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 are easy to rotate, which is convenient to maintain, as it allows you to feed the 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.
Today, rabbits are bred in almost every corner of the world. If you also decide to start this profitable business, we recommend starting with organizing optimal conditions for keeping animals, namely cages for rabbits.
A rabbitry and all the equipment necessary for it (feeders and drinkers) can be purchased or built independently. In this article we will talk about what kind of housing these animals should have, and what materials will be needed to make cages for rabbits with your own hands.
Necessary materials
First of all, you should decide on the size of future cells. The most common option is a double design, which has two separate sections.
There are other types of housing:
- single-section;
- group (for young animals);
- with three sections;
- with mother liquor.
Creating any structure for keeping rabbits involves step-by-step production of the frame, floor, walls, ceiling and door, followed by assembly. In most cases, wood and metal mesh are used in construction. Therefore, for work you will need the following tools and materials:
The wood should first be sanded and thoroughly sanded, and the ends of the mesh should be securely fastened. All sharp edges must be removed, otherwise the animal may be injured. It makes sense to cover wooden surfaces inside the home with tin to make the enclosure more durable, since rabbits love to gnaw on everything that catches their eye. Thick wooden beams are usually used for the main frame, and the walls and ceiling are made of plywood sheets and mesh. Note that if the rabbits’ home is located outdoors, then the length of the legs of the frame should not be less than 80 cm. For cages placed indoors, 30-centimeter legs will be enough.
If the enclosure will be located in the open air, then it is important to pay special attention to the construction of the roof of the home. Direct sunlight, precipitation and drafts negatively affect the well-being and health of animals. It is not recommended to make a roof out of metal - it gets very hot in the sun, which can lead to heatstroke in a rabbit. It is better to cover the top of the structure with slate.
Types of cells and their sizes
On a farm to maintain a population of rabbits, various cages are required, intended for certain categories of animals:
- adults;
- young animals;
- representatives of giant breeds;
- females with offspring.
When planning the construction of a home for animals, as well as their resettlement, we start from the following figures: 0.7 m 2 of space is usually allocated for an adult rabbit, and 0.25 m 2 for young animals per individual.
For adults
Optimal cages for medium-sized rabbits should have a depth of 55-75 cm, a height of 45-60 cm and a length of at least 100 cm. Dimensions of the standard version: 120 × 75 × 45 cm (DHA). When keeping adult animals, it is advisable to use block structures divided into two compartments using a mesh. If mating is necessary, the partition is removed, combining the sections together.
In order to save space, cells are often arranged in blocks of 2-3 tiers.
Each room should have a designated area for sleeping, eating and walking. A small place for rest is required: approximately 30x60x50 cm. To zone the space, plywood partitions with holes located at a height of about 15 cm from the floor are usually used.
For young animals
Rabbits are separated from their mother at the age of 6-7 weeks and kept together in groups of 10-20 animals. When designing a home, the following dimensions are adhered to: 300 × 100 × 50 cm. The floor can be made either solid, mesh or slatted. The first option is safer from the point of view of the health of rabbits, because some individuals are susceptible to the development of pododermatitis, and the coating of slats or mesh contributes to the occurrence of the disease. However, houses with such a bottom are easier to keep clean, as they become dirty more slowly.
In winter, the floor is insulated with a bedding of straw and hay.
In some farms, special cages for young animals are not provided, and cubs weaned from their mother are immediately placed in housing for adult animals. With this option, it is necessary to calculate how many heads can be placed in one room to make the animals comfortable.
For giant rabbits
Owners of giants will need significantly more building materials, because adults can reach 70 cm in length and weigh more than 10 kg. The optimal cage dimensions for rabbits of giant varieties are: height of at least 65 cm, length - 150 cm, depth - 75 cm. If possible, it is better to increase the above parameters.
Young animals can be kept in group cages with an area of at least 1.2 m2. When constructing the structure, you should take into account the considerable weight of the giants and pay special attention to strengthening the floor, for example, making it from thicker galvanized mesh. To prevent sagging, a sheathing is made of bars under the floor, which are placed at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other. Experienced rabbit breeders recommend keeping giants in dwellings with a solid floor. However, cleaning in such rooms will have to be done much more often.
For a female with cubs
Some farmers believe that a special queen cell for a female with offspring is necessary exclusively in the cold season, while in the summer a regular cage is sufficient. However, this opinion is wrong. In an open room, partitioned only with a mesh, the female rabbit feels unprotected, which can negatively affect the feeding process and the health of her offspring. Therefore, it is imperative to equip your home with a closed, insulated place for the nest, and also leave enough space for walking.
The frame is made of strong beams, the back and side walls are made of plywood. The space is immediately divided into two parts - a large one intended for walking and a small one for a nest. Each of them is closed with a separate door: mesh (large compartment) or solid wood (nesting part). All walls, floors and ceilings must be double, with a layer of foam or straw for additional heat and sound insulation. The roof is made of slate.
You can learn more about the design and construction of a queen cell from the article on our website.
The most common design options
There are many different options, from which each farmer chooses the most suitable one depending on available resources, free space and other parameters. The following designs are very popular among breeders:
- solid wire;
- Mikhailova;
- Zolotukhina;
- Tsvetkova.
Solid wire
This is the most budget-friendly housing option that can be placed in any convenient location. Such cages are lightweight and durable, they take up little space and are easy to care for on a daily basis.
