Cages for keeping rabbits indoors.

Proper care of rabbits and compliance with all rules of keeping are the key to the health and active reproduction of animals. It can be difficult for beginners to choose the best option for arranging a rabbitry, so we will provide the basic information you need to know about choosing a room, designing cages, and organizing their internal space.

Benefits of Caging

Cages are the easiest and most convenient way to keep rabbits. At first glance, this may seem inhumane, since the animal is forced to spend a long time in a small space that limits freedom of movement. However, with proper organization and combination of housing methods, it is possible to provide animals with the necessary mobility.

Reference. In the wild, rabbits are burrowing animals. For proper rest and a feeling of safety at home, animals require a tight, enclosed space.

1. Control of animal behavior. This is especially true for reproduction. When breeding, it is possible to select the most suitable individuals for producing offspring. When placing rabbits in cages, uncontrolled matings and the death of animals due to the aggressive behavior of males are excluded.
2. Possibility of isolating sick individuals. This is important during outbreaks of infectious diseases, when the pathogen can be transmitted from animal to animal.
3. Compared to free-range rabbits in special houses, they do not need to be constantly caught for external inspection, vaccination, etc.
4. When the physical activity of rabbits is limited, they quickly gain weight and have more tender, juicy and lighter meat.
5. Ability to control feed consumption in each compartment. All animals receive the necessary amount of food for full development and rapid growth.

The only drawback of keeping rabbits in enclosed spaces is that it takes a lot of time: each cage must be cleaned, new bedding must be placed, food must be poured into the feeders, and the water bowls must be checked for water. In order to reduce labor costs during such maintenance, the structures are equipped with automatic drinkers and feeders, and special double floor structures for collecting waste.

Cages are real houses for rabbits. They should be warm, cozy, protected from drafts. It is equally important to organize high-quality ventilation of the room where animals are located, since rabbits often begin to get sick from excess gases released from manure. They also exclude high humidity, which can form not only due to weather conditions and insufficient heating, but also due to improper design of drinkers.

In warm climates, structures with rabbits can be located directly on the street, where they will be protected by hedges of trees or shrubs, or fences. If you plan to breed rabbits year-round in a cold climate, then the cages are located indoors.

Reference. The optimal conditions for keeping eared animals are considered to be a temperature of +10 to +20°C with a humidity of 60-75%. In enclosed spaces, lighting is provided at a level of 30-40 lux.

Optimal cell sizes

The sizes of the structures differ depending on the age and size of the animals. The general recommendations here are as follows:

• to accommodate a female rabbit with a litter, you will need a space 170-180 cm long, 1 m wide and up to 70 cm high;
• in a group cage for young animals, the area is calculated based on the ratio per 1 individual - 0.2 sq.m. premises;
• single cages for raising young animals have an area of ​​about 0.5 sq.m. with a wall height of at least 35 cm;
• Large adult rabbits require a space measuring at least 60 cm wide, 120 cm long and 50 cm high.

Cell classification

Rabbit cages are classified according to housing conditions, characteristics of the inhabitants, materials and type of construction.

Depending on the conditions in which the rabbitry is located, there are external stationary and mobile premises, stationary structures for premises, as well as cages with walking enclosures. Cages can be intended for keeping males alone, for young animals (housed in groups of 5-15 pieces), as well as for keeping a female rabbit with newborn offspring.

Materials from which cells are made:

• metal, metal mesh;
• tree;
• plywood;
• plastic (usually used for pallets).

Types of structures

Optimal cell designs are the object of scientific research at specialized institutes. Also, amateur rabbit breeders often use their own solutions to improve the convenience of caring for rabbits. Cages can be arranged in one or several tiers, equipped with a walking area or an automatic manure collector.

