Nest box tops/lids/shelves

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MuddyFarms

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The thread that @RabbitsOfTheCreek posted about her nice nest boxes reminded me about tops on nest boxes. I am just curious what you guys like about the boxes you each use, since it's a pretty widely used piece of equipment. :)

Do you use boxes with or without a top?
Do you find a top helpful for certain reasons and not others?
What environment are your boxes in and does that make a difference?

While you're at it, if you want to mention anything about your nest boxes, go ahead!

What do you like about your boxes?
Wish could be improved?
Is the size you got good for your rabbits?

Thanks!
 
I"ve tried a variety of styles with my rabbits.

I, for a long time, did the traditional rectangle with a partial top. So not a fan except for does that are shy and want to hide away with their litters so I have ONE left.

I've also done the square with a circle hole just big enough for a rabbit to get in through. Rabbits LOVED those, but man, they were a pain to clean.

What I use now is a basic rectangle, they are the same height all around. with perhaps one end that's a tad shorter. I went with that format since my rabbits are often trying to jump in on the sides, rather then through the narrower end. they jump up high and clean (rabbits can clear higher than we often give them credit for. Having no top makes them very stable for setting up on their side when tipping the box at two weeks.

attached was the result of my nestbox build two years ago to accommodate the different rabbits I have. I do drill holes in the bottoms to help with drainage.
 

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We were having problems with kits getting out onto the wire and not surviving. There's also the problem of when the kits are two to three weeks old and if the nest box has a solid bottom, it can become a soggy mess. Added to that is the problem of the floor wire of hutches being the first thing to rot out. So, we now have modular hutches which replaceable floor plates. Some of the floor plates have dropped nesting areas for when a doe is expecting a litter.

bigfloor1.jpg


It's just a 2x2 wood frame with 1/2" x 1" wire stapled or nailed to it. There's 1/4"x1/4" wire in the dropped area on this nest, some of them have the same 1/2"x1" wire there as well.

bigfloor3.jpg


The nest box has open sides so babies that get out can get back in from three sides. The solid top also give mum bun a place to hide from little ones when she's weaning them. Plus more floor area in the hutch.

bighutchbaby2.jpg


They can slip into the nest even after they've learned to walk but for the younger ones, being able to roll back into the nest is important. We've not lost any more babies on the wire since the dropped nests were implemented.

The floor plates set into a frame that has a back, roof and sides. The doors are also modular and come out for easy cleaning and replacement of floor plates.

bighutchbuild1.jpg


A lot of refrigerator racks get used for walls, old tin roofing for the roof. This hutch has two levels. They're outdoor hutches, but the outdoors here is pretty mellow so perhaps hutches in your area would need to be different.
 
ladysown said:
I"ve tried a variety of styles with my rabbits.

I, for a long time, did the traditional rectangle with a partial top. So not a fan except for does that are shy and want to hide away with their litters so I have ONE left.

I've also done the square with a circle hole just big enough for a rabbit to get in through. Rabbits LOVED those, but man, they were a pain to clean.

What I use now is a basic rectangle, they are the same height all around. with perhaps one end that's a tad shorter. I went with that format since my rabbits are often trying to jump in on the sides, rather then through the narrower end. they jump up high and clean (rabbits can clear higher than we often give them credit for. Having no top makes them very stable for setting up on their side when tipping the box at two weeks.

attached was the result of my nestbox build two years ago to accommodate the different rabbits I have. I do drill holes in the bottoms to help with drainage.
Click to expand...

Glad to learn from you about all those kinds of boxes; thank you, @ladysown ! I have boxes much like yours, and I noticed that certain does like to jump over the sides as well. It makes no sense to me why they do that, but I guess it's fine. Just pretty funny that they like the harder way in. :)

Thanks for the picture, too. It is nice to see other's boxes.
 
hotzcatz said:
We were having problems with kits getting out onto the wire and not surviving. There's also the problem of when the kits are two to three weeks old and if the nest box has a solid bottom, it can become a soggy mess. Added to that is the problem of the floor wire of hutches being the first thing to rot out. So, we now have modular hutches which replaceable floor plates. Some of the floor plates have dropped nesting areas for when a doe is expecting a litter.

bigfloor1.jpg


It's just a 2x2 wood frame with 1/2" x 1" wire stapled or nailed to it. There's 1/4"x1/4" wire in the dropped area on this nest, some of them have the same 1/2"x1" wire there as well.

bigfloor3.jpg


The nest box has open sides so babies that get out can get back in from three sides. The solid top also give mum bun a place to hide from little ones when she's weaning them. Plus more floor area in the hutch.

bighutchbaby2.jpg


They can slip into the nest even after they've learned to walk but for the younger ones, being able to roll back into the nest is important. We've not lost any more babies on the wire since the dropped nests were implemented.

