Norm of square meters for 1 head of a rabbit. Design of cells, calculation of their needs. Dimensions of feedlots

Experienced farmers know that creating optimal conditions for animals is one of the most important factors influencing their health and proper development. It is not necessary to purchase ready-made cages for rabbits; you can make them yourself. In this case, first you need to figure out what type of structure is most suitable for rabbits, what drawings with dimensions to use, what will be required in the work.

Sizes for animals of different ages

Before you make a cage for rabbits with your own hands, you need to choose a simple design diagram. There are many ready-made solutions, but often they do not fit the size parameters. In this case, all dimensions are increased to the required value or a new layout is prepared.

They mainly use wood and mesh - this is an inexpensive but practical option for arranging a rodent’s home.

Beginning livestock breeders should keep in mind that one house will not be enough to breed animals. Even if you increase the size of the enclosure, this is not the most suitable option for rabbits. In this case, a minimum of 3 separate sections are required:

for adult animals;
young animals;
rabbits with offspring;
large breeds.

Grown-up and adult individuals

The dimensions of the enclosure for adult or grown-up rabbits must meet the following parameters:

length - 2.1-2.4 m;
width - 0.6-0.7 m;
height - 0.5-0.7 m.

But here this area also needs to be divided into 2 separate sections, between which you need to place a feeder with hay and grass. Many rabbit breeders, in order to save space, make rooms in two tiers, doubling the height due to the reduced length.

Baby rabbits

As a rule, young animals are kept in groups. But despite this, rabbits need small enclosures. The area for one animal should be only 0.3 m2. Approximate dimensions:

length - 250 cm;
width - 100 cm;
height - 40-50 cm.

In rare cases, separate houses are not made for rabbits and they are kept in standard sections. But here you will need to initially calculate the area based on the number of young animals.

Rabbit with young animals

Before you build a house for a rabbit with offspring, you should draw a diagram dividing the total area into two sections. This will be the feeding section and the uterine section. Also, the design should include a manhole located slightly above the floor, approximately 150 mm. The female rabbit will be able to easily step over the elevated threshold, but this eliminates the possibility of the baby rabbits falling out of the nest.

The size of the livestock house corresponds to the following parameters:

depth - 800 mm;
width - 1200 mm;
height - 600 mm.

These are the parameters of the uterine section; it is located in the house before the birth.

length - 400 mm;
width - 400 mm;
height - 200 mm.

Giant breeds

The size of the enclosure for domestic giant rabbits depends entirely on the breed of the animal and the intensity of its growth. In houses of standard dimensions, such individuals will be very cramped; larger enclosures will be required here. The minimum dimensional parameters for which you need to make a cage for rabbits are 0.75x0.55x1.7 m.

To prevent your home-made rodent enclosure from collapsing in the first month of use, you should take into account some recommendations from experts:

Rabbits are rodents, eager to taste everything that comes into their field of vision. Therefore, if you plan to make your own cages from wood, you need to protect the material by covering all protruding parts with metal sheets. This does not require large investments and time, but the enclosure will last for many years.
It is not recommended to treat sections with antiseptics, varnishes, impregnations and other chemical protection. The fact is that animals do not tolerate chemical fumes well and can become poisoned.
A moisture-resistant coating should be used for the roof. If the animal cage you make will be located outside, traditional slate will be the best option.

In outdoor structures, the roof is made of wood, ondulin or slate - the metal heats up quickly, and animals can die in the summer

For the frame you need to use wooden blocks with a section of 5x5 cm or metal profiles. The cladding material is a regular chain-link mesh with 2.5 x 2.5 cm cells. The back part must be made blind, since drafts are dangerous for rabbits.
To make the floor, a mesh of 2.5x2.5 cm or 1x2.5 cm is used. These cell sizes make it possible not to hold waste inside the house and drain it into a special tank.

A cast floor for an enclosure is not only inconvenient, but also unhygienic. The fact is that rabbits have very pungent urine with a concentrated odor, and this will lead to rapid rotting of the material and create an unpleasant aroma. If the rabbit breeder wants to make the enclosure more environmentally friendly, then instead of a mesh on the floor, you can lay a lattice of wood blocks in increments of 5-10 mm.

The floor can be covered with plywood to prevent pododermatitis in pets, but it will have to be dried regularly. It is convenient when there are 2-3 such sheets, while one is in the cage, the others are drying.

Making rabbit cages with your own hands

Drawings of a rabbit cage can be found on the Internet, and you can also make it yourself, taking into account the necessary parameters or focusing on the standard ones - 1.5x0.7x0.7 m. But the scheme, as experienced rabbit breeders do, often involves building paired houses. This way you can significantly save on material. In this case, the frame will have the following parameters: 3x0.7x1.2 m with a rear height of 100 cm.

Simple design

Before building a rabbit cage with your own hands, prepare the tools and the following materials:

plywood sheet - 1.5x1.5 m with a thickness of 1 cm;
wooden beams 3 m with a section 30x50 - 10 units;
screws for 3 cm and 7 cm - 2 kg;
mesh netting with cell parameters 1.5 cm - 3 m.

The work order is as follows:

From wooden beams, assemble a strong frame with dimensions of 3x0.7x1.2 m and a rear wall height of 1 m. The result will be supports for a slanted roof and a raised floor from the bottom. A mesh is attached as a floor covering. In the queen cell, the lower part will be monolithic.

Cut a piece with the required dimensions for the back wall from the plywood sheet and attach it using self-tapping screws. Also install a piece on the side where you plan to place the queen cell.

