DIY rabbitry: from drawings to implementation. Do-it-yourself rabbitry step-by-step instructions How to make a rabbitry on the street with your own hands

Raising rabbits requires patience and knowledge of their physiology. Without this, results will not be achieved. In winter, rabbits feel better in a heated room specially allocated for them, which is called a rabbitry. A small one is suitable for home breeding.

What should a rabbitry be like?

In order for rabbits to feel normal, not get sick, grow well and reproduce quickly, they need to create a certain atmosphere. They are demanding of living conditions and often get sick in poor conditions. To prevent this from happening, they need the following conditions:

The optimal temperature is 14-16°C. The temperature in the rabbitry is determined in a place away from heating devices, walls, windows and doors. Both overheating and hypothermia have a negative effect. When the temperature drops, more feed is required, which is unprofitable. But a gradual rise or fall in temperature is not as destructive as sudden changes. From all this it follows that it is necessary to build an insulated rabbitry, with the possibility of heating and air conditioning. The most justified are rabbit hutches built using mineral wool insulation (thickness is calculated depending on the region). No less attention should be paid to the insulation of the floor and ceiling. The roofing material may not be insulated; it must provide protection from moisture. In this case, it is necessary to take care of the insulation of the ceiling. The cheapest way is to pour a layer of expanded clay onto the ceiling, apply a layer of clay mixed with straw on top, and then you can even throw fallen leaves onto the dried clay for additional thermal insulation.
Rabbits are demanding of air humidity - it must be maintained at 60-75%.
Drafts have a negative effect on the health of rabbits. This is another argument in favor of frame buildings - if constructed correctly, there should be no drafts. However, the rabbitry must have ventilation because they need fresh air and the gases that come from the rabbits' urine and feces must be removed. But the air speed should not be more than 0.3 m/s. Usually, an inlet opening is made, covered by a movable grille at floor level in one corner of the rabbitry, and an exhaust pipe under the ceiling in the other. You can install a damper in the exhaust pipe. Using a movable grille and a damper, you can regulate the speed of air movement in the rabbitry depending on weather conditions. If natural ventilation is not enough, fans with the ability to regulate the speed of rotation of the blades are installed in the exhaust or supply pipe (there should be several modes).
The second factor that affects the state of the atmosphere in a rabbitry is the regularity of cleaning and the design of the cages. About the cells - a little lower, and here - about cleaning. It should be regular - at least 2-3 times a week. The main indicator is the presence or absence of a strong odor.
In order for less ammonia to be released, it is necessary to organize the collection of stool so that urine is separated from feces. If the collection goes into trays under the cages, they have a slope and a trench through which the urine is drained into a separate container. If waste is collected through gutters into a pit (with large numbers of rabbits), the ditches must be made so that urine leaks into a lower gutter separated by a mesh. This is a rather difficult task, since one part is separated from the other using a mesh, and it often gets clogged. To keep everything in working order, you have to clean it often.
Construction of a rabbitry is a serious matter

The rate of weight gain and fur density are also affected by the illumination of the rabbitry and the length of daylight hours. Rabbits are most active at dusk and at night. Bright lighting is undesirable for them. A sufficient level of illumination is 50-70 lux for adults, 25-30 lux for fattening young animals. At the same time, the duration of daylight hours is 16-18 hours, so in winter lighting is required, but dim. To make the lighting more comfortable when servicing the rabbitry, install several additional light bulbs above the cages, but connect them to the second switch (or to the second key). Another option is to install a brightness control (dimmer). It is installed instead of a regular switch and allows you to change the illumination by turning the control knob.

Rabbit cages

The easiest way to keep rabbits is in cages under a canopy in the open air. But this option is available in regions with more or less mild winters. Often this type of keeping is practiced at the beginning of a rabbit breeder’s “career,” but gradually they come to the conclusion that a rabbitry is necessary. It’s just that during the winter the livestock often decreases greatly, feed consumption increases significantly, and the gain is very small. It turns out that it is more profitable to build a rabbitry and heat it.

Dimensions and design of rabbit cages

The size of rabbit cages depends on the breed. The larger the rabbits, the more space they require. On average, the height of the cage is 500-700 mm, the roof can be sloped back, then the height at the back is 50-100 mm less. The depth of the cage is 50-70 cm. The width is more difficult - cages of different sizes are made for males and females. In cages for female rabbits, it is advisable to fence off the queen cell - a closed, small volume in which the female rabbit will build a nest. Without taking into account the queen cell, the length of the cage for males and females is the same - 500-800 cm.

There are several options for constructing a queen cell:

A cube of boards of a suitable size is placed in spacious cages, in which a hole is made for passage.
Immediately, during construction, part of the cell for the queen cell is fenced off.
There are wide removable doors on the sides of the cage. Before the female rabbit has offspring, the doors are removed and the queen cell is hung (reliable fastening is required).

The optimal dimensions of the queen cell are: depth 80 cm, width 60 cm, height 40 cm (or whatever the size of your cell is). It is advisable to make a shelf inside the cell or above the queen cell. On it the rabbit will hide from the annoying little ones. In this case, she will not accidentally trample them, as happens if there is no shelf.

Queen cell hung to the cage for a female rabbit

A hole is made from the queen cell into the main cell. It should not start level with the floor; there should be a threshold of at least 5 cm. In the first days, it will keep the babies inside the queen cell.

How to make a floor

Regardless of the type of keeping rabbits, the cage must be dry. Therefore, a solid floor is very rarely made; it is better to make a slotted one, with large gaps, or from a metal mesh with a small cell. If the floor is made solid (from a piece of moisture-resistant plywood or OSB), then it is made inclined towards the back wall (you can also towards the front, but this is less convenient). A grate or mesh is nailed into the back of the floor, through which urine pours out and excrement falls out.

It is better to make the floor in a cage for rabbits double - the first level is made of wooden slats or a metal grid

It is much better to make a double floor - the first is lattice, the second is solid. For a slatted floor, take wooden planks 20-25 mm wide and fill them with a gap of 15 mm. All waste, both liquid and solid, normally falls through such gaps. Instead of slats, you can use a rigid mesh with thick wire and small cells.

Mesh floor made of galvanized wire - also performed well

The lower level of the floor - the pallet - is often made of galvanized iron, preferably from a single piece. In this case, a slope is formed (usually in the center of the cell or between two adjacent ones), and a gutter is formed in the center. The height of the pallet is 25-35 mm. Less is inconvenient, more is not necessary.

To make the metal last longer, it can be treated with drying oil. If it is necessary to splice the pieces, make the connection so that everything drains, and it is advisable to coat it with bitumen mastic - so that sewage does not flow onto the floor of the rabbitry.

Cages for female rabbits are queen cells on the sides. The lower level of the floor is made of galvanized steel and has a trough for urine drainage and ease of cleaning.

At the same time, the lower tier of the floor must be movable so that it can be pulled out and washed/cleaned. To do this, corners are stuffed onto which a sheet of metal rides, like on a sled.

It is not necessary to make the lower tier of the floor for each cell. It can be common to two or three located nearby. If these are cages for rabbits, you usually end up with a common tray for two cages, with queen cells on each side. If cages of young animals for fattening or males are located in a row, three cages can be combined.

Sometimes flat slate is also used as the lower floor. But in this case, the drain can only be organized backwards or forwards and only into the gutter that runs along the cage - the sheet cannot be bent in any way.

Doors

Doors are usually made with mesh. A frame is made from a block onto which a mesh is stretched. Tighten the nails or screws so that their points do not stick out inside the cage. It is better to stuff the mesh so that it is flush on the side of the cage. This way there is less chance of rabbits chewing through the door. Those who are more comfortable with welding weld a frame from a small corner, stretch the eraser onto a steel wire 3-4 mm in diameter, and weld this wire to the door.

In terms of size, a larger door is more convenient - it will be more convenient for you to maintain the cage. Constipations are ordinary hooks or latches; they are also made in the old fashioned way with a piece of a block that spins on a nail driven into its middle. But this type of constipation is very unreliable.

One of the simplest options for constipation for rabbit cages

If carpentry is not your thing, to make the door more rigid, you can fill the block diagonally. It will prevent the door from warping (as in the photo above). Please note that the bar is padded on the outside - this will prevent rabbits from chewing on it.