The floor plates set into a frame that has a back, roof and sides. The doors are also modular and come out for easy cleaning and replacement of floor plates.

bighutchbuild1.jpg


A lot of refrigerator racks get used for walls, old tin roofing for the roof. This hutch has two levels. They're outdoor hutches, but the outdoors here is pretty mellow so perhaps hutches in your area would need to be different.
Click to expand...

Ah- so subterranean nests, then! Those have a number of benefits, for sure. I like how you made so much of that set-up able to be removed for cleaning and replacement. Thanks for sharing about them and your set-up!

I had never thought of putting a tall top over that kind of nest- that does compensate for the floor-space that is used up with the nest. How to you get it to stay in place so it doesn't fall into the nest?

Do you use trays for the manure for that top tier? I think I might see slanted metal sheeting under there, but not sure.

There is so much wool in that nest! Those must have been some happy bunnies. :)
 
ladysown said:
I"ve tried a variety of styles with my rabbits.

I, for a long time, did the traditional rectangle with a partial top. So not a fan except for does that are shy and want to hide away with their litters so I have ONE left.

I've also done the square with a circle hole just big enough for a rabbit to get in through. Rabbits LOVED those, but man, they were a pain to clean.

What I use now is a basic rectangle, they are the same height all around. with perhaps one end that's a tad shorter. I went with that format since my rabbits are often trying to jump in on the sides, rather then through the narrower end. they jump up high and clean (rabbits can clear higher than we often give them credit for. Having no top makes them very stable for setting up on their side when tipping the box at two weeks.

attached was the result of my nestbox build two years ago to accommodate the different rabbits I have. I do drill holes in the bottoms to help with drainage.
Click to expand...
that is super to know. In our area the mosquitoes are horrible in the summer - the nest box was full of them. If it didn't have a lid, I think it would be less likely to attract/retain mosquitoes. Thanks! I will definitely use a nest box without a lid! I just had no idea you could do that LOL
 
I have wooden nest boxes, but my smaller rabbit is using a cat litter bucket. I like it and it is much easier to clean. My 8 lb doe that had the false pregnancy made a really nice nest in one, but with her 'real' pregnancy (I hope) I gave her a traditional nest box because I thought wood might be warmer than the plastic.

IMG_20220216_152306436.jpg

The cat litter bucket is about 13" long and 9" high. I screwed a piece of wood to the front. The rabbits really like them and they don't even chew them very often, although one that is a real chewer chewed the handle off LOL.
 
My husband had a great idea about insulating nestboxes for the winter babies. I like to insulate, because in nature the ground doesn't get as cold as their cages do. If you get any shipments of food/meat (we get butcher box grass-fed beef) - the thick cardboard/fiber/felt/whatever stuff that insulates the meat is FANTASTIC stuff to insulate the nest boxes with. I think it wouldn't hurt them at all if they tore it up, but I usually put any insulation (usually styro) under/around the box where it's not accessible. Tonight was the first time we thought of the meat box stuff and the set-up for Gertie (who will be kindling tomorrow) is huge and awkward so I just put it inside the nest box, under the straw. We'll see how that works out. Unfortunately it will probably not be re-usable after that. That's why I normally like to put the stuff where it doesn't get dirty.
 
Here are two pics of my nest boxes in use. They are made from 1x12s. I made them slightly bigger than lots of measurements I found online and in books because 13 kits get pretty crowded in a box! I'll measure them and post that tomorrow.

I am always amazed to see super tiny kits going up to the front of the boxes and hopping right over and into them. They can be so spunky!


1645161098929.png


1645161198582.png
 
MuddyFarms said:
Ah- so subterranean nests, then! Those have a number of benefits, for sure. I like how you made so much of that set-up able to be removed for cleaning and replacement. Thanks for sharing about them and your set-up!

I had never thought of putting a tall top over that kind of nest- that does compensate for the floor-space that is used up with the nest. How to you get it to stay in place so it doesn't fall into the nest?

Do you use trays for the manure for that top tier? I think I might see slanted metal sheeting under there, but not sure.

There is so much wool in that nest! Those must have been some happy bunnies. :)
Click to expand...
The nest box is pretty heavy so it just kinda stays there on it's own. If it did shift around, then I'd probably put some sort of spikes down the sides that went into the wire floor. Probably a finishing nail that stuck out the bottom of the walls.

There's a bit of tin roof between the layers and it sticks out about 10" from the back of the hutch so the manure falls down behind and clears the wire walls below. That tin creates the top roof for the hutch below as well as redirects droppings to the back.

They're all English angoras, there's always tons of wool everywhere. It has to be chopped into smaller lengths so it doesn't wrap around their necks while they're babies in the nest.
 

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