Decide on the location of the queen cell and, after making the markings correctly, install a vertical wooden beam and fix the wall with the hole and logs on it for subsequent installation of the lid.
Next, after partially making the rabbit enclosure with your own hands, you need to build a feeder. It is mounted in the middle of the enclosure on a pre-installed vertical beam. A hay section is installed near this feed container; it is made of steel wire stretched over a square wooden frame.

A frame for installing doors 30x50 cm is mounted on the front part. The roofing covering is laid on top with an allowance of 5 cm in front and 10 on the other sides.

It should be noted that the doors of the aft compartment should consist of mesh, but for the uterine compartment, 70% should be made of wood, and a small part should be covered with chain-link to allow light to enter.

VIDEO: Detailed instructions for building houses

Making cages for little rabbits

Babies, already weaned from their mother, are kept, as a rule, in one large house of 15-20 individuals. The size is chosen based on the minimum area per animal - 0.3 sq.m. In total, for 20 kids you should get a cage measuring 3x2 meters with a ceiling height of 0.6 meters. The back wall is covered with plywood to prevent drafts. The floor is made of thin metal slats, covered with a metal mesh with rods up to 1.5 mm thick and cells 1.5x4 cm.

Group design for young animals

If the floor is mesh, be sure to install a warm booth where the rabbits can warm themselves. With the onset of cold weather, it is insulated with hay and straw.

If it is not possible to build a separate “kindergarten”, the young animals can be housed in cages for adults, but the area can be selected based on the minimum sanitary standards and ease of care.

Cages for large rabbits

It is clear that conventional dimensions are not suitable for such large breeds. For example, a blue Viennese at one year of age already reaches 60 cm and weighs more than 7 kg.

If you are planning to have giants, you need to immediately understand what kind of cages they will need and what sizes you need to focus on. Among the large breeds:

butterfly;
German Risen;
white giant;
gray giant;
mottled giant;
Flanders;
Soviet chinchilla;
ram;
Vienna blue, etc.

The minimum dimensions for one representative of the breed should be as follows:

height 0.6-0.65 m;
length 1.0-1.6 m;
width 0.7-0.8 m.

Please note that this is the maximum permissible minimum; in reality, these dimensions should be increased by at least another 10-20 cm in all directions.

Considering the massive weight, the floor is well strengthened - it is also made from wooden blocks and covered with a metal mesh with a rod diameter of at least 2.5 mm.

Some livestock breeders recommend making a solid floor with plastic trays, but this is only justified if there are few cages. They clean here twice a day, otherwise the animal very quickly gets sick with pododermatitis.

What should be inside the cell

Depending on the age and breed, the internal filling differs. So, for young animals there should be a warm house inside the cage where they can warm up. For a female with offspring, queen cells and nesting compartments will be needed.

Separately in the cage, you can set up an enclosure for walking (for young animals). Plus, you will need storage bins, drinking bowls, feeders, and grass compartments.

The feeder and drinker, regardless of what material they are made of, are located outside the cage. This makes it easier to add food and water, and the animal is not tempted to chew it off.

In conclusion, it must be added that rabbit cages are always located in a place protected from the wind - outdoors or indoors. It is advisable to choose the western or southwestern side so that the animal does not suffer from the heat in summer. The dimensions must exactly correspond to the breed, age and number of individuals.

VIDEO: Construction of queen cells

Young animals in groups of 10-15 pieces. Contained in cages that consist of a wooden or metal frame. Their sizes are determined by the number of rabbits that are supposed to be placed. The main thing is not to create crowding of animals. When placing young animals in groups, the cage floor area should be at least 0.12 m2 per rabbit for slaughter young animals, 0.17 m2 for replacement females, 0.23 m2 for males. From the age of 3 months, it is better to transfer males from the repair group to individual housing, and leave no more than 2-3 females. in a cage.

After leaving their mother, baby rabbits can be kept in cages intended for adult rabbits. But more economical are special cages, the back and side walls of which are wooden, the front wall and floor are mesh, and the roof is pitched. Its length is 300 - 400 cm, depth - 80 cm, the height of the front wall is 50-60 cm, the back - 35-40 cm. The mesh doors are made 70 cm wide, 50-60 cm high. A bunker feeder is placed in its lower part. A drinking bowl is hung next to the door.

Not only one-sided, but also double-sided cages with a gable roof, mesh paddocks with shelter, etc. are used.

If possible, individual seating of young animals is used and, accordingly, mesh double-sided cages are built. Usually they are made up of a block with a width of 120 cm and a wall height of 35-40 cm. The length depends on the need for rabbit places. Open cone-shaped nurseries for grass or hay are arranged along the entire length of the block of cells, and they are also partitioned every 25 cm with transverse partitions made of various materials. In each formed place, one rabbit is placed, which is kept there until it is slaughtered for its skin. The lid of each section of the cage is made in the form of a mesh door that opens upward. And on the outer longitudinal sides of the block, feeders are hung in the lower part, and drinking bowls are hung above. Such cages are installed under canopies.

Rice. 2 Mesh double-sided cages

Individual seating of young animals prevents the appearance of “snacks” on the skins, which are formed during fights between rabbits when they are kept together. They soon begin to grow over with new hair. And dark spots appear on the inside of these areas of the skin.

When in a group, males over 3 months of age especially fight and bite each other. They are placed one at a time in a cage. When there are no such opportunities, sometimes they resort to castration of animals. Moreover, this operation contributes to faster fattening of rabbits, increases the slaughter yield and quality of meat, and, according to some observations, improves hair growth.

If animals are kept in a barn, then, as a rule, only the nest compartment or insert nest is made of wood or chipboard; the remaining elements are made of mesh. An easy-to-maintain portable cage is shown in Fig. 3. It's easy to make it yourself. The main thing to consider is that the roof must be moisture-proof, and it must be installed with a slight slope towards the rear wall. This condition is especially important when installing such cages in several tiers. Depending on the conditions that arise, it can be moved to any place.