Roof

You can cover rabbit cages with any inexpensive material. But we must remember that overheating and hypothermia are destructive for rabbits. Therefore, simply throwing a piece of metal or any material based on it will not work. It is better to use a material with low thermal conductivity. For example, you can stuff plywood (moisture-resistant, construction), OSB and any other similar material.

If the cages will be placed outside, without a canopy, something will need to be placed on the sheet material to protect them from precipitation. In more northern areas or when installing the cage in the shade, you can lay roofing felt or more modern waterproofing material. It can not be fused, but glued to bitumen mastic.

Another option is to lay slate, preferably wave slate. Moreover, it is better to raise it above the cage by 15-25 cm. This will create an air gap, it will not be hot in the cage. And the resulting gap can be used for drying/withering grass. Dried in the shade, it retains more nutrients.

Sennik, drinking bowls, feeders

For rabbits you don’t need much equipment - a hay barn, feeders for bulk small feed, drinking bowls. The design of the drinking bowls should be such that they can be easily removed - they need to be washed and the water changed. For these purposes, they usually adapt some kind of trays, under which they make a “seat” from a strip of metal, fixed to the door (the most convenient option) or to the wall, close to the door.

There is one very good option for a drinking bowl from the “cheap and cheerful” category. A piece of sewer pipe with a diameter of 100 mm is used as a “cup holder”. Trimming height - 80-100 mm. A trimmed 2-liter plastic bottle is inserted inside this ring. The bottle is cut flush with the “glass holder”, only a strip 2-3 cm wide and 5-7 cm long remains so that the glass can be easily pulled out.

Senniks are made either between two cages, bevelling adjacent walls in the shape of the letter V. This method is more convenient when building cages for rabbits (seen in several photos above). The second option for cages of males and young animals is to make one of the walls (or part of the wall) lattice-like, and attach a piece of plywood, OSB, a board made of planks, etc. to it on hinges. Fix it in the desired position using a hook, rope, or wire.

In principle, if there is not enough space on the side, such a canopy can be made in the front, on the door. It’s just that in addition to the drinking bowl, they often nail/make a feeder on the door.

Feeders are made by anyone using whatever they can. Some people have plastic or metal trays attached, others make them out of wood, they even try to make them out of drywall. An interesting option seemed to be an attached piece of a large-section plasterboard profile (pictured below).

You can make a feeder out of wood, but the edges must be covered with tin.

If you have some tinsmithing skills, you can make a feeder from galvanized sheet metal.

To get rid of the dusty part of the feed, several small holes are made in the bottom of the feeder.

What materials are the frame and walls made of?

The frame for cages in a rabbitry is made of wooden beams or from a load-bearing (wall) galvanized profile for plasterboard; welded frames made of metal pipes are quite rare. They are the most reliable, but also the heaviest. More suitable for permanent installation in a rabbitry.

The lightest cages are made from a profile, but the choice of materials is very limited - heavy ones cannot be used. When using timber, there are no questions about the weight of the material, but there is a problem - rabbits chew the wood. Therefore, they try to make cages so that there are fewer protruding corners - they cannot gnaw on smooth surfaces.

As you saw in the photo, the walls of rabbit cages are made of different materials - plywood, OSB, wooden boards and slats. They often use whoever has what. The most problematic areas are covered with tin or a mesh is pulled over the top - this also prevents the wood from being chewed. There are cages that are almost entirely made of mesh. Young animals for fattening feel good in them.

Photo report on the manufacture of a cage for a rabbitry from a galvanized profile

This option is suitable for those regions where wood is expensive or for those who have a lot of profile remains after construction/repair. When making cages, the dimensions are adjusted to the existing molding - small deviations in one direction or another are acceptable, but the rabbits should have room in the cage.

This cage was built for a female with rabbits up to 20 days old. It consists of two sections. The main part is 55*75*55 cm, the mother liquor is 35*55*30 cm. The racks have a reinforced profile, the crossbars are used for normal work - as usual with drywall - the pieces are fastened with self-tapping screws (fleas).

The floor in the main part is made of a block 2 cm thick and 5 cm wide. The planks are attached to the profile with self-tapping screws. The screws must be screwed in so that they can be easily unscrewed - if (or rather, when) the strip is chewed, it will be easy to replace with a new one.

In the queen cell the floor is solid, without cracks. If in winter you are not sure that your rabbitry will be warm enough, it is better to make a double floor in this part and fill the gap with insulation - even expanded clay. In this case, even with a sharp cold snap, the babies will not freeze - their mother usually warms them from above. If it is warm from below, they will not get sick.

The height of the queen cell is 20 cm lower than the main cell. From the inside, in the cage, there is a shelf on which the rabbit will escape from the annoying little ones.

To prevent the external joints of the plywood from being chewed, we cover them with perforated metal corners. You just need to look for the ones that are thicker. We cut the edges of the corners at 45° so that they do not ride up or stick out.

Photos of rabbit cages for installation in a rabbitry and outdoors

Cages in a rabbitry are rarely placed in three tiers - the lower ones are difficult to maintain

Wire walls, pipe frame. Only the back wall is blank - so that there are no drafts

How to build a rabbit cage yourself? This question usually arises among beginners who decide to start rabbit farming. Experienced farmers usually develop designs that are convenient for themselves, making it easier to care for animals.

Cells can have different structures and be made from a variety of materials. They are made completely simple or additionally equipped with “conveniences”, such as running water or heating. In the construction of the cage, much will depend on the planned number of rabbits, their breed and size, on the availability of retreat materials and on the place where it will be installed, on the desire and ability to equip it with various devices, as well as on the ability to work with carpentry and plumbing tools.

Cell placement

1 Placement of cells
- 1.1 Street cages
- 1.2 Cages placed indoors
- 1.3 Combined version of rabbit breeding
2 Cell design and size
- 2.1 Single-tier and multi-tier structures
- 2.2 Cages for breeding
- 2.3 Cages for young animals
- 2.4 Cage for adult rabbits
- 2.5 Cage with aviary for walking
- 2.6 Cages for giant rabbits
- 2.7 Cage for Californian rabbits
3 Feeders and drinkers for rabbit cages
- 3.1 Drinkers
  - 3.1.1 Automatic drinkers
  - 3.1.2 Nipple drinkers
  - 3.1.3 Vacuum drinker
  - 3.1.4 Throttle drinker
  - 3.1.5 Hanging drinker
- 3.2 Feeders
4 Independent production of a multi-tiered cage
5 Video: an interesting version of cages for rabbits

Rabbit cages can be located in utility rooms, such as a barn, or directly on the street. Therefore, they can be divided into three types according to their location and the method of breeding rabbits:

Year-round outdoor placement of cages, when animals are constantly outdoors.
Keeping pets indoors all year round.
A combined breeding option, that is, in winter the rabbits are kept indoors, and with the onset of warm weather they are transferred outside.

Experienced rabbit breeders believe that the most optimal way to breed these animals is to keep them outdoors all year round, as this promotes the development of immunity to various diseases and the formation of healthy, high-quality hair. In addition, when raising rabbits outdoors, the productivity of females significantly improves, which increases the number of rabbits in the litter and their endurance.

Street cages

Rabbit cages are most often installed outdoors if you plan to breed a large number of animals - a hundred or more animals.

The convenience of setting up rabbit hutches in outdoor conditions lies in the availability of more space and the ease of caring for your “menagerie”, since each of the cages needs periodic cleaning.

To build outdoor cages, fairly durable materials are used, since the structure must be reliable and stable - these qualities will help protect rabbits from adverse natural factors, as well as from the penetration of predatory animals - dogs, foxes, cats or rats - into the cages.

It is advisable that the building be located under a canopy with a large front canopy so that any precipitation, as well as direct sunlight, do not bother the pets too much.

If the rabbits will be outside all year round, then it is necessary to take care of insulating one of the parts of the cage. These animals tolerate low winter temperatures well, but it would still be a good idea to create comfortable conditions for them and a special place where they can bask on particularly cold days and nights.

Cages placed indoors

Cages placed in windproof areas can be made entirely of metal mesh attached to a wooden frame and have a wooden slatted floor. If breeding pets is carried out indoors, it is important to think carefully about the convenient disposal of their waste.

Combined rabbit breeding option

In another case, if funds and space allow, cages are built in two places - both on the street and in a barn. This method of farming is unlikely to be suitable for those farmers who raise a large number of pets, since installing winter and summer cages will require a fairly large area.