The following designs deserve the most popularity:

1. Single-tier design developed by the Research Institute of Fur Farming and Rabbit Breeding. It has 2 separate sections, which are separated by a feeder for roughage, as well as a nesting compartment with a solid floor. Part of the cage area is allocated for feeding the animals. The entrance to the nesting compartment is made using a hole in the partition or through external doors. The cage lid is made with a pitch, drinking bowls and feeders are hung on the door.
2. Klenovo-Chegodaev cages, which are portable nesting boxes with internal drinkers and feeders and a solid floor. In these cages, the nurseries for roughage are placed outside. Such structures are often made of metal, with dampers at the entrances, and the floor is made of two levels (the top is solid and removable, the bottom is stationary, made of mesh).
3. Mikhailov's two-section design, which has a double floor (the lower floor is inclined towards the middle). Due to this, animal waste flows into a container installed under the cages. In this case, the uterine compartments are located in the middle of the cell, and the feeding compartments are located at the edges. Hopper feeders can be attached to the sides of the cages.
4. The design proposed by Zolotukhin involves installing 2-section cells on top of each other. The entire rabbitry is installed on wooden supports. Both tiers are equipped with an inclined floor. Nest compartments are located on the sides outside the main cells. To simplify feeding, the nursery for roughage is also taken outside the cages.

When developing the design of a rabbitry, the following must be considered:

1. Rabbits can be kept in one space made of mesh for up to 3.5 months. On average, 12 young animals are placed in a common cage. After the animals grow up, the cage is separated by removable partitions and the rabbits are raised until slaughter.
2. When raising fur-bearing breeds of rabbits, it is important to keep all males separately, since due to fights between them, the skins of the animals can be seriously damaged. In this case, females can be kept in a group cage immediately until slaughter.
3. If there is a shortage of free space, multi-tiered structures can be used. In this case, a wide pitched roof must be installed above the upper tier, protecting the entire structure from precipitation and sunlight.

When making a rabbitry, it is necessary to select durable materials. If wooden slats are intended to be used, they must be at least 15 mm thick and made from wood species such as oak or maple. Otherwise, rabbits may gnaw and break them. The inner surface can be upholstered with mesh or sheets of galvanized iron for strengthening.

Mesh floor cages are easy to care for, but the cage can cause paw disease. The solution is simple - part of the cage can be equipped with a solid floor made of slats. Also, slatted floors are installed in cages where a nest with rabbits will be placed. A removable solid floor can be provided.

When installing two-tier cages, a two-level floor is made in the upper tier to protect against waste from leaking onto the lower tiers.

When keeping the rabbitry outdoors, you can install removable glazed frames or shields to protect the rabbitry from precipitation. Also, in bad weather conditions, the cells are wrapped in film.

Reference. In good weather, the additional protection is removed to allow fresh air to enter.

Making rabbit cages yourself is not a difficult task. It is important to follow the listed recommendations on the size of the rabbitry and its internal arrangement. Good living conditions and proper care will allow you to get the maximum benefit from raising these valuable animals.

Regardless of the scale of the farm (farm or homestead), special cages are built for rabbits. It is thanks to this that feed is used correctly, breeding work is carried out successfully, and it is much easier for farm owners to monitor the health of animals and carry out preventive measures in a timely manner.

This article will describe the main features and methods of keeping rabbits. You will also find photos and drawings of cages for raising livestock in summer and winter.

Keeping rabbits at home

Temperature and humidity conditions and lighting

The paws and ears of animals are very sensitive to frostbite, but high temperatures also negatively affect the health of animals. In the rabbitry, you need to maintain a stable temperature at 12-18 degrees.

Note: Adults can withstand extreme cold or heat, but only for a few days. If extreme temperatures last longer, animals will get sick and die.

In addition, the room must have an optimal level of humidity, since if the air is too dry or humid, animals develop diseases and productivity decreases. Drafts also pose a danger, so all cracks in the holding room must be closed.

In the summer, there should be natural light in the room, but if the weather is too hot, the cages need to be shaded, and special canopies should be installed in open areas. IN winter time Natural lighting must be supplemented with artificial lighting.

Hygiene and nutrition

These animals are very demanding regarding hygienic conditions of keeping and feeding. The room should be well ventilated, and the interior should be regularly cleaned of manure, residues of wool and feed. This condition plays a particularly important role when keeping rabbits at home in enclosed spaces.

Note: To comply with hygienic requirements, cages are cleaned twice a week, and drinking bowls and feeders are cleaned daily.

Compliance with hygienic requirements when feeding and watering livestock is no less important. The water must be clean and changed daily. Fresh grass, which is given to animals as food, is first washed under running water and then slightly dried. Any food should be placed only in feeders, since food on the floor will become contaminated. Before dispensing a fresh portion of feed, any remaining food is removed from the container.

