How to make rabbitry at home. Convenient do-it-yourself rabbitry. Description with photo and video. Blueprints. Dimensions and the correct layout of the rabbitry

27.06.2021

The rabbitry is a convenient design designed for all types and breeds of rabbits. Made from wood. May be upholstered in iron. When building independently, the structure is recommended to be raised above the ground by 1 m.

Primary requirements

A whole farm for several hundred heads, special sheds, cages for outdoor or indoor maintenance can be designed for production. Regardless of the conditions in which animals will be kept, it is necessary to take into account physical indicators, breed, age and gender. The future design should be easy to manufacture. Permanent requires examinations, disinfection, feeding. An uncomfortable rabbitry should not adversely affect the health of the animals. Therefore, it should be made as spacious and comfortable as possible. Correct implementation of some requirements will reduce the time for maintenance and make maintenance easy.

Location selection

Before starting construction, it is necessary to select a place on the plot. In the daytime, the area should be shaded from direct sunlight. It is best to make the rabbitry with your own hands located on a hill. Cold gusts of wind, stale and damp air should not be allowed to appear. The rabbitry should not be located next to the compost pit. This will lead to the gradual extinction of individuals or the entire livestock. It is also not recommended to build a dwelling for rabbits next to a dog aviary or other sources of noise.

Design

The structure of the building must be solid. That's why it is necessary to choose only good strong materials. The future house must be raised at least 1 m, before construction, the drawings should be carefully completed and a place on the site should be selected. Also, the animal house must be ventilated.

Optimal dimensions

Professionals have developed the required cell sizes. The width and length of the designs varies depending on which animals they are oriented towards.

How to keep a couple of rabbits

For two adult animals, a warm room with two sections should be built. Required dimensions:

Length not less than 140 cm;
Width not less than 60-70 cm;
Height 50-70 cm;

Along the edges of the structure should be placed with fresh water. It will be very difficult for rabbits to climb into the feeders with their paws. Between sections it is necessary to place an inclined grid. Hay or green fodder is placed in its frame. The inner part of the building is called the sennik. In order to save space, you can make two or three tiers installed on top of each other. But it is worth considering that artificial ventilation will be required in the lower structure. The last two tiers can be managed by natural air circulation with the help of wind. Such cages will be compact and convenient. You can easily add food to them and clean them up.

Group maintenance of young animals

Recommended length 200-300 cm;
Width 80-100 cm;
Height not less than 35-60 cm;

Such designs are intended for keeping young individuals no older than 2 months. It is necessary to calculate the volume of dwellings from the number of livestock. One individual will need a space of 0.12 square meters. m.

Female and newborn rabbits

A female with needs at least 0.6 square meters. m, also in the cage should be nesting capacity. Recommended tank sizes:

Length not less than 34-36 cm;
Height 30-32 cm;
Width 25-28 cm;

Video by Pavel Tverikin

The tree protruding inside the house, the passage in the partition, which should separate the walking compartment and the mother liquor, should be carefully upholstered with tin. Thanks to this design, animals will not have the opportunity to destroy the walls.
When installing the cage on the street or under a canopy, it is necessary to place the container above the wooden floor. Only after that a metal mesh and a ladder are laid on top. Due to this, additional heat will be released during the decomposition of the compost in winter. The temperature will rise in the rabbitry. The stay of animals in a cage will become the most comfortable.
If the breeder is a beginner and makes rabbitry with his own hands for the first time in his life, then in this case, professionals recommend using wood waste and waste material. When buying new heads or when offspring appear, there will be a need for new cages. The experience gained will help to design a structure from building materials High Quality. In subsequent construction, you can use the material most rationally.

Rabbits and rats

After the rabbitry was built with your own hands, you should remember about the occurrence of wild rodents. Rats are considered carriers of bacteria, various infections. These animals can cause irreparable harm to adults and their offspring. Therefore, it is necessary to make sure that the rats do not bother the rabbits. For this you need:

Do not scatter food all over the rabbitry;
Carry out thorough mulching and weeding;
Garbage must be removed throughout the area. This is especially true of the territory in which the rabbitry is located. Rodents can burrow in garbage and waste. Such a neighborhood with rabbits is extremely unpleasant;
The rabbitry should be cleaned, disinfected and repaired.

In addition to distribution infectious diseases, rodents can eat newborn babies. To date, there are a large number of means by which you can get rid of rats. Such drugs are various baits, ultrasonic whistles, ditches. When exterminating rodents, care must be taken. Ill-considered actions can harm not only rats, but also the rabbits themselves.

When breeding rabbits, one of the main points is right place the content of such living creatures. A spacious and functional rabbitry will preserve the health and productivity of the animal, as well as simplify its care. But not always purchased options are made taking into account all the nuances. They may not be suitable for farm conditions or they may be uncomfortable for rabbits. The way out of this situation will be the construction of a rabbitry at home.

The Benefits of Raising Rabbits

Breeding rabbits today is an extremely popular area of agricultural animal husbandry. When organizing the proper conditions for keeping and feeding such living creatures, a breeder opens up a wide range of advantages that are inherent in rabbit farms.

The main among them are:

obtaining high-quality fur, which is highly valued in the production of clothing;
dietary meat widely used in cooking;
the possibility of using the manure of such animals for fertilizing fields and gardens;
caring for animals requires a relatively small amount of time and money;
owners also receive a certain income from the sale of young animals.