Cell design and size

Rabbit cages can be single-tiered or multi-tiered. In addition, their design may vary depending on the main purpose - for breeding, for raising young animals or for keeping adult pets.

Single-tier and multi-tier structures

Cells can be single-tiered or multi-tiered, but they are arranged in no more than three tiers.

Single-tier cells

Single-tier buildings are raised above the ground by 700–800 mm and covered with a roof made of slate or metal sheet. If this type of building will be located on the street, then it is better to choose a slate roof, since the metal heats up quickly, and rabbits do not tolerate extreme heat very well.

To collect and dispose of animal waste, a metal tray made in the form of a drain is often installed in a single-tier cage for the convenience of its regular cleaning.

Multi-tiered cells

More often, multi-tiered cages are practiced, which can have two or three tiers, and on each of which a different number of sections are placed. Such structures are most often made of bars, boards and galvanized mesh, and are used for breeding rabbits both outdoors and indoors.

Such cage designs are called sheds - in them, tiers with sections are located one above the other, which helps to significantly save space.

A two-tier design is considered the best option, as it will allow for comfortable care and monitoring of pets.

It is recommended to raise the shad above the ground by 500–600 mm when installed indoors, and by 700–750 mm when installed outdoors. This cage is considered the best for keeping rabbits, so it is used most often.

When building multi-tiered cages, there must be a space of at least 150 mm high between each of the tiers. A sloping metal roof is installed over the cages. In the space between the tiers and under the lower tier, inclined tides are fixed. They are necessary so that rabbit waste does not fall into the lower cages and does not linger on the lower roof, but flows to the ground or into a common or separate drain for each tier located at the back of the structure. At each of these ebbs, sides are bent on the sides to prevent waste from falling beyond this plane.

Some owners prefer to use removable plastic trays, which are mounted on skids under the slatted floor and can be removed for cleaning and rinsing.

Another option is for the trays to be installed directly in the cages. In addition, sometimes cages are made with a solid floor. Both of the latter options are probably still not very convenient, since the bedding in the cages will have to be changed quite often - once every two to three days.

Cages for breeding

In cages intended for breeding, special chambers are installed on the sides, or space is provided for installing a mobile queen cell. In a design with a stationary compartment, the walls, removable floor and ceiling are made solid, since it must be well insulated and not blown through by drafts, otherwise the rabbits will die.

The floor in the rest of the cage, where the food section is located, is made of wooden blocks or metal mesh.

The mobile queen cell is a completely closed box with a round hole for entry. The box should also have an additional side door to allow it to be cleaned and dried.

A mobile queen cell is convenient because it can be rearranged, if necessary, into different cells, and it is also easier to clean and change bedding.

This chamber is insulated with dry, mold-free hay or shavings. It is not recommended to use small sawdust, as they can get into the respiratory tract of the rabbits, and they will die.

If breeding is carried out in winter, then a few days before it, it is recommended to place an electric heating pad in the queen cell to create comfortable conditions for the female rabbit.

During the cold season, it is often impossible to do without heating the uterine tract, so instead of a heating pad, you can also use a regular light bulb, which is kept constantly on during this period. It is placed in a compartment located behind the wall of the uterine chamber. Having chosen this heating option, it is necessary to take care of fire safety, so the chamber where the lamp will be located must be sheathed with a thin metal sheet.

Another way to heat this part of the cage is a heating cable for the “warm floor” system, which is fixed to the bottom of the queen cell, and a removable floor panel is placed on top of it. When using this option, it is imperative to ensure that the cable located in the cage is solid, without splicing. This system, installed in accordance with all the rules, allows you to regulate the temperature in the uterine compartment depending on the temperature outside - it can be connected to a thermostatic regulator.

For cages located indoors in barns, it is best to make queen cells mobile so that they can be taken outside for thorough cleaning, ventilation and drying in the sun. If a built-in uterine chamber is planned, then the floor must be removable.

Each section of cells of this type usually has a length of 1000×1200 mm, a depth of 550×650 mm, a height along the front side of 550×600 mm and 400×450 mm along the rear wall. The built-in uterine chamber is made 350×400 mm wide.

Cages for young animals

Cages for young animals should be designed to accommodate 8–20 rabbits at a time, aged from three to five months. A group cage is made with an area of approximately 0.25 - 0.3 m? per pet, with a wall height of at least 350 mm.

If the cages are made multi-tiered and installed on the street, then they must be raised above the ground by at least 700–750 mm.

In cages for young animals, the warm nesting compartment should also be well insulated for the winter, in approximately the same way as for newborn rabbits. For insulation, hay or straw is used, laid 15–20 mm thick. You should not choose artificial materials for insulation, as they have a bad effect on the development and growth of babies of all breeds of rabbits.

Cage for adult rabbits

For adult rabbits of medium-sized breeds, cages are made with sections 600–700 mm deep, a front height of 600 mm and a length of 1000 mm - these are the minimum dimensions for the comfortable development of an adult animal. The same block design is used for these cells; each block contains two cells separated by a wall.

It is also necessary to provide for the union of these cells into one, for example, for the mating period - for this, the partition between them is made removable. It is recommended to make the floor in cages for adults from galvanized mesh.

It is very important to take into account that pets must move freely inside the cages, since their growth and development will depend on this.

Cage with aviary for walking

This cage design is well suited for keeping young animals or for rabbits of reproductive age. The cage consists of two compartments - an area completely enclosed by walls and a roof and a mesh enclosure. The two compartments are connected by a round or rectangular entrance cut into the rear wall of the cage with solid surfaces. Rabbits in such cages have the opportunity to move freely and safely, which is beneficial for their development and growth.

The dimensions of such structures may vary, but usually the depth of a closed cage is 600×650 mm, and the depth of the enclosure is 800×1000 mm. Most often, a regular single-tier block is built, consisting of two separate cages, and then, if there is space behind it, a mesh enclosure is attached to it.

Cages for giant rabbits

Large rabbits of the “giant” meat-skin breed require a special approach, since not standard cages are built for them, but those with more significant parameters. Individuals of this breed grow to sizes from 550 to 650 mm in length, and their weight ranges from 5.5 to 7.5 kg. These numbers must be used as a starting point when drawing up a construction design drawing.

For one adult “giant” rabbit, you will need a cage measuring at least 960 mm in length, 700 mm in depth and 600×700 mm in height.

For young animals of this breed, in one litter of which there are on average eight rabbits, you will need a cage of 1.2 m², at least 400 mm high.

Since “giant” rabbits have quite a lot of weight, the floor of the cage should be reinforced - it is also covered with galvanized mesh, but made of thicker wire, for example, 2×2.2 mm. In addition, to prevent the mesh from bending under the weight of the animal, when making the floor it is necessary to first secure bars measuring 30×30 mm, laid at a distance of 35×40 mm from each other, and then lay and secure a metal mesh on top of them.

Some farmers put a solid floor in their cages, but in this case, the best option would be to install plastic or rubber trays in them. If you choose this option for arranging the cage, then you will have to clean it of waste daily or once every two days.

California rabbit cage

This breed of rabbits (a hybrid of the New Zealand breed, the Soviet chinchilla and the Russian ermine) is quite popular due to its ease of care and resistance to negative winter temperatures. In size, adult individuals of the Californian breed are smaller than “giants” and their length is 450×500 mm, but their weight sometimes reaches up to 4.5×5 kg. The cage for these rabbits should be approximately 0.4 x 0.5 m in size. The paws of pets of this breed are covered with coarse hair, so they will be quite comfortable in cages with mesh or slatted floors.

When California rabbits are raised exclusively for meat, they are often kept in a pit measuring 2000 x 2000 and 1000 mm deep. The walls of the pit are reinforced with slate, a plank or mesh floor is laid on the floors, a low fence is installed around the pit and a roof is built.

An earthen niche is made in one of the walls of the pit, which is not reinforced in any way. It is necessary to create conditions close to the natural habitat of these animals. Rabbits will happily dig holes in the ground, and with proper care they will reproduce well and raise young on their own.

Feeders and drinkers for rabbit cages

To make caring for your pets easier, it is worth considering a convenient supply of food and water for them. There are many different designs, both feeders and drinkers. They can be purchased ready-made or even made yourself.

