tier is built according to the same principle. A distance of 40-50 cm is left between the floors, separating it with a sheet of plywood and reinforcing it with transverse slats. The two blocks of the structure are fixed so that they stand securely.

The wood must be treated with an antiseptic to protect the building from decay and all kinds of fungal organisms. Breeders advise choosing less concentrated products.

We build production sheds for rabbits with our own hands

The massive structure is an overall frame with a canopy. The nursery is divided into dozens of sections. A structure is erected in 2-3 tiers, which allows the breeder to significantly save space.

The frame is made of 3 types of material:

• wooden beam;
• metal supports;
• polycarbonate pipes.

The first floor is installed at a height of 70 cm from the ground. Thus, dampness does not penetrate into the dwelling of rabbits, and heat is saved for a long time. The sections are mounted in 2 ways: in a row or in a cascade method. The material for the floor is a finely divided metal mesh.

The standard sizes of sheds for rabbits are calculated depending on the number and dimensions of one cage. Each individual cell can be 50 cm high, 100 cm long and 90 cm deep.

As already noted, the exact drawing of the structure must be depicted on paper. 6 wooden beams of 50 cm (30 × 30 mm) are prepared. Take 4 slats 90 cm long and the same number of meter slats.

After that, they begin to follow the step-by-step instructions for constructing a shed for rabbits:

• a frame is assembled at a level from prepared wooden planks;
• the bottom of the structure is made of strips (with a section of 25 × 20 mm and a length of 90 cm) with a step of 1.5 cm;
• stuff the net onto a wooden frame;
• cut rectangular sheets (depending on the number of sections) from galvanized wire (25 × 25 mm) with dimensions of 90 × 50 cm and 50 × 100 cm;
• fasten wooden planks at right angles to make frames, and wrap them with wire;
• the front panel, which acts as a door, is made 5 mm less than the main opening;
• the designed sections are connected with metal plates into one piece;
• on top of each tier, sheets of slate or polycarbonate are mounted, which should protrude from the back and front of the sections by 10-15 cm.

The top of the rabbit cage is made at a 30 ° angle. Therefore, the back wall is taken 10-15 cm below the front. This feature will provide spontaneous disposal of feces.

Assembling sheds

The tiers are installed on top of each other using legs-bars attached with self-tapping screws. A distance of 50-70 cm is left between the horizontal blocks for good air ventilation. At the base of the rabbit shed, on the back side, a gutter is formed to collect waste. It is usually concreted, and also done with a slope. As a result, the faeces can be flushed away with running water.

Drinkers and feeders are attached to the door with hooks or clamps. Sometimes containers with embedded rollers are used. But for this you need to cut a hole in the bottom of the door.

Rabbit cage with a special enclosure for walking

Designs of such a plan are suitable not only for young animals, but also for raising adults. The building consists of 2 compartments, partitioned off by a sheet of plywood. The depth of the sections varies from 60 to 65 cm. A square or round hole is made in each of them. These structural features allow rabbits to move freely around their nursery.

When making an aviary, apply:

• wooden frames;
• wire mesh sheets;
• door hinges;
• slate or boards for the construction of the roof.

The base of the frame of the aviary is reinforced with additional bars. The resulting foundation is dug into the ground 3-5 cm.

The optimal dimensions of the walking area are 200 × 100 × 60 cm.A few tricks for assembling the structure will help to increase the space. The cages made are placed over the aviary. In this case, the legs are selected from the most durable material. They can also be reinforced with additional slats or oblique slats. A ladder is attached to the adjoining wall of the structure so that the animals calmly descend into a kind of "entertainment zone".

It is rather difficult to clean in such an aviary. Therefore, such structures are made mobile so that you can periodically change their location.

Irreplaceable elements of the "interior" of the rabbit cage

Drinkers and feeders are always installed on the front of the nursery. Farmers often use automatic water supply systems. They consist of a reservoir with liquid outside the boundaries of the cell, and a container attached to it, which is located inside the structure.

Other types of drinkers are also successfully used:

• nipple;
• vacuum;
• throttle;
• suspended.

In addition, rabbit breeders recommend using several types of feeders: for vegetables and fruits, for hay, and also for compound feed. With such a diet, animals will feel great.

The above options for cages for rabbits are considered the most comfortable for both breeders and animals. However, for this, it is necessary to properly care for the structures, as well as the animals.

Step-by-step video instructions for building a rabbit cage