My new addition to the rabbitry *Roof is finally on!*

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TerriG

TerriG

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Dec 3, 2012
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Location
Payson, Utah
It has taken forever to get to this point (all summer). We are now calling it the Rabbit Barn. We only have to put the roof on now. We are using billboard tarps for the roof. We just have to clean them up and get them to size. I designed it myself and build most of it myself. I wrangled dh and ds when I needed to hang the 12' trusses.

This picture was taken from our 2nd story deck. You can see the basic layout. One half is the rabbitry. The other half is storage (feed, hay, straw, etc) and a butcher area. That way dh and ds can get out of the weather, whether it is blistering sun, rain, or snow. The side that has the storage and butcher area is the new addition, but that meant we had to restructure everything. I also wanted to have it enclosed, but have it look nice. We used cedar fence boards for all of the outside boards. If anything needs to be replaced or repaired, it is as simple as unscrewing a board.



This picture shows the gates to the 2 areas. You can also see the fans that we installed for air flow. The lower fan is the intake fan. The upper fan has cute shutters on it that can be closed up in bad weather. That way the cages closest to the gate won't get rain driving in on them.

 
Want to come build mine for me? I really need to get some ideas together and see if I can get my step dad to make me a barn/shed for my buns. Love how yours is coming along.
 
It looks wonderful! Well made, functional, and aesthetically pleasing. What more could you ask? Oh.

:arrow: Will it be easy to clean, and does it have water?

If so, it's perfect!!! :D
 
DogCatMom":3krcknef said:
It looks wonderful! Well made, functional, and aesthetically pleasing. What more could you ask? Oh.

:arrow: Will it be easy to clean, and does it have water?

If so, it's perfect!!! :D
Click to expand...

It is easy to clean since we put down straw on the dirt floor and then muck it out. If I could design from scratch, I would have sloped concrete floors, and stainless steel or hardboard like they put in commercial bathrooms so that I could just wash everything down like they do at the dairies (I grew up in the dairy industry). That won't happen though, so the straw works well.

We are renting the house (but planning to buy it), so we haven't been able to permanently run power or water out there. Our landlord is fine with what we have done since nothing is permanently installed. We used screws and hardware to build everything so it could be taken down if we ever moved.We are running a heavy gauge extension cord. Eventually we will trench water and power out there. I actually just talked to my dh the other day about an idea for running a hose to a utility sink that I am thinking about putting in the butcher area.

I think it is pretty perfect, all things considered :D I mean, I would love to have it perfectly climate controlled, but that isn't very realistic :p
 
Marinea":1ufderpo said:
That is a bit more than an "addition", I think.

It looks terrific!
Click to expand...

Well ... the rabbitry was 10'x15'. Then we decided to add on 7', making it 17'x15'. That meant we had to change the roof structure, and it went from there :D
 
WOW!

That looks fabulous!

You did a great job.

I love the chain link window. :)
 
MamaSheepdog":3mkmnyb6 said:
I love the chain link window. :)
Click to expand...

You noticed that, huh? I thought it would be a cute addition.

The original part of the rabbitry (the 10'x15' part) is contained within a chain link dog kennel that was already installed on the property. It has worked really well. Small kits can get out though, and growers could get out of the gap in the gate. The new cedar walls take care of both of those problems hopefully. I wanted to still be able to take a quick glance in before I opened the gate, or to just take a look to make sure everything looked ok. The window allows me to do that :D

We will put clear plastic up on the whole inside (including the window) if it is cold like last year. Last year, we maintained about 16 degrees with the plastic and brooder lights. The plastic bought us about 10 degrees, and the brooder lights another 10 degrees. That tells you how stinking cold it was last year. I figure the cedar gives us another insulating layer.

Thanks for all the compliments! It has been a labor of love.<br /><br />__________ Sun Sep 29, 2013 5:56 pm __________<br /><br />We are finally weather tight!



Here is a look from the inside. I used a recycled billboard tarp at the suggestion of members here :D

 

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