Experienced rabbit breeders should know how rabbit cages are built with your own hands. Only in this case can you be sure that long-eared pets will not be endangered by low-quality materials or improper manufacturing processes. There are no particularly specific conditions for keeping rabbits; you just have to take into account that their wild counterparts live in ordinary burrows. Since there is nothing complicated about how to build a rabbit cage with your own hands, even novice rabbit farmers can do it.

Cell components and materials used

Any cage intended for rabbits must be equipped in a certain way. It must contain the following parts:

• The frame and supports on which the entire structure rests are made of wooden blocks. To ensure that rabbits kept outside are protected from rodents, cats and dogs, it is worth placing their cage at a height of about 70 cm from the ground.
• Walls made from plywood, boards or mesh. For beauty, you can decorate the walls outside plastic or wooden slats. For ease of cage care façade parts make two doors (one from a mesh, the other from a board).
• Floor most often made from slats or mesh. Some rabbit breeders install a solid floor, only placing a mesh in the back to remove waste through it. There are adherents different materials, who learn from their own experience what is best for animals kept in different conditions.
• The roof is most often made of the same material as the walls, and to protect against conditions environment When kept outdoors, you can install additional covering from any roofing material.

When creating cages for rabbits, it is not recommended to use metal. In the heat, the iron becomes hot, which causes discomfort for animals, and in the cold they can easily freeze to such a coating. Even when creating the simplest cage for rabbits with your own hands, you need to make sure that all the parts are smooth and not dangerous. Any defects in the mesh should be eliminated, and the wood should be treated with sandpaper.

Various designs

Before you make a cage for rabbits with your own hands, it is worth finding out what designs exist for keeping them. Several types of structures are now known:

1. An ordinary cage for keeping rabbits is represented by a kind of box on high legs with two doors. Inside, the space is divided into a feeding and nesting compartment, and a manhole is equipped between them. Cages should be equipped with feeders and drinkers of various designs, as well as sufficient space for the animal to be active. If you make the most popular rabbit cage with your own hands, its diagram should look something like this:

Some sizes can be increased slightly, based on the breed of rabbits, but in most cases these are the parameters that are suitable for adults.

Of course, there are some differences when creating cages for young animals, pregnant and lactating females, and adults, but in general they are all built according to the same scheme. To keep two individuals in one cage, it is worth slightly increasing its size.

2. The design of the cell proposed by I.N. is considered very complex. Mikhailov. Mikhailov cages for rabbits are entire mini-farms or, as they are called in scientific sources, reproduction units. Its units are equipped ventilation systems, original feeders, many manholes and shelves, electrically heated uterine compartments and drinking bowls, self-removal systems for manure, etc. The head farm is constantly improving its cages, so followers should regularly visit the authors' farm to keep up with the latest developments in the field of accelerated rabbit breeding.

3. Unlike the previous unit, the design proposed by another author, N.I., has taken root among the people. Zolotukhin. Creating a Zolotukhin cage for rabbits with your own hands - not very difficult process, besides, the author does not even think about hiding his ideas. From above, its design looks like this:

The floor is made of plywood or flat slate, not from the grid. Mesh, about 10-15cm wide, is only used on the floor at the back of the cage, as this is where rabbits urinate most often. Zolotukhin’s designs are three-tiered: two cages in three floors, with each upper floor moved back by the distance of the grid in the floor - so the waste products of rabbits do not interfere with the inhabitants of the lower cages. Also distinctive characteristic of these cells is the absence of a stationary queen cell: in winter a burrow house is placed in the cage, and in summer the female rabbit makes a nest right in the hay.

Craftsmen create other designs with different quantities tiers and with different equipment, using combinations of the most suitable, in their opinion, components of the cage and building materials.