For production, two types of galvanized mesh with cells of different sizes are required. The coarse mesh (2.5-5x5 cm) is attached to the walls and ceiling, and the fine mesh (1.5-2.5 cm) is attached to the floor. The frame is made of durable timber, with legs 50-70 cm high. In the warm season, the structure is installed outside (under a canopy); in cold weather, it is brought into an insulated shed.
You can see step-by-step instructions on how to quickly make a simple all-wire dwelling for rabbits in the following story:
Mikhailova
A distinctive feature of the design, made according to Mikhailov’s drawings, is the heating of the queen cell and drinkers, and the presence of a container for collecting waste. Cells of this type can be one- or two-level. House dimensions: width 240 cm, height 70 or 210 cm (depending on number of floors). The distance from the ground to the structure is 140 cm - this space is necessary to place a special inclined chute and waste collector.
An additional queen cell (size 35×40 cm) is sometimes attached to the back wall, and feeders (30×15 cm) are attached to the side walls.
The floor is made of slats, which are laid at small intervals. This allows waste to flow down the gutters into a special container. The walls are made of wood, the doors are made of mesh. For better air flow, the home is equipped with a ventilation pipe covered with a canopy.
Thanks to the waste collection system, Mikhailov’s design ensures constant cleanliness in the cages, which greatly facilitates the work of farmers.
Automatic heating technologies are most often used when breeding ornamental breeds, since the cost of such equipment for the house and its maintenance is too high.
Zolotukhina
N.I. Zolotukhin is known in rabbit breeding circles as the creator of a simple and inexpensive design for placing eared ears. The original layout of the home allows for less frequent cleaning, and the animals feel more comfortable.
Such houses are multi-story buildings with a sloping plywood ceiling. The floor is made of mesh, which is laid in a thin strip against the back wall. The second tier is shifted relative to the lower one by the width of the mesh strip. The third floor is located similarly. The front wall, common to all three tiers, is attached at an angle.
In the process of creating such a home, you need to follow step-by-step instructions. First of all, you should purchase wooden beams and boards, slate sheets, metal mesh, polycarbonate and metal sheets. The frame, partitions and doors of the queen cell are constructed from wood. The mesh is used for doors and the back of the floor. The rest of the bottom is made of slate. The back wall is made of polycarbonate. The wooden surfaces inside are sheathed with tin.
Standard dimensions of a cage for rabbits according to Zolotukhin’s drawings:
You can learn about the advantages of a home of this design from the following video:
Tsvetkova
Experienced rabbit breeder A. A. Tsvetkov proposed a new original idea for a cage, the main valuable features of which were:
- gravity feeders;
- mounted queen cells;
- forced ventilation;
- feces removal system.
The frame is constructed from coniferous timber, which is usually painted with white paint. The sennik is made of moisture-resistant plywood, at least 8 mm thick, and the inside is lined with metal mesh. All wooden parts are sheathed with sheet metal, the cone-shaped compartment for drainage and waste collection is covered with slate mastic. The roof is covered with slate or roofing felt.
To heat water in the cold season, the house is equipped with a special boiler.
General manufacturing rules
When creating a rabbit cage with your own hands, you must follow the following rules:
- the frame is made of wooden beams with a thickness of at least 5x5 cm, the walls and partitions are made of durable sheet plywood;
- all wooden surfaces inside should be covered with tin;
- It is best to use slate to cover the roof;
- when processing parts, do not use antiseptics, varnishes and impregnations with a strong odor;
- To construct a floor with a mesh covering, use a mesh with cells measuring no more than 2.5x2.5 cm.
Experienced rabbit breeders often cover part of the mesh floor with a sheet of plywood, which helps the animals avoid pododermatitis.
Depending on the individual needs of the animals, the design of the building may vary. For example, a female with offspring needs a queen cell and a nesting compartment, and when keeping young animals in groups, one cannot do without insulated nesting rooms and covered spacious enclosures for walking.
After completion of construction work, each dwelling must be properly equipped: install a feeder and drinking bowl, prepare a hay barn and bunker device to provide the animals with the most favorable conditions.
Video
Practical advice on how to quickly and correctly make a house for rabbits is given by experienced farmers in the following videos:
Loving husband and caring father. A versatile person, interested in literally everything. Gardening themes are no exception. I'm always happy to discover something new and share it with other people. He is of the opinion that nature is a second home for every person, therefore it should be treated with respect.
Natural toxins are found in many plants; Those grown in gardens and vegetable gardens are no exception. Thus, the seeds of apples, apricots, and peaches contain hydrocyanic acid, and the tops and peels of unripe nightshades (potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes) contain solanine. But do not be afraid: their number is too small.
From varietal tomatoes you can get “your own” seeds for sowing next year (if you really like the variety). But it is useless to do this with hybrids: you will get seeds, but they will carry the hereditary material not of the plant from which they were taken, but of its numerous “ancestors”.
Tomatoes have no natural protection against late blight. If late blight attacks, any tomatoes (and potatoes too) die, no matter what is said in the description of the varieties (“variety resistant to late blight” is just a marketing ploy).
It is believed that some vegetables and fruits (cucumbers, stem celery, all varieties of cabbage, peppers, apples) have “negative calorie content,” that is, more calories are consumed during digestion than they contain. In fact, only 10-20% of the calories received from food are consumed in the digestive process.
One of the most convenient methods for preparing a harvest of vegetables, fruits and berries is freezing. Some believe that freezing causes the nutritional and health benefits of plant foods to be lost. As a result of the research, scientists have found that there is practically no decrease in nutritional value when frozen.
