My first setup!!

[lereg15]

Hello all!! I am just about finished with my first ever setup, and would like to know your thoughts on it. There are a few things I need to complete, but I'm happy with it so far!!

 

[Marinea]

Are you still planning on meat rabbits? What are you hanging the cages with? And how many hangers per cage?

It's hard to tell scale from the pic- what are the cage sizes, and what are the sizes of those cage doors? The doors look a bit small to me. Learned that lesson very quickly. My doors range from 12" square to 14x16". Trying to get an uncooperative rabbit or a nestbox in and out of a small door is not fun.

Are you going to have hay racks?

 

[lereg15]

Are you still planning on meat rabbits? What are you hanging the cages with? And how many hangers per cage?

It's hard to tell scale from the pic- what are the cage sizes, and what are the sizes of those cage doors? The doors look a bit small to me. Learned that lesson very quickly. My doors range from 12" square to 14x16". Trying to get an uncooperative rabbit or a nestbox in and out of a small door is not fun.

Are you going to have hay racks?

Yes I am getting NZW's, hopefully today!! I have 4 eye screws with s hooks connected to chain per cage that I hung them with. I have since put more on the bottom cage as well. The 2 top cages are 2x3x2, and the bottom on is 2x4x2. The door for the bottom cage should be big enough to handle the nest boxes and a stubborn rabbit, but the thing is that I may now intend to split that cage between the 2 does. That being said, I can't have the door where it's at. For the top two cages, they are only 11x? doors on them, so I may have to redo one of them for a doe if I don't split the bottom cage.
I plan on having hay racks as well, but I'm not sure where I will be placing any of the food and waterers yet.

 

[Marinea]

Those are good sized cages, and I like the set up. I am not sure I would divide the bigger cage- 2x2' seems kind of small to me for a NZ.

You might want to consider, how do I explain this, closing the s hook around the chain. I know my buns can get "bouncy" and I would hate to see them bounce the chain off the hook.

How are you going to handle waste? I think I read you were interested in slant boards, but didn't really like the wavy panels? We have a couple of cages with slant boards using flashing- it's flat and works well.

And...YAY for getting buns! Can't wait to see pics once everything is in place.

 

[lereg15]

Those are good sized cages, and I like the set up. I am not sure I would divide the bigger cage- 2x2' seems kind of small to me for a NZ.

You might want to consider, how do I explain this, closing the s hook around the chain. I know my buns can get "bouncy" and I would hate to see them bounce the chain off the hook.

How are you going to handle waste? I think I read you were interested in slant boards, but didn't really like the wavy panels? We have a couple of cages with slant boards using flashing- it's flat and works well.

And...YAY for getting buns! Can't wait to see pics once everything is in place.

I did in fact close the s hooks on the chains, and one on the bottom of my finger too, ouch!! I went out and measured my top doors, and they are kind of small. One is 11x8, and the other one is 11x11, so I'll have to make them a little bigger.

I was thinking that 2x2 would be a little tight for them, so I guess I'll leave the larger cage for the grow out pen and make a couple more cages when I get some extra money. The end of the month always kills me, financially.

It's not that I dont like the wavy panels, actually I really do. What I don't like is the price of them, so I was trying for something a little cheaper. I was actually thinking about trying formica, but that would be pretty pricey too. I have one wavy panel that I may use for a temporary solution until I can afford, either another one or find something else. I willl also look into the flashing as well. Thanks for the idea!!
I just found some metal wavy panels for $17 a piece, that are 2.33-ft x 12-ft!! I could use one of those for now, until I expand my rabbitry!!http://www.lowes.com/pd_12475-18591-250OVALEC1200_4294806362__?productId=3317584&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=

 

[Susie570]

I personally think those top cages are about the minimum size you might get away with. If you're planning to keep a buck next to a doe on top, he's likely to be spraying her all the time. Just my opinions though! I like to see bunnies have a good amount of space. Hope you do well with your setup.

 

[Silver Cloud]

Maybe you could get Coroplast (corrugated plastic) from a sign company, We paid 14$ for a 4'x8' sheet. It works rather well. It's also easy to score and bend.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Looks good, Lereg!

