Drawings of cages for outdoor rabbits. DIY rabbitry: step-by-step instructions

It is not recommended to use metal for arranging rabbit cages. Under the rays of the sun, this material heats up greatly, and in the cold season it freezes. In such a home, rabbits will feel uncomfortable, begin to get sick and stop breeding.

Tools

To make a rabbit house with your own hands, you will need the following tools:

• hammer;
• roulette;
• wood hacksaw;
• plane;
• scissors for cutting mesh;
• pliers;
• nails, screws, self-tapping screws, corners;
• screwdriver and screwdriver;
• sandpaper.

Cage dimensions

The size of rabbit cages depends on the size of the animals. A single cage for a male rabbit should have a width of at least 0.6 m and a length of 0.8–1.1 m. If the rabbits are large, then the size of the section should be increased. One rabbit weighing more than 5 kg requires a room with a length of 1.3 to 1.5 m.

The size of the room for young animals depends on the number of rabbits. They can be placed in groups of 5–8, and with compact planting - 12 individuals per house. The width of the cells in this case should be 1 m, the height should be from 0.35 to 0.6 m, and the length should be 2–3 m.

In any case, one adult rabbit should not have less than 0.5–0.7 m2, and one cub should not have less than 0.15–0.2 m2.

Having studied these simple recommendations, you can easily equip your rabbit farm. If you make houses for animals yourself, the enterprise will cost a small amount. And rabbits bring considerable income: after all, not only the tender meat of these animals is valued, but also their wool and manure.

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

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.

Experienced rabbit breeders believe that the most in the best possible way Breeding these animals involves keeping 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.

Convenience of arranging rabbit hutches in street conditions is to have more space and ease of care for your “menagerie”, since each of the cells needs periodic cleaning.

Rabbit cage

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

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.

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 especially cold days and nights.

Cages placed indoors

Cages placed in dry rooms can be made entirely of metal mesh attached to wooden frame, 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 type of farming is unlikely suitable for those farmers who breed 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 or metal sheets. If this option of buildings will be located on the street, then it is better to choose 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 pallets, 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 round hole to enter. 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.

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, you need to take care of fire safety, therefore, 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, 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 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 for insulation artificial materials, 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 applies to these cells. block construction, 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, 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.

Some farmers lay a solid floor in their cages, but in this case, the most the best option will 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.

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.

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 large quantities 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, a rabbit, stepping on it with its paw, will simply knock it over and spill 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 from thin plastic, then they won't last long time, because 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 for animals required quantity 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 when low temperatures The water in the container and in the tubes freezes quickly, so this drinking bowl can only be used in the warm season.

Vacuum drinker

There are several ways to make a drinking bowl from an ordinary one plastic bottle, and they should be considered so that 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

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.

There should not be a hole in the lid big size, 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 design of the cell itself - they are, in fact, 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 time 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

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 in this case a step-by-step description of the manufacture of a three-tier cage 1400 mm wide, 1900 mm high and 600 mm deep 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 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 on the bars, then the same wall is mounted with outside cages, 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

Breeding and keeping pets involves a large degree of responsibility for the breeder and requires strict adherence to certain rules. One of the most important is the creation of acceptable living conditions for the animal. They should be close to natural.

Rabbits have high degree resistance to various diseases. They are unpretentious to food and living conditions, and reproduce easily. But despite all this, animals need a properly organized home.

The construction of a house for pets must be approached competently. This takes into account the number of animals, their sex composition and age.

What is needed for rabbit farming?

To practice at home, no special financial costs are required. It is necessary to have cages for animals, drinking bowls, and containers for food. All this is easy to do with your own hands.

Harvesting hay and branches can be done in the summer. Root vegetables and vegetables are easy to harvest from your own garden. The main expense item will be animal vaccination and the purchase of concentrated feed.

Each cage should house same-sex animals of approximately the same age, weight and character. It is recommended to place adult animals and females with rabbits in one- and two-section cages.

The sizes of rabbit cages have standard indicators:

• length - 100-120 cm;
• height - 50 cm;
• width - 70 cm.

Suitable for young rabbits wooden cages, covered with steel mesh. Their sizes correspond to the sizes of animals. For example, for 10 individuals, a cage with the same dimensions as indicated above will be acceptable, but its length should be 170 cm.

How to build a single-tier cage?