Drinking bowls

Rabbits need a lot of clean water, and if you pour it into a bowl that is not fixed at a certain height, then various debris will fall into it, or, even worse, the rabbit, stepping on it with its paw, will simply knock it over and spill the water.

It is very important to decide on the choice of material from which the drinkers will be made. For example, if you install products made of thin plastic, they will not last for a long time, as rabbits will chew them. In metal cans, water will quickly become dirty and cloudy. Therefore, experienced rabbit breeders have developed several simple designs that allow them to constantly provide the animals with the necessary amount of water.

Automatic drinkers

This type of drinker is often used both on large farms and in small households. The design of this drinking bowl consists of a bowl connected to a container filled with water. Moreover, the bowl is in the cage, and the container is located outside, so it is easy to replenish it with new supplies of fresh water.

The principle of operation of such devices is quite simple - as the water decreases from the bowl, a new portion of liquid will flow into it from the container. In this case, the float system is triggered - there is little water left in the bowl, so the valve installed in the container opens and the drinking bowl is replenished with water. It is quite difficult to make such a drinking bowl yourself, but it can be purchased ready-made.

Nipple drinkers

The nipple type of drinker is convenient and practical, since in this case the animals cannot spill the water - it remains in the tube until the rabbit begins to drink, performing sucking movements.

The disadvantage of this water delivery system is that at low temperatures the water in the container and in the tubes quickly freezes, so this drinker can only be used in the warm season.

Vacuum drinker

There are several ways to make a drinking bowl from a regular plastic bottle, and they should be considered, so the manufacturing process can be carried out independently.

The operating principle of this design is based on the laws of physics, and to make it, you need to proceed as follows:

A bowl with a flat bottom, sides approximately 50 mm high and an elongated shape is fixed to the cage at a height of 100 mm from the floor, so that half of it is inside the cage and the other remains outside.

A regular plastic bottle of two or one and a half liters is filled with water. The bottle is then closed with a cap or even a piece of paper, which is pressed firmly to the neck. Next, the container is quickly turned upside down and placed in a bowl. The neck should not reach the bottom 2-3 mm. The bottle is then secured to the cage using wire or clamps.
The lid is carefully unscrewed (if paper was used, it is simply pulled out), and the bowl is filled with water by about ?. As your pets drink water, water will flow from the bottle into the bowl, filling it to its previous level.

Throttle drinker

This drinker works on the principle of a conventional hand washbasin, that is, when you press the throttle installed together with the valve in the bottle cap, water begins to flow down the throttle through the resulting hole.

The hole in the cover should not be large, but the throttle should move up and down easily in it. A rubber gasket can be used as a valve, which holds the throttle well and covers the hole in the bottle cap in a calm state.

The bottle with this device is fixed vertically on the cage, at a height of 250–300 mm from the floor.

Hanging drinker

This is a very simple version of a drinking bowl, made from a plastic bottle; it is suspended on wire holders at a height of 250–300 mm from the floor. To make such a drinker, a cutout is made in the side of the bottle, 100×120 mm wide and almost the entire length of the bottle, 50×60 mm away from the lid and bottom.

The drinking bowl is fixed on the outside of the cage so that the hole cut in the bottle is turned inward. In the cage at this level, part of the mesh wall is also cut out so that the rabbits can easily reach the water. Such a drinking bowl will have to be replenished with water quite often, but it is extremely simple to manufacture.

Feeders

It is advisable to plan the feeders at the stage of drawing up the drawing of the entire structure. Feed supply devices can be of three types:

Senniki are most often located between two adjacent cells and have a V-shape. They are made together with the structure of the cell itself - they, in fact, are its integral part. Fresh grass or dry hay is placed in these feeders, and the rabbits pull it out through the lattice walls.

Feeder for filling feed. This product is necessary for rabbits to enrich their body with minerals and vitamins, which contributes to the rapid growth of animals. This food is especially important in winter, when there is no grass, fresh vegetables and fruits.

Feed troughs can be made from sheet metal, plastic pipe used for sewerage, or other materials. An important condition that must be met for the effective operation of this device is the correct and reliable fastening of the container to the cell wall. The principle of operation of such a device is that food independently enters a bowl located in the cage from a container fixed outside it, as it decreases.

A device for vegetables, fruits, tops and other fresh shredded products can be made of any material. It is made spacious and easy to clean. The feeder must be kept clean, otherwise harmful insects may grow in and around it, which can cause various diseases in animals.

Making your own multi-tiered cage

Before purchasing materials, it is recommended to draw up an accurate drawing of a cage or multi-tiered complex. It is necessary to foresee the location of feeders and drinkers on the plan, especially in cases where they will be built into the overall structure.

In this case, a step-by-step description of the manufacture of a three-tier cage with a width of 1400 mm, a height of 1900 mm and a depth of 600 mm is presented.

For work you will need the following materials:

The table below describes the cage installation process step by step:

Illustration	Brief description of the operation performed
	From the purchased boards it is necessary to make parts for mounting the frame: - 100×30×2250 mm – 4 pcs.; - 50?30?1340 mm – 12 pcs.; - 50?30?540 mm – 12 pcs.; - 25?30?540 mm – 72 pcs.
	Six identical frame frames measuring 1340×600 mm are assembled from prepared lumber.
	Making frames is easy. First, one is assembled with precise dimensions and squareness, and then it is used as a template for making the rest. To assemble each frame, you will need two beams measuring 50x30x540 mm and two beams measuring 50x30x1340 mm. Smaller bars are secured between two long ones using two self-tapping screws at each connection
	The result of installation should be six neat, even frames of the same size.
	The next step is to position the frames and fasten them onto boards measuring 100 x 30 x 2250 mm, laid at a distance the width of the frame. The distance between the frames forming the frame and the floor of the cage of each tier should be 400 mm. The space left between tiers is 180 mm. The first tier should be raised 400 mm above the ground. The frames are secured with two self-tapping screws, screwed in along the diagonal intersection line at the joints of the frame frame and side boards.
	The next step is to fasten the frames along the top edge with two boards laid parallel to the bottom ones. It is important here to ensure that the frames are perfectly vertical. To check their verticality, a building level is used.
	Next, the blocks for installation of the grated floor are prepared. Their size should be 25?30?540 mm.
	The distance between the sheathing bars should be 15×20 mm (lightwise). They are installed inside the frame frame, and through it, on the side, secured with self-tapping screws on both sides.
	The floor of the cells on all three tiers is lined in exactly the same way. If it is planned to make a queen cell on one of the tiers, where breeding occurs, and where the rabbits will be kept until a certain age, then in this place the floor of the cage should be solid and removable. The arrangement of the queen cell was described above.
	Will each of the tiers be divided into two separate cells? between which a hay box is mounted in the shape of the Latin letter V. Hay or grass for rabbits will be placed here. The sennik is formed from four bars, which are installed on both sides of the frame. The size of the hay is 150×200 mm in the upper part, and 6×8 mm in the lower part. Naturally, it is necessary to achieve a clear correspondence in the location of the inclined crossbars on both sides of the frame.
	To ensure that the doors have the correct rectangular shape, the hay can be made from boards, cutting off one of their sides at a certain angle and connecting them at the bottom from the inside of the cage. Thus, the outer edge of the hay barn will be smooth and will act as a wall to which the door will adjoin. In addition, the front parts of the hay barn can be cut from plywood 15 mm thick.
	The frame of the hay barn is sheathed inside along installed bars (or cutouts made at an angle in boards or plywood) with a mesh of 0.7 mm wire with cells of 25×25 mm.
	If you plan to make a queen cell in the cage, then it is separated from the cage by a plywood or plank wall with a small entrance. To make it easier to attach this wall, additional bars are mounted into the structure, to which the plywood jumper will be attached.
	The entrance to the wall can be round or semicircular, but it must be located at a height of 100–120 mm from the floor of the cage - this distance must be maintained so that the rabbits cannot get into the large cage until they can overcome this height on their own. The width of the entrance to the queen cell should be approximately 150 mm. After the hole is cut, it must be cleaned with sandpaper, since its edges must be absolutely smooth.
	The width of the queen cell is usually 300×350 mm. The jumper wall is fixed to the bars, then the same wall is mounted on the outside of the cage, and then the roof panel is fixed. If in the main space of the cage the roof can be covered with a metal mesh, then in the queen cell it should be continuous. Lastly, a bottom made of plywood is placed in the queen cell compartment. However, it should not be secured to the lower bars with self-tapping screws, since after the rabbits grow up and are moved to other, more spacious cages, the bottom part is removed from the uterine chamber, washed, dried and put in place for the next birth.
	The final stage in the installation of the queen cell is the installation of a hinged external door on it across the entire width of the chamber. At the bottom, the door is secured to the beam with two metal hinges.
	A latch lock or latch is installed in the middle of the upper part of the door panel.
	Next, the door frame for the cage is made from 30×30 mm bars. It is made according to the size of the opening formed in the cell wall. The door frame bars are fastened together at the corners with two self-tapping screws.
	The illustration shows the finished door frame before it is covered with metal mesh.
	The mesh is fixed to the frame using staples and a stapler - such fixation will be quite sufficient.
	A door with a mesh installed on the inside looks like this.
	Hinges on mesh doors can be mounted at the bottom (in which case the door will be hinged), or on one side of the opening (in which case it will be hinged). It all depends on ease of use in specific conditions.
	If the cages will be installed under a roof, for example, in a barn or other indoor utility room, then the walls and roof of the cages can also be lined with mesh. When installing the structure outdoors, the side and rear walls and roof must be covered with plywood or boards
	It is very important to make the correct tides under each tier of cages so that animal waste from the upper cages does not fall into the lower ones. To make ebbs, a metal sheet is used, on which the edges are folded on the sides - these sides should have a height of 80×100 mm. The ebbs are attached to the front lower part of the frame under the cage, and its other edge is placed on the rear wall of the lower cage and extends beyond it by 300–350 mm. Thus, the ebb tides are tilted and they protrude back beyond the structure so that they do not interfere with the approach to the rabbitry from the front side.
	The result should be something like this cell. In terms of complexity, this design option can be called the simplest and most accessible even for beginners.