You were wise to keep the cages a good distance from the wood supports.

I do see one major problem since you want to go with slant boards- you don't have much room between the tiers for it to slope. An easy fix (providing you used screws and not nails) would be to drop the rear rail a few inches, and shorten the chain support as necessary. You might also consider adding another inch or so to the front chains so the bottom cage drops a bit more to provide a steeper slope.

An inexpensive option for your dropping board might be some linoleum scrap that you could get from one of those bargain flooring dealers. It would probably need to be supported with a thin sheet of plywood though to give you a nice level and solid surface.

I would also recommend putting J-clips spaced at 2" for the floor wire. It will help prevent sagging.

Can't wait to see the cages with rabbits in them!

 

[lereg15]

I personally think those top cages are about the minimum size you might get away with. If you're planning to keep a buck next to a doe on top, he's likely to be spraying her all the time. Just my opinions though! I like to see bunnies have a good amount of space. Hope you do well with your setup.

Yeah, I'll have to work that out somehow. At the moment, the guy I'm getting the buns from doesn't have any bucks ready yet, so I will just get 2 does for now. By the time the bucks are ready, I should be able to get another cages built for him. I had a 90 gal aquarium that I sold, but the guy didn't want the stand, so I could put his cage on the stand away from the does.

Maybe you could get Coroplast (corrugated plastic) from a sign company, We paid 14$ for a 4'x8' sheet. It works rather well. It's also easy to score and bend.

Thanks!! I'll see if I can find some around here. I'm not sure of any sign places around here yet though.

Looks good, Lereg!

You were wise to keep the cages a good distance from the wood supports.

I do see one major problem since you want to go with slant boards- you don't have much room between the tiers for it to slope. An easy fix (providing you used screws and not nails) would be to drop the rear rail a few inches, and shorten the chain support as necessary. You might also consider adding another inch or so to the front chains so the bottom cage drops a bit more to provide a steeper slope.

An inexpensive option for your dropping board might be some linoleum scrap that you could get from one of those bargain flooring dealers. It would probably need to be supported with a thin sheet of plywood though to give you a nice level and solid surface.

I would also recommend putting J-clips spaced at 2" for the floor wire. It will help prevent sagging.

Can't wait to see the cages with rabbits in them!

I don't like using nails for that very reason!! I know it doesn't look like it, but the top cages are 6" up from the 2x4's, so I was thinking about putting my 2x4 scraps on top of the front for the angle. It would only be about 3 1/2 - 4" higher, so 2-2 1/2" below the cages. Would that work?
I'll reinforce the bottoms with some more clips. I believe I have them about 4" apart now, so a few more should work!!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

It would only be about 3 1/2 - 4" higher, so 2-2 1/2" below the cages. Would that work?

Yep. You might want to check the angle for degree of slope and see what you think. I personally am only 5' 4" so my boards don't slope very much in my bunny barn because I would have to have the top tier of cages too high or the bottom ones too close to the ground.

I use the corrugated plastic panels so cut a piece of the same material and attached it to a PVC "handle" and use that to push the bunny berries off.

I just found some metal wavy panels for $17 a piece, that are 2.33-ft x 12-ft!!

The rabbit urine will corrode them, so that would only be a temporary solution.

Silver Cloud wrote:Maybe you could get Coroplast (corrugated plastic) from a sign company, We paid 14$ for a 4'x8' sheet. It works rather well. It's also easy to score and bend.


Thanks!! I'll see if I can find some around here.

You can also special order the sheets at Home Depot.

 

[wamplercathy]

Looks great. Can't wait to see your new buns.

 

[lereg15]

Wow, they must have some potent urine to corrode the metal!! I guess I could go with the plastic, since I'd only need one sheet of it, for now. We don't have a Home Depot around us, so I'll have to go to Lowe's, which I saw the panels in there the other day.

 

[Marinea]

I totally get working on a budget. When you go to Lowe's, check the price of the mobile home skirting. It might be cheaper, and it works well for the slant boards as well. We have that on two of our cages now.