Oklahoma farmer Carl Burns developed an unusual variety of multi-colored corn called Rainbow Corn. The grains on each cob are of different colors and shades: brown, pink, purple, blue, green, etc. This result was achieved through many years of selecting the most colored ordinary varieties and crossing them.
“Frost-resistant” varieties of garden strawberries (more often simply “strawberries”) need shelter just as much as ordinary varieties (especially in those regions where there are snowless winters or frosts alternating with thaws). All strawberries have superficial roots. This means that without shelter they freeze to death. Sellers’ assurances that strawberries are “frost-resistant,” “winter-hardy,” “tolerates frosts down to −35 ℃,” etc. are deception. Gardeners must remember that no one has yet managed to change the root system of strawberries.
In Australia, scientists have begun experiments in cloning several varieties of grapes grown in cold regions. Climate warming, which is predicted for the next 50 years, will lead to their disappearance. Australian varieties have excellent characteristics for winemaking and are not susceptible to diseases common in Europe and America.
Raising rabbits is not an easy task. One of the components of their successful breeding is proper maintenance of the livestock. The housing in which the animals are housed should be moderately large and comfortable; it should also be easy for the owner to keep it clean.
Requirements for a rabbitry
The rabbit house must meet the following basic requirements:
- must be optimal in size;
- built from available materials in a price-quality ratio;
- must be durable;
- have a strong frame;
- designed in such a way that it is convenient to assemble and disassemble;
- must comply with sanitary and hygienic standards;
- the design must provide for the possibility of insulation in winter;
- It should be convenient for the rabbit breeder to clean the cage, feed and water the animals.
Important! When making cages for rabbits, it is important to use only natural materials. Artificial ones can release toxins that are harmful to animals.
Types of designs and their features
There are several main types of rabbit hutches - they are built depending on the needs of the rabbit breeder. So, one or several individuals, a mother with babies, or only young animals, can live in a cage. Also, the rabbitry can be two-level or three-level. Next, we will consider the most popular and tested housing projects for rabbits.
A single-level rabbitry is usually built for one animal. Its dimensions in width and height range from 60 cm, and the width of the cage can be from one and a half meters or more. If the size allows, you can walk young animals in such a rabbitry. Used on farms with few animals. The cage can be made of metal or wood and must have a door.
Approximate dimensions and drawings of a mesh building are as follows:
The rabbit house can be two-sectional. The structure can be made of either wood or metal mesh. An opening partition can be made between the sections for easy pairing. The frame of the enclosure must be strong enough; Instead of a floor, you can use both boards and mesh. The cage can contain two adults, a female with babies, and young animals. The minimum dimensions of the entire structure must be at least one and a half meters in length, 70 cm in width and a meter in height; It should be remembered that the cage must be at a certain level from the ground. Wooden dwellings can be insulated in winter, and metal cages can be moved to the barn.
The grid construction scheme is as follows:
A two-section wooden building can be the following structure:
To save space, any cages can be placed in several tiers.
For example, like this: 
In a rabbitry of three sections you can keep adults, mothers with babies, and walk young animals. The larger the building, the more functional it is. It must be remembered that one adult animal needs from half to 0.7 square meters of area for good functioning. Half a meter of space will be enough for a female rabbit, while young animals need 0.12 meters per head.
In three-section cages, you can make partitions for ease of mating. Sections are equipped at their own discretion. So in one of them you can make a queen cell - for this, a box with dimensions of 35 centimeters in length, 25 in width and 30 centimeters in height is placed in the cage. It will contain the offspring during the first 20 days of living with the mother.
The possible scheme of a three-level cell is as follows:
A mesh cage can be like this:
A compartment for mothers and babies can be built as follows:
The designs developed at the Klenovo-Chegodaevo state farm are popular.
The rabbitry diagram looks like this:
It can contain adults, a female with cubs. The length of the entire block should be 140 cm, and the width about 70 cm. The peculiarity lies in the different heights of the rear and front walls of the rabbitry: because of this, the floor is located at an angle, which makes cleaning the home convenient. It can be made from either boards or mesh. Feeders and drinkers are located inside.
Those who cannot devote much time to rabbits can successfully use the rabbitry created by Academician Mikhailov. The cage structure is designed in such a way as to provide the animals with a weekly supply of food and water. Lighting, an excrement collection system, winter heating and summer ventilation are also provided. Up to twenty-five individuals can be kept in such a house at the same time. These can be adult rabbits, young animals, female rabbits with offspring.
The drawing of such a dwelling is as follows:
Zolotukhin cages are successfully used to maintain large rabbit populations. The design is a three-tier rack with two cells in each compartment. The floor in each part of the enclosure is inclined towards the back wall and is made of flat slate or boards. Between them and the back of the building there is a mesh 10–20 cm wide - it is on it, according to many years of research, that rabbits relieve themselves. Urine and almost 70% of solid feces pass through the mesh. This leaves a small amount of feces in the main room.
In winter, for breeding, a box of standard sizes is used, which is placed in the compartment with the rabbit, and in summer, the mother and the babies are in the hay. The feeders are built into the door; there is no need to open it to replenish and clean them.
The scheme of Nikolai Zolotukhin’s rabbitry is as follows:
How to choose a place
It is important to choose the right place on the site for the rabbitry.
- Rabbits tolerate cold better than heat, so their home should not be exposed to direct sunlight.. It would be optimal to build a canopy over the cage. It will protect the animals not only from the sun, but also from rain and snow.