If you understand the principles of constructing cages for rabbits, then when drawing up a drawing, if desired, you can make your own adjustments. But it is still necessary to always keep in mind that any adult rabbit requires at least 0.5 m? living space. Better yet, stick to the recommended section sizes, about 1000 mm in length, 600? 700 – in depth, and from 400 to 600 mm – in height.

And at the end of the article, there is a video in which the rabbit breeder shares the secrets of the design of improved cages:

Cell placement

Rabbit cages can be located in utility rooms, such as, for example, or directly on the street. Therefore, they can be divided into three types according to their location and the method of breeding rabbits:

Year-round outdoor placement of cages, when animals are constantly outdoors.
Keeping pets indoors all year round.
A combined breeding option, that is, in winter the rabbits are kept indoors, and with the onset of warm weather they are transferred outside.

Street cages

Rabbit cages are most often installed outdoors if you plan to breed a large number of animals - a hundred or more animals.

Rabbit cage

It is advisable that the building be located under a large front canopy so that any precipitation, as well as direct sunlight, do not bother the pets too much.

Cages placed indoors

Cages placed in non-ventilated areas can be made entirely of metal mesh attached to a wooden frame and have a wooden lattice floor. If breeding pets is carried out indoors, it is important to think carefully about the convenient disposal of their waste.

Combined rabbit breeding option

Cell design and size

Rabbit cages can be single-tiered or multi-tiered. In addition, their design may vary depending on the main purpose - for breeding, for raising young animals or for keeping adult pets.

Single-tier and multi-tier structures

Cells can be single-tiered or multi-tiered, but they are arranged in no more than three tiers.

Single-tier cells

Single-tier buildings are raised above the ground by 700÷800 mm and covered with a roof made of or metal sheets. If this type of building will be located on the street, then it is better to choose a slate roof, since the metal heats up quickly, and rabbits do not tolerate extreme heat very well.

To collect and dispose of animal waste, a metal tray made in the form of a drain is often installed in a single-tier cage for the convenience of its regular cleaning.

Multi-tiered cells

Such cage designs are called sheds - in them, tiers with sections are located one above the other, which helps to significantly save space.

A two-tier design is considered the best option, as it will allow for comfortable care and monitoring of pets.

It is recommended to raise the shad above the ground by 500÷600 mm when installed indoors, and by 700÷750 mm when installed outdoors. This cage is considered the best for keeping rabbits, so it is used most often.

Some owners prefer to use removable plastic trays, which are mounted on skids under the slatted floor and can be removed for cleaning and rinsing.

Cages for breeding

The floor in the rest of the cage, where the food section is located, is made of wooden blocks or metal mesh.

The mobile queen cell is a completely closed box with a round hole for entry. The box should also have an additional side door to allow it to be cleaned and dried.

breeding cages

A mobile queen cell is convenient because it can be rearranged, if necessary, into different cells, and it is also easier to clean and change bedding.

This chamber is insulated with dry, mold-free hay or shavings. It is not recommended to use small sawdust, as they can get into the respiratory tract of the rabbits, and they will die.

If breeding is carried out in winter, then a few days before it, it is recommended to place an electric heating pad in the queen cell to create comfortable conditions for the female rabbit.

Another way to heat this part of the cage is, which is fixed to the bottom of the queen cell, and a removable floor panel is placed on top of it. When using this option, it is imperative to ensure that the cable located in the cage is solid, without splicing. This system, installed in accordance with all the rules, allows you to regulate the temperature in the uterine compartment depending on the temperature outside - it can be connected to a thermostatic regulator.

Each section of cells of this type usually has a length of 1000÷1200 mm, a depth of 550÷650 mm, a height on the front side of 550÷600 mm and 400÷450 mm on the rear wall. The built-in uterine chamber is made 350÷400 mm wide.

Cages for young animals

Cages for young animals should be designed to accommodate 8÷20 rabbits at a time, aged from three to five months. A group cage is made with an area of approximately 0.25 - 0.3 m² per pet, with a wall height of at least 350 mm.

If the cages are made multi-tiered and installed on the street, then they must be raised above the ground by at least 700÷750 mm.

In cages for young animals, the warm nesting compartment should also be well insulated for the winter, in approximately the same way as for newborn rabbits. For insulation, hay or straw is used, laid 15÷20 mm thick. You should not choose artificial materials for insulation, as they have a bad effect on the development and growth of babies of all breeds of rabbits.

Cage for adult rabbits

For adult rabbits of medium-sized breeds, cages are made with sections 600÷700 mm deep, a front height of 600 mm and a length of 1000 mm - these are the minimum dimensions for the comfortable development of an adult animal. The same block design is used for these cells; each block contains two cells separated by a wall.

It is very important to take into account that pets must move freely inside the cages, since their growth and development will depend on this.

Cage with aviary for walking

The dimensions of such structures may vary, but usually the depth of a closed cage is 600÷650 mm, and the depth of the enclosure is 800÷1000 mm. Most often, a regular single-tier block is built, consisting of two separate cages, and then, if there is space behind it, a mesh enclosure is attached to it.

Cages for giant rabbits

For one adult “giant” rabbit, you will need a cage measuring at least 960 mm in length, 700 mm in depth and 600÷700 mm in height.

For young animals of this breed, in one litter of which there are on average eight rabbits, you will need a cage of 1.2 m², at least 400 mm high.

Since “giant” rabbits have quite a lot of weight, the floor of the cage should be reinforced - it is also covered with galvanized mesh, but made of thicker wire, for example, 2÷2.2 mm. In addition, to prevent the mesh from bending under the weight of the animal, when making the floor, you must first secure bars measuring 30×30 mm, laid at a distance of 35÷40 mm from each other, and then lay and secure a metal mesh on top of them.

metal aviary

California rabbit cage

This breed of rabbits (a hybrid of the New Zealand breed, the Soviet chinchilla and the Russian ermine) is quite popular due to its ease of care and resistance to negative winter temperatures. In size, adult individuals of the Californian breed are smaller than “giants” and their length is 450÷500 mm, but their weight sometimes reaches up to 4.5÷5 kg. The cage for these rabbits should be approximately 0.4÷0.5 m² in size. The paws of pets of this breed are covered with coarse hair, so they will be quite comfortable in cages with mesh or slatted floors.

When California rabbits are raised exclusively for meat, they are often kept in a pit measuring 2000x2000 and 1000 mm deep. The walls of the pit are reinforced with slate, a plank or mesh floor is laid on the floors, a low fence is installed around the pit and a roof is built.

