Slant board question

[trinityoaks]

We're getting ready to re-do our cage racks. Each rack will hold six cages in two rows instead of two (stacked) cages each. We're going to use slant boards (instead of the poo pans we have) for the top row of cages. How much of a slant do we need? The rabbitry is essentially an outside enclosure, so all the waste will be landing on dirt.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

I wouldn't think it needs MUCH slant...maybe grab a (gloved) handfull of poop and set up a slant board, then see if the poop rolls off?

 

[grumpy]

Since your refuse is allowed to fall to the ground, make sure you've got enough over-hang in the back to clear the cages below.

You'll need a scraper no matter the angle. Sooner or later mineral build up from the urine will slow the fall of the manure.

grumpy.

 

[trinityoaks]

I wouldn't think it needs MUCH slant...maybe grab a (gloved) handfull of poop and set up a slant board, then see if the poop rolls off?

It's not just the poop, but also the spilled grain, clumps of alfalfa, etc. I expect we'll have to hose it down once a week, which I can deal with. Better than trying to manhandle poo pans (which in this heat are having some issues).

I'm guessing that we'll need a slope between 4" and 8" (the cages are 30"x30", and the racks will be 2" deeper than that). I want it to be enough of a slant that we're not having to hose down more than necessary or do a lot of scraping, but I also don't want it to be overkill (trying to keep the overall height of the racks down).<br /><br />__________ Tue Jul 16, 2013 10:09 pm __________<br /><br />

Since your refuse is allowed to fall to the ground, make sure you've got enough over-hang in the back to clear the cages below.

You'll need a scraper no matter the angle. Sooner or later mineral build up from the urine will slow the fall of the manure.

Good points!

 

[Miss M]

We had a 4" slant with ours, and most poop did not roll off of it. I remember somebody saying a while back that it takes a rather severe angle to cause all the bunny berries to roll off. I don't know how much advantage 8" would give.

Personally, I'd go with less than 8", probably 4", with nice clearance between the cages and the slant boards for easy cleaning. I didn't have good clearance. This would help you keep the height reasonable. A quick daily squeegee and a weekly rinse should keep them working well.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Unless you are astronomically tall or put your bottom tier of cages practically on the ground, I don't think you can get enough slant for the waste to be self cleaning. I know I couldn't. :?

But it is quick and easy to scrape the boards if you keep up on it. I scrape every day to few days depending on if does have litters out of the nest or not.

You will want to scrub the boards down every once in a while. The less calcium buildup you have, the freer flowing your waste will be, making your daily chores that much easier.

 

[Marinea]

We just finished our doe cage, and made some changes to the slant board based on our buck cage experience. A few things we learned:

- a slant of 4-6 inches works well;
- having a good size gap between the cage bottom and the upper end of the slant is important- need to be able to get a hose and hand in there easily;
- our first slant board was made of roofing metal, and wasn't flat (it had roof ridges); make sure the board is flat- it makes a huge difference;
- make sure the edges of the board have a lip so when you rinse it off, the water/waste goes where you want.

With my doe cage, I rinse the board every other day. It takes about 30 seconds, as most all of the solid waste rolls off.

 

[trinityoaks]

- having a good size gap between the cage bottom and the upper end of the slant is important- need to be able to get a hose and hand in there easily;

How big a gap would you say is needed?

 

[ladysown]

I have a slope of about 8 inches (give or take a bit). the plans I used called for 12 inches but I just couldn't fit that in.

I choose to scrape boards daily and wash them every two weeks or so (can't go more than that without causing friction with the folks who pay the water/sewer bills). I reuse water everywhere I can to make things work. I still want rain barrels but so far can't afford to get them.

I have gutters for mine as I can't abide waste just falling to the ground. that's just asking for poop piles to build up, which adds to fly problems, smell and so much more. I just don't want to go there. By using gutters I can remove the poop to wherever I want it to be - five gallon pails work great.

BUT if you had it drop to the ground and cleaned it up daily that'd be great!

Make sure you build the boards in such a way that you account for rabbits peeing on an angle. If you use wood cover it with something to prevent it getting nasty. Smooth sides work best. I put plastic sheeting over mine and change it out once a year. keeps the mineral build up down from the pee, keeps things looking clean as well.

 

[Marinea]

- having a good size gap between the cage bottom and the upper end of the slant is important- need to be able to get a hose and hand in there easily;

How big a gap would you say is needed?

Maybe 6 inches or so- just big enough to maneuver in there easily. Trust me, it helps to not have to struggle to get in there.

 

[Jamielrh]

I know this feed is pretty old now, but would anybody be able to post pictures of the exact setup and material if the boards, racks, cages? I usually use pine pellets in my trays to keep the urine smell down, but I want to seperate the poop out to harvest it to sell, without having to sift out the pine dust and then have to dry the pellets. I had thought about making a slant of wire mesh between the cages and the trays. This way the poop could roll, and the urine drain through. I do worry about the urine building up on the wire and making it harder to both roll and drain, not to mention cecals messing up the whole process. I know that the urine and pine doesn't hurt the fertilizing properties of the poop, but if I am going to be packaging it up, it would be so much easier to not have to dry it out so much. I also think some of the market I will be selling to, would prefer a purer/cleaner-looking product.