Stages of creation

It is worth considering in detail the process of creating the simplest single cage for a rabbit (more complex designs are also based on this approach):

1. First you need to choose a place where the rabbitry will be located. It should be protected as much as possible from wind and drafts.
2. The next thing you need to create a rabbit cage with your own hands is drawings. They take into account the purpose of a particular cell, its various contents, and the structure of the entire structure. When determining the size, you should rely on the size of a specific breed, but most often they take the size of 150*70*70 cm.
3. Next, a frame of beams is made according to the dimensions. If in the front part the height of the cage is usually 60-70 cm, then in the rear part the height is taken less (so that the roof is tilted).
4. The frame is sheathed with plywood, boards or other selected material. Inside, the cage is divided by a partition into nesting and feeding compartments, and a hole with a diameter of 20 cm is cut out in the partition. To prevent rabbits from gnawing the partition, it is better to line the hole with tin.
5. After the walls, they begin to make the roof (for ease of maintenance, it is better to make it removable).
6. Cages are hung on the façade doors, and the door to the aft compartment is made of mesh, and the door to the nest compartment is made of boards.
7. When keeping rabbits outside, you can attach an additional structure made of mesh for walking to the back of the cage. If you carefully think through the design of ladders and shelves, you can provide the rabbit with the opportunity to sometimes eat pasture.
shelves, etc.),
8. tall and solid pallet(this is important both for the pet itself, since its paws do not have pads, and for the owner, so that the contents of the cage are not scattered around),
9. absence of sharp elements, slippery surfaces, parts treated with varnish or paint for the safety of the big-eared animal.

Cages are usually purchased for residential use because they are quite beautiful. But beauty does not always mean convenience for a pet, and therefore it makes sense to think about how to make a cage for a decorative rabbit with your own hands. You can easily make a cage that will be similar to the purchased version from a fairly high rectangular basin (to create a tray) and galvanized mesh with cells no larger than 25*25 mm.

This mesh bends easily and does not break, making it easy to make a parallelepiped without a lower part, and insert the lower ends of the wire into pre-made holes on the side of the basin. There is a door on one of the walls. To prevent the floor from being slippery, you can pour sawdust into the cage or put corrugated cardboard on the bottom. At the end, you need to place a drinking bowl, feeder, ladder and other entertainment for your eared pet in the cage.

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 a high degree of 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.

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.

Rabbit cages with your own hands 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 entering the nest compartment 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

Construction cost level bunk cage not so high for animals. 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 household use 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 on 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 outlets 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 open state it served 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, which is attached under the floor of the 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 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 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. Pet stores offer many different models. But you don't have to buy them. Cage for pet You can do it 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. Height 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's better to opt for 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.

Building cages for rabbits with your own hands is a feasible task for any rabbit breeder. It can be easily solved if you have step-by-step instructions detailing all the stages, including choosing a design, drawing up a drawing, preparing materials, installing and landscaping the houses.

Beginning rabbit breeders need to know that pets can be kept in two ways: indoors and outdoors. Not only the structure of the rabbits, but also the rules for caring for them depend on the chosen farming method.

There is no consensus among rabbit breeders about what conditions are most favorable for animals. In your choice, you can focus on the point of view of Professor V.N. Mikhailova. He was a strong proponent of keeping rabbits outdoors.

This method has many advantages:

1. No dampness.
2. Sufficient amount of sunlight.
3. Lack of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia vapors.

The listed problems can also be solved with internal maintenance: install lamps and a powerful hood. But this will entail an increase in costs and, as a result, a decrease in business profitability.

Design Features

Simple cells They are boxes, one side of which is lined with metal mesh. It’s not difficult to make such houses, but the animals will be uncomfortable in them. The owner can expect difficulties in caring for their pets.

The basis of the cage is a frame, which can be made of wooden blocks or metal rods ( optimal choice- reinforcement with a cross-section of 6-8 mm). The next problem that needs to be solved is what the frame will be made of. This important choice, on which the durability of the structure and the ease of its maintenance depend.

Criteria for selecting material for cell construction:

Double cages with mesh aviary

You can make a double cage for rabbits from a mesh with your own hands from available materials:

• metal mesh;
• reinforcement bars;
• sheets of plywood;
• planed or unplaned boards;
• slate.

The floor of this structure should be mesh, which will prevent it from rotting. Both adults and young animals can be placed in such cages. The double design consists of two parts:

• cages (length 200 cm, width 65 cm, height 75 cm);
• enclosure (length 200 cm, width 100 cm, height 60 cm).

When maintained outdoors, the structure should be raised above the ground level by 70 cm. This is the most comfortable height for pet care. A hole must be made from the cage into the enclosure through which the animals will go out for a walk. It is recommended to make drinking bowls and feeders from galvanized steel. Cages with enclosures cannot be placed on top of each other.