Oh, and I found a terrific device to scrape the panels- at an auto part store! They had ice cleaning stuff on sale, and I picked up a long handled tool with a scraper on one end and a brush on the other. It works really well for cleaning cages and boards.

J-clips, along with screws, are your friend. I agree with MSD- the more J-clips, the better to prevent sag. Not fun to do, but so worth it.

 

[lereg15]

I totally get working on a budget. When you go to Lowe's, check the price of the mobile home skirting. It might be cheaper, and it works well for the slant boards as well. We have that on two of our cages now.

Oh, and I found a terrific device to scrape the panels- at an auto part store! They had ice cleaning stuff on sale, and I picked up a long handled tool with a scraper on one end and a brush on the other. It works really well for cleaning cages and boards.

J-clips, along with screws, are your friend. I agree with MSD- the more J-clips, the better to prevent sag. Not fun to do, but so worth it.

I found some of that coroplast at Lowes for $16, so I think I'll go with that. I do have one piece of it for the top section, so I just need one more for the bottom!

I think I could possibly open up a broom store with all the brooms I have, lol. I would think I could use one of them to clean them with. I'll just have to rinse it good while I spray off the coroplast stuff.

J-clips are not my friend, especially with the smaller mesh!! I'll be going out in a little bit to install some more of them in a little bit though. I still want to put some 1/2x1/2 mesh around the bottoms of my 2 top cages as well.

The guy I am getting the buns from just messaged me that he was going out of town this afternoon, so it looks like I'll have to wait until Sun to get them. At least that will give me time to smooth out everything before I get them. On the downside, it gives me more time to think of improvements as well, lol.

 

[Silver Cloud]

If you don't like the 1/2"x1/2" wire for baby saver you could buy the long urine guards like they sell at Family Farm and home it completely covers 3 sides of a 30x36 cage, I know more cost but works as an alternative. Just a link for a reference to what I'm talking about. http://www.ebay.com/itm/PET-LODGE-URINE ... 4897.l4275

 

[lereg15]

I just got finished putting my baby saver wire on. I have looked at the urine guards, but I have plenty off plastic that I can cover the wall with, if it gets too bad. I plan on putting the buck in a different spot, for now, so I'm hoping that it wont be too bad. I could always put him under the does too, even though he will probably smell them, but unless he can spray straight in the air, it should be fine, I think.

I had a 'sheet' of the corrugated plastic that I plan on using for the excrement tray until I get a chance to buy stuff to make an actual poop tray for them. That will probably be next week. I just need to find a way to elevate the one end and figure out some sort of 'catch-all' for it. I may have a rubbermade type container that I could use for now. Once it quits being so nasty outside, I won't mind being out there as much, lol, plus I have baby sitting duties today.

Tomorrow I will be getting my feeders, waterers, and suet holders ( for the hay), and the food, so I'll be ready for the buns to reside with us!! We should get up to 40 tomorrow, but sunny instead of this rainy crap, so I can cut out the places for the feeders, if I go that route. Does anybody use those plastic feeders that hook on to the cage? If so do they work decent, just until I can get the good ones?

 

[Marinea]

I use roof guttering to direct the waste. It runs along the bottom of the slant board and is angled to one end, where I have a five gallon bucket to catch it.

For feeders/waterers, a good idea is to go to your local Dollar Store and find some bowls- glass, ceramic, whatever. Ramekins work really well. Cheap and simple. and no holes in the cage.

 

[lereg15]

I use roof guttering to direct the waste. It runs along the bottom of the slant board and is angled to one end, where I have a five gallon bucket to catch it.

For feeders/waterers, a good idea is to go to your local Dollar Store and find some bowls- glass, ceramic, whatever. Ramekins work really well. Cheap and simple. and no holes in the cage.

I'll have to look around for some guttering! The way I plan on doing it so far, I wouldn't need very much of it.

At TSC, they have a 2 1/2 lb feeder, but that seems a little big for only feeding a cup and a half a day. Plus, the reviews on them are awful. I might do the hook on type feeder, but will see what I can find first. I will be going out today to pick up all my supplies, or at least the one's that I dont forget about, lol. <br /><br /> -- Sun Mar 29, 2015 11:55 am -- <br /><br /> They're Here!!