- You can’t put the building in a place that is blown by the winds - rabbits are very picky about drafts. The rabbitry site should be protected from them by trees, bushes, and a fence.
- A good location for the rabbit's home would be near outbuildings and a water source.. With this arrangement, you will not need to travel a long distance to feed and water the animals.
- Cages should not be placed near the compost pit.. As a rule, various pathogenic bacteria multiply in it, and rabbits are very sensitive to various types of infections.
- Ideally, the rabbit's home should be located on a dry hill. Moisture and dampness should not accumulate in the place - on the contrary, they should escape from there without hindrance. Animals cannot tolerate dampness and can get sick.
- If possible, there should not be a dog kennel or chicken coop near the rabbitry.. Rabbits are frightened by loud noise and its excess can affect their well-being.
Important! A large number of animals cannot be kept in one cage. Their accumulation can lead to the spread of infectious diseases and mortality.
How to build a rabbitry with your own hands
Experienced rabbit breeders say that building a rabbit house with your own hands is optimal. It can be done using existing drawings of convenient and proven designs, or you can improve them to your liking. 
Construction of a homemade rabbitry involves the use of readily available materials and tools. So, the following shows how to build a four-section rabbit cage with your own hands.
Size calculations
The overall dimensions of the structure will be within two meters of length, a meter of width and 55 centimeters of height. In this case, 20 centimeters of the latter will fall on the hay, and the remaining 35 will be the internal height of the cage. One animal will occupy an area of 1 meter by 50 cm.
Did you know? Rabbits acceptedcountseparate detachmentrodents are included in group g rodent-like.
Materials and tools for work
To build a rabbitry you will need the following materials:
- two beams with a square section of 5 by 5 cm, 2 meters long;
- three beams with a square section of 5 by 5 cm, length 190 cm;
- two bars with a square section of 5 by 5 cm, 1 meter long;
- five bars with a square section of 5 by 5 cm and a length of 90 cm;
- four beams with a square section of 5 by 5 cm, length 55 cm;
- six square bars 30 cm long;
- a mesh measuring one meter by two with window sizes of 12.5 by 50 mm and a wire diameter of 2 mm;
- mesh for partitions with window sizes 25 by 25 mm and wire diameter 0.8 mm;
- slats 3 by 3 mm square for the production of partitions;
- metal mesh measuring 190 cm by 90 cm with windows 5 by 5 cm and wire diameter 1.6 mm;
- cladding boards about 10 cm wide, the total footage of which is about 10 meters;
- boards for door frames 3 by 5 cm;
- corners;
- hinges for fastening doors;
- door locks;
- sheet iron measuring 1 meter by 2 meters;
- pieces of iron;
- eight slats 1 meter long;
- materials for the nipple drinker, namely a pipe with a diameter of 2 mm, a plug, a straight coupling, a tee, four nipples.
- hammer;
- roulette;
- self-tapping screws;
- corners;
- hinges for fastening doors;
- door locks;
- drills for 9 and 25;
- drill.
Phased construction
The construction of a rabbitry can be divided into several stages. First the main frame is made, after the door, and at the very end the roof. The time spent on making the building is one daylight if you have the appropriate skills.
Frame and assembly
To build a frame, you need to do the following:
- Take two 2-meter bars and two 1-meter bars and connect them with self-tapping screws to form a rectangle.
- Insert three 90-centimeter bars between the long bars so that the distance between them is 50 cm. They should be parallel to the meter bars. The result is a rectangle of beams, divided into cells.
- A mesh with windows 12.5 by 50 mm with a wire diameter of 2 mm is attached to this frame with self-tapping screws.
- The mesh is attached with self-tapping screws along the entire perimeter and along the transverse beams. This will be half the cage.
- Beams 55 cm long are vertically attached to the corners of the frame using corners and self-tapping screws.
- They are reinforced in length and width by beams, which are attached at a distance of 35 cm from the frame. Accordingly, these are bars 190 and 90 cm long.
- Long beams are reinforced with bars 30 cm long. They are attached perpendicular to the long beams at their junction with the transverse bars of the lower frame at a distance of 50 cm.
- Next, partitions are made. They are made from slats with a section of 3 by 3 cm. They are made in the form of a rectangle. The length is equal to the distance between the 30-centimeter bars, and the height is measured from their beginning at the frame to the end of the second long beam. Their approximate size around the perimeter is 90 by 35 cm.
- A mesh with windows 25 by 25 mm, wire diameter 0.8 mm, is attached to the perimeter partitions on top.
- When the partitions are ready, they are attached using self-tapping screws and angles to the transverse bars and 30-centimeter beams.
- A board 90 cm long and about ten cm wide is attached to each partition on top. The feeder will subsequently be attached to it.
- On top of the entire structure with installed partitions, a mesh with 5 by 5 cm windows is attached with self-tapping screws. It should cover the entire frame with partitions from above.
Video: building a rabbitry
Did you know? Rabbits acceptedcount rodents, but this is not entirely true. In the animal community they are representativesorder of lagomorphs, which, together withseparate detachmentrodents are included in group g rodent-like.
Sheathing
After building the frame, it is necessary to cover it with wooden boards.
- First, nail them to the side walls of the cage along the entire width and height.. As a result, the front and back parts of the frame remain unsewn.