Basic requirements for a rabbitry

A properly assembled house is a fundamental point in breeding rabbits. Therefore, before building a rabbitry with your own hands, it is extremely important to familiarize yourself with the basic requirements that are put forward for such a product.

Attention! When building a cage for rabbits, they definitely plan for which breed, age and gender they are building. Such moments certainly affect the main design features and cell size.

In addition, there are a number of other important requirements, which each rabbitry must answer:

Maximum space. A sufficient amount of free space in the cage contributes to the increased physical activity of the animals, which is necessary for their well-being. In addition, the vast area of the house will greatly simplify the cleaning of manure and food residues, as well as disinfection.
Quality lighting. The rabbitry in the daytime should be well lit, regardless of whether it is located indoors or outdoors. A constant supply of light during the day promotes the growth of rabbits and improves their appetite. But under no circumstances should animals be exposed to direct sunlight. They are also harmful. The optimal time for lighting the house is from 16 to 18 hours a day.
Temperature regime. The most acceptable temperature for rabbits in a cage is 10-20 degrees. Going beyond this range is fraught with health problems and reduced productivity.
Ventilation. The organization of ventilation in the rabbitry is required mainly when the house is indoors. When placed outside, natural ventilation will be sufficient.

With these points in mind, you can move on to more specific cell options.

Types of structures and dimensions

When forming a large rabbit farm, three main types of rabbitries are used. Each of them assumes specific dimensions and design features. At the same time, with regard to the dimensions of each type of cell, they have quite clear values.

For a pair of rabbits

As a rule, future breeders buy rabbits in pairs, which include an adult male and female. For their living, a cage is arranged, divided inside into two rooms. The minimum dimensions of such a product are as follows:

product length - 140 cm;
width - about 70 cm;
cage height - from 50 to 70 cm (depending on the breed of rabbits).

The two sections of the house are separated by a special net, through which hay and grass are given to the living creatures. Loose feed is poured into feeders, which are securely fixed under the walls of the structure. Drinkers are installed there.

The simplicity of these structures allows them to be arranged in several tiers. But it should be remembered that with such an arrangement, natural ventilation will be sufficient for the upper floors, and artificial ventilation must be organized in the lower cage.

For young animals

A different design and dimensions suggests a cage for growing young. In such a dwelling, rabbits are kept up to 2 months of age, after which they are moved to rabbitries for adults.

The area of the product is calculated based on the size of the population of rabbits. For each animal, a minimum of 0.12 square meters is required. m of space. As for the minimum dimensions of such a rabbitry, they have the following meanings:

cell length is from 200 to 300 cm;
height must be at least 35 cm;
width - about 100 cm.

For females with cubs

A pregnant rabbit is placed in a cage with a separate structure. After lambing, she will live here with the young for some time. The calculation of the area for such a family is at least 0.6 square meters. m. Moreover, an integral element of this cell is a nest in which lambing will take place. It can be made from a wooden box. When organizing a mother liquor, a number of points should be considered:

the presence of a small rounded hole for the free passage of the rabbit;
the top cover on the door hinges, which will allow you to open it and check the condition of the offspring;
a thick layer of sawdust or fluff on the floor;
separate compartment for infrared lamp in outdoor cages.

The nest dimensions are as follows:

length - 35 cm;
width - 27 cm;
height - about 30 cm.

Preparation for construction

Do-it-yourself rabbitry is quite simple to make even without extensive experience. But the key to the success of such work is careful preparation. It includes several stages.

Creating a drawing

Before you make a rabbitry yourself, you need to draw its plan in detail on paper. Such a drawing will greatly simplify the assembly and calculation of the necessary materials. But if the assembler does not have special skills in drawing, then the drawing can be downloaded from the network. But even in this case, it will have to be finalized taking into account specific parameters.

The first thing to pay attention to when planning is the size of the product, in accordance with the breed and number of rabbits. In doing so, the following points are taken into account:

for one young individual, from 0.2 to 0.5 square meters are allocated. m area;
for rabbits that are planned to be used in breeding work, it is necessary from 0.8 to 1 sq. m of space;
for adult animals in group keeping, for each rabbit, from 0.5 to 1 sq. m;
for large breeds of rabbits, the need for space increases even more.

The drawing itself is carried out according to the following scheme:

A rectangle is drawn, which on a scale conveys the exact dimensions of the cell.
With the same observance of scale, future compartments are marked.
Next mark the feeders, doors and partitions.
Based on the points noted, a sectional side view is indicated. Moreover, a cut is made along the section with the largest number of details, for their more accurate calculation.

materials

After the detailed plan is ready, the assembler proceeds to the procurement of materials. There is a wide choice of material from which it is possible to build a quality rabbitry. But most rabbit breeders agree that thin wood and plywood should not be used. Such raw materials quickly soak, and rabbits, when grinding teeth, will render it unusable in a matter of days.

To make the simplest house for rabbits, you will need:

Thick wooden beam. Used to assemble the frame.
Thick board (preferably oak). The back and side walls are made from it.
Mesh with fine grain. Suitable for forming the front wall, as well as the floor.
Metal or thick wooden slats. This material is used to reinforce the floor.
Ruberoid and slate. Suitable for building a cage roof.

Also, nails, screws or other fasteners are required for work. And if in winter the cages are kept in an unheated room, you should additionally take care of the insulation.

Tools

Based on these materials, the necessary set of tools is selected. The minimum list includes:

Bulgarian;
scissors for cutting metal;
a hammer;
drill;
riveter;
tape measure or long ruler.