When feeding, preference should be given to succulent seasonal food, and in winter the diet should be supplemented with root vegetables, high-quality hay and special compound feed.

Prevention of injuries and illnesses

Rabbits are very easily injured, so the cages must be made so that they do not have sharp corners. In addition, when several individuals are kept in close cages at the same time, fights occur between the animals. To prevent this from happening, only individuals of the same age should be housed at a time. New animals cannot be introduced later.

When purchasing new animals, they must be quarantined for a month, preventing contact with the rest of the livestock. In addition, at the first signs of illness, the animal is isolated from the rest until the exact cause of the disease is determined and treatment is completed. Cells are disinfected several times a year by special means or a blowtorch. Disinfection is also carried out when transplanting new individuals or after treating diseases.

Methods for keeping rabbits

There are several ways to keep rabbits on a homestead farm. Animals may be permanently kept in cages or an enclosure. They can also be kept in pits and free-range. In pits, rodents dig holes on their own, and the quality of meat increases. But with this method of keeping, the quality of the fur deteriorates, so it is not suitable for breeding animals for fur.

Keeping rabbits in cages for beginners

There are several types of rabbit cages:

• In warm climates, they can be installed outdoors (such as in a yard);
• In cold regions, structures are installed indoors;
• There is also a combined type of keeping: in summer the animals are kept outdoors, and in winter – indoors.

Each type has some nuances. So, if the cages are located in the yard, drafts should not be allowed nearby. In addition, rabbits do not tolerate high and low air humidity.

Figure 1. Cell arrangement

The most optimal humidity is considered to be no higher than 75%, although animals will feel unwell at a humidity below 50%. Also, cages should not be allowed to be located in swampy areas where there is frequent fog.

Examples of the location of cages in open areas are shown in Figure 1. If they are placed in a barn or any other room, care should also be taken to ensure that the room always has clean and sufficiently humidified air. Other indoor cage requirements include(Figure 2):

• They can be placed in several tiers in two rows, with facades facing each other;
• There must be a passage between the rows;
• The ends must be covered with shields so that there are no drafts inside;
• Electric lighting is provided in the cages, since the average daylight hours to ensure high productivity and normal development of the livestock should be about 10 hours a day;
• When choosing a cage type, you need to focus not only on climatic conditions, but also on the breed and size of the animals.

Figure 2. Drawing and photo of cells

For example, for adult animals of downy and meat-hide breeds, one- or two-section cages can be equipped. The optimal length ranges from 110 to 130 centimeters, respectively, but if there is a sufficient amount of building materials, the length can be increased to one and a half meters.

When equipping a cage for group housing of young animals, it is important to calculate the number of animals that will be in it. Based on this quantity, the length and width are calculated.

Note: One adult individual should have approximately 0.7 square meters of space, and with group keeping this figure is 0.1 square meters. meters (for cages with mesh floors) and 0.3 sq. meters (with wooden floor).

Young animals intended for breeding and sale can also be kept in regular cages for adults. In this case, the number of animals should be as follows:

• Up to seven commercial young animals;
• Four males or females each, intended for breeding.

It is worth noting that the females are kept together only until the beginning of the pregnancy period, and then they are seated. Males can only be kept in groups until they are three months old. However, in winter they are also brought into groups, and in summer they are separated.

Group housing significantly reduces the quality of male pelts. Therefore, if the farm does not have enough space for individual housing, only males intended for obtaining skins are placed in separate cages. An important role is played by the mating of animals. How to do it correctly - watch the video.

Drinkers for rabbits

In the front of each cage you need to install built-in feeders for root vegetables and concentrates, as well as drinking bowls. This design makes caring for animals much easier. On top of the feeder they make a metal crayfish with transverse partitions so that the suckling babies do not climb into the feeder. The drinking bowl should also be fenced.

To dispense grain and granules, it is advisable to install bunker self-feeders, the supply of feed in which is replenished once a day (Figure 3). You can also learn the detailed design of the bunker feeder from the video.

Note: Some rabbit breeders advise providing an amount of feed for several days at once. However, this is not recommended, since in this case the animal’s diet is disrupted and feed consumption increases.

