ok - let's design my rabbit barn ...

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Brody

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what else is there to do in winter than design and plan??

I want measurement ideas and idea ideas ...

lets say I want to house the jw does in a colony with pop holes to the outdoors with the buck alongside them to keep them company

I need space for the rescue rabbits that always find their way here .. changeable space might be best there

I have a disabled satin angora and an English angora buck who need space and can see needing more fibre bunny space

if anybody wants to put a chicken coop on one side of the plan that would be fine with me too (for about 4-6 laying hens I think)
 
boy...you know I LOVE to design and redesign my various schemes. :D

so....If we're talking about an actual building, stick built, or a pole barn type, instead of a hoop coop type...

I'd do a decently long thing..with a walkway down the center, pens and cages on either side. You could do either 3ft or 6ft deep to the wall cage/pen on each side. So that's 6 + 3 + 6 (giving you enough room down the center fr a wheelbarrow) or 3+3+3. Now me...I'd opt for the 6ft deep pens, with a door at the walkway for each. Around here we have a problem with strong winds in the winter, and it's easier to heat a square building than a narrow long one. (for the same square footage).

so. You have 6foot x ?? on each side to divide up. You could have 3ft wide sections for pairs with their kits, or divide into 2 3x3 pens for singles. AND if you wanted to have a larger pen, just open up a "door" into the next pen over...for a possible 6x6.

On one end, I'd keep a 6x6 open for feed, haybales, medicines. Actually, a 6x6 would be big enough for a pygora to winter in, as well. Or a bottle fed baby something.

doors to the outside is easy. cut a hole, put a ramp on it on the outside :) (hellllooooo chicken doors!) OR slide down doors (simple wooden or metal door that slides into a slot on either side of the opening. These could be openable from the outside with a pulley and line system.

the angoras....As you well know, I keep mine in a colony setting indoors. I like it because it gives the animals room to run, move, groom each other, companionship. Wool hasn't suffered, and they don't matt. Your mileage may vary.

On the outside on one side, I'd put my chicken coop/leanto. (actually, me personally, I'd put my few laying hens IN the rabbitry with a pop hole to the great out of doors) simple leanto type building, with nestboxes jutting INTO the rabbitry. Rabbitry is likely to be warmer than the chicken coop, and you can easily put the nestboxes, as a covered box, into your feed room, or into one of the pens at 2ft up. rabbits can rest on the top, and run underneeath...chickens, from the other side, would lay their eggs. Probably put the nestboxes near one end of the building so it's easy to get to. 4-6 hens would only require 24sq feet or so.

Of course, the fencing is important with the buns. You'd have to determine is you wanted to lay down wire on the bottom and let greens grow up thru, or fence down along the outside. I've seen quite a few pictures of runs that don't have either simply because the rabbits aren't out there long enough to start digging.

For me...I'd have a southern facing window wall for heat gain in the winter. solar panels on the roof for lighting power.

oh. And I'd paint it white, with dark green trim, doors and shutters. :)
 
great ideas
Hubs doesn't want to go to planning department so I'm limited to 100 square feet for this summer
which will actually be better here as we don't have much land at the house ..

if I go 10 X 10 I could have a 3 x 7 foot aisle into the shed with a 4x4 foot run, a 4 x3 foot run, a 3x 5 foot run, a 3 x 5 foot run, a 3 x 4 and a 3x 3 run - one could be for equipement, feed etc

or I could have a 4 x4 foot aisle with a 6 x 10 foot run across the back with a 3 x 4 foot run along each side ... that would give all the woolies a spot - niobe on one side, popple on the other, the girls across the back
Franklin will live in the house I'm sure
Puff could live in one of the three hutches I have in the dog run out back ..


oh all this thinking ....
 

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