Rice. 3 Carrying cage

DIY rabbit cage

General requirements: hygiene, simplicity of installation, absence of cracks in the roof and walls. To determine the need for a cage, it is assumed that 1.5 personal cages will be required for the placed young animals and the queen, male and each head of the young. In addition, for each rabbit in a common cage, you need one and a half to two square meters of space.

To save space install cages on pillars whose height is 70 - 80 centimeters and made in blocks of two, three or four together. Floors with an area of 0.5 to 0.7 square meters are made of slats or mesh. If the floors are mesh, then use a metal mesh with cells of 17x17 - 20x20 millimeters. If slatted - plastic or wooden slats, the width of which is 25-30 millimeters. They are placed across the entire cage at a distance of fifteen millimeters from each other. However, a solid floor is certainly made in the nesting compartment.

A cage for queens with a permanent compartment. To prevent the baby rabbits from spreading out, the third part of the cage is fenced off, but a hole measuring 17x17 centimeters and a height of 12-15 centimeters from the floor is left in the partition. The hole must be made closer to the front wall, because the female makes a nest in the back of the cage, where they will not be disturbed. The door of the aft compartment must be made of mesh, and in the compartment for females it must be solid. The partitions can be replaced by strengthening them between the feed compartments of the feeder. They can be made from frames that are covered with mesh or metal rods. V-shaped frames are installed across the cage. The manger at the front remains open. Then they hang doors on the front wall, two of which are mesh, they lead into the aft compartment, and 2 are solid planks, which open into the nesting compartment. Already in the feed compartment there are folding and hanging feeders and drinkers. Any roofing material is suitable for the roof.

Raising young animals. Often found cells with solid walls, a mesh floor, a mesh door in the middle of the cage and a pitched roof. There is one feeder for 2 cages - a manger on the end side. Such a cage will accommodate fifteen rabbits, from one to three months, or ten older rabbits. The box cage is used for an adult female rabbit or rabbit. On the front side, on the side, they make a door from a 4x3 centimeter wooden slats in the form of a frame, which is covered with a metal mesh. A significant part of the box is allocated for the nesting compartment, into which the queen cell is built. The box is equipped with a feeding trough, a drinking bowl and a manger. All feed, except grass and hay, put in a cage in a bowl.

Keeping rabbits: cages, drinking bowls and feeders, shads, etc.

Cages for young rabbits: combined and group

Combined cage for young animals designed for keeping 12 heads up to 3 months of age in groups of 6 heads, and later - for individual housing. This ensures the production of benign skins.

Cage size: length 3 m, width 60 cm, front stack height 50, rear stack height 40 cm.

The floor is mesh or slatted. The roof is pitched in three parts, attached by canopies to the front frame of the cage. Inside there are eleven mesh or wooden hanging partitions measuring 36 x 59 cm.

Nurseries and drinking bowls are installed outside, along the entire back wall. Feeders with lids are hung from the outside along the front wall. The cage is installed on posts 65-70 cm high.

Group cage for young animals has a length of 3 m, a width of 1 m, a front wall height of 50 and a back wall of 35 cm. The roof is single-pitched, the door is double-leaf.

Inside the side walls, a mesh nursery is installed, which consists of frames measuring 100 x 50 x 35 cm. The cage is installed on posts 65-70 cm high. It is designed to simultaneously contain 18-20 heads of young animals up to 3 months of age or 15-16 heads of older ones age.

Group cells can be built with two sides . In this case, the roof is made gable, and the wall dividing the cage into two compartments should have a height of 75 cm and a width of 2 m. Instead of an adjacent wall, a manger is installed. Being in the same cage, the rabbits get used to each other and fight less.

To feed forage and root crops, troughs with handles are used with the following dimensions: length 110-120 cm, width at the bottom 8 cm, at the top 15 cm, wall height 8 cm To prevent rabbits from throwing away food, slats with an overlap of 1 cm inward are attached above the side walls of the feeder.

The cages are completed glazed clay, hopper or hanging self-feeders for forage, float, valve or bottle automatic drinkers

To create the most favorable veterinary conditions, cages are equipped mesh or slatted floors. There is no need for cleaning, as excrement falls into the cracks. For the convenience of periodic washing and disinfection, the floors are removable or retractable.

The main herd of rabbits and replacement young animals It is better to keep on slatted floors. They are assembled from plastic, metal or wooden slats 25-30 mm wide with rounded edges with a radius of 1.5-2.5 mm. A space of 17-18 mm wide is left between the slats.

Channel-shaped metal slats are made of steel 1-1.5 mm thick, galvanized or coated with plastic.

Hard or coniferous trees are suitable for wooden slats. The thickness of the slats is 12-15 mm. In the cage they should be located along the feeder.

Fattening young animals can be kept on floors made of galvanized or plastic-coated welded mesh with square cells ranging in size from 16 to 20 mm. A frame is made of a rod with a diameter of 6-7 mm around the perimeter of the mesh. It is attached to the frame with wire staples 0.7-0.8 mm thick.

Cages for keeping young animals

Cages for keeping young animals and fattening rabbits

To raise young animals, it is better to build group cages. They have a mesh floor, solid walls and a pitched roof. The doors are made of mesh. A common nursery feeder is placed in the middle of the cage. This cage is designed to simultaneously house 15 rabbits up to 3 months of age or 10 older rabbits.