- The back part is sewn up to the beginning of the hay, that is, to the end of the second long bar. Leave approximately 2cm in height between the bottom of the cage and the boards below. Through this opening, unnecessary remains of animal activity will be cleaned from the back side.
After finishing the covering, the result is a structure that looks like a bed with side backs and mesh partitions inside. Roof
The roof of the cage is made sloping towards the rear wall. To secure it, you need the following:
- At a distance of 3 cm from the top along the length of the cage, the remaining beam 190 cm long is attached using corners. It is parallel to all the long beams.
- Eight slats about 1 meter long are attached perpendicularly to this beam, which descend to the rear wall. They will support the roof.
- Sheet iron is fastened with self-tapping screws along the entire perimeter of the rabbitry. At the joints with the racks, additional linings are made to prevent moisture from entering the main room.
Doors
Cage doors are made and fastened as follows:
- Boards are nailed to the side walls and partitions to secure the doors. In width they should overlap the casing and vertical post, and in length they should be 30 cm and cover the long crossbars. Wooden spacers are placed under the board to add width.
- It is necessary to attach the boards to the frame with self-tapping screws.
- Frames for the door are made from slats. Their size should be such that there is a gap of 5 mm between the frame and the board for fastening them to allow the door to move freely.
- The frame slats must be fastened together using overhead corners.
- Each door is covered with a mesh with windows 25 by 25 mm and a wire diameter of 0.8 mm. When attaching the doors, the mesh will be inside the cage.
- The doors are attached to the frame using awnings.
- The locks are screwed on.
- The tightness of the doors to the frame can be adjusted using self-tapping screws screwed into the frame.
Ladder
In arranging the cage, you can use so-called ladders. In production form, they are a plastic grid of different sizes, which is placed on the bottom of the cage. You can make it yourself from thin wooden slats. 
The ladder is useful because in winter it protects the animal’s paws from contact with the metal bottom of the home. It also prevents pododermatitis and corns in animals. It is recommended to use a wooden structure - rabbits feel more comfortable on it.
Arrangement inside
The rabbitry must be equipped with feeders, drinkers, and ventilation if necessary.
In the rabbitry described above, the feeders are attached to boards that are nailed to the top of the partitions. They can be secured there with self-tapping screws. It is also possible to install a feeder in the door. It is better to fix it in such a way that it can turn over and be convenient to clean.
Rabbit hutches with mesh floors and ceilings that are installed outdoors generally do not require additional ventilation. It happens naturally. If you still need to do it additionally, just drill a few small holes above the rabbits’ heads to increase the air flow. However, if animals are kept in barns, additional ventilation is necessary. It is made using corrugated pipes and an anemostat (a device for regulating the amount of air flowing through the pipes). An anemostat can be purchased at an online store of industrial goods.
Various types of drinkers are used in the cages. The most convenient are nipple ones - they are made, as a rule, from a plastic pipe with a diameter of 2 mm, plugs, tees and nipples.
You can make a nipple drinker for one compartment, or you can lay a pipe at the top of the cage from which branches will go to each compartment. To do this, two holes are drilled on the sides at a height of 25 cm from the bottom of the cage. The main pipe passes through them, from which, using a tee, branches are made into each part of the rabbitry. The outlet ends with a nipple through which the animal drinks water.The cage can be equipped with an additional visor, which improves the washing process. It is made from a piece of iron about 10 cm wide and is installed along the length of the cage below the doors. This design reduces the ingress of dirt back into the rabbit's home when removing residual manure with water. Also, excrement does not fall on the door.
Important!The mesh with which the cage is equipped must be secured in such a way that there are no sharp corners or remnants of wire left in any place. They can cause injury to the animal.
How to heat in winter
Sometimes in winter it may be necessary to insulate the cage. You can make heating using felt, old blankets, hay, pine needles. Also, a heat insulator such as polystyrene foam is ideal for external insulation.
A slight frost in itself will not harm the animals; it is important to avoid high humidity in the enclosures. It is necessary to ensure that snow and other precipitation does not get into the cages. For this purpose, sheets of iron are suitable, which can be used to trim the rabbitry from the outside.
Experienced rabbit breeders, without using artificial heating, line the entire cage inside with hay. Rabbits heat it with their breath and it retains heat well. 
In severe frosts, it is necessary to provide the animals with a more or less warm floor. To do this, the bottom of the cage, if it is metal, is covered with a thick layer of hay. For wooden floors, you can use the above-mentioned ladders, which protect the floor well from freezing.
In severe frosts, you can keep animals in sheds. It is for this purpose that all cages are designed in such a way that they are convenient to carry. There are also heating and water heating projects in winter.
Did you know? Hares are solitary by nature. Rabbits live in groups and are therefore social animals. This is the main difference between these long-eared animals and each other.
Rabbit hutch care
Rabbits are quite fastidious animals and require proper care. If it is not done in full, there is a high risk of infecting animals with various diseases.
The bedding in the cage needs to be changed as it gets dirty, preferably once a day. Rabbits can eat excrement and with it various harmful bacteria enter the body. Very often, it is dirty cages that cause the death of livestock.
In addition to bedding, feeders and drinking bowls should be kept clean. The former need to be cleaned daily of dirt and food residues, especially if the latter was of plant origin. Rotting food threatens diseases. The water in drinking bowls should always be clean. The drinking devices themselves need to be regularly cleaned of the green deposits that often form in them.