If there are no built-in drinkers, you can use plug-in ones. However, they must be of a stable design so that animals cannot knock them over, and they must also be easy to clean. For example, for these purposes you can use tin cans or clay cups secured to the floor or wall (with a hook, nail or any other way).

Figure 3. Feeders (from left to right): bunker (drawing and photo), hay and fenced feeder for young animals

For young animals that are kept on paddocks in the summer, it is necessary to equip a nursery with a gable hinged lid. The distance between the rods should be approximately 3 centimeters. To distribute concentrated feed on paddocks, set up a trough-shaped feeder with partitions and a group drinking bowl of the same design.

You can make automatic drinking bowls for rabbits with your own hands using a tank and a float. Thanks to the float, a stable water level is constantly maintained in the drinking bowl. Often drinking bowls are made independently from scrap materials: plastic bottles or cans (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Examples of homemade drinking bowls

From other equipment, the homestead owner will also need a small cart for transporting feed, as well as cleaning and cleaning equipment: a rake, shovel, broom, scraper, bucket and dustpan. Disinfecting solutions and agents (for example, Lysol or creolin) are stored in separate containers. All equipment must be immersed in them after each treatment of cages, feeders or drinkers.

DIY rabbit cages

When constructing cages, attention must be paid to ease of maintenance, hygiene, as well as simplicity of design and low cost of building materials. The greatest attention should be paid to gender:

• In warm and temperate climates, the floors of the aft compartment are made of wooden slats (oak, maple). You can also use plastics, stamped metal and metal mesh.
• The nest compartment or nest should have solid wood floors.
• In cooler climates, floors are made of planks or double-height.

These rules also apply to the arrangement of floors in portable cages. If the farm prefers to keep livestock on solid plank floors, you need to make a slope of 5 centimeters towards the rear. To install a double floor, you can use a mesh, on top of which a removable plank floor is laid. This design is considered the most hygienic, since the removable floor can be easily cleaned of dirt and droppings.

Note: Animals should not be allowed to be kept on a mesh floor for a long time, as in this case they will develop pododermatitis.

In homestead farms, two-section cages are considered the most popular, but for a large number of livestock the shad housing system is more suitable. Sheds can be of any length, depending on the number of individuals. In addition, sheds can be single- or double-tiered. If the cages in the shad are placed in two tiers, a simple mechanism (suspended road) is installed between them, with the help of which one person can serve a large number of adults and young animals at once.

Figure 5. Shadow content

In addition, a metal frame and mesh are used for construction. In most cases, such cages are intended for keeping livestock indoors, but in the summer they can be taken out into the fresh air. Also, the farm should be equipped with separate uterine or portable cages, which are made of plywood or wood. If you install a heater in them, chicks can be obtained not only in spring or summer, but also in winter. Recommendations for building cages for rabbits with your own hands are given in the video.

Large cages with partitions are considered an excellent option for keeping young animals on the skin. First, they are divided in half by partitions, and in each compartment there are six individuals of the same age, weight and development. As it grows, the cage is divided into 12 parts by ten partitions, so that each rabbit is kept separately until slaughter (Figure 5).

Note: Keeping them in such cages has a number of advantages. Firstly, the skins are not damaged, their quality improves overall. Secondly, it becomes possible to send individual individuals for slaughter after molting is complete.

You can make cells yourself using the drawings shown in Figure 6.

Keeping rabbits outside in winter - heating and feeding

If the farm has domestic rabbits, the care and maintenance of animals in winter should be special. They are prone to colds and frostbite, so their cages are insulated for the winter. The floor is covered with boards and a thick layer of bedding, and all cracks are covered. In this case, you need to leave openings for ventilation and sunlight.

Note: With proper insulation, the cages can not be moved indoors, but can be kept directly outside. But if in winter the temperature drops below -30, it is still better to move them to a barn.

Experienced rabbit breeders advise making the floor in the cages out of mesh so that manure and leftover feed fall into a special tray, from where it is easier to remove them. In winter, the livestock must be closely monitored, and if the animals show signs of frostbite, they are moved to a warm room.