To build one structure of the specified dimensions, the following amount of materials will be required:

• reinforcement with a cross section of 8 mm - 22 kg;
• metal mesh for an enclosure with a mesh size of 25x25 mm or 16x48 mm (all walls, floor, ceiling) - 9.5 m2;
• lumber for the cage - 0.25 m3.

Two-tier shed

A two-tier shed is a structure of two cages installed above each other at a distance of 50-60 cm, the lower of which is raised above the floor level by 70-80 cm. Shed maintenance is beneficial in terms of saving space and servicing pets. Two-tier cages for rabbits industrial type have the following dimensions:

• width - 200 cm;
• depth - 100 cm;
• height - 60 cm.

Based on the given parameters, it is easy to make a drawing and calculate the required amount of materials for constructing a two-tier cage. Will be required wooden blocks, slate sheets, metal mesh, plywood or OSB. Important Features sheda:

• all cells in it are the same size;
• the upper one has a roof made of slate or other material suitable for this purpose.

It is necessary to consider in detail how to make cells.

Three-tier cage in a minimal area

A 3-tier shed is the optimal solution for a minimal area. These designs eliminate several problems at once:

• competently organize the farm, minimizing the time for its maintenance;
• provide pets with comfortable conditions;
• use space efficiently.
• When designing multi-tiered design you need to take into account the dimensions of the area recommended by experts for keeping one rabbit:
• for non-tribal - 0.17-0.23 m3;
• for breeding - 0.1 m3.

All cages must be equipped with retractable trays, preferably a manure channel. Between the houses of the same tier, a manger is installed, in which grass or hay is placed. Feeders are hopper type, made of galvanized steel sheets. The sheds must contain devices for lighting and heating: lamps and air heaters.

Winter cages

The design of outdoor cages for winter maintenance should provide for the possibility of insulation. Mesh windows must be closed with folding caps. The house in the cage should have a hole not with a folding door, but with a door that fits into the grooves. This will prevent animals from running out into the enclosure without permission. If all insulation elements are removable, the constructed structure is called all-season.

Rabbits tolerate frosts well down to -45 degrees. The most important thing when keeping outdoors in winter is to reliably protect animal houses from drafts and lay a thick layer of hay on the floor.

Materials and tools

Making a cage for rabbits with your own hands involves right choice materials. First of all, you need to decide what the floor will be made of. Exactly this important place in the rabbitry, because it contains the animal and its waste products. Experts consider 2 flooring options to be the best:
from wooden slats with a cross section of 25x30 mm, laid at a distance of 15-20 mm from each other;
made of galvanized metal mesh with a mesh size of 18x18 mm.

Cleaning a metal floor is much easier. It is not subject to rotting, does not absorb animal urine and, unlike wood, does not emit an unpleasant odor.

You can build a house for pets from scrap materials. Suitable for this purpose finished goods: mezzanines, wide and deep drawers from chests of drawers and sofas. In order to build a cage, you will need tools for working with wood and metal:

• screwdriver or drill;
• wood hacksaw;
• metal scissors or a grinder with a metal disc;
• screwdrivers;
• pliers;
• roulette;
• construction bubble level;
• hammer.

Materials you will need:

• OSB sheets with a thickness of 6 mm;
• metal mesh (for the floor - with a mesh of 18x18 mm, for walls and enclosure - 25x25 mm);
• flat slate for roofing;
• galvanized steel for the installation of feeders and drinkers;
• wooden blocks with a cross section of 30x30 mm for mounting the frame.

Cell sizes

When planning your farm, it is important to make drawings of each structure. These diagrams and calculations will be required if there is a need to increase the number of shad and add cages to them. When performing calculations, take into account the recommended space for a rabbit (indicated above). The size of the cages should be such as to avoid crowding of animals and provide them with free access to feeders and drinkers.

Rabbit sheds, regardless of their location (indoors or outdoors), must have a manure channel that can be easily washed with water pressure from a hose. With proper management, it is necessary to provide a container for Wastewater or their discharge into an autonomous sewage system.

For young animals

For young animals, single or double cages with enclosures are most convenient. If it is not possible to allocate a place for walking, the pets will not move much. Such conditions are optimal for fattening rabbits. For young animals, houses are often made from plywood boxes with the following dimensions:

• length - 60 cm;
• width - 50 cm;
• height - 35-40 cm.