Enclosures with shelter for young animals have proven themselves on the positive side in homestead farms. These inexpensive board and mesh structures allow you to feed large numbers of rabbits. They are especially convenient when using compacted and semi-compacted litters and intensive fattening of rabbits. Rabbits can be kept in these enclosures from spring to late autumn. If possible, these enclosures should be located in shaded areas or where constant sunlight is excluded, especially in hot weather.

Rabbits can be transferred to these enclosures after weaning at one month of age from enclosed spaces. However, it should be borne in mind that before transfer it is necessary to carry out the so-called acclimatization, that is, create conditions in the rabbitry for several days that are close to the outside ones, when ventilation is increased, the temperature is decreased, etc.

Some amateur rabbit breeders use boxes, barrels, plywood, etc. to build cages. Such materials are short-lived, and the cages are inconvenient to use. Keeping rabbits in sheds on an earthen floor, in trenches, or behind fences is unacceptable. With this method of keeping, rabbits are exposed to dampness, which leads to their illness or death.

How to make a group cage for young rabbits?

Many rabbit farms use group cages for young rabbits of this simple design. Cage dimensions: length 2-2.5 m, width 1-1.5 m, front wall height 1 m and back 75 cm, door height 80 cm and width 60 cm. Side and back walls are wooden. The front wall and door are covered with mesh. The floor is mesh, raised above the ground. Nurseries indoor or outdoor. The cages are installed in blocks of several pieces. The partitions between the cells are made of solid wood or mesh.

Sources: fazenda.sam-stroy.info, ofrabbits.ru, teh-agro.ru, sibkrolik.ru, rusfermer.com

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However, the cage should be selected with special care, based on the number of individuals, their age and sex composition.

Group for young animals.

The concept of “young animals” includes animals that their mother has already stopped feeding with milk, but which have not yet reached reproductive age. In the case of rabbits, cessation of lactation occurs in 70% of cases in the period from 30 to 45 days after birth.

At this time, jigging is carried out. Individuals are divided into those for slaughter and those intended for breeding. The latter are also differentiated by gender. The container for young animals should be located at some distance from the ground when kept outdoors, and be free and clean. If a utility room is used for maintenance, it should be well ventilated and bright.

Animals to be slaughtered are placed in groups of 6-8 individuals (read more about slaughter). Some breeders increase the number of animals to 10-15. The area of the enclosure must be at least 0.12 m² per animal. Breeding young animals are kept in 4-8 individuals with an area of 0.17 m² per individual. Sometimes females and males are kept together until 3 months of age, but it is better to separate them in advance to avoid premature mating.

In such variants a pitched roof is used. This creates a certain height difference, which allows pets to feel comfortable. It is made of dense waterproof material. The optimal height difference will be from 60 cm to 30 cm. The depth for a group of 6-8 individuals can be up to 80 cm.

For adult animals.

Seating of young animals after 3 months of age is carried out due to their growing aggressiveness. Males increasingly get into fights and do not tolerate the proximity of other representatives of their sex.

Females can be kept in small groups of 2-3 individuals. Males of reproductive age should only be present one at a time. If there is no possibility for individual seating, castration is performed. It is especially important to avoid fights and “biting” on the skin in order to obtain fur. Therefore, the slaughtered ones are usually castrated, while the rest are seated.

The size of a cage for adult rabbits depends on their breed. The norm is a height of 35-40 cm and a width of 120 cm and it is better for them to hang on a mesh wall. This will eliminate the possibility of bowls turning over, and the animal will not experience hunger or thirst.

The shed is two-tiered.

This system serves to save space during breeding. A shed is a series of cages arranged in one or more tiers. Two tiers are the best choice because they allow you to reduce the working area without complicating the care and control of the growth and development of animals.

This design serves primarily for outdoor use and is used in the southern regions. However, some breeders use it for summer keeping animals or as a way to organize an enclosure in a barn.

To do this, he will need a strong steel mesh, roofing material (for example, slate) and boards. The shed is built on a one-way basis. A concrete foundation will increase its stability. A more advanced design includes the presence of pallets and a manure channel for removing waste.

Double cage with queen cell.

This design is used for females. The queen cell is a removable compartment in which newborn babies are kept until they reach the age of one month. It is also called the stern compartment. The main part is called the stern. There is a 17*20 cm hole between them.

A double room is suitable for two females with rabbits or a female and a male. The separation between compartments can be done using a mesh or a solid wooden partition. It is better to make the floor from wooden slats in 1.5 cm increments so that the manure can be poured into the tray located below. This will protect the “house” from excessive pollution and humidity.

Double cages with mesh aviary.

This design also has the name “Klenovo-Chagadayevo”. It is used for non-pregnant females of reproductive age. Also suitable for young animals. Sometimes a container with an enclosure is used for mating. Then a male is placed in one half of the structure and a female in the other.

The construction of cages for breeding in a garden or household plot usually involves keeping animals in it only during the warm season. For its location, it is better to choose a moderately shaded place. A good solution would be to place it in a dry area of the garden surrounded by trees. This will protect the animals from overheating and wind. When choosing the size of cells for, it is worth starting from their number and needs.

An interesting design solution for the construction of cages was proposed by the breeder Nikolai Zolotukhin. In its version, the floor has a narrow strip made of mesh. In his experience, animals eventually begin to defecate in this place without any training, minimizing contamination. When choosing a Zolotukhin cage, the dimensions should be increased by 10 - 15 cm.

From this article you will learn how you can keep rabbits, effectively using the free space you have. How can you keep up to 300 animals on 30 m², observing all sanitary standards?