Figure 6. Drawings of sheds for keeping rabbits

The diet of animals is no less important. In summer they feed mainly on green and succulent food, and in winter the basis of their diet is hay, feed and grain crops. There must be hay High Quality, without fungus or mold, as this can cause illness. The winter diet must include vitamins and mineral supplements (for example, crushed pine needles or tree branches). You can also give them boiled potatoes, bran and stale bread.

The right type of housing for a rabbit is the key to obtaining maximum profits with minimal labor costs. Keeping rabbits in enclosures or pits creates natural living conditions for the animals. However, cage breeding of rabbits is the most popular and there are reasons for this. It’s not difficult to navigate the variety of content systems. Just compare your conditions and capabilities with the features of each method.

Rabbits, for all their fertility and profitability, require increased comfort of keeping. They cannot tolerate extreme heat and may die in freezing temperatures in winter. Caring for them should provide clean rooms, fresh air, clear water and adequate feeding. Veterinary control, vaccinations, and disease prevention are also important.

Cellular content

Traditional way of keeping. Modern cells have a clearly thought out design. They are made of wood using metal mesh and plastic. The average size of a cage for one individual is a meter in length and half a meter in depth and height. But each breed has its own size.

• Article on the topic:

Cages can be stationary or portable. Portable ones are convenient for raising animals in a heated room in winter, and outside in warm weather. Where to place stationary cages depends on the climate. This can be either an enclosed space or a canopy. One of the varieties of stationary cages is shads. These are stationary cages equipped with auxiliary devices for care, located in a long row, in several tiers.

A rabbit cage is a kind of one or two-section “apartment with all amenities”, the maintenance of which is minimal. It is designed for a certain number of residents. Thus, there are cages for pregnant and lactating females with offspring, cages for commercial young animals, and for breeding males.

Advantages and disadvantages of the cell method

The undoubted advantage of raising rabbits in cages is complete control over the condition and vital activity of each individual at any time.

When kept in cages, feed is used most rationally. Care is individual, taking into account the characteristics of temperament. This allows for high-quality breeding selection. Animals are isolated from each other, which reduces the risk of epidemics.

The main disadvantage of cellular maintenance is the need for quite significant costs for the acquisition (or production) of cells and the labor intensity of the process.

Advantages of free breeding

The ability to move a lot has a beneficial effect on the character and health of animals. On the street, rabbits become calmer and aggression disappears. The offspring grow strong and even, since females feed not only their own, but also other people's rabbits.

With sufficient feeding, caged animals gain weight faster and reach sexual maturity earlier. Caring for rabbits becomes much easier. You can feed and water everyone at once and not every day. Cleaning is required much less frequently.

Disadvantages of free content

A serious disadvantage of free-range rabbit breeding is the almost complete loss of daily control over the animals. There is a real threat of losing the entire livestock in case of infection. In addition, breeding work becomes very difficult (or impossible).

When rabbits are kept outdoors for a long time (several years), they become smaller and degenerate.

Aviary breeding of rabbits

Keeping the entire rabbit family in an enclosure can be very convenient and profitable when seasonally breeding animals for meat (for example, in a country house) or in a small farmstead. The area of ​​the enclosure is calculated based on the needs: 4-5 square meters are needed for a female and her family. m; for one head of young animals - 1 sq. m. With more dense housing, rabbits begin to divide the territory, fight and can seriously injure each other.

A distinctive feature of rabbit enclosures is their versatility. After rabbits, you can keep other animals in them. For example, poultry. Which is impossible in cages or pits.

When kept free-range all year round, it is convenient to attach an outdoor enclosure to a barn. In it, animals will be able to hide from bad weather, crawl, and live in winter. When this is not possible, shelters should be built. These can be artificial burrows, an enclosed shed, several cages, or a large communal cage.

Requirements for the enclosure

To protect against “external enemies” and to prevent “escaping,” rabbits should be securely isolated. The perimeter of the enclosure is usually fenced with a metal mesh, but any material that will not be chewed by rabbits will do. Free animals willingly dig holes, so be sure to deepen the fence to at least 0.8 meters.

The ideal solution is “evacuation” to a warm barn. When this is not possible, in winter you should fill not only the feeders with hay, but also the cage space. Rabbits willingly bury themselves in hay, trying to keep warm. Warm water should be offered in the morning and evening. Fir branches and carrots will be used for vitamin feed.