For marking, you should pick up a pencil with a soft core in advance. If the legs of such a product are planned to be made of metal, you will additionally need a welding machine.

How to make a rabbitry with your own hands?

After the end of all preparatory moments, marking and cutting of the material, they proceed to the direct assembly of the product. This work also involves several stages. Each of them requires strict adherence to the instructions and the previously prepared drawing.

Frame manufacturing

A reliable frame is a guarantee of the strength of the entire structure. Therefore, its manufacture is approached with particular care. For the construction of the frame, it is recommended to use thick wooden bars or galvanized steel corners.

The whole process of work fits into the following algorithm:

Two metal or wooden corners are connected to form the base.
From the same corners make two smaller rectangles. They are used to form the roof.
All joints of structural elements are fixed with nuts or welding.
Between themselves, the base and the roof frame are connected using vertical bars, which are also tightly fastened to the workpieces through drilled holes.

sheathing

Immediately after the assembly of the frame, the stage of sheathing the house follows. It is made from a fine-grained metal mesh, which is placed on the inside of the rabbitry to protect the wooden structural elements from the teeth of the rabbits. The mesh is attached to the structure with wire or plastic clamps.

Outside, over the mesh, from the back and sides, the cage is sheathed with plywood or wide boards. If desired, the side walls can be left as they are, but the back side must be closed to prevent drafts.

Also at this stage, a sennik is installed between the compartments of the cage for adults. It consists of two pieces of a larger mesh, which are assembled in the form of the letter "V".

Floor arrangement

There are several different options for organizing the floor in the rabbitry. The first involves laying thick wooden beams on the frame. But they are not laid continuous, but with a span of 10 mm. Through such spans, manure will fall to the ground or into a special container, from where it is easier to remove it. But living creatures often gnaw through such a floor.

The second option is made of a metal mesh with a cell size of 25x25 mm. It is laid on the floor frame and firmly fixed to the crossbars. If desired, it can be supplemented with spacers installed along the width of the cage. AT winter time so that the rabbits' paws do not freeze, a piece of plywood is fixed on top of the grid. But it should be easy to remove so as not to complicate replacement and cleaning.

Roof

For the roof, wavy slate or roofing material is used. It should protect from moisture, but not warm up excessively in the summer. That is why the metal profile, as well as sheets of galvanized steel and tin, are not recommended.

The roof is made single-pitched or gable, depending on the project. In multi-tiered cages, each house is covered with a flat roof. The material is attached to the beam with screws or nails.

Warming for the winter

In order for the rabbits not to freeze in winter, the house must be insulated. To do this, use a whole range of activities:

all cracks are covered with roofing felt;
the front wall is covered with a piece of plywood or glass (the latter does not interfere with lighting) to prevent drafts;
the floor is covered with flooring and covered with straw;
for especially cold regions, the walls are covered with foam from the outside.

Drinkers and feeders

Feeders are made of wood or plastic. If a group method of keeping is practiced, then the length of such a product is calculated based on the size of the population of animals.

Important! Ready feeders and drinkers are placed in different parts of the rabbitry, tightly fixing. Reliable fastening on the walls avoids tipping over and contamination of feed.

Rabbit according to Mikhailov

It is worth noting that in addition to the indicated simple project, there are more complex options for rabbitries. One of them is Mikhailov's mini-farm.

In his project, the famous academician tried to bring breeding conditions closer to natural ones, while automating the process as much as possible. His houses are distinguished by the following features:

accommodation in one cage up to 25 individuals;
automatic supply of feed and water, which are served in unlimited quantities;
automatic cell cleaning;
the presence of a heating system;
a person serves the house once a week and no longer disturbs the family, without creating unnecessary stress for him.

Rabbit according to Zolotukhin

The rabbitry of another well-known rabbit breeder N.I. Zolotukhin also deserves attention. His houses for rabbits suggest the following design points:

each cell has three tiers;
there is no stationary mother liquor in the cells, for its formation it is enough to insert a small board inside during pregnancy and lambing of the rabbit;
feeders are stationary, turning over to simplify the replenishment of feed, located at an angle of 35 degrees;
There is no padding on the floor at all.

It is also worth noting the special design of the floor in such an aviary. It is made under a slope from the front to the rear wall. At the same time, the front part is made of solid material, and the back part is made of fine-grained mesh. As a result, the manure rolls to the back wall and falls out through the mesh. To prevent feces from falling into the lower houses, each of the upper tiers is moved back a little.

There are several points that will help beginners in breeding animals, as well as in building the most convenient rabbitry. First of all, if a person is building a cage for the first time, you should not immediately buy expensive materials. It is better to make a house for the first couple from waste, old corners and boards, and with the growth of livestock and experience, gradually switch to more expensive material.

Also in winter, you should constantly monitor the temperature in the cage. If it is too low, it makes sense to cover the mesh floor with a solid board. In this case, the manure will collect on it and, decomposing, will release additional heat.

All wooden structural elements that rabbits have access to from the inside must be covered with tin. This will save the design much longer. They upholster a vertical beam, the outer walls of the mother liquor, feeders and drinkers from the outside.

Conclusion

A properly made rabbitry will help to significantly increase the productivity of rabbits, quickly increase their livestock, and also simplify cleaning and caring for such living creatures. But this does not mean that such a product will have to spend a lot of money. With the availability of materials, it is quite possible to make a functional and convenient rabbitry with your own hands, spending a little time and effort on it.