Today, more and more people are starting to breed rabbits. Last but not least, this is due to the ability to quickly start your own business. From one pair of animals, within a year you can get a whole herd of eared animals, which means a solid profit. Rabbit breeders who have small free areas at their disposal try to use them as much as possible to raise as many of their pets as possible. Recently, there has been a boom in the emergence of farms specializing in breeding rabbits in pits with holes. In one such pit, occupying an area of 4 m², up to 200 individuals can breed. But at the same time, the rabbit breeder cannot control every pet, vaccinate everyone and exclude the possibility of family ties.

Today I want to talk about another method of breeding rabbits, which also effectively uses the usable area, but does not have the disadvantages of the pit method. To do this, I propose to contact one of our regular readers - Konstantin Senatorov from the city of Orsk, Orenburg region. On a useful area of 30 square meters, he built blocks of three-tier cages and a feed warehouse. The cages have greater strength and durability, since the main materials used in manufacturing are metal corners and metal mesh.

Maximum use of space

What types of meshes are there?

Metal mesh is a product made of metal rods of different lengths and diameters. The metal mesh is characterized by the size of the cells and the thickness of the rods; it can be welded, wicker and woven, it can be black or galvanized, and also coated with a polymer coating. Nets are supplied in cards or rolls. Rabbit breeders use meshes of various purposes.

used to strengthen plaster layers of buildings, for sifting bulk materials, drying food and non-food products, filtering liquids and gases, and thermal insulation of industrial equipment. Made from stainless steel. It may be made of steel wire, but galvanized or protected by tinning.

Masonry mesh for strengthening reinforced concrete structures and brickwork, erecting walls, screeding concrete. Due to the fact that all joints and intersections are carefully welded, welded mesh is resistant to deformation. This mesh is strong and durable.

Road grid also used in the field of pool reinforcement. This mesh is durable and reliable. These qualities of road mesh are achieved using resistance spot welding. The road mesh has cells with sizes of 100, 150 and 200 millimeters, so it is rarely used in rabbit farming, mainly for feeders.

It is assembled by weaving zigzag spirals of wire into a single leno. This type of mesh is made on a machine by screwing wire spirals with a flat turn into one another, wound directly on the machine. A small chain-link mesh can be made from soft wire at home. First, the wire is wound onto a block, then removed from it and stretched into a twisted thread. Then, in turn, one thread is screwed into another. The cross-section of the bar determines the cell size of the future grid.

Interview with Konstantin Senatorov.

Vladimir: Konstantin, first of all, I want to thank you for your active participation in the work of the site, including in the “Show your rabbits to the world” competition. Today, visitors will be able not only to look at your pets, but also to learn about the conditions in which they are kept. How did it all begin?

Konstantin: In the fall of 2010, a guy simply brought 19 rabbits from the garden and 3 cages made from old doors and mesh. By winter, he made something and left 3 females and a male for posterity. In 2011, 44 rabbits were already slaughtered. In the fall, people fell ill en masse. If not for the first losses, the start would have been even more successful.

Vladimir: Judging by the photographs, you quickly abandoned the use of temporary housing and switched to the option of multi-tiered placement of cells. This allowed a sharp increase in the number of animals...

Such cells existed before.

Konstantin: They began to cook cells instead of temporary ones. In 2012, there were: 21 capital cages and 2 wooden ones, 68 rabbits were already slaughtered, leaving 6 females and 2 males for offspring. Last year there were 90 heads. Now there are 27 capital ones and next year I am planning 6 more. The entire farm, including the placement of feed, occupies 30 square meters. meters.

These are the cells now.

Konstantin: There’s not much to say about breeds. I choose rabbits for offspring based on their appearance. I immediately refused the big ones. I want a Soviet chinchilla, because its description completely suits my needs. What rabbit breeders offer at the market leaves much to be desired. An acquaintance once bought what was supposedly a purebred chinchilla, but it went wrong because the first litter brought 12 rabbits, ranging from fluffy and white to black and red.

Vladimir: Let's return to the main topic. What are the features of your particular option - a multi-apartment square-nested rabbitry, consisting of cells similar to automatic storage lockers?

Konstantin: Firstly, the cells are built based on the conditions of the existing space. I’m intentionally making it more spacious so that each rabbit and queen cell can fit in. I made them (the queen cells) from thick-layer plywood in the form of a cube with a side of 50 cm. They fit through the door normally, the females also like them, they immediately begin to hide in them. Depending on the size, the cages can accommodate from 4 to 10 adult rabbits.

New building is ready to move in

Vladimir: I agree, this is very important, since in your version there is simply nowhere to hang the mounted queen cells. Many rabbit breeders do just that. Large doors also allow queen cells to install and effectively clean cages, and make minor repairs if necessary, since there is access to all corners of the home. How is waste disposal organized? How do drains function? Is there a ventilation hood?

Konstantin: The role of ventilation is performed by the entrance door to the barn. I think that this is quite enough, the air is quite clean and the rabbits feel fine. The drains are meshes with a cell diameter of 20mm. Installed instead of one of the boards in the floor of each cage. I put a box downstairs, and every morning I remove from the cages everything that has accumulated during the day and night.

Instead of one board there is a grid

Vladimir: Let's clarify. As I understand it, some of your cages are placed outside, some in the barn. How is its quadrature and cubic capacity effectively used?

Konstantin: My cells have one advantage - saving space. In a barn with an area of 10 square meters, I now have 11 females, a rabbit and 30 baby rabbits aged from one to two months. I haven’t yet decided when seven more females will give birth, there’s been a lot of snow this year, I’m afraid we’ll swim. When it gets warmer, I’ll take the young ones outside, and the “old ones” will continue to give birth. I think without resorting to frequent breeding of up to 300 heads by winter, breed. Not immediately, of course, but over the course of a year. There are different litters ranging from 2 to 13 pieces at a time.