In the summer, the main concerns come down to how to protect rabbits from overheating and blood-sucking animals, which often spread infections. Rational keeping of rabbits on private farms consists of good theoretical preparation, “reworked” by personal experience.

If you are a beginner rabbit breeder, then it will be useful for you to know that keeping rabbits, as well as climatic conditions, directly affect the health of animals, that is, skin, meat, meat skins and also down products.

There are all kinds of options for keeping rabbits - dugout, nursery, harem, parquet, etc. Cage-free keeping is practiced both in fenced and non-fenced areas, with or without any buildings.

However, even if you have a warm climate, such content is not the best and here’s why:

If rabbits are in the wild, this makes it impossible to carry out therapeutic and breeding work among your four-legged pets.

As practice has already shown, the probability of not only mass diseases increases, but also the mortality of animals. And if breeding work is not carried out, and close family ties between animals are allowed, then this is the reason for their degeneration.

If you decide to start breeding and keeping rabbits in your homestead, then it is better to do it directly in cages.

But first things first:

Today, rabbit breeders in all parts of the world are developing new, more rational methods for keeping eared pets, and are also looking for more accessible and cheaper materials for construction. As a result, experience and scientific research have shown that the best way to keep rabbits is to keep rabbits in cages.

The cage system helps create more favorable conditions and helps maintain good hygienic conditions. Among other things, this system helps to optimize the sectional space for a specific purpose, and this is the main thing for the health of rabbits.

Benefits of Cage Content

1. The feeding of each rabbit is adjusted as needed.
2. Mating is carried out at the time scheduled according to the plan.
3. If an animal is sick, it can be easily detected, isolated and treated.
4. Preventative measures are easy to implement.
5. Carrying out breeding work does not bring any difficulties.

All these advantages have contributed to the fact that cage housing has become more widespread compared to other previously used types of rabbit housing. The cage method of keeping has become more effective in demonstrating the most productive qualities in four-legged furry animals, and has also made it possible to obtain higher quality meat and meat products from rabbits. Among other things, the cost of the product itself has decreased.

So, having examined the advantages of cellular content, let’s move on to the technical side of this issue.

The area that you decide to choose for a rabbit farm should be dry and should not be flooded by spring waters. It must be fenced with plantings. This will protect it from winter winds and direct sunlight on the rabbits.

The area for the rabbit farm must be dry and protected from winter winds and direct sunlight.

The area for keeping rabbits should be level, without beams or ravines. It is very good if it has a slope for drainage of melt and rainwater. It is good if the site is protected from the winds by forest plantations.

To raise rabbits on farms, a wide variety of cages are used.

1. Stationary cages for outdoor use.
2. Stationary cages for keeping in enclosed spaces.
3. Portable cages with a lightweight design for combined housing.
4. Mobile cages with mesh enclosures.

Depending on the climatic conditions, rabbits can be kept in cages, but:

• Under the canopy.
• Indoors.
• In a combined way.
• In an external shed system, which is created depending on different periods of animal life support.

It should also be noted that the design of the cage may change depending on its purpose, for example, it can be for individual or collective keeping, with or without walking, for rabbits or adults, for a pregnant female, etc.

When placing stationary cages outdoors, it is advisable to install them in two rows, one next to the other, or in several tiers.

The cells are installed in two rows, one next to the other. The roof on the front and back of the cages should protrude, which protects the rabbits from the sun, rain and snow. And the cemented floor makes caring for the animals easier.

Moreover, the roof of the upper tier should protrude 50-60 cm from the front side and 25 cm from the rear side, which protects the rabbits from the sun, rain and snow.

If you place the cage on a floor that is cemented and well prepared, animal hygiene and a clean yard will be maximized.

To obtain litters in winter, the cages can be additionally covered with a collapsible gable roof.

To avoid losses during childbirth in winter, the cages can be additionally covered with a collapsible roof. And close the passages between the cells with shields or cover them with film.

The passage between cages must be sufficient for maintenance. By winter, these passages are covered with specially assembled shields or covered with film. If necessary, electric lighting should also be provided.

When the cold weather has passed, the roof over the cages can be dismantled.