Almost every owner of a country house has a small farm. Someone prefers to breed big cattle, someone is a bird, and someone likes to deal with fluffy and charming rabbits. But for any economy it is worth considering comfortable conditions of detention. If you opted for rabbits and decided to make cages for them with your own hands, you should decide in advance on the place of installation of the cages, their size and internal content.

On your own backyard, cages with livestock can be placed:

outdoors;
indoors, such as a barn.

All cages for rabbits, depending on their location and breeding method, are divided into three types:

year-round outdoor accommodation;
year-round maintenance indoors;
combined maintenance (in the summer in the open air, in the winter - in the barn).

Many rabbit breeders believe that the best option for placing cages is to arrange them outdoors. Such content has a positive effect on animals, contributes to the development of immunity to diseases, the presence of a beautiful and high-quality hairline. Farming outdoors increases the productivity of females, increases the number of rabbits in one litter and contributes to their endurance.

When choosing a place to install a cage, it is worth considering:

air humidity. It should vary between 60-75%. That is, the place should be chosen on a hill and away from water bodies;
exposure to direct sunlight, which negatively affects animals. It is better to place the cages under trees or behind an artificial fence;
the presence of drafts, which are a common cause of rabbit diseases. Air movement must not exceed 30 m/s. Do not forget about high-quality ventilation in the cages. Otherwise, the fumes will undermine the health of your pets.

street cages

All rabbit cages may differ in:

sizes;
structures;
manufacturing materials.

They are simple, bunk with additional amenities, such as heating. Which cage you need to build for your farm depends largely on the breed of rabbits, their size, the availability of building materials and personal preferences.

The advantages of arranging rabbitries on the street include:

the presence of a large space;
convenience in caring for animals;
the ability to build convenient and affordable designs.

For the construction of street cages, you will need to prepare reliable materials. They must be resistant to moisture, frost and sudden changes in temperature.

Important: the cage for rabbits must protect animals from predators such as dogs, cats, foxes, rats.

To prevent your pets from being bothered by direct sunlight and precipitation, make a canopy with a large visor over the building. If you are breeding animals all year round, you need to take care of warming one of the parts of the cage. Despite the fact that these animals tolerate low air temperatures well, it is necessary for them to create a cozy and warm place where they can bask.

Important: special attention is paid to the insulation of queen cells and the department with small rabbits.

Cells placed indoors

Structures placed in sheds can be made from a single metal mesh fixed on a wooden frame. The floor must be made of wood.

If you are raising rabbits indoors, it should be:

well plastered;
ventilated;
illuminated in winter - at least 10 hours.

It would be nice if on the south side of the barn there was a window on the entire wall.

Combined breeding option for rabbits

For the combined version of breeding animals, mobile cages are most suitable. In the warm season, it will be convenient to take them out into the street, and in the cold season - to install them indoors.

If funds allow, two variants of cages can be made: one for the street, the other for the barn. But this option is unlikely to suit those who breed a large number of animals.

Cell design and size

Cages for rabbits are single or multi-tiered. Depending on who they are intended for (kindergarten, young animals, adults), their design depends.

Single-tier and multi-tier structures

Single-tier cages are placed above the ground at a distance of 80 cm. The roof of the structures is covered with slate or metal sheet.

Important: if the cages are located on the street, it is better to cover them with slate, as the metal is very hot, and these animals do not tolerate heat well.

For the convenience of caring for animals, it is better to make a pallet with a chute for easy cleaning. In single-tier structures, metal pallets are installed for pet waste.

Multi-tiered cages can consist of two or more tiers. Each tier contains the required number of sections. They can be made from bars, galvanized mesh and boards. These materials are suitable for both outdoor and indoor rabbitry construction.

Tiered items are often referred to as sheds. In them, the tiers are placed one above the other. This helps save space. The ideal option is two-tier structures. They provide convenient care and monitoring of pets.

When building multi-tiered cages, there should be a space of at least 15 cm between each tier. A metal roof must be installed above each cage, and sloping ebbs should be installed in the space between each tier. This is necessary so that the animal waste does not fall on the lower tiers, does not linger on the roof, but flows into drains specially arranged behind the cages.

Some prefer to use removable plastic pallets in cages. They are convenient and easy to use. Such pallets can be installed directly in the cages themselves, or on skids under the slatted floor.

Cells for okrol

In cages for kindling, it is necessary to install special cameras on the sides or provide a place for a mobile mother liquor. If you opted for a stationary department, then the removable floor, walls and ceiling are made solid. They must be well insulated so that young offspring do not die from cold and draft. In the rest of the cage, the floor can be made of metal mesh or wooden bars.

The mobile mother liquor is a completely closed box with an entrance hole. This box should have an additional side door so that the mother liquor can be conveniently cleaned and dried. This design is convenient in that it can be rearranged as needed in different cells. They are also much more convenient to change the bedding and clean up. The building is insulated for rounding with shavings or hay.

If you are expecting offspring in the cold winter, a mobile mother liquor should be placed in an electric heating pad to create comfortable conditions for a rabbit a few days before the addition.

In winter, it is almost impossible to do without heating the uterine department. If you do not have an electric heating pad, you can use an ordinary light bulb, which should be kept constantly on during this period. The light bulb must be placed in a compartment that is located behind the wall of the uterine chamber.

Attention: having stopped the choice on heating the mother liquor with an electric light bulb, take care of fire safety. The chamber in which the lamp will be located should first be sheathed with thin metal.