Many people are interested in how to make a rabbit cage with their own hands. Of course, if available necessary materials it's not that difficult. The article presents drawings of rabbit cages. Recommendations on the choice of materials for work are also given.

For the outside of the cage system, the most popular are double, single-tier rabbit cages.

The length of such cells is 220-240 cm, and the width is 65 cm. The height of the wall at the front is 35 cm. The roof should have one slope, equipped with a canopy protruding forward by 20 cm, and from the sides by 10 cm.

There are two compartments for food in the cage. The floor is made of metal mesh. The cell size should be 18x18 mm or 16x48 mm. The width of the mesh should be 2 cm, and the gap between them is 1.5-1.8 cm.

DIY rabbit cages with correct design must have a partition with a hole, the width of which is 17 cm and the height - 20 cm. It should be located between the nesting box and the feed compartment in order to prevent the young rabbits from penetrating from the nest into the feed compartment. The manhole is constructed at a height of 10-15 cm from the floor.

On the front side of the cage, two doors made of mesh are hung, which lead to the feeding compartment, as well as two solid doors made of boards, leading to the nesting compartment. Feeders with a removable structure and drinking bowls must be hung on the doors leading to the food.

For feeding with roughage, a nursery is installed between the compartments. They are based on two wooden frames on which a mesh is stretched. The size of the mesh cells should be 20x50 mm. The lower ends of the frames are aligned, and the upper ends are moved apart to the sides of the feed compartment. The result is a V-shaped crib for roughage.

What materials will be needed?

To build a single-tier cage for two individuals, the performer will need:

• Plywood with an area of ​​2 m2.
• Metal mesh with cell size 18x18 mm or welded mesh 16x48 mm (1.3 m2).
• Mesh with cells 35x35 cm or 24x48 cm (0.6 m2).

Making bunk cages

The cost of constructing a two-tier animal cage is not so high. This is due to the fact that the design is simple. In addition, the cash costs will pay off in the first months of use.

What materials will be needed?

To make a cage with two tiers you will need:

• Two wood fiber sheets.
• Bars measuring 60x100 mm (4 pcs.).
• Picket fence strips (50 pcs.).
• Ruberoid measuring 4x2 m for the construction of a pallet.
• Nails.
• Dye.

What equipment will be needed?

• Two deep bowls covered with enamel (their diameter should be 220 mm).
• Manure collection tank (approximately 300 mm high).
• Pair VPI-03 (also used for household purposes, immersed in water).
• Step-down transformers 220x127 V (4 pcs. per 8 cells).
• Five-liter polyethylene canisters (4 pcs.).

Cage design

Rabbit hutches should be positioned according to how the light will fall. The blank closed wall where the crates and feeders are located should face north. This protects animals from winds and cold.

The roof is constructed so that it overhangs 90 cm from the north, and 60 cm from the south. From the west and east, the roof should be level with the protruding beams.

Two-tier rabbit hutches contain a frame stand, a lower and an upper tier. You can also build a roof from the roof. As a rule, transparent or translucent material is used. You can also use roofing material.

The tier on top is a nursery, that is, it will serve as a place for raising rabbits after finishing feeding. mother's milk. This room is made of different cells. One of them must be larger than the frame.

The depositor is divided into two parts by means of a feeder for mixed feed, which has exits on both sides. A common canister drinking bowl is also installed here. Each compartment should be equipped with a folding feeder for mixed feed and a nursery for fresh and dry grass. They look like an opening door. There is a door attached to the drinker.

The floor of the tier is horizontal. Its basis can be made of wooden slats, which are located at an angle of 45º so that small rabbits cannot injure their paws. All walls and doors of the cage are made of lattice. The exception is the north side.

Below is the uterine tier. It consists of two compartments: nesting and walking. It may also include the same components that are present in the upper tier.

The nest compartment has a removable floor. It is located below the rest of the tiered area. The queen cell will be placed in this compartment. Before the rabbit brings the babies, she will instinctively sneak into it herself.

The rest of the nest should be stationary. It is equipped with a wall with a hole that is closed with a valve. It is better to equip the door to the nest with hinges from below, so that when open it serves as a platform for the animal.

The walking compartment is equipped with a floor made of slats located perpendicularly. This ensures structural rigidity. In the walking area there is a canister drinker, a folding feeder and a bunker feeder for mixed feed. Nursery on the stand at the back of the paddock. A door must also be installed for the automatic drinker.

