What do you think of this cage plan?

Hey guys, I am putting together a new colony pen and wanted advice. This may be better in the "colony" thread, but it's not really a conventional straight colony so, I don't know...

Anyway, after feeling like my truck-bed colony was a good success, I am trying to think of ways to emulate it on the cheap without having my truck full of rabbits all the time.

What I've come up with so far is this:

A pen utilizing a 4'x8' floor area (the size of a standard piece of plywood)

The pen will have the back and two 4' sides made out of plywood, a 1"x2" wire front, and a wire floor most likely made out of 1/4"x1/4" hardware cloth. I have a piece of plywood to place on top as well, hinged for access. The colony will sit 4" off the ground. (2"x4" frame.)

I will have insulated nest boxes for each doe, plus an extra for winter warmth if the rabbits just want to "hang out". These will not be permanently attached to the hutch, so I can bring the babies in if I need to in very cold weather.

The reason for the 1/4"x1/4" floor is so that I can still fill the colony with straw, but urine will drain out, as well as some poo. I don't want such a large diameter that I lose too much bedding. I realize typical hardware cloth is not very good quality and may not hold up well, so I have plans for the entire floor to be on a frame so I can remove it to replace the hardware cloth, or if I want to set the colony down on forage for a bit, or for cleaning. (Thinking I can just pull the pins on the floor and lift the entire structure off, carry the floor over to the compost bin and dump it.)

My question is...how tall should this cage be? I'd like for it to house at least two does with litters for grow out, or three does and a buck, pulling litters to grow out separately. The more I can house in each structure, the better. Would I be able to house more rabbits comfortably if I put some kind of shelf along the back wall? I could have a 2' wide removable shelf going the entire 8' length.

I was thinking of making the entire thing 2 feet tall, but that seems very short. However, the shorter structure would hold heat better in the winter with less head room. If I went 3' tall, I could put the shelf along the back and there would be 18" head room under the shelf and above the shelf.

I'm on a budget and did not buy treated lumber. I figure rabbits will chew it down pretty well before it rots, anyway. I'm trying to decrease the potential for chewing by keeping the frame on the outside so there are no extra enticing corners to nibble on.

Not sure what I will do with the roof, hopefully these will be in a shed so I don't have to worry about weatherizing it for rain and snow.

Any advice, input?

Will post pictures as it comes together! If this prototype works, I hope to have a bunch of them made before winter, maybe stack versions, too. (3' wide, though, for reach in.)

I personally like 1/2"x1/2" flooring, it is not very sturdy, but is big enough for poop to fall through while not letting much hay/straw out. the smaller may well be better, I am not sure. In my cages, if I have hay in the cage, it tendds to soak up more pee than leaks through, in my experience...I have thought about colony cages, and what I have figured, you would want the ceiling to be at least high enough so you could crawl in there and clean it out periodically. I thought three feet would be good for me....

But I also have no experience at all with this stuff, unlike you and many others here. These are just things I have thought while contemplating it for myself.

I would LOVE pictures!

hardware cloth will break and fray with the scampering of does and bucks. I had this occur last year. I would use a piece of particle board with quarter inch holes for drainage instead. toss it after a year of use... still costs less than a cage. might make one at home soon.

Hmm, I don't know about the particle board. Seems like it would need a LOT of holes to drain well and it would just get uber-nasty unless I painted it. I'd rather just replace the hardware cloth after a year. It will cost about the same.

Decided I will go with the 3' high design. Going to get the extra materials in a little bit!

the hardware cloth will not last a year---go with the particle board and yes--put in a lot of drain holes.<br /><br />__________ Sat Jul 31, 2010 9:07 pm __________<br /><br />I should add that when the hardware cloth breaks you will risk injury, predation, escape and obviously death to your buns.

Hardware cloth is very rough on rabbit feet.

I've used it as floor wire for short term housing, 2 or 3 months, until I could find welded wire cages.

Have a good day!

Well, maybe what I'm calling hardware cloth is not actually hardware cloth? Welded wire is very difficult to come by up here, and is both lower quality and much more expensive than what I would like. The stuff I'm planning on using is what most people I've seen in the area have used for flooring and front wire on wooden hutches. It's much more affordable that the other wire options in the area, but seems to hold up ok if it has the appropriate supports, since it isn't as rigid. I call it hardware cloth, but perhaps it isn't.

(Thinking I can just pull the pins on the floor and lift the entire structure off, carry the floor over to the compost bin and dump it.)

Click to expand...

you are strong enough to lift a 4 x 8 pen with straw and litter in it? wow....

if not, consider how you'll get in there to clean it out.

I have a 4' x 8' growout cage. Unless you have multiple doors, make it at least 4' high, you will need to crawl up into it from time to time to do things. Since you are hinging the top maybe that wont be a problem. I would put some legs on it though, sitting on the ground is going to cause all kinds of problems. Even if you only raise it up a foot it will much better. I don't really believe in anything but welded wire for floors, but if you are set on a more solid approach, I suggest you use a 4x8 sheet of 1/4 (thick and hole size) pegboard. In order for it to hold up you will have to saturate it a couple of times with linseed oil. It is what I have gone to for the bottoms of my nestboxes from a suggestion of a comercial breeder in BC.

Also, for goodness sake, do not use particle board. Particle board is made of sawdust held together with "elmers" glue, it is not much good for anything but cheap pool tables. You may be speaking of MDF (medium density fibre-board) or "flake" board which is much stroger and has a more waterproof glue.

Ah-ha, peg board! I hadn't thought of that. PERFECT. I wonder if they will have linseed oil at the Home Depot? I assume so, right?

I am thinking of putting it on concrete footers, which will get it off the ground just enough, I think.

As for moving a whole 4x8 cage by myself, no. I can't. Cleaning will be a two person job. But, it should be easier since the litter and all will stay on the floor when you lift the rest of the hutch off, so it won't be dealing with the weight of the entire hutch PLUS the floor and litter, just each separately.

Tried to finish up the rest of it yesterday but I got my measurements wrong on some things and got discouraged, so it will have to wait until my next day off. <br /><br />__________ Sun Aug 01, 2010 9:33 pm __________<br /><br />Ah-ha, peg board! I hadn't thought of that. PERFECT. I wonder if they will have linseed oil at the Home Depot? I assume so, right?

I am thinking of putting it on concrete footers, which will get it off the ground just enough, I think.

As for moving a whole 4x8 cage by myself, no. I can't. Cleaning will be a two person job. But, it should be easier since the litter and all will stay on the floor when you lift the rest of the hutch off, so it won't be dealing with the weight of the entire hutch PLUS the floor and litter, just each separately.

Tried to finish up the rest of it yesterday but I got my measurements wrong on some things and got discouraged, so it will have to wait until my next day off.