Building hutches, need advice for the flemmies hutch.

[Tegan]

Ok, so this spring I'm moving the rabbits outside. Love having the colony, love the weather free worries and year round breeding, but I'm producing much too much bedding waste for my comfort.

I know what size the rex need and what floors will work for them. No worries there.

My issue is my Flemmish doe. I've always heard they need solid floors, and larger spaces. In the colony I didn't really have to worry about that. I dont want to make my hutches deeper then 24 inches, so how long should I make it (doe and kits)? Also, solid floor? Can I get away with wire? I'd like to do slant boards for collecting poop for the garden, but if it's just the one doe I have to worry about bedding it's not a big deal, and I figure once her kits go to grow-out it wont matter with them too much because they'll be processed out before they get big enough for me to have to worry about them being on wire.

I thought I read somewhere that breeders were using expanded metal sheet for floors for flemmish. Thoughts?

 

[phillinley]

I found a perfect Flemish hutch. But I don't have the plans. I don't have the engineering skills to figure it out without them, and I'm too far away from this guy to have him build one :

http://custombuiltshelters.com/hutches.html

 

[Tegan]

I saw those, but if you look at the pictures on the inside, it's all wood. In other words it's all one giant chew toy. I've found people using the "tightmesh rubbermaid shelving." I may give that a try. Besides, that's HUGE for one rabbit...thanks though.

 

[JessicaR]

My flemish giant has a wire floor and I have had no problems with him, but his cage is a XL large dog crate, so the 1x1/2 wire floor has support from the kennels wire floor.

 

[jollysrabbits]

my flemish are on wire floors year round, just put a resting board in the cage and you will be good to go.

 

[Tegan]

Ok cool, I'll just stick with my regular wire floors then. Any idea's on size? I was going to make the other cages 2x4 feet, if that will work for the flemmie I'll use that for her as well.

 

[jollysrabbits]

that is plenty big enough, I use the same size and could easily go smaller.