The nest is made plug-in. A folding door is installed in one wall, consisting of wooden frame, upholstered with metal mesh. The manger is also made from mesh, but with a wider mesh: 35x35 mm. The house is installed at a height of 70 cm from the floor on legs or trestles.

Cage for adult rabbits

Optimal sizes:

• length - 240 cm;
• width - 65 cm;
• rear wall height - 45-50 cm;
• the height of the front wall is 60-65 cm.

The floor has a slight slope from the back to the front wall of the house.

Nest for a female rabbit with offspring

A cage for breeding rabbits consists of two parts - a queen cell and a feeding compartment - connected by a manhole. The nest for small rabbits is located in the queen cell. This is also a place for a rabbit. Dimensions of the queen cell:

• depth - 65 cm;
• length (facade) - 40 cm;
• height - 40-50 cm.

Dimensions of the hole: width 17 cm, height 17-22 cm. This hole should be raised above the floor level of the queen cell by 10-15 cm. Young rabbits will not be able to climb over a partition of such a height and will always be within the nest.

For large rabbits

Giant rabbits need more large cells and enclosures. Optimal sizes:

• length - 90-95 cm;
• width - 60-65 cm;
• height - 60-65 cm.

How to make a rabbit cage with your own hands

DIY rabbit cage, step-by-step instruction construction takes everything into account important points, is intended for outdoor keeping of non-breeding adult animals. There is no aviary. Drinkers and feeders are not built-in, but are installed directly in inner space house for keeping animals.

The instructions tell you how to properly make a cage measuring 240x65x60 cm. It provides the following:

Step 1. Making the legs. Since the cage will be raised 70 cm above ground level, 2 bars with a cross-section of 30x30 mm and a length of 130 cm and 2 bars with a cross-section of 30x30 mm and a length of 120 mm are prepared. The difference in length is due to the difference in the height of the front (50 cm) and rear (60 cm) walls of the house.

Step 2. Making the top and bottom trim. Prepare 4 bars 240 cm long and 4 bars 65 cm long.

Step 3. Assembling the frame. The bars are connected to each other using nails, screws, and metal corners.

Step 4. Making the walls. From OSB or moisture-resistant plywood, 2 sheets for the side walls are cut out, 65 cm wide, the height of one side is 60 cm, the second is 50 cm. The sheet for the back wall is prepared 240 cm long and 60 cm wide.

Step 5. Cover the frame on three sides with OSB sheets.

Step 6. Make a floor from metal mesh. The length of the canvas is 240 cm, width is 65 cm.

Step 7. Install the slate roof. It must be removable.

Step 8. Sheathe the front wall with a metal mesh.

The feeder and drinker are installed in the cage, removing the roof. In a similar way, the bedding is replaced and the house is cleaned. If you follow the suggested instructions, you can quickly make high-quality cages for your pets.

Construction of cages for rabbits involves certain questions: how many and what breed of rabbits will you breed, and will you engage in breeding. After this, we select the type of enclosure and begin work. We use the most affordable materials - plywood or wood, mesh and slate. Since rabbits will gnaw cells from the inside, we do not use in our work anything that can harm their health: chemical antiseptics, materials with metal shavings.

The main types of enclosures - what are common and how are they different?

Rabbits are capricious animals to keep. The enclosure can be placed both indoors and outdoors. outdoors. But street cages are suitable only for the southern regions, otherwise in winter period eared ones will freeze. Optimal temperature keeping rabbits - from 10 to 20 degrees. In enclosures, drafts, direct sunlight and humidity above 75% should be avoided. Considering all this, find the most optimal place and start choosing the type of enclosure.

There are several types of cages for rabbits:

• simple cells, with or without queen cell; with or without an enclosure for walking;
• I. N. Mikhailov cells;
• cells of N.I. Zolotukhin.

Regardless of the type of enclosure, it is placed at a height of at least 70 cm from the ground in one or several tiers. This can be done using high legs or wall mounts. This way the rabbits will be protected from rodents and other animals, and the indoor air will circulate better. The size of a rabbit's home depends on the breed, gender and age.

Simple cells - advantages and disadvantages

To make enclosures with their own hands, they try to take natural materials, for example, boards. Since rabbits chew everything they come across, chipboard should not be used. It is both harmful to animals and will crumble quickly. Often, the inside of a rabbit's home is protected from animal teeth by iron sheathing. But this can only be done if the temperature is stable both in winter and summer. Otherwise, the iron will become very hot from the sun or cool in winter.