When soiled, it is necessary to wash the cells; you can simply wash off the remaining excrement and dirt with water. At least once every few months, and more often in the summer, you need to treat rabbit homes with boiling water and disinfectants. Hot water, like chemicals, kills many pathogenic bacteria.
Features of keeping rabbits
Keeping rabbits is not easy. In addition to good cells, you need to provide them with proper balanced nutrition. You can feed the animals with special feed, or you can cook the food yourself. In the latter case, it is important not to overfeed animals with food containing large amounts of protein - this causes them to develop a number of diseases. Rabbit food should always be fresh and of high quality.
Another component of rabbit health is the constant availability of fresh water in sufficient quantities. Drinkers should be designed and placed in the cage in such a way that as little dirt as possible gets into them. In winter, it is important to provide animals with water at room temperature. To do this, you need to either change it frequently, or equip the drinking bowls with heating.
In the process of breeding rabbits, every rabbit breeder is faced with infectious diseases that these animals suffer from quite often. To prevent them, you need to monitor the cleanliness of the enclosures in which animals are kept, properly water and feed them, and also do the necessary vaccinations. 
Creating comfortable living conditions for furry pets is the main task of any rabbit breeder. In most cases, they prefer not to buy ready-made cells, but to make them themselves. This is much cheaper in material terms; In addition, you can make just such an enclosure that will be convenient for a specific livestock.
Living in your own home outside the city limits attracts many: fresh air, the absence of the usual fuss and, of course, physical labor, which brings certain results. It doesn’t matter what exactly you grow on your plot. You can limit yourself to just flowers. When you hold in your hands a banal cucumber that you yourself have grown, you experience an unusual feeling of pride and joy from unity with nature. And you know for sure that you have created a pure product. Gradually the idea arises of whether to get chickens or rabbits. For rabbits, for example, you can build a rabbitry with your own hands. But first think, are you ready to support these animals?
- Meat. Rabbit meat is a dietary product useful for people of all ages. It contains a set of amino acids that promote protein synthesis in the human body. In addition, it is low-calorie and natural food.
- Liver. Even though one animal contains only 100 grams of liver, it is a real delicacy.
- Skins. Dressing hides requires not only additional time and knowledge, but also special preparations. It’s not a fact that you will want to spend your time searching and using them.
- Bones and other waste. These products can be cooked and, in the form of a stew, given to the dog.
- Manure. In terms of its qualities, this manure is superior to pig and cow manure, but inferior to horse manure. In spring and autumn it can be added to the soil, and it will respond to you with a glorious harvest.
- Communication. Even the simple contemplation of these cute fluffies gives a lot of positive emotions.
But in the last point of advantages there is already a catch. It’s also worth talking about the disadvantages of rabbit farming:
- Slaughter. Yes, the rabbits will have to be killed. Even if this is a mediocre farm, it makes no sense to hire someone to do this work.
- Mortality. These animals often get sick and are rarely cured. Especially in the summer, when an epidemic wave occurs.
- Accommodation. In this article you will read how to make your own rabbitry, so you can ignore this problem.
- Food. These picky animals won’t eat just anything. They eat up to 30 times a day, but more often the food and drink are simply spoiled by mixing it with waste. Conclusion: there should be a lot of quality food.
- Reproduction. Despite the theoretical fertility of these animals, in practice there may be many offspring, or there may not be any at all.
- Breed. To maintain the population level, a replacement male breeder is required every six months.
Here are the main disadvantages of rabbit farming. If you add to them labor-intensive cleaning, rodent control and the daily need for owners to care for their pets, it becomes clear that rabbit breeding is not an easy matter. If such prospects do not frighten you, let's talk about placing animals.
Rabbit meat is good for the elderly, children, and even the sick: it is a real dietary low-calorie product
Killing a rabbit is not so easy: you get used to these animals, but there is a way out of the situation. You can breed decorative rabbits for sale
Planning the future livestock
How to build a good rabbitry without knowing how many rabbits will live in it? If you just want to have animals “for testing”, one rabbit with offspring is enough. They can easily get by with 1-3 cells on the site. In order for the supply of meat to be regular and uninterrupted, 20-30 individuals of different ages of different categories are needed.
To begin with, you can get a few rabbits and care for them throughout the warm season to determine how well this activity fits your plans
Optimal rabbitry sizes
If it is necessary to accommodate two adult individuals, it is enough to build a two-section room. Design parameters:
- length from 140 cm;
- width within 60-70 cm;
- height from 50 to 70 cm.
Along the edges of the structure there are bunker drinkers and feeders. This will make it more difficult for animals to get their paws into them. An inclined net is placed between the sections into which hay can be placed. This internal structure is called a sennik. To save space on the site, the rabbitry can be arranged in two tiers. In addition to being compact, this design allows you to quickly add food to animals and speed up the cleaning procedure.
A small cage of two sections is perfect for keeping a couple of rabbits: everything they need is in this building
A room for young animals is constructed based on the following parameters:
- length approximately 200 – 300 cm;
- width up to 100 cm;
- height ranges from 35 to 60 cm.
For young individuals whose age does not exceed 2 months, it is necessary to calculate the actual volume of cells based on the total number of animals. One such rabbit needs a minimum area of 0.12 m2.
Female and her offspring
To accommodate a female with offspring, you need at least 0.6 m2 of space. For newborn rabbits, a special nesting box is placed in the cage, which must have the following parameters:
- length 35 cm;
- height 30 cm;
- width 25 cm.
In such a box, mother and her rabbits will feel calm.