Vladimir: What about the cost of building cells? After all, a lot of metal is used, and, as you know, it is not cheap?

Screen from our crushed stone plant

Konstantin: It’s very difficult to answer your question. The corner has been available since Soviet times. It was lying around or bought at scrap metal sales (all of it goes away without any leftovers, even pieces of 5 cm are used, for example, for hinges). The last block, which is in the photo with new floors, was assembled with approximately the following costs: a pack of electrodes, worth 2 thousand rubles, canopies, latches, bolts, nuts, washers, drills, boards, worth 2250 rubles, although there are still some left. Yes, the mesh is used screens from our crushed stone plant; I bought it at the price of scrap metal, about 280 rubles. per piece (1.70 m x 4.00 m), but a lot goes to waste, so you have to take it with a large reserve. Drains - nets - 800 rub. per piece (1.7 x 5 m).

I admit, I recorded this interview last year. I didn’t post it right away, I wanted to make sure that this option was viable, the rabbits felt fine, the ventilation, feeding and waste removal systems were functioning without failures. Recently I contacted Konstantin again and asked what changes he may have made to his design. This is what he replied: “I haven’t made any special changes yet. There is an idea to equip the cages with bunker feeders and automatic drinkers, and use mixed feed. Until now, I've actually made do with hay and mash. Currently, I feed him hay and crackers in the morning, and in the evening I cook vegetables and steam the bran.”

I would like to add that the method of breeding rabbits in multi-tiered cages (in various variations) is quite well known and has been used by rabbit breeders for a very long time. It is convenient, saves space and materials, and simplifies construction. In such racks, if I may say so, most of the partitions belong to two adjacent cells at once. There are much fewer wooden parts that need to be replaced periodically than in classic cages. And even if you decide to save money and use a wooden beam instead of a metal corner, the design will be viable and durable.

The site administration thanks Konstantin Senatorov for his help in writing this article and wishes him further success in his noble work.

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With any housing system, cages for rabbits are designed to accommodate one female or male in each, 5-6 heads of separated young animals, 2-3 replacement females or one replacement male after 100 days of age.

After leaving their mothers, young animals are kept in group cages of 15-20 animals, depending on the size of the cage floor.

Cell sizes. A variety of cage types and designs are used to keep rabbits. However, it is necessary that the cage has sufficient floor area, which would provide normal living conditions for adults, rabbits, growth and development of young animals, and be simple and convenient for the use of mechanization and manual labor. It is very important that it is easy to disinfect, durable and cheap. In table Table 6 shows the recommended cage sizes for rabbits of different breed groups.

Calculation of cell needs. In the practice of rabbit breeding, the correct calculation of the need for cages for farms is important.

In table Table 7 indicates the need for cells per queen, taking into account the young animals of the same litter separated from her, the area for males, and replacement young animals.

Combined collapsible cage with eight compartments. Of the existing cage designs for Donbass, the combined double-sided collapsible cage with eight compartments, made from large parts, developed in the Cherkasy region by V. Lysenko, Yu. Radchenko and A. Yuzovitsky, is of interest. The main thing that has been achieved in the cage design due to a number of simplifications is the saving of timber. The total length of the cage is 290 cm, width - 146, height of the outer walls - 54, length and width of each compartment - 70 cm. The cage consists of 14 shield parts (Fig. 5).

The 1st shield is a double bottom covering the entire area of the cage. Its basis is a wooden frame. The upper bottom is mesh or slatted, the lower one is made of four integral solid parts, mounted on canopies. Each of these parts serves as the bottom of two adjacent compartments of the cage.

The feasibility of a double bottom has been proven by many years of experience. Rabbit waste falls through the top mesh bottom. The presence of a second solid folding one protects rabbits from drafts and cold, improves the sanitary conditions of their keeping.

2, 3rd panels - two front facade walls, on each of them there are 4 slatted or mesh doors 30 cm wide and 45 cm high, two feeders 48 cm wide and 40 cm high and blank walls between the doors 32 cm wide. Each feeder designed for feeding rabbits of two adjacent cages. Inside there are partitions for individual feeding of rabbits in each cage.

The 4th shield is a continuous longitudinal partition along the entire length of the cage. Its height is 58 cm.

5, 6th shields - end walls. Their length is 146 cm, height 56 cm. The upper part - the cone - reaches 72 cm.

7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12th panels - plug-in - transverse walls. By inserting them into the grooves, the cage is divided into eight compartments. If necessary, you can reduce the number of compartments by removing several shields. Then the area used as a paddock for young animals increases. The length of the shield is 64 cm, the height of the lower side is 49, the upper side is 58 cm.

The 13th and 14th panels on hinges form a gable roof. On hot days, the lid is raised 5-10 cm on supports for ventilation.

The cage is installed on posts 75 cm high.

During the birthing period, the cage is equipped with nesting boxes-queen cells made of plywood or boards 50 cm long, 30 cm wide and 30 cm high. A round hole with a diameter of 18-20 cm is cut out in one of the side walls of the queen cell, the upper part is removable.

With a sufficient amount of litter, you can do without a queen cell.

Cage with artificial holes. For outdoor keeping of rabbits, a combined cage with artificial burrows is used, proposed by the USSR State Prize laureate, senior livestock specialist of the Biryulinsky animal farm of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic F.V. Nikitin.

The peculiarity of the design is that under the cage on two bars a nesting box (queen cell) 50 cm long, 40 cm wide and 40 cm high with a removable lid is buried in the ground (Fig. 6). In the front wall of the box, a hole measuring 17 × 17 cm is made at a height of 15 cm from the ground, to which a wooden tetrahedral pipe with sides of 20 cm is tightly attached. The pipe is placed at an angle of 35°, and the second end is brought to the floor of the cage, in which a cutout is made . The removable lid of the box allows you to inspect the nest outside the cage.