There is another method of heating this part of the cage using a heating cable for underfloor heating. It is fixed at the bottom of the mother liquor, and a removable floor panel is laid on top of it.

Important: giving preference to such heating, make sure that the cable is intact, without defects. Such a heating system can be connected to a thermostatic regulator. This will allow you to adjust the temperature in the uterine compartment, depending on the weather conditions.

If the cells are in a barn, it is better to use a mobile cell. Then it will be easier to ventilate and clean them on the street. If you decide to make a built-in uterine chamber, the floor in it must be removable.

In two-section single-tier cages, the length of each section should be at least 100-120 cm, and the depth should be 55-65 cm. The width of the built-in uterine chamber should be 35-40 cm.

Cages for young animals

Young rabbits are called rabbits, aged from three to five months. They are kept in groups of 8-20 pieces. The height of the walls of the cages must be at least 35 cm. The total area is calculated based on the fact that one animal should be 0.25 square meters.

Multi-tiered cages for young animals are installed outdoors and rise from the ground by 75 cm. If the floor is made of wooden bars, it is recommended to install a metal mesh on top. Thus, you will protect the rabbits, who will gnaw at the tree and scratch it with their paws. For older rabbits, you can make a mesh floor.

AT winter period, cells with young growth must be well insulated. For this, hay or straw is used, laid 2 cm thick.

Cage for adult rabbits

Cages for adult rabbits of medium size should be 60-70 cm deep and 100 cm long. These are the minimum dimensions for comfortable breeding of animals. They can be made according to the same block structures. That is, in each block there are two cells separated by a wall.

For mating animals, it is worth considering combining two cages into one using a removable partition. For adult rabbits, the floor is recommended to be made of galvanized mesh.

Attention: adults must move freely around the cage. Their growth and development will depend on this.

Cage with aviary for walking

Cages with an aviary for walking are suitable for both young animals and rabbits of reproductive age. Such a design should consist of two separate compartments with a partition, a roof and a mesh enclosure. The two compartments are connected by a round or square entrance carved into the rear wall of the structure. Thanks to the convenient design, the animals move easily inside, which favors their proper development and growth.

The size of the cage with a paddock can be any. Well, if its depth will vary within 60-65 cm, and the depth of the enclosure - 80-100 cm. Such structures consist of single-tier blocks consisting of two separate cells. A mesh aviary is attached to the back of the cages if there is space.

Cages for giant rabbits

Since the giant breed belongs to large rabbits, the cages for them must also have the appropriate size. Giants grow to considerable sizes. Their length is 55-65 cm, and their weight varies from 5.5 to 7.5 kg. When building housing for large breeds, it is worth starting from the weight and height of animals.

For one adult, a cage is needed, with dimensions: 96 cm in length, 70 in depth, and 60-70 cm in height.

For young giants, housing can be a little easier. Eight animals need a cage with an area of 1.2 square meters. m. Its height must be at least 40 cm.

Important: giant rabbits have an impressive weight. Therefore, the bottom of the cells should first be strengthened. In the manufacture of a mesh floor, preference is given to a thick wire, 2 mm thick. To prevent the mesh from bending under the weight of the animals, it is necessary to fix the bars under it. If you plan to install plastic or rubber pallets in cages, it is better to make a solid field under them.

Cage for California rabbits

Californian rabbits are quite popular among breeders. They are absolutely unpretentious in care and resistant to severe frosts. Adult individuals reach a length of up to 50 cm, and their weight ranges from 4.5 to 5 kg. The cage for this breed should be 0.5 sq.m. Since the paws of this breed are covered with hard hair, the floor can be made slatted or mesh.

If you breed rabbits only for meat, they can be kept in a hole that is 200 by 200 cm in size and about a meter deep. The walls of the pit should be pre-strengthened with slate, and lay boards or a grid on the floor. For safety, a small fence and a roof are being built around the pit. This method of breeding animals is as close to natural as possible, gives nice results. Rabbits love to dig holes in the ground. With proper care, they will delight the owners with numerous offspring.

Making cells with your own hands

Having decided to build cozy houses for rabbits, it is necessary to decide in advance on the type of construction, its dimensions and materials of manufacture. You will need to prepare:

hacksaw;
a hammer;
corner;
plane;
screwdriver.

Any type of cage will consist of: frame, walls, floor, ceiling and doors. As a rule, in the construction of houses for these animals, a metal mesh or natural wood is used.

As for materials for construction, you should prepare:

large sheets of plywood;
slate;
nails and screws;
bars;
slats;
galvanized mesh.

For the manufacture of doors, you will need to additionally prepare curtains and latches.

Having chosen a tree as the main building material, it should be sanded and sanded in advance. All sharp edges are processed so that the animal does not get hurt. Since rabbits grind their teeth on wood, there should always be branches in the cages. Otherwise, they will simply gnaw their homes.

Feeders and drinkers for rabbit cages

In addition to building cells, it is necessary to carefully consider their internal arrangement. Food and water should be supplied to the animals in a comfortable way. Feeders can be either purchased ready-made in the store or made on your own.

Rabbits need plenty of clean water every day. If you simply pour it into a plate, dirt and debris will get into it, or animals will constantly spill water. When choosing a drinker, you should decide on its:

manufacturing materials;
location;
volume;
construction type.

Attention: if the drinker is made of thin plastic, the animals will quickly gnaw through it. And in metal cans, the water will become cloudy and polluted.