Particular attention is paid to the floor of the enclosure. Rabbit urine is very caustic and therefore corrodes wood. Most often, the floor is made of mesh. Sometimes a lattice is made of wooden slats. This way all the feces will flow down. It will be much easier to clean the cages, which means the rabbits are less likely to get sick.

When making cages for decorative rabbits, they do not use mesh, because due to the lack of pads on their paws, they simply cannot sit on such a floor for a long time.

Attach the queen cell to the enclosures if you plan to breed rabbits. It is in the queen cell that the female gives birth and nurses the rabbits. Only when they get stronger does she move to the main room. The quality and quantity of the offspring is influenced by the attached enclosure for walking, since the high mobility of individuals contributes to their reproduction.

Mikhailov cages - mini rabbit farm

Mikhailov’s design is more complex enclosures, suitable for large farms. They are often used in industry, helping to significantly reduce labor costs. The construction of such an enclosure is patented, has automatic cleaning and feeding, and heated queen cells. Most often this is a three-level house with a middle floor for feeding and an upper floor for walking. Building it yourself is quite difficult; it requires good construction experience and significant financial costs.

Zolotukhin cells - saving space and building material

Zolotukhin cells are easier to manufacture. The main ones distinctive feature the fact that the floor is made at a slope. It uses not the usual mesh, but plywood or slate. The mesh is installed only near the cell wall. According to research, rabbits relieve themselves near walls in 90% of cases. Zolotukhin’s design takes up little space; the cells in it are arranged in three rows of two. This saves both space and material for work. Such enclosures are well suited for keeping large quantity rabbits, it is not advisable to use them for several individuals.

Making a regular cell

To save material and space, the cells are made at least in pairs. For the base, take a board 3 m long by 0.7 m. This way you can fit two compartments 1.5 meters long. These cage sizes are suitable for young animals or males. For females, a smaller size is sufficient. First of all, you need to prepare drawings with dimensions based on tips and illustrations.

To make this design you will need:

• 2 sheets of plywood (1.5 by 1.5 meters);
• 10 three-meter bars (30 by 50 mm);
• 3 m mesh with 15 mm cells;
• screws and tools for work.

The size of the cells in the mesh used should not exceed 20 mm, otherwise the rabbits will get stuck in them.

Before making a homemade enclosure, many farmers advise treating the wood with antibacterial impregnations. It is worth choosing the safest formulations, since otherwise you can poison the animal. First of all, a frame with a height of 1.2 in front and 1 meter in back is made from bars.

Then the floor is hemmed with mesh. There is no need to reach the edges with the mesh; the queen cells will be located there, and the floor in them will be made without holes. The back wall is made of plywood, attached to the bars with self-tapping screws. At the edges, queen cells are also made from plywood. The ceiling in them is lowered a little so that they look more like a hole. A small hole with a diameter of 16 centimeters is made in the side wall. This queen cell can be made removable if desired.

A feeder is made in the center. It is more convenient to divide it into two parts: for feed and for hay. The first is a tall box with a bowl base. And the second is a trapezoidal box made of mesh.

The roof is made of plywood with overlaps of 5-10 centimeters. You can make it in two parts, leaving a gap in the middle. It will be convenient to fill feeders. Then the doors are made using bars and mesh.

Using the same step-by-step instructions, you can make a cage with two or three floors. But in this case, the roof is covered with some kind of protective material. For example, they are upholstered with sheet iron or polycarbonate. Then your rabbit house will last longer.

Making a Zolotukhin cell

Making an enclosure using Zolotukhin’s method with your own hands is not much more difficult than building an ordinary cage. For this you will need:

• wooden beams;
• net;
• boards;
• sheet iron;
• polycarbonate;
• slate.

The enclosure will be built in the following dimensions: 2 m wide, 1.5 m high, 80 cm deep. The floor slope is 5 centimeters, and a 20-centimeter strip of mesh will be located at the back wall.

First we build a similar frame for the enclosure. We leave room in the middle for a hay barn. But the floor, unlike a regular cage, is lined not with mesh, but with durable slate. Don't forget to make an indent of 20 centimeters from the back wall.

