DIY

I've always enjoyed Do-It-Yourself projects.  I like the satisfaction of knowing that I had a part in making the final product.  The added benefit, if all goes well, is the cost savings.  Rabbitry buildings and rabbit cages make ideal DIY projects.  WoodworkersWorkshop.com offers tons of free rabbit housing plans:


Rabbitry Buildings
From the 7 room (separate rooms for: breeding bucks, quarantine, cage repair, office, etc.!) large-scale rabbit building to the smaller 2 row barn, there is a plan to suit most needs.  The one that I like is University of Wisconsin's 8' X 8' rabbit house with gableroof (click on plan #6233) and optional concrete or wood floor.

Rabbit Cages
Dr. Tom Smith, Jr., Extension Poultry Science Specialist, wrote a short article on the Homemade Rabbit Cage.  In it he talks about cage design, materials, and construction.  He discusses both conventional cages (rectangular design) and quonset cages (rounded tops).  I prefer the conventional style because of the stacking capability.  I understand that the quonset style uses less wire and it's easier to reach rabbits from the back of the cage because of the way it opens.  You can also feed hay easily and efficiently with this style.  If you turn the cages back to back, it creates a v shape to hold the hay for both rabbits.

I must admit that while I like researching these plans, when the time comes to build something, I prefer to just eyeball it.  I glean what I can from a quick read-through, but I've never been good at following instructions/blueprints.  I just don't have the patience for it.  My father was a structural engineer so this admission, although truthful, would probably not make him very proud;-).  He passed away years ago, but as I write this post I think back to the rabbit hutch he built for me when I was about 10 years old.  It was great.  It was a two compartment hutch with an attached nest box.  I loved it!  I could just lift the lid on the nest box to peek in on the babies without disturbing Velvet (Netherland Dwarf doe), which I did about 100 times a day!


Anyway, I enjoyed doing a 3-part series of posts this month on one general topic, the Rabbitry building/setup.  It was my first time to do a series on one subject and it was fun to do.  I want to thank all my blogger buddies and rabbit world friends that have commented on these posts, sent e-mails, or have otherwise provided advice or words of encouragement.  Your help is immeasurably important to me.