Automatic drinkers

Automatic shelves are most often used on farms where there are a lot of living creatures. This design is quite simple and consists of: a bowl connected to a container. The bowl of water is always inside the cage, and the container is outside. It is easy to use and durable.

The principle of operation of this drinker is quite simple: as the water decreases from the bowl, a new portion from the container enters it.

Attention: making such a drinker with your own hands is quite difficult. It is easier to buy it ready-made in the store.

Nipple drinkers

Nipple designs are practical and comfortable. The liquid does not spill into them and remains in the tube until the animal begins to drink. The only drawback of such a product is that in the cold season the liquid can simply freeze in the tube.

Vacuum drinker

A vacuum drinking bowl can be easily built with your own hands from a simple plastic bottle. You can make such a drinker as follows:

A bowl with a flat bottom should be fixed at a height of 10 cm from the floor on the cage so that one half of it is inside the structure, and the other is outside.
We take a simple plastic bottle one or two liters and fill it with water. We close the bottle with a lid, turn it upside down and place it on a bowl. We fasten the bottle to the cage with clamps or wire.
Carefully unscrew the lid, and the bowl will automatically fill with water. As the animals drink water from the drinker, it will be replenished with new liquid up to a certain level.

Choke drinker

The throttle drinker works on the principle of a conventional washbasin. You can also make it yourself. To do this, you need to take a plastic bottle, make a small hole in the lid and attach a throttle. A rubber gasket can be used as a valve. It will hold the throttle well and block the hole in the cover.

The drinker is attached in a vertical position to the cage at a height of 30 cm from the floor.

Hanging drinker

A hanging drinker is also made from a bottle. It is suspended in a horizontal position on a wire, at a height of 30 cm from the floor. For the manufacture of this design in the bottle, it is necessary to make a cutout, 10 cm wide along the entire length, retreating only 5 cm from the bottom and lid of the product.

The hanging drinker is attached outside the cage - with a cut hole inward.

feeders

It is worth considering the design of feeders at the design stage of cage construction. You can feed rabbits with:

With the right approach to breeding rabbits, you can achieve high results. If the cages are built in accordance with all norms and requirements, and feeders, drinkers and queen cells are correctly located in them, your pets will feel as comfortable as possible, they will quickly develop and gain weight.

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

Rabbit mini-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 serve well when fertilizing the soil in the garden.
Communication with rabbits gives a lot of pleasant experiences, especially for children.

How to build a good rabbitry

Difficulties of rabbit breeding

Breeding rabbits, of course, involves its own pitfalls:

The need to slaughter animals. Not every owner will be able to muster up the courage to kill a pet that he managed to become attached to.
Animal diseases, providing prevention and treatment.
Reproduction. Along with excessive fertility, there may be problems with obtaining offspring.
Preservation of the breed, for which it is necessary to replace the male producer twice a year.
Providing quality food. The animals are very voracious, moreover, they often spoil the food that needs to be replaced.
Rats who are attracted to the mini rabbit farm because of the abundance of food.
Animal accommodation problem.

If the list of minuses from maintaining a mini-farm is not scary, the last difficulty can be easily eliminated by building a solid 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.
Relative ease of assembly.
Compliance with vet. standards and create comfort for animals.
Ease of maintenance, including feeding and manure removal.

For two adults, 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 \u200b\u200b0.6 square meters. Also, for the offspring, a box 35x25x30 cm is installed inside the cage.

Scheme of a standard rabbitry

Materials for the device rabbitry

When building, it is important to consider that rodents will inhabit it, therefore, making cells better using durable materials.

The wooden structures of the structure, in order to extend the service life, must be sheathed with metal so that the "residents" do not eat it 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.

Treatment of 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 proceed to the construction of a frame, the dimensions of which depend on the number of cells.

For the device of the frame, a wooden bar, metal pipes or galvanized corners are used. If you make a metal structure, you will need welding or special fasteners. Timber structures are much more popular due to their relative cheapness and lightness. Usually, 5x5 cm bars are taken for this purpose.

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

Sheathing of the rabbitry frame

Walls

Sheathe the structure with a galvanized chain-link (by the way, from the English rabbit - rabbit), with a cell size of 20x20 mm. The grid is superimposed on 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 fasteners.

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

To prevent the appearance of drafts, to which rabbits are very sensitive, the back wall is made deaf and sewn up with plywood, polycarbonate or other suitable material. The side walls are also sometimes made deaf.

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

A sennik is arranged between the sections of the cages, for the walls of which a grid with larger cells (50x50) is taken to make it easier for the animals to extract food.

doors

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

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

Rabbit floor device

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 special place from where manure is then removed.

Rabbit house with mesh floor

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

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

Often, gratings made of planed wooden blocks are used when constructing the floor. Between the bars it is necessary to leave gaps of at least 10 mm. But of course, such a floor will be actively tested “for a tooth”.

Roof for rabbits

To cover the roof of the rabbitry, any roofing material that is resistant to moisture is suitable, so flat slate should not be used.

The metal roof can become very hot in the sun, then the temperature in the cages will be excessively high, and the animals may suffer from the heat.

Insulation of cells in winter

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

Door insulation. Doors in winter are sewn up with sheets of plywood or other durable material. The best option is glass frames, in which there will be light in the rabbitry.
Floor insulation. To do this, a flooring is arranged over the mesh floors, on which hay is spread.
Insulation of walls and elimination of cracks.

