Making cages vs. buying cages

[MamaSheepdog]

OCD or CDO = picky chicks!!

According to "OAF's Rule", that would be "chicks picky"! Try to keep up, grumpy. :mrgreen:

 

[grumpy]

OCD or CDO = picky chicks!!

According to "OAF's Rule", that would be "chicks picky"! Try to keep up, grumpy. :mrgreen:

Naw, I can't keep up with myself, hardly. You gals are light years ahead of me. I'll throw a "jab" every once in a while. But, I know I'm gonna come out on the short end of the stick. That's all right though..it's all in good fun.

grumpy.

 

[SatinsRule]

Thanks for all the great advice everyone. I'm pretty sure you all saved me from wasting my money. SatinsRule...where do you order your precut cages from? That definitely sounds like the route I'd like to go. I was planning on building the cages with my 10 yr old son and I don't think either one of us is up for cutting heavy duty wire like that.

I order mine from 2 places: Fry Equipment and Klubertanz. Both are excellent for service and quality, but the majority of my cages as of late have come from Klubertanz.

Klubertanz makes cage setups for anything from stackers (which come with duratrays--a definite plus) to 2-3 hole side-by-side units like the ones OneAcreFarm showed in her recent rabbit house pictures. The latter mentioned designs are considerably less expensive, but be sure you read the descriptions at the top of the item listings in their catalog for whichever cage setups you desire to get, all of which can also be viewed online. It will tell you how the cages are made (i.e., GAW or GBW wire, the gauge wire being used, etc.). Also, you can order them with solid or flow-thru vent dividers, which are nice in that they keep the urine sprays between cages to a minimum. If that is the route you go, request that the solid divider panels be trimmed down by 0.25 of an inch on both the top and side. They will fit alot better and be easier to install while you're assembling your cages. It all costs extra, but it's something to consider while you're putting it all together.

Get a set of heavy duty diagonal wire cutters (you can generally find them in any hardware store or at TSC), a heavy-duty pair of j-clip pliers, and a heavy-duty set of c-ring pliers, and again, stay away from the cheap crap. The heavier-duty stuff works better all the way around.

They're shipped unassembled, and though you'll pay for shipping, once again it saves you from wrecking your hands.

 

[WildWolf]

We made all of our hutches, except one. We actually have ours suspended between two trees on two 2x4s. It was very easy- we just made a wooden frame and wrapped wire around it. We stapled it the frame, and put hinges on one for a door. We also attached small wooden doghouses (but with one side of wire) as a more protected part of the hutch.

 

[owlsfriend]

might want to check out this company--sells cages, rolls and pre-cut panels.
http://www.klubertanz.com/images/Klubertanz_Pg22.pdf