Do-it-yourself rabbitry: drawings and dimensions, a simple construction scheme

Keeping rabbits will not be successful if you do not provide them with comfortable living conditions. A strong, spacious, properly equipped rabbitry allows you to maintain the he alth of animals, ensures the productivity of the livestock. If it is not possible to purchase a finished structure, then you can use the do-it-yourself rabbitry manufacturing scheme. Rabbit housing should be comfortable, convenient for cleaning, disinfection and pet care.

Basic Requirements

A good rabbitry should be:

• optimal size for rabbits;
• built with inexpensive but quality materials;
• designed to be completely and partially assembled and disassembled;
• wear resistant;
• having a strong frame;
• corresponding to sanitary and hygienic standards;
• designed to be insulated for the winter;
• designed for easy cleaning and disinfection, feeding and watering of pets.

Varieties of designs and their features

There are 3 main varieties of rabbitries intended for keeping mature and young individuals who have given birth to rabbits. Each variety has its own dimensions and design features:

1. For a pair of individuals. Usually, novice breeders buy a pair of rabbits for breeding: a male and a female. Do-it-yourself cages are made for animals, divided into two sections. Rabbit house dimensions: length - 140 cm, width - 70 cm, height - 60-70 cm.Separates the sections with a mesh hay feeder. Multi-tiered installation of cages is possible, but in this case the lower rows must be artificially ventilated.
2. For juveniles. In these cages, rabbits are kept for up to 2 months, then they are transferred to standard rabbitries for mature individuals. The dimensions of the building are determined taking into account the young livestock: each rabbit needs at least 0.2 m ^{2 see}
3. For a rabbit with cubs. A pregnant female is settled in a comfortable cage, where she will stay until the born rabbits get stronger. Part of the mother liquor is occupied by a nest made of wooden boards, its length is 35 cm, width - 28, height - 30. The mother liquor must be equipped with a round hole so that the female can climb into the nest, and an upper door so that the owner can control the state of the offspring. The floor is densely lined with sawdust. If the mother liquor is in the yard, then separate the space for the infrared illuminator.

How to choose a seat

Rabbits are less sensitive to cold than to heat, so direct sunlight should not penetrate the cages. It is advisable to make a canopy over the rabbitry, protecting both from the scorching sun and from precipitation. Rabbits are susceptible to drafts, so the chosen location should be sheltered from the winds by buildings or dense vegetation.

Many farmers build their own rabbit pens near the barn where the feed is stored. In this case, you do not have to run back and forth to feed a large livestock.

You can not build rabbitries near the compost heap. It is a source of many pathogenic microorganisms that can cause infectious pathologies in rabbits. Also, pets get sick when they live in dampness. Therefore, a dry and elevated place is chosen for the construction of the rabbitry.

You can't skimp on building a rabbitry, keeping rabbits cramped in one cage. In this case, the likelihood of developing infectious diseases in livestock increases.

You should not settle rabbits near a barn, a chicken coop, a dog kennel. The noise made by other animals will frighten eared animals. And stress negatively affects the state of the rabbit's body.

Dimensions and drawings

The planned rabbitry should be shown schematically to make it easier to build it, as well as to select the necessary materials.

When choosing a scheme, you need to take into account the number of rabbits and the dimensions of the representatives of the breed:

• optimal area for one young animal - 0.2-0.4 m^2;
• for a rabbit selected for breeding breeding - 0.8-1 m^2;
• for a mature animal when kept in groups - 0.5-0.8 m^2;
• for a lactating female and cubs - not less than 0.6 m^2.

The scheme itself is simple, do it like this:

1. Draw a rectangle that repeats the parameters of the rabbit dwelling to scale.
2. Define sections.
3. Note the presence of feeders, doors, partitions, nests.
4. Taking into account the drawing made, a sectional side diagram of the rabbitry is performed. Moreover, the cut is made where there are the most structural elements in order to more accurately calculate their position.

