New cage

Here is a my latest (and hopefully last) cage. Sorry for the poor photography. I've now maxed out my barn with 23 holes and that can easily produce enough rabbit for our family. I built this cage for the 3 commercial does that I bought in Alabama last fall (see thread on "Rabbit Transport" for more info on them). The drop down nest boxes are used by this rabbitry and since it looked to be quite successful, I figured I would give it a try. The bottom wire is from Klubbertanz and I made 3 holes at 30" X 40". I bent about 3" up on each side for extra support but it also doubles as baby saver (even though it will be unnecessary as such, when utilizing the drop down nest box). I'm happy to say that all 3 does are now bred and I'm anxiously waiting to start tracking growth rates and find out if my cross country rabbit trek was worth the effort/expense. So far, I'll say that I am absolutely thrilled with these 3 does and buck. It probably doesn't show in these pics, but they are definitely better built than any stock I've ever had. Ignore the doe on of the far right (she is the last of my previous stock that I didn't butcher because I thought she was within a week of delivering). After this litter, she'll have to go. So far, they seem to like exploring the drop down nest boxes. If all goes well, I'll post a pic later of the first litter.

Looks great!

*fingers crossed for lots of healthy kits*

That bottom wire looks like good stuff. Is it 1/2 x 1/2?

alforddm":x662s815 said:

That bottom wire looks like good stuff. Is it 1/2 x 1/2?

Click to expand...

Yes, this is the 16 ga. 1/2X1/2 galv. after weld. Expensive but excellent stuff, which I highly recommend.
On a side note (probably should be another thread), one of these does turned into an absolute terror; grunting, pawing, and biting. :twisted: I thought she would settle down after breeding but maybe I'll have to wait until she kindles. Anyway, since I completed this cage, I switched her to her new home and she has been much more acceptable. I guess it's because she doesn't yet recognize these grounds and her personal space. She'll probably get ugly again once she officially accepts ownership. Until then, I'll just enjoy her troublefree nature for as long as it lasts.

how are these boxes for cleaning out?

They look like it would be difficult to clean them out well after the kits are out.

Not a problem. When the doe is near kindling, I put in a resting mat in the bottom and then add hay. After the young get old enough to jump in and out, I remove the resting pad and take out the majority of the hay and fur. I wash the rest mat simply in soap and water. Within a week or two everything else has fallen through the wire. Since each cage is soley assigned to that individual doe, I don't even worry about any additional cleaning. I suppose you could treat it just like any other bottom wire and spray for disinfecting if you want. After multiple litters, I can say that I am 100% satisfied with this design and wouldn't ever go back to using nest boxes (by the way, I've got 3 Klubbertanz nest boxes for sale - in great condition ... cheap)!