Zolotukhin's experience

For the device of a mini-farm for breeding rabbits, N.I. methods are often used recently. Zolotukhin, a well-known expert in the field of rabbit breeding with fifty years of experience.

Features rabbitry Zolotukhin:

Triple cells.
Dry and sloping floor.
Convenient feeders for hay and grain.
There is no special mother liquor.

The structure accommodates from 3 to 6 adult animals per tier.

Comfortable floor from Zolotukhin

The design of the floor was chosen according to observations of the behavior of the rabbits. It turns out that these animals mostly defecate at the back wall of the cage.

Based on this, in the Zolotukhin rabbitries, the front part of the floor consists of a flat slate or plywood sheet, set slightly inclined (the slope is not more than 6 cm), and in the back of the bottom there is a mesh through which the bulk of the feces falls through.

Bedding made of hay or straw at Zolotukhin is not used. Such animal rooms are easy to clean up because the floors are always dry.

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

Convenient feeder from Zolotukhin

Grain feeders, designed by Nikolai Ivanovich, are attached to the door of the rabbitry and turn easily, which is convenient to maintain, as it allows you to feed the animals when the cages are locked, and besides, rats will not enter them.

Placement of a rabbit with an offspring

In winter, instead of a permanent mother liquor, if necessary, a house for a rabbit and her offspring is placed in a cage. And in the summer, a nest in the hay, fenced off with special partitions, serves as a place for okrol.

If you make a rabbitry with your own hands, guided by the advice of Zolotukhin, then a positive result is guaranteed.

Mikhaylov's mini-farm

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

Scheme of a rabbitry according to the Mikhailov method

Created by this method, a mini-farm involves a rare human participation in the care of 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, hoods and ventilation are provided.

The specifics of the mini-farm device

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

Automated mode of feeding (self-feeders). Animals receive an unlimited amount of food and drink. In winter, water is heated. Food and water are added once a week.
Automatic room cleaning. Excrement and waste fall into a specially designated place.
The design of the feeders does not allow them to get dirty, and the food always remains clean.
Ventilation removes gases to the outside through a pipe.
In winter, the rabbitry and mother liquor are heated, which contributes to 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 according to the Mikhailov method

Mikhailov's design is very effective and is used both in personal subsidiary plots 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.

So that the rats do not bother, you must:

Keep food in order.
Carry out weeding, garbage collection in the territory where the rabbitry is located, as rats make their homes in the garbage.
Timely repair and clean the rabbitry.

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

There are a considerable number of drugs with which you can get rid of annoying rodents. These are various baits that rats eat immediately or carry on themselves. When exterminating rats, safety measures must be observed 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 favorite pets.

Enough profitable. Rabbit breeding allows you to get meat and fur, while giving a little energy. To get high profits from rabbits, you will need to follow certain rules for their maintenance. A lot depends on proper nutrition and care, but first you should think about the cells.

If for large animals it is enough to build an ordinary barn, then for breeding rabbits you need to take care of special conditions. best solution in terms of price-quality ratio, it will be possible to make a house for an animal with your own hands. It's cheap and also allows you to take into account everything peculiarities breeding and location. In this article, we will consider what material should be used for this purpose, what should be taken into account, we will analyze the drawings.

Selection of necessary materials

The material is selected based on the cell type. Any structure has a frame, floor, walls, door and ceiling. For building rabbit houses houses the most commonly used metal mesh and wood. The cell of this grid should be no more than 2 by 2 cm in diameter and not less than 16 by 47 mm (this depends on the age and weight of the animal).

The materials for building a cage are:

plywood sheets;
bars;
slate;
nails and screws;
slats;
grid with cells;
for gate valves and curtains;
drinkers and feeders.

The wood is sanded and sanded, the ends of the mesh are securely fixed. Sharp edges must be removed so that the living creatures do not get hurt, and the protruding wooden parts are upholstered with tin. Rabbits are very fond of gnaw wood - so they grind their teeth. To do this, put branches in their feeder. The roof and walls are made of plywood and mesh, and wooden bars will serve as the main frame. Their size will depend on the location of the structure: if the cage will stand on the street, then the legs of the frame should be from 80 cm, and when installed indoors - 35-40 cm.

If the structure will stand in an open space, then roofing materials are required. Don't do it metal roof(for example, from a metal profile), because it will heat up in hot weather, which can lead to heat stroke in animals.

Standard design parameters

First of all, you need to determine the size of the cage for rabbits according to the drawings. Design drawings can be found on the Internet or made independently. 2-seater designs with 2 separate sections are common. And there are also other types: single-section, 3 sections, group for young rabbits, for the uterine house, author's designs from various farmers.

Standard design dimensions: height - from 40 to 50 cm, length - from 120 to 140 cm and width - from 70 to 80 cm.

For young individuals, a length of about 90 cm is enough, and other parameters are similar to the previous design. For one adult rabbit, from 0.7 sq. m of area, and for young individuals - 0.2 sq. m.

Types of houses with their own hands

The types of cages for rabbits are quite diverse:

for adults;
for the young;
for a rabbit with babies;
for giants;
solid wire;
from farmer Zolotukhin;
from farmer Tsvetkov;
Rabbitax.

Rabbits with offspring are kept together, and separate housing is built for grown-up individuals.

For adults

For medium-sized adults, housing can be built with a width of about 70 cm, a height of 50 to 70 cm and a length of 140 cm, using a block design. Each block is divided by a grid into 2 sections. The partition is removed during the mating period, which allows 2 sections to be combined into 1.

