RABBITRY CONSTRUCTION TIPS

[JAK Rabbitry]

So I really nEED to construct a rabbitry. Thesehutches aren't working out as far as alotting me enough space. I have 7bunnies I had to move into the house because I have no room. I can'tbring myself ot sell anyone at the moment though i do hve like 5-6 forsale. No one jsut wants them right now. Someone backed out of a hugesale a couple weeks ago and i'm still having ah ard tiem getting rid ofthese guys. I'm putting up flyers soon.

Anyways, I really need to construct something. I was thinking aboutsteel buildings, because they're cheap and pretty. My friend justconstructed her barn of steel and it's pretty dandy. But I worriedabout it getting cold in winter and hot in summer. I would like youropinions about steel buildings used as a rabbitry.

Also, being able to easily move this thing would be nice, but doesn'thavet to be. I'm currently house shopping and when I move, I don't wantto haveto drive back here tot ake care of bunnies. So being able tobreak down and disasemble the rabbitry wuold be a plus.

Ideas...keep em' comin'.


oh and something I can paint would be nice . I need room for like, 100+ rabbits.

 

[SunnieBunnie Rabbitry]

Construction and design of a "Bunny Barn" is entirely up to you - whatever you feel fits your situation.

Me, I'm in the city and have a limited amount of space... so I justhave my stackers on the side of my house (in the back yard) with a plywood "roof" constructed over the stackers. The locationthey're in gets a good breeze andissomewhatshaded. I don't have any type of "Barn" constructed - Butthen again, I'm in San Diego! LOL Since they'reoutside, they adjust very well to the cooler temps and again very wellto the warmer temps - Ionly need to put fans out on the rareoccasion when someone isn't doing too well (this past summer I had thefan on a total of 5 days even though the temps reached up to 105...they coped very well, not 1 loss).

Everyone has their own methods, so just take in all the idea's you get and tweak them to fit your style and preference.

~Sunshine

 

[JAK Rabbitry]

Thanks bunches! I wish we had San Diego weatherhere. If it stayed warm like that all the time I cuold just put thestacking cages outside.

But in Pennsylvania....sometiems it gets down to -20.....and just astacking cage wouldn't be suitable. Cold bunny! It also gets up to thehigh 90's in summer here. I did loose a Jersey Wooly one year to theheat, but other than that no heat losses. I lose one to the cold, butshe was 11 years old, it may have just been too hard on her.

I have a good amount of scrap wood my aunt is giving me, and it'd befine to build one, but since i'm moving into a new house soon...I dont'want to like...build it and leave it here, y'know? Though my mum mightget into the bunny raising thing with me, she adores my french lops,they're more her thing. I love my dutch. So if she were tocontinue raising rabbits after I moved out, I'd love to leave her arabbitry. We'll see what happens. It'd be one of thsoe coolmother-daughter things.

 

[jil101ca]

I too am moving, Jan 31 to be exact.My landlordcame on Jan first to tear my shed down so we had to make a new placefor the rabbitsbut wanted something we could take with us. Webought a kit called EZ Up shed.It had all the pieces to join the woodtogether so we didn't have to cut corners, only had to cut the wood tothe right length. We then wrapped the frame with heavy clear plasticstapled to the wood.the shed is 8'w x 8'L x 6,5' H andscrewed togthher so it will be easy to take apartBig enoughfor 6 cages, (5 hanging, 1 on the floor.3 are front openingand3 open from the top)We bought a 2nd kit so afterwe move the shed will be 16'L, my hay and straw are outside fornowon a skid covered with plastic to keep itdry.After the move we are putting plywood on theroof and half walls so in the summer the rabbits will get lots of airflow.it cost us about $60canadian for each shed (wood andkit) and $30 for the roll of plastic. It is a quick fix and will dountil we get a real shed built.The rabbits seem to like it, they getalot more light and it seems alittle warmer than the old leanto shedwas. When we built the real shed it too will have half walls for airflow and in the winter i will close it in with clear plastic.I havesimilar weather to you and other than the water freezing it workswell.The rabbits stay dry and draft free.

 

[clarzoo]

How soon are you moving?

If it were me, I'd probably wait to make something more permanent untilafter I move. In the mean time you could probably build a 'lean-to'against an existing wall of your house. Use a few sheets of plywood forthe roof, cover it with waterproof roofing paper. Use some 4 x 4's tosupport the roof that doesn't touch the house. Voila!

But for a longer term structure my friend just built a nice barn. It ishuge- but this type of product is customizable, so you could build itto what ever size suits you. It is a steel or aluminum carport-likestructure. But the walls can come down as far as you want them. She hasthem come down to the bottom of the cages on the long ends of the barn-and has left the short ends of the barn open. (We are in FL) Any spacesthat are open, she wired over to keep animals out. For cold weather,she temporarily ties thick plastic to the open areas, and it workswell. You can also buy insulation for the inside of the roof forprotection from both hot and cold weather.

Here is an example: (This company is called versatube)

http://rontimco.com/versatube.htm