The simplest nest box looks like this, it is not difficult to build. You can put hay or sawdust inside to make the kids feel cozy
What building material should be used?
To build a rabbitry you need relatively inexpensive but durable material. Please note that for all their cuteness, your future pets are rodents. This means that they will absolutely test any construction to the teeth.
Rabbits are rodents, so the internal bars made of wood must be protected from their attacks. It's easy to make protection from tin
If you want those parts of the frame that are made of wood to last more than one season, cover them with metal. In order not to buy it specifically, you can use tin from beer cans or galvanized steel for roofing work for these purposes. This additional work will not take much time, but the useful life of the cells will increase by ten years, or even more.
The most inexpensive and simple material for the frame is wood blocks, the cross-section of which is 50x50 mm. Wood should not be impregnated with an antiseptic. This impregnation is toxic enough to poison young animals. It is better to dry the frame thoroughly. This increases its durability.
A rabbitry with a frame made of well-dried wood can be considered the most economical design: it will last you more than one season
For the roof of each tier of the structure it is necessary to take moisture-resistant material. Flat or wavy slate is perfect for this purpose. If the structure will be located on the street, do not use metal for its roof. This material has the unpleasant property of getting very hot in the sun. As a result, the cell actually turns into an oven.
Now you need to choose the material for covering the frame. For this purpose, a galvanized chain-link mesh with a cell size of 20x20 mm is best suited. By the way, the chain-link itself got its name from the word “rabbit” pronounced in English.
Steel mesh is used for the side of the structure, its doors and facade. The compartment for storing hay - the hay barn, located between the sections - must be made of mesh, the cells of which have a size of 50x50 mm. This will make it easier for animals to get the food they need.
For the bottom, a flat galvanized mesh with cells of 25x25 mm or 10x25 mm is used. Its installation is carried out on load-bearing wooden slats. This solution allows you to do cleaning much faster. Rabbit feces simply fall through large enough cells. It does not stick to wood or galvanized surfaces, which would have to be scraped off each time. The accumulation of manure occurs either in a special receiving bunker, or on the ground if it rolls down the inclined surface of the roof of the lower tier of the structure.
As a rule, continuous flooring is not used for rabbitry. The reason is that wood immediately absorbs caustic urine, and feces simply stick to it. As a result, the microclimate in the cage worsens, and the boards begin to quickly rot. Therefore, it is better to make the bottom lattice. For this, planed floor bars are used. The gap between adjacent bars does not exceed 1 cm.
This photo clearly shows the slatted floor; each slatted floor is reliably protected from rodent teeth by small strips of metal
Rabbits cannot tolerate drafts and can get sick. To prevent this from happening, the rear wall of the structure is made blank. To create it, you can use polycarbonate, boards, simple plywood or OSB board.
If the structure will be located on the street, its supporting frame is made of metal. So, the supporting structure is welded from a corner with parameters 45x45 mm. After which it is simply filled with ready-made sections assembled from stamped mesh. The mesh must be secured to frames welded from steel rod. Another option is a wooden frame. Read below how to make it.
You need to know that animals may develop calluses on their paws; they bring suffering to the animal. To prevent this from happening, you can install a small plywood sheet on the floor to protect the paws. But such plywood must be periodically removed, cleaned and thoroughly dried.
An element such as plywood is needed only in those cages whose floor is made entirely of flat mesh. It is necessary to prevent rabbits from developing corns.
The net will not be able to protect animals from rain or snow. It is better to place such a cage under a slate canopy or in a barn.
A little about Zolotukhin’s method
Nikolai Ivanovich Zolotukhin has been breeding fur-bearing animals for many years, has studied their habits well and, summarizing his experience, has created his own method of effectively equipping rabbitries.
The combined floor looks exactly like this: a slightly sloping large solid front part and a 15-20 cm wide mesh at the back wall of the rabbitry
Zolotukhin suggests:
- Make the floor combined: its front part will be in the form of an inclined flooring made of flat slate, and the back part should be made of steel mesh;
- The feeders into which grain is poured are made not just of hoppers, but of a rotating design: in this case, they will be easy not only to fill, but also to clean.
Zolotukhin chose such a non-standard floor surface not by chance, but on the basis of reliable statistical data and his own observations. Approximately 95% of rabbits relieve themselves at the back wall of the cage. Just where the grid is located. 70% of feces end up there. The animals scatter the rest of the feces all over the floor, but it is dry, so sweeping it up is much easier.
A simple rotary feeder from Zolotukhin differs from a regular bunker feeder in that it can be deployed by slightly pulling towards you
Nikolai Ivanovich uses bedding that would absorb moisture only to teach young animals to urinate at the back wall of the room. His buildings are always dry, and he has to spend less time cleaning than others. For more information about the Zolotukhin method, watch the video.
Let's start building the rabbitry
To accurately calculate the consumption of materials needed to set up a rabbitry, you need to either use a ready-made drawing or make your own sketch based on the dimensions suggested above. After purchasing the material, you can start working.
This is a drawing of a two-tier, two-section cage that can accommodate four adult rabbits. It is equipped with an intersectional hay barn, drinking bowls and bunker feeders.
If the frame is wooden, cut the slats to size and connect them using self-tapping screws. Be sure to make sure there are no distortions. To do this, we check horizontal surfaces with a level, and vertical surfaces with a square. First we assemble the front and rear frames. Now, using short ceiling and floor jumpers, we connect them into a single structure.