A window is constructed in the floor of the walking compartment at the end of the conical shaft, secured under the floor upper tier. The pitched shaft communicates with a bunker equipped with a removable door and a container for manure. Thus, rabbit cages will be cleaned due to special doors, which will also make feed containers accessible. The containers themselves are located under the inclined nets of the feeders.

At the bottom of the cage frame there is a compartment for electrical equipment. At the same time, this place serves as a nursery for rabbits. It must be locked. For convenient loading of the feeders, you need to build it folding outward.

The design of the feeder for mixed feed has a body with windows for rabbits, as well as a tray. It is constructed from a mesh with small cells.

All folding components must be equipped with handles, hinges and latches, as well as, if necessary, mortise locks.

The side and front walls are tightened with a fine mesh, the working side can be covered with a mesh with large cells.

Mini-farm from two-tier cages

To build a small farm based on two-tier cells, you do not need a lot of space. One cell occupies 1.4 m2. If you build a farm of two rows and use eight cells with an opening between them of 70 cm (measured along the legs) and a passage of 110 cm, then the area of ​​the farm will be equal to 25 m2.

Each cage houses up to 25 rabbits at a time. In the lower part there will be a female rabbit with a new offspring, and in the upper part - the previous offspring.

Double-tier cages have been used on experimental farms for a number of years and have proven to be highly cost-effective and profitable. So their use is recommended for all farmers.

Making a family unit - cages of three sections

Making rabbit cages of this design with your own hands is a more difficult task. But such family blocks are very convenient for breeding animals. The central part is inhabited by a male, and on the sides there are female rabbits.

The wooden partitions between the cell compartments are equipped with manholes with plywood latches. They are designed to easily attach females to males and return them back to their compartment.

What materials are a cell made of?

The basis of the frame can be bars. The walls on the sides, the compartment for the nest with doors and partitions are constructed from clapboard.

A metal mesh is used for the front wall. The nesting compartments have an attic part - this is the free space between the ceiling and common roof, where female rabbits can rest.

An additional convenience is that the location of the feeders and drinkers is designed in such a way that they are not subject to contamination and can be filled from the outside.

Cages for rabbits designed by breeder N. I. Zolotukhin

The famous rabbit breeder N.I. Zolotukhin has been breeding these cute animals for several decades. Such a wealth of experience helped him design a new cage for rabbits.

Features of breeder cages

• The floor in them is solid. Its base is slate or boards.
• There are no pallets in the cages.
• A narrow strip of mesh flooring is located only along the rear walls of the structure.
• The back walls are installed at an angle so that rabbit waste from the tiers located above does not fall on the rabbits located in the lower tiers.
• There are no special queen cells. The female rabbit builds her own nest before giving birth.
• Grain feeders are attached to the doors and are turned outward for filling.

A diagram of the rabbitry is presented below.

How to make cages for dwarf rabbits with your own hands?

If you want to have houses, their cages are constructed in a different way. There are many different models available in pet stores. But you don't have to buy them. You can make a cage for your pet yourself, and it won’t take much time.

The structure consists of two walls on the sides, the size of which is 70x70 cm. The rear wall is attached in such a way that there is a gap under the cage. The height of the back wall is 55 cm, length - 100 cm.

Meter-long slats are nailed to the bottom of the cage. A metal mesh is fixed on top of them.

The cage lid is made of mesh with hinges. It is equipped with a handle. A tray is installed under the cage.

How to choose a grid?

When making rabbit hutches, of course, you will need a mesh. In order for the manufacturer to better understand which mesh choice will be optimal, we recommend using a number of tips.

Many people wonder: is galvanized mesh, steel or aluminum material suitable? It is better to opt for a steel structure, as it is durable.

To make a cage made of wood with mesh doors and a floor, you should choose the mesh carefully so that it does not injure the animals' paws. Experienced breeders advise using it with small cells. The material used is metal. The mesh thickness is 2 mm, and the cell size is 16x48 mm. A galvanized mesh is suitable for constructing the side walls of the cage.

Any type of mesh is used to construct the door. It does not have to be welded. Wicker can also be used.

During the warm season, animals can be kept in an enclosure fenced with a mesh. A wicker structure with a thickness of 1.2 mm is suitable for it.