what cage do you have? styles? help?!

[ohiogoatgirl]

so i am picking up the fence and all the bits tomorrow. i will be making my cages.

but i dont know what shape to make them... i was thinking the rounded top "quonset" style. but then looking through old topics here i read that they are difficult with nest boxes. and since i will be breeding more i dont want to be setting myself up for frustration with that later on.

so i am thinking cages like the ones in this topic: my-finished-shed-t2892.html
can anyone give me some tips on making these? i'm pretty handy at making things usually but i want to make sure i do it right.

also i'm thinking make a few quonset style ones for growout cages. that way i cant get too amny does and then end up with no grow out cages... or at least it'll be harder to do that :lol:

thoughts? comments? suggestions?
thanks!

 

[Jack]

Two of my nester cages are Quonset hut type, saves on the wire, I went up 6 inches from the bottom straight, then did the arc (24 span, equal arc is 12" tall, so 6+12=18" tall cage)

I like it, works fine, you end up with the box sideways against the cage end, that's all.

 

[Miss M]

I have regular Bass cages, but just replaced the floors because the wire was too thin (16 gauge) and it was sagging. I got the new floor panels and heavy J-clips from Klubertanz. The J-clips from Bass were starting to fail at a year and a half.

Woody's Wabbits has similarly priced cages, but they use 14 gauge wire.

The door on the Bass cages opens inward. This is useful for getting the rabbits away from the door when you first open it. It is also a natural escape deterrent, as if the rabbit pushes on the door, it only closes it tighter. The downside is that you have to be able to reach the hook inside the cage that holds it open, so you can close it.

 

[Jack]

UM
wire,
cheap 16ga galv BEFORE welding
won't last that long, can cause issues with feet, and will require annual painting (reminds me I need to go get the high tech 'protection' 3M stuff the REUSIT (hab for humanity) store has, probably came off the north slope (oil field) and cost like $40 a pint, but from them, two part epoxy paint + otherstuff for 10 bucks

I use what ever type of outdoors paint I can find for cheap, usually an epoxy or enamel if I can find it cheap (NEVER LATEX)
and just paint the cages were they wear every year as part of my tear it out and maintain week, it's also the week I remove the weatherization, the cages have to come out anyways.

OH, the chinese wire is VERY flexible, compare it Klubertanz wife, well I can whip out a cage of the chinese stuff easy, halfway through cutting the Klubertanz wire and my hand is KILLING me. and it makes a MUCH stiffer floor.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

so i am picking up the fence and all the bits tomorrow. i will be making my cages.

but i dont know what shape to make them... i was thinking the rounded top "quonset" style. but then looking through old topics here i read that they are difficult with nest boxes. and since i will be breeding more i dont want to be setting myself up for frustration with that later on.

so i am thinking cages like the ones in this topic: my-finished-shed-t2892.html
can anyone give me some tips on making these? i'm pretty handy at making things usually but i want to make sure i do it right.

also i'm thinking make a few quonset style ones for growout cages. that way i cant get too amny does and then end up with no grow out cages... or at least it'll be harder to do that :lol:

thoughts? comments? suggestions?
thanks!

Hi OGG, that is my shed so I can tell you all about it. I made the doe cages 36"w by 30"d by 18"h. I used 30" 1/2"x1" 14g GAW floor wire. I used 18" 1"x2" 14g GAW babysaver for the sides and back. I used 24" 1"x2" 14g GAW for the front, slant and 18" 1"x2" 14g GAW for the top. It is somewhat complicated but basically for 1 36"x30" cage you will need:

- 1 36" piece of 30" 1/2"x1" 14g GAW floor wire, make sure to put the 1/2" side facing up.
- 1 96" piece of 18" 1"x2" 14g GAW babysaver, bent at 30" on each end.
(You can cut three pieces, 30", 36", and 30", but I prefer to leave them attached.) Attach this to the floor wire with the babysaver portion at the bottom, next to the floor.
- 1 36" piece of 18" 1"x2" 14g GAW, attached to the top of the sides and back.
- 1 36" piece of 24" 1"x2" 14g GAW, measure up 10", then bend back at a roughly 45 degree angle and attach to the edge of the top. Trim the extra side wire, leaving enough to wrap around the edge of the slanted portion.

You will also need extra 18" 1"x2" 14g GAW to make your doors with. I suggest putting the door in the middle of the slanted portion and make the door 12"H x 16"W or 18"W to accommodate not only nestboxes, but yourself as well, since you will need the space to reach the corners. DO NOT offset the door to one side, you won't be able to reach the opposite corner with a cage this big. These don't work well for stacking, and you will hang them with the bottom of the slant at waist level.

Hope that helps!

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

thanks.

today i went and got the wire and clips and all. stopped at a local feed store type place and they had the jclips and tool for cheaper (and better quality too!). so got the fence from TSC (half by one inch for the floor and one by one for the sides and top) and the clips and tool from the local place.

putting it together.... oy....
it's about 35*F, overcast, and windy. at several points today we got a few flakes of popcorn-snow. so putting it together was sure fun its all good except some tweaking i have to do tomorrow. will get pics.

 

[Secuono]

Curved top is not hard, just make the DOOR big enough. I have two like that, just cut the hole bigger and all is fine. Much nicer, since one solid wire mesh for the top and a 2nd for the bottom and that's all.

 

[digitaloutlaw]

one acre farm about how much did it cost to make one cage?

 

[OneAcreFarm]

one acre farm about how much did it cost to make one cage?

For the cage it self, it was about $35 in materials. That included shipping costs. I have since found a local place that can make them for me for about the same price, using the same wire. MUCH easier for me... <br /><br />__________ Sat Mar 10, 2012 10:57 am __________<br /><br />

one acre farm about how much did it cost to make one cage?

For the cage it self, it was about $35 in materials. That included shipping costs. I would imagine the price per hole would go down if you were making banks of cages. I have since found a local place that can make them for me for about the same price, using the same wire. MUCH easier for me...