Double cages, developed by the Research Institute of Fur Farming and Rabbit Breeding, are intended for outdoor keeping. They look like a block consisting of two cages and are designed to contain two adult rabbits. Dimensions are shown in Fig. 7.

On the sides of each cell, along its entire width, there are permanent uterine compartments 40 cm long with a solid wooden floor. A hole measuring 17 × 20 cm is made from the nesting compartment to the feeding compartment, which is located at a height of 10-15 cm from the floor. In the rest of the cage, the floor is mesh or made of slats spaced 1.5 cm apart. Two doors are built into the front part, one plank in the nesting compartment (44 cm high and 35 cm wide), the other mesh (30 cm high and 60 cm wide) ) with cells no more than 35 × 35 mm. Inside the block of cages there are V-shaped nurseries designed to serve rabbits from both sections. The manger is covered with a mesh with cells 35 × 35 mm. Inside the mesh, you can use metal rods located at a distance of 3 cm from each other. Under the manger there is a folding drinker, and under the full-length mesh doors there are folding feeders. To prevent rabbits from climbing into the feeders, metal rods are passed from the inside of the cage (at a distance of 7 cm from each other). The cages are installed on 5 columns 70-80 cm high.

Combined cell for young animals it is designed for keeping 12 heads up to 3 months of age in groups of 6 heads, and later - for individual keeping. This ensures the production of benign skins.

Cage size: length 3 m, width 60 cm, height of the front wall 50, back - 40 cm.

The floor is mesh or slatted. The roof is pitched in three parts, attached by canopies to the front frame of the cage (serves instead of doors). Inside there are eleven mesh or wooden hanging partitions measuring 36 × 59 cm. Nurseries and drinking bowls are installed outside, along the entire back wall. Feeders with lids are hung from the outside along the front wall. The cage is installed on posts 65-70 cm high.

Group cage for young animals has a length of 3 m, a width of 1 m, a front wall height of 50 and a back wall of 35 cm. The roof is single-pitched, the door is double-leaf (leaf size 65 × 45 cm).

Inside the side walls, a mesh nursery is installed, which consists of frames measuring 100 × 50 × 35 cm. The cage is installed on posts 65-70 cm high. It is designed to simultaneously contain 18-20 heads of young animals up to 3 months of age or 15-16 heads of older ones age.

Group cells can be built double-sided (with 2 compartments). In this case, the roof is made gable, and the wall dividing the cage into two compartments should have a height of 75 cm and a width of 2 m. Instead of an adjacent wall, a manger is installed. Being in the same cage, the rabbits get used to each other and fight less.

To feed forage and root crops, troughs with handles are used with the following dimensions: length 110-120 cm, width at the bottom (inside) 8 cm, at the top 15 cm, wall height 8 cm. To prevent rabbits from throwing away food, slats are attached above the side walls of the feeder with an overlap inward 1 cm.

The cages are equipped with glazed clay, hopper or hanging self-feeders for forage, float, valve or bottle automatic drinkers.

To create the most favorable veterinary conditions, cages are equipped with mesh or slatted floors. There is no need for cleaning, as excrement falls into the cracks. For the convenience of periodic washing and disinfection, the floors are removable or retractable.

It is better to keep the main herd of rabbits and replacement young animals on slatted floors. They are assembled from plastic, metal or wooden slats 25-30 mm wide with rounded edges with a radius of 1.5-2.5 mm. A space of 17-18 mm wide is left between the slats.

Channel-shaped metal slats are made of steel 1-1.5 mm thick, galvanized or coated with plastic.

Hard or coniferous trees are suitable for wooden slats. The thickness of the slats is 12-15 mm. In the cage they should be located along the feeder.

Cell batteries. Batteries of cages are used to keep rabbits indoors abroad. Thus, in Italy, the Phoebe company produces mesh cages with a metal frame and mesh or plastic floors. Dimensions of the cells: length 1 m, width 0.6 m, height 0.4 m. They are located in groups of 4, with the two middle cells raised to the height of the outer ones. During the childbirth period, nesting boxes are placed in the cages. Young animals are also kept in cages. The design of feeders allows you to mechanize the feeding and watering of rabbits.

The Italian company for the production of equipment for poultry farms "Facco" offers new samples of cage batteries for rabbits. It is recommended to keep the main herd and replacement young stock in colony-type cages with retractable slatted floors.

Cage dimensions 80 × 68 cm (including the queen cell - 20 × 68 cm), height 40 cm. The floor is made of soft mesh. Between two rows of cages in the center of the batteries there is a manger for hay. Each compartment is equipped with a valve automatic drinker and a self-feeder section made of sheet steel (one feeder for two cages). Manure and litter are removed manually and mechanically.

For fattening young animals, a pyramid type battery is offered. The cages are trapezoidal in shape, located on three levels, battery width 224, height 150 cm.

When young animals are kept alone, the cage size is 20 × 38 cm, when kept in groups of 6 animals. - 100 × 38 cm (height 30 cm). Floors are slatted or mesh. The tray feeder is installed along the length of the battery with partitions and a grid that protects rabbits from entering it. The same lattice, if necessary, serves as a manger for hay. Feeding is done manually and with a hopper feed dispenser moving along the battery. Pipes for automatic watering are laid along the ceilings of the cages. Manure and urine fall into the manure box under the battery, partly along inclined metal trays (reflectors). Manure is collected in a concrete box using scrapers or a drain.