Feeders and drinkers for rabbit cages

Drinking bowls

Automatic drinkers

Nipple drinkers

The nipple type of drinker is convenient and practical, since in this case the animals cannot spill the water - it remains in the tube until the rabbit begins to drink, performing sucking movements.

The disadvantage of this water delivery system is that at low temperatures the water in the container and in the tubes quickly freezes, so this drinker can only be used in the warm season.

Vacuum drinker

There are several ways to make a drinking bowl from a regular plastic bottle, and they should be considered, so the manufacturing process can be carried out independently.

The operating principle of this design is based on the laws of physics, and to make it, you need to proceed as follows:

A bowl with a flat bottom, sides approximately 50 mm high and an elongated shape is fixed to the cage at a height of 100 mm from the floor, so that half of it is inside the cage and the other remains outside.

A regular plastic bottle of two or one and a half liters is filled with water. The bottle is then closed with a cap or even a piece of paper, which is pressed firmly to the neck. Next, the container is quickly turned upside down and placed in a bowl. The neck should not reach the bottom 2÷3 mm. The bottle is then secured to the cage using wire or clamps.
The lid is carefully unscrewed (if paper was used, it is simply pulled out), and the bowl is filled with water by about ⅔. As your pets drink water, water will flow from the bottle into the bowl, filling it to its previous level.

Throttle drinker

The bottle with this device is fixed vertically on the cage, at a height of 250÷300 mm from the floor.

Hanging drinker

This is a very simple version of a drinking bowl, made from a plastic bottle; it is suspended on wire holders at a height of 250÷300 mm from the floor. To make such a drinker, a cutout is made in the side of the bottle, 100÷120 mm wide and almost the entire length of the bottle, 50÷60 mm away from the lid and bottom.

Feeders

It is advisable to plan the feeders at the stage of drawing up the drawing of the entire structure. Feed supply devices can be of three types:

Senniki are most often located between two adjacent cells and have a V-shape. They are made together with the structure of the cell itself - they, in fact, are its integral part. Fresh grass or dry hay is placed in these feeders, and the rabbits pull it out through the lattice walls.

Feeder for filling feed. This product is necessary for rabbits to enrich their body with minerals and vitamins, which contributes to the rapid growth of animals. This food is especially important in winter, when there is no grass, fresh vegetables and fruits.

Feeders for feed can be made of metal sheet used for laying sewers or other materials. An important condition that must be met for the effective operation of this device is the correct and reliable fastening of the container to the cell wall. The principle of operation of such a device is that food independently enters a bowl located in the cage from a container fixed outside it, as it decreases.

A device for vegetables, fruits, tops and other fresh shredded products can be made of any material. It is made spacious and easy to clean. The feeder must be kept clean, otherwise harmful insects may grow in and around it, which can cause various diseases in animals.

Making your own multi-tiered cage

In this case, a step-by-step description of the manufacture of a three-tier cage with a width of 1400 mm, a height of 1900 mm and a depth of 600 mm is presented.

For work you will need the following materials:

Name of materials or components	Size, mm	Quantity
Board	100×30	10 m
timber	50×30	27 m
Plywood 15 mm	Standard	1÷2 sheets
Metal grid	Wire 0.7 mm, mesh 25×25 mm	8 m²
Metal galvanized sheet	Thickness 0.6÷0.9 mm	3 m²
Self-tapping screws	50	300÷500 pcs.
Nails	60÷70	100 pieces.
Latch locks for queen cells	Standard	6 pcs.
Hinges for securing the hinged doors of the queen cell.		12 pcs.

The table below describes the cage installation process step by step:

Illustration	Brief description of the operation performed
	From the purchased boards it is necessary to make parts for mounting the frame: - 100×30×2250 mm – 4 pcs.; - 50×30×1340 mm – 12 pcs.; - 50×30×540 mm – 12 pcs.; - 25×30×540 mm – 72 pcs.
	Six identical frame frames measuring 1340x600 mm are assembled from prepared lumber.
	Making frames is easy. First, one is assembled with precise dimensions and squareness, and then it is used as a template for making the rest. To assemble each frame, you will need two beams measuring 50x30x540 mm and two beams measuring 50x30x1340 mm. Smaller bars are secured between two long ones using two self-tapping screws at each connection
	The result of installation should be six neat, even frames of the same size.
	The next step is to position the frames and fix them on boards measuring 100x30x2250 mm, laid at a distance of the width of the frame. The distance between the frames forming the frame and the floor of the cage of each tier should be 400 mm. The space left between tiers is 180 mm. The first tier should be raised 400 mm above the ground. The frames are secured with two self-tapping screws, screwed in along the diagonal intersection line at the joints of the frame frame and side boards.
	The next step is to fasten the frames along the top edge with two boards laid parallel to the bottom ones. It is important here to ensure that the frames are perfectly vertical. To check their verticality, a building level is used.
	Next, the blocks for installation of the grated floor are prepared. Their size should be 25x30x540 mm.
	The distance between the sheathing bars should be 15÷20 mm (lightwise). They are installed inside the frame frame, and through it, on the side, secured with self-tapping screws on both sides.
	The floor of the cells on all three tiers is lined in exactly the same way. If it is planned to make a queen cell on one of the tiers, where breeding occurs, and where the rabbits will be kept until a certain age, then in this place the floor of the cage should be solid and removable. The arrangement of the queen cell was described above.
	Will each of the tiers be divided into two separate cells? between which a hay box is mounted in the shape of the Latin letter V. Hay or grass for rabbits will be placed here. The sennik is formed from four bars, which are installed on both sides of the frame. The size of the hay is 150÷200 mm in the upper part, and 6÷8 mm in the lower part. Naturally, it is necessary to achieve a clear correspondence in the location of the inclined crossbars on both sides of the frame.
	To ensure that the doors have the correct rectangular shape, the hay can be made from boards, cutting off one of their sides at a certain angle and connecting them at the bottom from the inside of the cage. Thus, the outer edge of the hay barn will be smooth and will act as a wall to which the door will adjoin. In addition, the front parts of the hay barn can be cut from plywood 15 mm thick.
	The frame of the hay barn is sheathed inside along installed bars (or cutouts made at an angle in boards or plywood) with a mesh of 0.7 mm wire having cells of 25 × 25 mm.
	If you plan to make a queen cell in the cage, then it is separated from the cage by a plywood or plank wall with a small entrance. To make it easier to attach this wall, additional bars are mounted into the structure, to which the plywood jumper will be attached.
	The entrance to the wall can be round or semicircular, but it must be located at a height of 100–120 mm from the floor of the cage - this distance must be maintained so that the rabbits cannot get into the large cage until they can overcome this height on their own. The width of the entrance to the queen cell should be approximately 150 mm. After the hole is cut, it must be cleaned with sandpaper, since its edges must be absolutely smooth.
	The width of the queen cell is usually 300÷350 mm. The jumper wall is fixed to the bars, then the same wall is mounted on the outside of the cage, and then the roof panel is fixed. If in the main space of the cage the roof can be covered with a metal mesh, then in the queen cell it should be continuous. Lastly, a bottom made of plywood is placed in the queen cell compartment. However, it should not be secured to the lower bars with self-tapping screws, since after the rabbits grow up and are moved to other, more spacious cages, the bottom part is removed from the uterine chamber, washed, dried and put in place for the next birth.
	The final stage in the installation of the queen cell is the installation of a hinged external door on it across the entire width of the chamber. At the bottom, the door is secured to the beam with two metal hinges.
	A latch lock or latch is installed in the middle of the upper part of the door panel.
	Next, the cage door frame is made from 30x30 mm bars. It is made according to the size of the opening formed in the cell wall. The door frame bars are fastened together at the corners with two self-tapping screws.
	The illustration shows the finished door frame before it is covered with metal mesh.
	The mesh is fixed to the frame using staples and a stapler - such fixation will be quite sufficient.
	A door with a mesh installed on the inside looks like this.
	Hinges on mesh doors can be mounted at the bottom (in which case the door will be hinged), or on one side of the opening (in which case it will be hinged). It all depends on ease of use in specific conditions.
	If the cages will be installed under a roof, for example, in a barn or other indoor utility room, then the walls and roof of the cages can also be lined with mesh. When installing the structure outdoors, the side and rear walls and roof must be covered with plywood or boards
	It is very important to make the correct tides under each tier of cages so that animal waste from the upper cages does not fall into the lower ones. To make ebbs, a metal sheet is used, on which the edges are folded on the sides - these sides should have a height of 80÷100 mm. The ebbs are attached to the front lower part of the frame under the cage, and its other edge is laid on the rear wall of the lower cage and extends beyond it by 300÷350 mm. Thus, the ebb tides are tilted and they protrude back beyond the structure so that they do not interfere with the approach to the rabbitry from the front side.
	The result should be something like this cell. In terms of complexity, this design option can be called the simplest and most accessible even for beginners.

