Brainstorming Cage Changes

[ladysown]

This is how MOST of my rabbits are raised.



I want to change this for the following reasons
1. I want to get ALL my rabbits into one portable garage with a way to make a quarantine area within that.
2. I want all my cages regardless of the size of rabbit to be about 30 inches long
3. I want to be able to put them three high.
4. I want to be able to remove one cage at a time for thorough cleaning and drying in the sun as needed.
5. Needs to be able to stand up to daily cleaning that is not too difficult to maintain. The racks are easy... scrape and pull down the waste that doesn't drop on it's own.

This summer I picked up three wire cages with trays and thought, I'll do these for the winter with a variety of types of rabbit and see how doing cages with trays will work. I've done smaller cages with trays as rescue only cages over the past two winters and thought them just as easy to clean as the racks. BUT this winter has been a cold winter, and the new cages with their larger trays are a pain in the butt to work with. I do NOT want to repeat this for 25 cages if we get another hard winter like this one. I'd freeze my hands off.

So that's left me pondering... how Can I change my current set up (I'd be rebuilding from what I have as much as possible) to accommodate my wants/needs? And do so in a cost effective manner.

I've considered building cages out of PVC much like what you'd find here: http://fmicrofarm.com/2012/02/19/diy-ra ... -tutorial/ But I fear that on a windy day they'd blow over (i've had my wooden racks do that). Plus how do I get away from the trays???

My brother has a thought in his mind (he's a welder) of building steel pole frames that would hold a cage that can be taken apart one by one but I can't visualize what he's thinking and an artist he is not.

So I"m looking for ideas that I can present to him (as he said he'd help where able).. or even ideas that I could do by myself with perhaps the help of hubby and my homeschool group.

So help?

thanks.

 

[Jessykah]

Take a look at this cage (the one on the top): http://www.hostilehare.com/tools-of-the ... vDvqbR5KjY
You can fit 12 rabbits in this setup. Just build it to your specs. It all drops down the center. I would put a tray on the floor under the cage, maybe with a cupboard handle or rope handle attached to it, to make it easier to pull out. Just pull out and clean daily. It is one tray instead of 12. Your back has to be able to handle it though...maybe raise it another few inches to be able to have the tray on wheels? So you would have to have the unit in the center of the car port and take advantage of the extra height in the center to that it can be 3 cages high...you have to have the room to be able to pull the tray out as well....How many cages do you need to house? Maybe this isn't feasible if your carport isn't big enough...Can you line up 2 carports to make 1 long one? I think I saw Mary Ann do that.

 

[grumpy]

Eight or ten years ago, I had a 25 doe herd in a 12X20 foot building.
All cages were double stacked, but suspended on wires from the ceiling.

I had Masonite drop-boards between the levels that drained to the back.
The floor was wooden, so I cut openings for the droppings to fall through.
I covered the openings with 2X4 welded wire.
Sorry, I have no pics of that set-up.

It did have an automatic watering system with a heated reservoir and pump.

There was about thirty cages in the set-up.

grumpy.

 

[Dood]

Create a 3 tier scaffolding but instead of hanging them, sit them on metal poles - this way you can remove individual cages easily.

To have 18 inches for each cage plus a good grade on the slant trays might make it too high for 3 levels so 2 or 3 inch deep trays sitting on the top of the cage below might be needed instead.

The total heigh for this set up would be : 3 levels x (18"cages + 3"trays + 2"pipe diameter) = 69" high = 5' 9"

If the cages are only 12" high then you'd lower it to 63" = 5'3"

 

[Marinea]

I think it could be done with a setup close to what you have now. A wooden frame could be made to support several individual sized cages hanging within. A single drop-board could stretch the length of the frame. The individual cages could be removed for cleaning, isolation, etc. Basically, I see it as using something close to what you have now, just substituting individual cages for the long run you currently have.

My only concern would be the three high part. If the cages are 18" high, and the bottom one is 6" off the ground, and there is, say, 6" between each level for the drop-board, that puts you over six feet tall. I would not want to be working overhead like that.

Our cages are made with metal frames. They are similar to how yours look, but single level. I believe a metal frame could be built the same way you have made the wooden one, again just subbing individual cages for the long run. They could be suspended from the frame, and a bottom support bar could be added for additional stability. The drop board could be easily welded in place as well. Our cages both have drop boards attached to the metal frames.

 

[Jessykah]

I know you don't want to do all trays, but it WILL help you to be able to stack 3 high. It requires less space between cages than a drop board would....here is a good example in this part 2 of 7 video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMZzWfEvyWY
You can use very shallow pans and clean them daily, to save on vertical space. Deep pans are so difficult to deal with, I will not go back to them.
Using a tool like she uses in the video for cleaning the pans, will make scraping frozen pee easier.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Take a look at this cage (the one on the top): http://www.hostilehare.com/tools-of-the ... vDvqbR5KjY

That is quite nice!

 

[ladysown]

hmm... I have 15-16 inch high cages, and would (if I did) have 1-2 inch trays... hmm...

That might make a manageable height... I am 5'10"... low cages can be a problem...but generally high ones are doable though rabbits don't like it if they are too high (this I have learned).

Drop boards... I need to figure a better way to do them OR decide that trays are the way to go...

hmm.....