The rear walls are made of polycarbonate. They need to be secured at an angle so that top part the walls connected to the slate edge of the floor of the next floor. And at the very top tier it is straight. This arrangement allows rabbit droppings to roll down the walls.

Closed queen cells are made on the sides of the structure, similar to a regular cage. We make all the other walls and doors of the enclosure from mesh.

The feeder in Zolotukhin’s model is also not easy. It is inserted directly into the door and is held on by hinge nails. Thanks to this, you can pour food and clean the feeder without opening the door. It occupies approximately 2/3 of the width of the door. The outer wall of the feeder is twice as high as the inner one.

It is not for nothing that Zolotukhin cells have long been very popular: they are easy to manufacture and easy to maintain.

It is best to start building enclosures from the very simple option. Later, based on the experience gained, you can move on to more complex structures, including to Mikhailov’s mini-farm.

In this article we will tell you how to make a rabbit cage with your own hands (step-by-step instructions). Creating cells with your own hands can easily be done from scrap materials, such as unnecessary boards, pieces of plywood or chipboard, etc.

The design of the cages can vary greatly, but it is best to choose one whose construction will not take much time and will be suitable and practical for feeding rabbits, inspecting them and cleaning them.

Simple rabbit cage design

Most effective way breeding rabbits are Mikhailov's mini-farms, which can provide intensive breeding of rabbits with minimum costs time for the farmer to care for the animals.

The design of Mikhailov’s cages is very well thought out and provides for automatic cleaning and provision of food for animals, water heating in drinking bowls, which is really important in the cold season, as well as heating of the queen cell in order to increase the survival rate of newborns in the winter.

In order to start breeding rabbits you do not need any special costs: You can make rabbit cages, water bowls, and feeders yourself, hay and branches can be prepared in the summer, root crops and vegetables can be taken from your garden.

Mikhailov cell design

The largest part of the costs will go to vaccinating animals and concentrating feed.

It is best to place adult rabbits and female rabbits with young rabbits in two-section cages. These dimensions are usually used as a guide for building cells: cell length one hundred twenty centimeters, cell height fifty centimeters, cell width seventy centimeters.

Young animals

The young should be kept in a large group cage, the size of which will correspond to the number of rabbits.

For example, for eight rabbits, a cage with the height and width as in the picture above is suitable. It is necessary to take into account the fact that in each cage you need to place rabbits of the same sex, approximately the same age and weight.

DIY rabbit cage step by step instructions:

First you need to make a frame from wooden beams, its height should be 55 centimeters, its length 240 centimeters, its back thirty-five centimeters, and its front fifty-five centimeters;

It is necessary to provide for the presence of nesting compartments inside, where a queen cell for the rabbit will subsequently be inserted or a small house will be placed;

A partition with a hole for the passage of rabbits is placed between the nesting compartment and the feeding compartment;

• The roof is made on hinges so that it can be raised if necessary;
• In the nesting compartment, the door must be made solid, made of wood, and
• in the aft compartment the doors are made of metal mesh with small cells;
• the floor must be laid with slats, with a gap of one and a half centimeters;
• in the nesting compartment the wooden floor must be solid;
• you need to install a tray under the cage;
• after making a cage for breeding rabbits, you need to equip it from the inside: feeders for grain are made, shelves and mangers are installed;

If rabbits are kept outdoors, the cages should be installed on beams so that they rise above the ground by about seventy centimeters. This should protect the rabbits from rodents and other animals.

This is the step-by-step instructions for creating a cage for rabbits with your own hands. Through simple materials and a little effort, you can create your own rabbit farm and run a fairly successful farm.

There are special rules that should be taken into account when building a rabbitry, regardless of its size.

1. The size of the cage must be just such that the rabbits can move freely and do not interfere with each other to eat, sleep and especially play. If there is not enough space in the cage, the rabbits will begin to be lazy, and this will have a very negative impact on them. Perhaps such individuals will have no offspring at all.

2. For three to four rabbits, it is necessary to allocate a separate space. At the same time, it should be quite spacious. If a person decides to start breeding rabbits, he needs to keep the little rabbits with their mothers because they feed them.

3. One of the cages should always remain free, since not all rabbits reach required size and weight. In order to fatten them up the right size they are simply housed and fattened separately, and this naturally requires a separate cage.

DIY rabbit cage video collection

https://youtu.be/addXcSFhn8g