If you understand the principles of constructing cages for rabbits, then when drawing up a drawing, if desired, you can make your own adjustments. But it is still necessary to always keep in mind that any adult rabbit requires at least 0.5 m² of living space. It’s even better to adhere to the recommended section sizes, about 1000 mm in length, 600÷ 700 in depth, and from 400 to 600 mm in height.

And at the end of the article, there is a video in which the rabbit breeder shares the secrets of the design of improved cages:

Video: an interesting version of cages for rabbits

It is simply impossible to keep rabbits without a good rabbitry! Summer, winter, portable, made of different materials, with different cage arrangements - there are now a lot of types of rabbit houses. How to decide among the variety of designs and build a good rabbitry with your own hands? We will talk about this in our article.

Rabbit farm: what should it be like?

In fact, there are few requirements for a room such as a rabbitry. It is important, first of all, to provide for the absence of drafts, the possibility of regular cleaning, lighting and comfortable cages. The remaining nuances are only an addition to the first three. At home, you can make a convenient rabbitry without spending much on materials. Of course, there are also spacious, insulated rooms that are built specifically for a large number of cells.

Rabbits are usually kept in insulated rabbitries, as in the photo in the gallery, if there are a lot of them, and production has been established for a long time. If you still keep a small number of long-eared rodents, you are probably wondering how to build a rabbitry with your own hands as quickly as possible.

Opt for lightweight construction made from wood, metal mesh, and other inexpensive materials. This option for a rabbit house is suitable for all beginner rabbit breeders. If desired, it can be stored in a barn for the winter.

Rabbit house design

So, if you decide to equip a room for rabbits, you need to decide on the number of cages and the type of their placement. It is necessary to allocate space for construction, cutting timber and other work. After which we calculate the size of each cage based on the number of rabbits and build a rabbitry. For one female rabbit with offspring or for 3 adult rabbits, you will need a cage with dimensions 70x70x50 (LxWxH).

The structure of the cage is simple - the back wall should be opaque, the floor should be solid, with a mesh strip behind the cage to drain manure and urine. The front and side walls should be made blank, the cage door should be made of mesh. The structure of the cage floor can be entirely mesh or lattice, but then you need a manure tray under each house. Cells can be placed one at a time or in tiers. Usually they choose tiered placement, this saves space for the rabbitry.

Feeders and drinking bowls must be made in each cage, but when kept outside in the summer, the haybox is placed directly outside, as are the drinking bowls. The area with the cages can be fenced off, and then the rabbits can roam. For the winter, rabbit houses can be brought into the barn, and the hay barn and drinking bowls can be hidden in the same barn until next spring. It is better to make the structure on legs. This is necessary so that the rabbits do not stay close to the ground and do not catch a cold during the cold season.

The height of such support legs is at least 20 cm. In addition, these supports will make it easy to lift an empty rabbit coop. This is very convenient if you decide to take it outside during the warm season. The following video shows what an almost completed but not yet inhabited rabbitry looks like, made from wooden beams, plywood and mesh.

How to make it yourself?

To understand how to build a rabbitry with your own hands, you will, of course, need drawings or at least a diagram of the future structure. You can take ready-made schemes, or you can do everything based on the number of rabbits on your farm. The cage, depending on which rabbits will be in it, can have different sizes. For example, for a rabbit and offspring you need a large cage with a queen cell and a light part. These structures may differ in appearance, but their principle is the same, see photo for an example.

The dimensions of the removable queen cell are approximately 40x70x60 (WxLxH), the light part of the cell is 70x70x50 (these dimensions may vary slightly for each farmer, this is normal). The queen cell is not equipped with a drinker and feeder; they are placed only in the light compartment. The floor of the main cage is made of lattice or plywood with a mesh back (its width is 15 cm). In the queen cell, the floor must be made solid.

Adult male rabbits or replacement young animals are kept in cages measuring 120x70x50 cm. Pregnant or fledged females are kept with their offspring separately from other individuals. The following video will tell you in detail about the structure of the case with the queen cell.

Materials and tools

If we are building a rabbitry from wood and inexpensive materials at hand, we will need the following:

wooden beams, boards, slats;
metal corners, pipes;
wall cladding (iron, tin, OSB boards, flat slate);
roofing material (polycarbonate, slate, ondulin, linoleum);
mesh for the floor, walls, hay barn, door (with 40 mm cells);
hinges, latches, screws, hammer, nails, screwdriver, screwdriver.

Frame and its assembly

To build a rabbitry with your own hands, you need to start with a frame. It is knocked together from wooden beams or welded from galvanized corners. Many farmers prefer timber because it is lighter and cheaper. The frame is made based on the number of cells, the dimensions of the timber are 45x45 mm. Then the frame is filled with ready-made sections from the mesh on the frame. This way you will literally assemble your structure piece by piece.

The mesh sections of the floor are covered with plywood on top to prevent rabbits from trampling their paws. This plywood is periodically removed, washed and dried. Rabbits cannot tolerate drafts, so we make the back wall of the rabbitry solid - from OSB, plywood or polycarbonate. When the frame is assembled, the doors and hay barn are made. Using self-tapping screws and hinges, the doors are attached to both compartments - the queen cell and the main one.

Then the mesh for the hay barn is cut. Regardless of whether we build a rabbitry indoors or outdoors, we must cover the structure with roofing material. Metal is not used for the roof, as it gets very hot in the heat if the structure is located on the street. We cover all protruding parts of the assembled structure with sheet metal.

Feeders and drinkers

When we build a rabbitry, it is important not to forget about the convenient location of feeders and drinkers. The length of the feeder is almost the entire length of the door, the height is at least 10 cm for an adult rabbit, for one head of young animals - 5-7 cm. The height of the feeder from the floor is approximately 10 cm. Where we keep a female with cubs, we place a feeder of at least 40 cm long.

Feeder standard: metal profile 40 cm long, 4 cm wide and 4 cm deep. The narrowness of the feeder does not allow babies to climb into it and contaminate the food. Feeding containers can be movable or fixed. Movable ones are usually attached from the outside, and are filled without opening the door. The immovable ones are hung inside.

There are a variety of drinkers, but experienced rabbit breeders are very fond of bottle drinkers. They are also perfect for beginners, as they are simple and cheap. The water tank is based on a plastic bottle with a hole in the lid from which water slowly flows out. You can understand how such a drinking bowl works by watching the video below.

Photo gallery

Wooden stationary rabbitry

Multi-tiered outdoor house for rabbits

Insulated rabbit house for winter

Video “Step-by-step construction of cells”

Video with detailed instructions for collecting cage frames for the future rabbitry.

Breeding rabbits is not only exciting, but also useful. To minimize the hassle of caring for the animals, and at the same time create comfortable conditions for them, you need to carefully consider how to build a rabbitry.

A mini rabbit farm has many advantages:

Rabbit meat is not only tasty, but also a healthy product with a low calorie content.
Rabbit liver is very small, but is considered a delicacy.
Animal skins also have worthy uses.
Although rabbit droppings are inferior in quality to cow and horse manure, they will still do a good job of fertilizing the soil in the garden.
Communication with rabbits gives a lot of pleasant impressions, especially to children.

How to build a good rabbitry

Difficulties of rabbit breeding

Breeding rabbits, of course, comes with its own pitfalls:

The need to slaughter animals. Not every owner will be able to muster the courage to kill a pet to which he has become attached.
Animal diseases, provision of prevention and treatment.
Reproduction. Along with excessive fertility, problems with obtaining offspring may arise.
Preservation of the breed, which requires replacing the breeding male twice a year.
Providing quality food. The animals are very gluttonous, and they often spoil the food themselves, which needs to be replaced.
Rats that are attracted to a mini rabbit farm because of the abundance of food.
Problem with placing animals.

