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BiggTexx

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First, I would like to thank those who helped me come up with this design (whether they knew it or not :p ) in another thread: Dood, MamaSheepdog, OneAcreFarm and a few others.

Of course while I look back and think about the process, I wish I would have taken some 'during' photos to help explain it better, but I was ready to get this up and going... I still have some modifications that I want to add over the next few weeks, so this not in a final stage yet, although it is being used by a few rescues already. And yes Dood, the buck is separated ;).

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Here is to hoping that the images can be viewed
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The overall design is based on a series of frames that were built separately and then combined and secured together. While this was probably far more complicated than I needed to make it, I decided beforehand to take this route in the event that I needed to make repairs or modify the design. In this case, I can remove certain sections, replace fencing materials and/or add new dividers with relative ease. For example, I can remove an entire cage wall or the top of the hutch in a matter of minutes. You will notice in one of the door pictures how the wire is attached to the inside of the components so as to limit the amount of chewing the rabbits can do with the wood.

First picture: No Roof or collections system. The rescues were interested in checking it out though!
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Roof overlap:
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Door design: RO with bolt latches (padlocks coming soon...)
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Air buffer between roof and cage:
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'Collections' system: corrugated aluminum (same as roof) that directs waste to a rain gutter than cane be hosed out into a bucket (I am re-using the waste as fertilizer)
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Very nice! I wish we could have gotten away with something like this, but we are subject to 45-50 MPH winds in pretty much every season, so had to build a small bunny barn. If you ever decide to, you have the perfect setup to put worm beds underneath your hutch! Then you wouldn't have to clean the angled waste area, and you'd have worms for your garden too! This does look like an efficient setup that you have here, though. :D
 
Very nice job!

:judges:

The cages look roomy and the bunnies will be very secure since you used all 1/2" x 1" wire. :)
 
I see that you over-design, just like my hubby does. That looks terrific.

Our slant board system is almost identical to yours, and I love it. From my experience with it, I would make a tiny suggestion. It seems you have a bit of room in the area you have bordered for the hutch- you might want to consider moving the hutch at least a few inches out from the wall of the building behind it. I have found that there are times I need to get to the very back top of the slant board to rinse off material that hasn't fallen down. Those few inches of space make it much easier to get a hand and a hose back there.

It really looks great, and makes me even more excited to finish our current cage project. Of course, once it's done, I have to rearrange the current rabbitry setup, move some cages around, get some new straw to cover the floor...get used to always having rabbit projects to work on :)
 
Thanks for the compliments guys!

It was a labor of love until the wife got home in time to 'help'...

My :explanation: project turned into afternoon of :gettowork: :rant: :chair: :2guns: You get the point... :groooan:

Marinea, I know I didn't show it clearly, but the back of the hutch is actually about a foot and a half off the wall. The roof extends a good 8 inches to the rear and the collector plate extends about 4 inches. I have been using a child's sized scoop/rake (seen laying on the ground in a few of the pictures) to pull any waste or hay buildup that doesn't make it down, but I can also wash the plates with a hose through this gap as you suggested. They do say great minds think alike, right? :D

Comet007, I had never thought about doing a worm bed, but the other reason I decided to go with this collector system is to prevent any wild dogs, coons or coyotes from standing up underneath the hutch and tormenting the rabbits.
 
I'm jealous, that's an awesome hutch! Lol when I built mine I copied some ideas of a friend of mine, I took an old 10x2x3 quail hutch and converted it to a rabbit hutch with 4 divided rooms (bucks, does, pregos. Theoretically), wooden platforms, and nest boxes. His looks like a rabbit ghetto, fortunately though mine isn't too bad I think :p. I don't plan on making it a huge operation, just wanting to selectively breed as necessary to provide my tiny family with some rabbit meat and maybe sell one here and there
 
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