How to make a do-it-yourself rabbitry

Even an inexperienced farmer can make a home for rabbits with his own hands. The main thing is to prepare the necessary materials, draw an accurate diagram. Standard rabbitry - a frame bar structure, sheathed with mesh or moisture-resistant plywood plates, particle boards, boards.

How to make the floor

There are two options for laying the floor. In the first case, wooden boards are placed on the frame. Between them make a distance of 1 cm. Through the holes, the feces will fall into the waste tray. The downside is that rabbits often gnaw on such a floor covering. In the second case, a fine-meshed mesh is placed on the frame, the diameter of the holes in which is not more than 2.5 × 2.5 cm. Before winter comes, a plywood plate is placed on the mesh so that the pets' paws do not stiffen.

Doors

When building a rabbitry, the door frame is made exactly to the size of the opening. As a door leaf, boards, mesh or chipboards are used. The handle, locking mechanism and hinges take the usual ones.

Roof

It is best to build a rabbitry with a pitched roof. To do this, the front and rear walls of the building are made of different heights. Any roofing material can be used. The main thing is that the roof should not let the cold through, so thermal insulation is placed on the roofing sheet. Most often, the roof is made of plank, and roofing film or flexible tiles are laid on top.

Sennik, drinkers, feeders

Drinkers are chosen so that they can be easily removed for washing and changing water. Usually choose designs that are fixed on the door mesh or wall. The kennel is a V-shaped structure between two cage sections for two rabbits. For a cage where young animals are kept, another option is used: part of one of the walls is made in the form of a lattice, to which a plywood or chipboard plate is attached in an inclined position. You can also attach the sennik to the mesh door, then the drinker will have to be moved somewhere.

The feeder is made from any available material: plastic, metal, wood. If the feeder is wooden, then it is upholstered with tin plates, otherwise the rabbits will gnaw it.

From what materials to make the frame and walls

The frame of the rabbitry is made by hand either from wooden beams or from a galvanized wall profile. Less often you can see frames made of welded pipes.The design turns out to be heavy, therefore it is suitable for creating only stationary rabbitries. And the lightest frames are profile ones.

Synthetic materials are not used to create do-it-yourself rabbitry. They may contain toxic substances that are harmful to rabbits.

Most often, wood materials are used for the frame and walls. The problem is that rabbits are able to gnaw through a wooden structure, so when building a building, they try not to make protruding corners. If some parts of the structure nevertheless protrude, then they are covered with a mesh or a tin plate. For young rabbits for slaughter, cages can be made entirely of fine mesh.

Arrangement inside

The rabbitry must be ventilated. If the cells are mesh, stand in the yard, then artificial ventilation is not required. If the cages are wooden or plywood, then for better air circulation, make several narrow holes in the roof or top of the walls.

If the rabbitry is indoors, then artificial ventilation is indispensable. An anemostat is used as a ventilation device, which can be purchased at a hardware store.

The most convenient drinker for rabbits is nipple. It is made from a nipple, a plastic 2 mm pipe, a plug, a tee. Either a separate drinking bowl is designed for each section, or a common pipe, from which branches ending in a nipple extend through a tee into each section.

It is desirable to make a visor on the cage, which simplifies the cleaning procedure. It is made from a metal plate 10 cm wide, attached under the doors for the entire length of the cage. The visor prevents debris and feces from getting back inside after being washed out with water, and also from sticking to the door.

How to keep warm in winter

The rabbitry located in the yard is insulated for winter. The optimal winter insulation is foam boards that cover the cell walls. And on top of the foam put plywood, particle board or plastic panels.

Rules of care

Rabbit needs proper care:

• change soiled bedding regularly;
• clean feeders and drinkers daily;
• throw away uneaten food, change water to fresh water;
• clean cages regularly, remove faeces and dirt;
• disinfect the rabbit dwelling once every few months.

Rabbits are susceptible to adverse conditions. If you ignore the rules for caring for rabbits, then pets can catch serious infectious pathologies.

Recommended