If the list of disadvantages of maintaining a mini-farm does not frighten you, the last difficulty can be easily eliminated by building a good-quality rabbitry with your own hands.

How to build a rabbitry

When setting up a mini-farm, it does not hurt to take into account the following requirements:

The design must be designed for a long service life and have sufficient strength.
Relatively easy to assemble.
Vet compliance. standards and creating comfort for animals.
Ease of maintenance, including feeding and manure removal.

For two adult individuals, you can make a cage of two sections, 1.4 m long, 0.7 m wide and 0.5–0.7 m high. Cage dimensions for a group of young animals: length 2–3 m, width 1 m, height 0.4–0.6 m.

To save space, the rabbitry is built in two tiers, which is also convenient for maintenance.

A young rabbit, up to two months old, needs an area of at least 0.12 square meters. For a female with rabbits, it is necessary to provide an area of 0.6 square meters. Also, for the offspring, a box of 35x25x30 cm is installed inside the cage.

Diagram of a standard rabbitry

Materials for setting up a rabbitry

During construction, it is important to take into account that it will be inhabited by rodents, therefore, it is better to make cages using durable materials.

To extend the service life, the wooden structures of the building must be sheathed with metal so that the “tenants” do not eat it up ahead of time.

To make a wooden rabbitry with your own hands, you will need the following materials:

Corners and metal pipes.
Wooden boards, beams, slats.
Galvanized mesh.
Roofing material.
Iron, tin.
Self-tapping screws, nails, hinges and latches.

Treating wooden parts with an antiseptic is undesirable; it can be toxic to animals. The durability of the structure depends on how dry the material used is.

How to make a frame

Having chosen a suitable drawing, you can begin building a frame, the dimensions of which depend on the number of cells.

To construct the frame, wooden beams, metal pipes or galvanized corners are used. If you make a structure from metal, you will need welding or special fastenings. Timber buildings are much more popular due to their relative cheapness and lightness. Typically, 5x5 cm bars are taken for this purpose.

The knocked together frame is filled with mesh modules on wooden frames.

Sheathing the frame of the rabbitry

Walls

The structure is sheathed with galvanized chain-link (by the way, from the English rabbit - rabbit), with a cell size of 20x20 mm. The mesh is applied from the inside. In this case, the wooden parts will be more intact, and the animals will not be able to accidentally injure themselves on the fastenings.

The mesh is cut to the dimensions indicated in the drawings and secured with special clamps. If you want to save money, you can completely do without clamps by using pliers and wire.

To prevent drafts, to which rabbits are very sensitive, the back wall is made blank and covered with plywood, polycarbonate or other suitable material. Side walls are also sometimes made blank.

The walls of the rabbitry are lined with plywood and other materials to prevent drafts

A hay barn is installed between the sections of cages, for the walls of which a mesh with larger cells (50x50) is used to make it more convenient for the animals to extract food.

Doors

It is better to make the doors of the rabbitry folding. They are assembled from wooden blocks and fixed at the bottom of the structure, and a reliable lock or lock is located on top.

Metal corners make the doors heavier, so it is advisable not to use them.

Construction of the rabbitry floor

For the floor you will need a mesh with small cells (25x25 mm).

Using a mesh makes cleaning easier. Manure falls down and accumulates in a special place, from where manure is then removed.

Rabbit farm with mesh floor

If the floor is mesh, then in winter it is cool in the cages and the animals’ paws sometimes freeze, but in summer ventilation is easier.

Chain-link flooring brings certain inconvenience to the inhabitants themselves. To protect animals from damage to their paws and the appearance of corns, the mesh floor can be covered with plywood on top. In this case, the plywood sheets should be easily removed for periodic cleaning and drying.

Often, when constructing a floor, gratings made of planed wooden blocks are used. Gaps of at least 10 mm must be left between the bars. But of course, such a floor will be actively tested.

Roof for rabbits

Any roofing material that is resistant to moisture is suitable for covering the roof of a rabbitry, so flat slate should not be used.

A metal roof can become very hot in the sun, causing the temperature in the cages to be excessively high and the animals may suffer from the heat.

Warming cells in winter

A comfortable temperature for rabbits can be considered a range from +10 to +20 degrees. Therefore, in winter, the animals’ homes must be insulated. If there is no heating in the rabbitry, you can at least do the following:

Insulation of doors. In winter, doors are sealed with sheets of plywood or other durable material. The best option is glass frames, which will keep the rabbitry light.
Floor insulation. To do this, a flooring is arranged on top of the mesh floors, on which the hay is spread.
Insulation of walls and elimination of cracks.

Zolotukhin's experience

To set up a mini-farm for breeding rabbits, methods of N.I. have recently been often used. Zolotukhin, a well-known expert in the field of rabbit breeding with fifty years of experience.

Features of the Zolotukhin rabbitry:

Three-tier cells.
Dry and sloping floor.
Convenient feeders for hay and grain.
There is no special queen cell.

The structure can accommodate from 3 to 6 adult animals per tier.

Comfortable floor from Zolotukhin

The floor design was chosen based on observations of rabbit behavior. It turns out that these animals mostly relieve themselves at the back wall of the cage.

Based on this, in Zolotukhin’s rabbitries, the front part of the floor consists of a flat slate or a sheet of plywood, installed slightly inclined (slope no more than 6 cm), and in the rear part of the bottom there is a mesh through which the bulk of feces falls.

Zolotukhin does not use bedding made of hay or straw. These animal rooms are easy to clean because the floors are always dry.

Cages constructed according to the Zolotukhin method do not have a tray for receiving feces from which manure is removed. Each tier is offset relative to the other by a “ladder”, so the manure, rolling down, ends up outside and not into the cage located below.

Convenient feeder from Zolotukhin

The grain feeders, designed by Nikolai Ivanovich, are attached to the door of the rabbitry and can be easily rotated, which is convenient to maintain, as it allows you to feed animals when the cages are locked, and besides, rats will not get into them.

Placing a female rabbit with offspring

In winter, instead of a permanent queen cell, if necessary, a house is placed in the cage for the female rabbit and her offspring. And in the summer, the place for giving birth is a nest in the hay, fenced off with special partitions.

If you make a rabbitry with your own hands, following Zolotukhin’s advice, then a positive result is guaranteed.

Mikhailov's mini-farm

The building for breeding rabbits by Academician Mikhailov deserves special attention.

Scheme of a rabbitry using the Mikhailov method

A mini-farm created using this method involves rare human participation in caring for animals. In such cages, all conditions are created for the harmonious existence of animals using lighting, self-feeders, the required temperature is maintained in winter, and exhaust hoods and ventilation are provided.

Specifics of the mini-farm device

Mikhailov's mini-farm allows you to comfortably place a fairly large number of animals in a small area. Up to 25 individuals live in one cage. The following features contribute to this:

Automated feeding mode (self-feeders). Animals receive an unlimited amount of food and drink. In winter the water is heated. Food and water are added once a week.
Automatic room cleaning. Excrement and waste are placed in a specially designated area.
The design of the feeders does not allow them to become dirty, and the food always remains clean.
Ventilation removes gases outside through a pipe.
In winter, the rabbitry and queen cell are heated, which promotes regular birthing and the development of healthy and strong offspring.
The mini-farm is maximally adapted to the instincts of animals, bringing conditions closer to natural ones.
In winter, the northern part of the cells is insulated, and in the summer, ventilation is provided in the southern part.

Ready-made rabbitry using the Mikhailov method

Mikhailov’s design is very effective and is used both on private farms and on an industrial scale.

Rabbits and rats

Having built a rabbitry with your own hands, you need to remember that other rodents – rats – may soon become interested in its existence.

Rats are carriers of infections and can harm the offspring of rabbits.

To prevent rats from bothering you, you must:

Keep the feed in order.
Carry out weeding and garbage collection in the area where the rabbitry is located, since rats make homes for themselves in the garbage.
Carry out repairs and cleaning of the rabbitry in a timely manner.

In addition to spreading disease, rats can eat baby rabbits.

There are a considerable number of drugs that can be used to get rid of annoying rodents. These are various baits that rats eat immediately or carry on themselves. When exterminating rats, it is necessary to observe safety measures so as not to harm the main inhabitants of the rabbitry.

Using the recommendations of experts on how to build a rabbitry, you can easily build a home for your beloved pets.