If you look at the rabbitry from the side, you can clearly see exactly how its roof needs to be made so that it is sloping
The frame is ready. Now we install the bars of the hay barn and doors. We lay the slatted floor, not forgetting that the gap between its elements should not exceed 10 mm. After completing this work, we cut the mesh and plywood to attach them to the frame with self-tapping screws.
Now let's lay the roof. For the first level of the roof, you can use moisture-resistant QSB sheet. We cut it so that the edge of the sheet protrudes 10-15 cm beyond the dimensions of the cage. To build the second tier, we take corrugated slate. It is attached to the inclined bars of the frame itself.
All that remains is to install OSB doors, drinkers and bunker feeders. The work is completed. Watch the video, it will help you with your work:
All-season option with insulated compartments
Another rabbitry, this time all-season, is presented by a master who made it with his own hands. Below we provide a drawing of the structure and a video made by the author himself.
Another version of the rabbitry, this time it is equipped with warm compartments, which helps the furry animals successfully survive the cold and bad weather
How-to video:
Raising rabbits at home is becoming a very popular activity. This business can bring regular profits. In the video below, the author talks about his small home farm. In addition, breeding these animals is not particularly difficult and does not require much effort, which means that even not the most experienced farmer can cope with it. However, the first question that needs to be resolved is how to build a rabbitry for fluffies with your own hands?
If you think that you cannot build a rabbitry with your own hands, then this is a big mistake. When deciding on the construction of a rabbitry, do not rush to resort to the services of companies. In fact, there is nothing complicated at all in this design. One of the main requirements is a good location. Do not forget that it is necessary to take into account the stocking density of rabbits - 0.1-0.2 m2 per animal.
Do not forget that rabbits do not like drafts or direct sunlight. It is also necessary to separate a place for already grown rabbits and a place for small ones. It would be nice to leave room for “walking” as well. In addition, rabbits need to eat caecotrophs - night feces, so it is necessary to provide for this during construction.
Types and sizes of cells
If we talk about the types of rabbit hutches, there are very, very many of them. How the room for rabbits will turn out depends only on the desire, imagination and engineering abilities of the builder himself. There is a standard cage size for two adults, it is about 140x70x70 (LxWxH) centimeters.
For a couple
Double cages for couples are usually made of wire. 2-3 month old pets are most often placed there.
For the female and her offspring
This is a special type of cell with a queen cell. This type of cage has a special compartment for the queen rabbit. It is known that sometimes female rabbits eat their offspring, which is why they are kept separately. But in such rabbitries it should be possible to move the young rabbits to the mother for feeding, and then back.
For young animals
There are special cages for young pets. Such rabbitries are built for a large group of rabbits that have already passed the period of maternal feeding, but are not yet mature enough. In such cells they must “gain weight.”
Two-tier structures
In fact, such structures can have more than two floors; the dimensions depend on the wishes of the builder. They are an aviary and allow you to save a lot of space. You can see an example of such a design in the video.
Material selection
To make a rabbitry with your own hands, you can use inexpensive materials. You will need any boards, slats, logs and beams. You will also need metal elements such as angles and pipes.
You need to select a suitable material for lining the walls of the cage. Tin, iron or slate will do. In addition, you need to think about the roofing material. Here you can also use slate, linoleum, polycarbonate and ondulin.
You will also need a mesh with cells of about 40 millimeters, hinges, nails, and screws. Tools such as a screwdriver, hammer and screwdriver will be useful for the job.
How the finished rabbitry will look depends on the specific plan. The design presented in the video is suitable for medium-sized rabbits. The cell consists of compartments, between which there is a hole. To make it easier to clean, you need to make a folding or removable roof.
It is imperative to pay attention to the fact that males must be able to move freely. The ability to reproduce depends on this. Females should be kept in a separate enclosure with less space. When giving birth, males need to be kept close to female rabbits for some time.
One cell needs to be made empty. In case one of the rabbits does not reach the required weight and needs special feeding. In this video you can see one of many examples of building a house for pets.
Drawing of the future building
The following photos show several typical drawings that will help you create a rabbitry with your own hands. The choice of scheme depends on what type of rabbitry you need to make and what its dimensions should be. You can find a wide variety of drawings on the Internet.
Feeding and watering system
After assembling the frame according to the instructions, you need to think about the feeder and drinker. For better clarity, you can watch videos that the Internet is rich in.
The length of the feeder should be at least 10 centimeters for an adult and about 7 centimeters for a young one. Height is about 10 centimeters. A feeder about 40 centimeters long is suitable for a female and offspring. This video shows how to make this device with your own hands.
There are a great many types of drinking bowls, bottle ones are especially good. They are very simple and their price is not high. More details about production are described in the video below. In order to make such a device, you need to take a plastic bottle and make a hole in the lid so that the water flows out slowly. In the video, the author makes a drinking bowl from improvised materials.
Mistakes to Avoid
There are some disadvantages that you need to know before you start building a rabbit barn at home:
- A solid sheet floor in a feeder is not very practical. The bedding material becomes dirty very quickly, manure accumulates in layers and freezes in winter.
- A mesh floor in a feeder can be very dangerous for furry pets. A rabbit's foot may get caught inside the mesh. And in the cold season, the animal can simply freeze to the floor.
- Try not to make the rabbitry too cramped; when constructing it, do not skimp on space.
- It is best to make the cage on stands so that later carrying it, if necessary, is not so difficult.
- You should not make the doors too small so that the rabbits can be easily pulled out if necessary.