Some farms for mating rabbits use round cages where breeding males are located. Dimensions of the cages: height 40 cm, diameter 70 cm. They are made of galvanized electric-welded mesh, the floor is made of wooden planks, the ceiling is double-leaf. The feeder is equipped with a device that prevents the scattering of feed. Drinking bowl in the form of a bathtub. The hay manger forms part of the ceiling.

The California Rabbit Breeding Experimental Station (USA) suggests using cages 120 cm long for medium-sized rabbit breeds and 180 cm for large breeds.

Other cage designs and facility types. Amateur rabbit breeders use a variety of cage designs, structures, and devices. Many of them skillfully use local conditions and available materials.

Experienced rabbit breeders in their homesteads breed rabbits of several breeds - Soviet chinchilla, gray giant, white giant, butterfly. Females and males are kept separately in the yard all year round in large cages, where nesting boxes of also larger sizes are placed during the birthing period, stuffed with straw for insulation during the cold period. Childbirth is year-round, usually four times a year. After giving birth, females begin mating two months later. If female rabbits and males are constantly well-fed, there is no waste of rabbits.

Using industrial crossing of rabbits of different breeds, with good condition of the breeding stock, intensively developing, disease-resistant crossbred young animals are obtained, which produce a high-quality carcass and a large-sized skin.

A month before slaughter, rabbits are kept in groups of several - females and males separately - in well-ventilated cages covered on both sides with mesh.

Some rabbit breeders make shelves in the cages for the females to rest. Typically, most rabbit cages are designed to accommodate queen boxes. Or a permanent nesting compartment is installed in the cage. To save space, hobbyists often arrange external attached queen cells. When they are not needed, the holes in the cages are closed, and the queen cell is placed next to the next cage in which the breeding will be carried out.

Some amateur rabbit breeders use the burial method of keeping rabbits.

The cellar, 2 × 3 m in size and 1.7 m deep, is connected by an inclined (35°) wooden pipe with an external paddock with an area of 5 × 5 m, fenced with a mesh. A 15-30-centimeter layer of sand is poured onto the paddock, so that the entire area is constantly dry. At the bottom of the cellar, 10 queen cells for females are installed. Males are kept in separate cages. To prevent animals from digging holes, the floor of the cellar is covered with rubble, and the walls in the lower part are covered with boards. They feed the rabbits for walking ah.

Keeping rabbits in trenches is also simple. In the upper part the trench is 1.5 m wide, in the lower part - 0.8 m, and 15 m long. The walls are surrounded by a metal mesh, the floor is wooden, the roof is glazed. A canopy, or ceiling, is placed over the trench. The exit from the trench to the walking yard, fenced with a net, is equipped with a vestibule. The trench is used to keep 200-220 heads of young animals.

Khimich's pipe, Cherkassy rabbit breeder D. F. Khimich created a very convenient and practical cage, consisting of four boards 5.5 m long, knocked down in the shape of a tetrahedral pipe 30 cm high and wide. This cage design is known among rabbit breeders as the “Khimich pipe”. Along its entire length it is divided into isolated sections, each 60 cm long. The sections have an entrance 15 × 15 cm, leading into a “front” 25 cm long, which is separated from the queen cell by a wall with a hole measuring 15 × 18 cm. The length of the queen cell is 35 cm. The outer passage is closed by a swing door.

The Khimich pipe is installed at a height of 10-15 cm above the ground under a canopy. Its upper part can be sloping with a small canopy over the entrance to drain rainwater. The area where the pipe is located is fenced off.

Cage cage. To keep young animals on the grass, after being separated from the female, a portable cage-cage of a triangular shape, 2 m long, 1 m wide and 1 m high, is used (Fig. 8). The frame of the cage is made of bars. The third part of it is covered with boards on three sides and provides shelter for animals from heat and bad weather; the rest is covered with metal mesh. A door is installed at the top of the shelter.

After the rabbits eat the grass, the cage is moved to a new location.

Transport cells. Large batches of rabbits are transported in multi-place transport cages, boxes, one or two in a compartment, or in transport enclosures on mesh floors in groups of 15-20 animals.

The transport cage is usually designed for 8 rabbits. Its length is 2.2 m, width 40 and height 30 cm. Along its length it is divided into 8 equal compartments. A door covered with mesh is made along the entire length of the façade. The door is attached to the bottom of the cage to a 5 cm wide bar with straps (hinges). A 3 cm wide gap is left between the floor and the plank for cleaning. To avoid urine accumulation, the floor of the cage is made with slits (up to 1 cm wide). 3-4 transverse strips are nailed to the floor from below, which form a gap for ventilation.

When installing cages in several tiers, the back walls are made into tongues, and the top is covered with moisture-proof material.

A ten-person transport cage for transporting young animals is 2 m long, 0.5 m wide and 30 cm high. The rear and side walls and the middle partition are made of planks, and the remaining partitions and the ceiling are made of plywood.

The front wall of the cage, which serves as a door, is made of mesh or made of wooden slats with 3 cm gaps between them. For ease of maintenance, the door is made of two halves (one door for 5 compartments).

When transporting rabbits by rail, the load norm is set at 200 animals per carriage. Each car must be equipped with screen doors with locking; hatches are covered with mesh.

Along with the rabbits, the necessary supply of feed is loaded into the carriage with the expectation of providing them for the duration of transportation. Taking into account possible delays in transit, feed is prepared 25-30% more than normal. In the carriage you must have the following equipment: a barrel for water, 2 buckets, feeders for rabbits, a scraper for cleaning cages, a broom, a bat lantern and a lock. The guide is given a veterinary certificate and a travel log.

A small number of rabbits are transported in ordinary plywood boxes with air holes.