Sheds for rabbits: diagrams and drawings, DIY instructions

Sheds are special facilities for rabbits, in which they can be from birth to slaughter. These are structures that look like cells located in one row. Some sheds have 2 or 3 tiers. Cells are stacked on top of each other to save space. The structure itself is placed indoors or outdoors. It is advisable to build sheds if there are more than ten rabbits on the farm.

What are sheds?

Rabbits are usually kept in cages that can be placed outdoors under the open sky or under a canopy, and also indoors. Animals are kept in one- or two-section structures.The recommended planting density is 0.5-0.7 square meters. meters per adult rabbit. Young animals are raised in group cages.

Some rabbit breeders build sheds to keep animals. These are blocks of cells, only located in one continuous row. Each section is separated by a partition. To save space, sheds are made in 2-3 tiers. The length of each individual block for an adult rabbit is 60-90 centimeters, the length of the cage for group keeping of young animals is 1.3 meters. The shed itself consists of several sections fenced off from each other. The length of the construct depends on the number of cells. It can be from 2 to 30 meters or more.

For sheds consisting of 10 or more cells, a separate room is built. The rabbitry is made of bricks, foam blocks, wood, corrugated board, metal profiles. In warm climates, rabbits are kept outdoors in wooden sheds under a canopy.

Designs with blocks for keeping animals can be placed in several rows. It all depends on the number of livestock and the size of the farm. The sheds themselves are made from wooden boards or from fine mesh and metal pipes, rails, profiles.

Shed content features

Rabbit breeders who want to raise rabbits in sheds will have to spend some money. Indeed, the manufacture of cages and the equipment of a canopy or the construction of a rabbitry requires materials and, of course, money. Over time, the funds for the construction of the shed system will pay off. You can make a design from improvised materials. In this case, the cost of manufacturing cages will be minimal.

Pros and conssaving space;the most efficient use of space;minimum materials;creation of comfortable conditions for animals.financial costs for the purchase or manufacture of a shed structure;the need to build a rabbitry or a protective canopy for cage blocks.

How to build a DIY rabbit shed

You can make a shed design yourself.Each rabbit breeder has the right to come up with his own model. The main thing is to remember that all sections of the shed construction, that is, cages for keeping rabbits, are located in one row. Depending on the number of pets, sheds are made in 1,2 or 3 tiers.

Size and number of cells

First of all, you need to decide on the size of the shed. The total size of the structure depends on the number of sections, that is, on the number of cells. For single keeping of an adult rabbit, a block 60-80 cm long is needed. If the cage has a stern and a nesting part, then it is made several centimeters longer and divided into two sections, leaving a small hole between them. Young animals are kept in group cages, their length is at least 1.3 meters. The width and height of one block is 50-70 cm.

Suppose the shed will consist of 8 cells arranged in 2 tiers. Four of them will be single-section, four more - two-section. In one row there can be two small and two large cells.Between the first and second tiers leave space for the pallet. The shed itself will stand at a distance of 60 cm from the floor.

Having decided on the design model, they draw drawings and, on their basis, calculate the amount of materials. Shed is a structure in which you can make one common back wall. Blocks are separated from each other by partitions. In the frontal part, separate doors are installed for each section. The total length of this design is about 4 meters. The height of the two-tier shed is 2 meters. The number of blocks in one row is 4 pieces. Distance to the ground - 60 cm. Height of the cage - 50 cm. These are approximate dimensions for an 8 block shed. Each rabbit breeder can come up with his own model. The main thing is that the design must be durable, spacious and warm.

Required tools and materials

To make a shed, you will need the following tools and materials (optional):

• wooden planks;
• fine mesh metal mesh;
• wooden slats or metal profiles, frame tubes;
• galvanized sheet for pallet;
• planks, bars;
• roof decking (waterproofing material, slate, polycarbonate);
• grinder, screwdriver;
• nails, self-tapping screws;
• hammer, hacksaw, metal shears;
• roulette, level.

Step by step instructions

Shed construction steps:

• from wooden slats or metal profiles make a rectangular frame for cells arranged in one row in 1 or 2, 3 tiers;
• the first tier should be at a height of 60 cm from the ground;
• the back wall of the frame is sheathed with wood or metal mesh;
• between the cells make partitions of wood or mesh;
• the floor is made of wooden slats, leaving gaps, or from fine mesh, laying a rubber mat;
• between the upper and lower tiers insert pallets or gutters for feces made of wood or sheets of tin;
• for each cell, a separate door is made from a metal mesh and a rectangular base;
• the door is attached to the frame with hinges and a latch or lock is screwed to it;
• shed is covered with a folding roof, which is installed at a slope.

Arrangement of the shed

Each cage should contain a manger for grass and hay, a feeder for finely chopped vegetables and grains, and a drinker for water. Usually a sennik is made of wire or wooden slats, boards, plywood and taken out to the perimeter of the block, that is, installed on the front (side) wall or on the door.

You can buy a ready-made drinker, it is an ordinary plastic, ceramic or metal water container. They put her in a cage. The feeder can be made of wood or bought ready-made (bunker, plastic) in the store. It must also be placed inside each cage.

If the floor is made of metal mesh, then a rubber mat is placed on top of it, otherwise the animals will rub calluses on their paws. Usually mesh structures are installed indoors. Sheds are made of wood for the street. In winter, wooden cages under a canopy are covered with straw on the floor.

Subtleties of care

Rabbits are animals that need to be fed on a daily schedule. They are fed 3 times a day. Rabbits eat grass, hay, finely chopped vegetables (carrots, pumpkins, beets), beet tops, cabbage leaves, tree branches. Animals are also given grain mixtures (in a minimum amount), boiled potato mash - they quickly recover from such food.

Rabbit meat is grown for 6-10 months. A few of the he althiest individuals are left for breeding. Puberty in animals occurs at 4 months of age, but they mate no earlier than 6 months. For breeding, you need to leave several females and one male who is not a relative of them, otherwise the offspring will be weak.

Sheds containing rabbits should be cleaned daily. Do not keep animals in mud, on wet bedding.In unsanitary conditions, rabbits will begin to get sick, refuse to eat, and may even die. Sheds should always be clean, dry and warm. Wooden structures that are outdoors must be protected from precipitation with a roof covered with waterproofing materials or slate. In winter, such sheds can be insulated with shavings and veneer slabs, and one common canopy can be built on top.

The inside of the cage should be dark, but spacious. Rabbits should have enough space for activity. In fully open and transparent designs, animals slowly gain weight. It is advisable to install mesh cages indoors with a minimum number of windows.

It is better for rabbits to build two-section structures. These large units have a darkened resting nest with a small opening and an aft section (with a mesh door or transparent front wall) suitable for activity and eating. In summer, it is desirable to keep animals in enclosures so that they have the opportunity to be in the sun and eat green grass.

Recommended