New to Rabbits, looking for outdoor hutches/cages

Hello,

I'm new here, I was told about this forum by a reddit user. S/he said it was a wealth of information and I could probably have my needs met. I looked through the stickied posts and didn't find anything, so I'm hoping this isn't a faux-pas. I'm going to purchase some meat rabbits (NZ's probably, but finding them is another post for later days). I've kept, shown and bred rabbits before, but they were Netherland Dwarves, so that was a bit different than the objective of my current set-up. We kept them inside in small cages under intense scrutiny. I'll be getting NZ's, and housing them in wire cages either outdoors under a covered roof, or inside a pole barn where we park machinery currently.

After much, much, much research into breeding/butchering programs, I've settled on 1 buck and 3 does with a monthly butcher rotation. So, I'm looking for 6 cages. 3 will be 24x30x18, 3 will be 30x36x18. . . . . .

and have no idea where to go to find them. The stickied post about "Where do I keep them" listed a few companies, but that post is over 2 years old, so I'm not certain of its continued accuracy. Is the company 'Fry Cages' still a thing? If so, are they quality? If you've ordered from them, do you have any suggestions?

Finally - I've never kept rabbits outside. Other than cooling in the summer, shade, and something to block the wind, snow and inclement weather, is there anything else I need to know?

Thanks for any information you may have,
R. Hodgson

Welcome to RT!

For the cages, maybe try Bass Equipment. I get my cages from them- good quality, decent prices, and quick delivery. If I'm not mistaken, they are in Missouri.

If I may, you might want to re-think some cage sizes. I also raise NZ, and my bucks are in the 36" long cages, and my does in the 48" long ones. The does do well in that size with nest boxes and kits until weaning, at which time I move the kits to grow out cages (2 36" cages connected together).

My buns are also kept outside, and the only thing I would add is to consider winter water. Bottles freeze fast, so you might want to consider water crocks. Also, be mindful of possible predators.

Good luck and have fun! Post pics of your setup when done!

Orsheln Farm and Home:
http://www.orschelnfarmhome.com/rabbit- ... 58430/cl3/

Tractor Supply:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/catalo ... s-habitats

KWcages:
https://www.kwcages.com/cages/stacking.html

Bass Equipment:
http://www.bassequipment.com/Cages/Rabb ... fault.aspx

All have their pros and cons. I raise NZW (2 white does, 1 cal/nzw buck and 1 chin/nzw doe). I couldn't find cages large enough so I built mine. Not as much fun as you would think. :x :lol: :lol:



I did make the above design in a 2'x2'x4' for one of my does. Don't really like the door on top.

You can order the wire online or pick up in hardware store. Just keep in mind that 14ga 1'' x 1/2'' floor wire is the holy grail of wire. :lol: :lol:

Best of luck,
Cathy

Marinea":101s9xzb said:

Welcome to RT!

For the cages, maybe try Bass Equipment. I get my cages from them- good quality, decent prices, and quick delivery. If I'm not mistaken, they are in Missouri.

If I may, you might want to re-think some cage sizes. I also raise NZ, and my bucks are in the 36" long cages, and my does in the 48" long ones. The does do well in that size with nest boxes and kits until weaning, at which time I move the kits to grow out cages (2 36" cages connected together).

My buns are also kept outside, and the only thing I would add is to consider winter water. Bottles freeze fast, so you might want to consider water crocks. Also, be mindful of possible predators.

Good luck and have fun! Post pics of your setup when done!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the information about cage size! My only hesitation with that size of cage is cleaning them out. It seems like it would be difficult to catch the kits and clean them out? <br /><br /> -- Wed Nov 11, 2015 7:45 am -- <br /><br />

wamplercathy":101s9xzb said:

Orsheln Farm and Home:
http://www.orschelnfarmhome.com/rabbit-homes-accessories/ctl16754/cp58430/cl3/

Tractor Supply:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/catalog/pets-livestock/small-animal/small-animal-cages-habitats

KWcages:
https://www.kwcages.com/cages/stacking.html

Bass Equipment:
http://www.bassequipment.com/Cages/Rabbit+Cages/Stackable+Rabbit+Cages/default.aspx

All have their pros and cons. I raise NZW (2 white does, 1 cal/nzw buck and 1 chin/nzw doe). I couldn't find cages large enough so I built mine. Not as much fun as you would think. :x :lol: :lol:

I did make the above design in a 2'x2'x4' for one of my does. Don't really like the door on top.

You can order the wire online or pick up in hardware store. Just keep in mind that 14ga 1'' x 1/2'' floor wire is the holy grail of wire. :lol: :lol:

Best of luck,
Cathy

Click to expand...

You know, I thought about making my own. But I would have to buy new wire, and the cost is about the same as new cages anyway. There's an Orsheln's just down the road from me a half hour or so. I'm not sure why they didn't come to mind!

All of the links in the "Where do I keep them" sticky are still valid.

RHodgson":36a7equ5 said:

Marinea":36a7equ5 said:

Welcome to RT!

For the cages, maybe try Bass Equipment. I get my cages from them- good quality, decent prices, and quick delivery. If I'm not mistaken, they are in Missouri.

If I may, you might want to re-think some cage sizes. I also raise NZ, and my bucks are in the 36" long cages, and my does in the 48" long ones. The does do well in that size with nest boxes and kits until weaning, at which time I move the kits to grow out cages (2 36" cages connected together).

My buns are also kept outside, and the only thing I would add is to consider winter water. Bottles freeze fast, so you might want to consider water crocks. Also, be mindful of possible predators.

Good luck and have fun! Post pics of your setup when done!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the information about cage size! My only hesitation with that size of cage is cleaning them out. It seems like it would be difficult to catch the kits and clean them out?

Click to expand...

I'm about 5'4" and with my cages being 24" deep I can reach all the corners. Any deeper and I wouldn't have a chance :x :lol: :lol: . As far as cleaning, well all wire cages are very easy to keep clean. Wood :x :evil: That is the :twisted:

Building your own is costly and time consuming. If you can buy them, get-em. I got out lucky and found 90% of the wire I used in family barns. Got to love free-cycling. :lol: You can also check craigslist.org. I have found a few at a good price, but don't have the funds to go get them. DH says I don't need them. Silly hubby, you can never have too many cages. :twisted: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I don't know what threads you've read, but you might find this one fun. to-hang-or-to-shelve-t24210.html Its when I was setting up my rabbitry. It is outside but had to be very secure. We have raccoons around that top out at 50+lbs.
Hope this helps,
Cathy

As far as cleaning goes, Cathy is right...wire cages are the way to go. My cages are in wooden frames with slant boards down to troughs which collect the waste and direct it to buckets. I really don't have to gather kits and go into the cages to clean them.

I added slant boards and guttering to mine.

Placed holes in the gutter to allow the urine to escape.

Used the plastic bottom of a pet rabbit cage to catch the droppings.


Raking out from under the cages was getting to my back.

Have to scrape down twice a week, and wash down once a month. But other than that it's easy to keep clean.