A standard 2-storey house for adult rabbits is not so difficult to build. The main thing is to draw up the drawings correctly. You can build a two-tier or three-tier cage. It will be more difficult, but it will allow save space within the territory of.

In each cage, you need to provide a separate place for sleeping, walking and eating the animal. The cage is divided by a plywood partition. The sleeping compartment should have a solid wooden door, and the place for walking and eating should have a mesh one. The seating area should be small. The ideal dimensions are 30 by 60 by 50 cm.

Separate for the young

Rabbits that have been weaned from their mothers are kept in groups. The cage is made according to the minimum dimensions: the total construction area is 300 by 100 cm, the ceiling height is 50-60 cm. It is better to make the floor from thin wooden slats, and also cover them with a metal mesh (thickness 1.5 mm, cell diameter 15 by 40 mm) . You can make the floor completely reticulated, but additionally equip a warm separate room, which is insulated with straw and hay in winter.

There are farmers who do not make a separate house for young animals, but simply settle them in cages intended for adults. But at the same time, you need to calculate how many animals can be placed in one cage in order to provide them with comfortable accommodation.

For a rabbit with offspring

AT open space, fenced only with a net, the female will be worried and nervous. And this will have a bad effect on the health of the offspring. In a house for a rabbit with offspring, a prerequisite is the presence of a closed and warm place for a nest, a space for walking with a front mesh wall.

Consider the simplest and most functional version of a house for a rabbit with offspring.

A frame is made from the bars. The back wall and two side walls are made of plywood. The cage is divided into 2 sections: for walking (large) and for the nest (small). Separate doors are made for each section (mesh and solid wood). Walls, ceiling and floor should be made on the basis of a sandwich (double). Straw or foam is laid between them. The roof is covered with slate.

For the giants

Designs for these individuals should be much larger than usual. Adult rabbits can grow up to 60 cm in length and reach 7.5 kg.

The minimum dimensions of the house for one individual:

height from 55 cm;
width - 75 cm;
length - 0.9−1.5 m.

If possible, it is better to increase the parameters of housing.

For young individuals, a group cage is built, the height of which is 40–50 cm, and the area is about 1.2 square meters. m. Strengthen the floor quite well (made from a thicker galvanized mesh), since the weight of the animal is rather big. So that the floor of the house does not sag, they make crate from a bar at a distance of three to four centimeters from each other.

Some rabbit breeders in cages put a solid wooden floor, and plastic pallets are installed under it. It is necessary to clean such a cage at least twice a day.

Solid wire housing

This cage is the most budgetary way to make housing for rabbits. It can be installed outdoors and indoors. Such cages are strong and light, take up little space, and are easy to clean and clean. For the manufacture of such housing, 2 types of mesh will be required: a large one for the ceiling and walls (2.5 by 5 cm in diameter), and a smaller one for the floor (1.5 by 5 cm in diameter). The frame of the house is made of timber (leg length 50-70 cm). In winter, the cage is placed in a warm barn, and in summer - on the street.

From farmer Zolotukhin

Rabbit breeder Zolotukhin developed a simple, original and inexpensive design for rabbits. In such houses, there is no need to clean every day, the animals in them feel comfortable and are less prone to disease.

Zolotukhin's cage is a 3-storey building, with a sloping plywood or slate floor. The grid on the floor is laid only at a small distance from the rear wall and without a pallet. The next tier is shifted compared to the first one by the width of the grid. So is the third one. The front wall is common to all floors forming a slope. Compartments are supplied with tipping feeders.

For the construction you will need: metal mesh, wood, tin, straight sheet slate or plywood, polycarbonate. A wooden frame, doors and partitions are made in advance. The mesh is used to make the door of the cage and the back of the floor, which is made of plywood or slate, and the back wall is made of polycarbonate. The protruding parts inside the cage are upholstered with tin.

height is 150 cm;
depth 70-80 cm;
width 200 cm;
the slope of the floor is 6-8 cm;
door 40 by 40 cm;
mesh size in front of the back wall from 15 to 20 cm.

The floors are divided by a partition into 2 sections, and a place for a sennik is left between them.

From rabbit breeder Tsvetkov

Farmer Tsvetkov presented the idea of a 2-story mini-farm for rabbits. It consists of 4 separate sections. The peculiarity of these cages: 2 gravity feeders, 2 mounted queen cells, unusual ventilation and manure removal systems.

The frame is made of coniferous timber, painted with white paint. Sennik is made of moisture resistant plywood, from 8 mm thick. Inside it is upholstered with a metal mesh, and it also serves as a door in each section.

Wooden parts must be sheathed with sheet metal, cover the cone for collecting manure with slate mastic. Roofing material or slate is suitable for the roof. The water in the drinkers will be heated by a boiler.

Hostel Rabbitax

Such cells can be of various modifications and designs. The simplest of them are 2-section. There are ecological models that are based on the principle of changing air flows.

There are real farms for rabbits "Rabbitaks", in which more than 25 animals live and breed together. Many types of such cells are sold. But you can also build them yourself. The basis is the drawings of the rabbit breeder Mikhailov.

Sometimes a drywall profile is used to build cells. Either a frame is made from such a profile, or it is used as a feeder.

Summing up, we can say that it is not necessary to spend a lot of money on building a house for rabbits. After all, the construction is not very complicated. Each craftsman will be able to create comfortable conditions for animals to live.

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