Some of the amateur rabbit breeders at this time of year hang a glass frame on doors with a metal mesh. This can be done using two nails that are bent into hooks. If the weather is calm and clear, the frame is raised, if the weather is inclement, it is lowered. Glazed frames help provide light to rabbits in any weather, and daylight hours are not artificially shortened for them.

To save space in the room, cages can be arranged in two tiers, and to save energy, use natural light as much as possible.

When placing cages in enclosed spaces, you must take into account that your pets will not tolerate drafts very well, as well as low temperatures and high humidity. Illumination in the premises should be maintained approximately eight to ten hours a day, the lighting intensity should be thirty forty lux.

A thoughtful arrangement of cages, communications, gutters and containers for collecting manure will make feeding, water supply, and cleaning cages easier and reduce time. Properly assembled ventilation will create proper air movement and relieve animals from drafts and harmful gases.

Great attention should be paid to reducing the concentration of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide in the room where rabbits are kept. The best way This will involve removing animal feces from under the cages. This process must be regular. At the same time, a thoughtful arrangement of cages, containers or chutes for collecting manure will make this work easier and reduce time. Also, when creating a microclimate in a rabbitry, you should take seriously ventilation and proper air movement in the room with cages.

It is worth noting that the greatest effect is achieved by raising rabbits in closed and heated rooms, in which a constant microclimate is maintained.

Indoors, you can create conditions for producing litters throughout the year, regardless of climatic conditions and season.

So, if you decide to keep rabbits indoors:

• It is possible to create conditions for producing litters throughout the year, regardless of climatic conditions and season, which contributes to a fairly rapid increase in the number of livestock.

• Using a creative approach, as well as some design solutions, indoors it is easiest to mechanize and automate a number of labor-intensive processes, such as feeding, water supply, and cage cleaning, which in turn increases labor productivity and significantly reduces the cost of the product itself.

In private households, for rational use of space, cages can be installed in two or three tiers. This will also make it easier to inspect the animals, distribute water, feed and maintain them.

And the most important thing to remember is that having more animals in one room makes it more difficult to maintain the necessary sanitary conditions and reduces the effectiveness of measures taken to prevent epidemics.

The combined method of keeping rabbits uses portable cages. Most often, the design of these cages allows them to be installed in two or three tiers.

In areas where winters are harsh, it is better to use a combined maintenance method. This method allows you to get litters in winter, which increases their number throughout the year.

With the approach of cold weather, the cells, if necessary, are transferred to a rabbitry, built from various available materials and, most importantly, it must be plastered. On the south side there is a window on the entire side.

Cages are installed depending on their design. Portable lightweight cages can be used. They should be such that they can be easily arranged in the barn in several tiers on top of each other.

Portable, lightweight cage for rabbits. The design of this cage allows it to be used in a combined housing method.

Before moving the cages indoors, they must be treated with a disinfection solution, then rinsed with clean water, dried and then collected in the place where your rabbits will spend the winter.

Sometimes rabbit breeders bring only females into the premises for mating and giving birth. And the rabbits are subsequently placed in cages in the open air, which helps to harden the body and increase immunity. This is especially important for rabbits that will be selected for herd repair.

By gradually moving such a cage around your garden plot, you can save green feed, as well as time for cleaning the rabbit run.

In the summer, mobile cages with mesh enclosures can be successfully used. If rabbits are kept in such cages, then there is no need to prepare green food, prepare it for distribution and feeding, as well as clean the paddocks. The principle of using such cells is their gradual movement around the garden plot and feeding of vegetation.

Cages with enclosures can be mounted in blocks, which consist of three types:

• For keeping four adult females.
• Keeping two adult males.
• Six litters of young animals, ranging in age from three to five months.

It would be a good idea to install such mobile units on wheels.

The imagination of amateur rabbit breeders is truly limitless. If the necessary material for cages is not available, then novice rabbit breeders make cages from planks that make up various boxes, sometimes the entrance and the boxes themselves are made, and old barrels are also not ignored, placed under a light canopy, and sometimes in the open air while lying on your side.

Boxes and barrels can be laid on beams that are raised to a height of 70-80 cm in a row from the surface of the ground. Sometimes they can be placed in two tiers.

Also, if you have two hundred liter metal barrels, you can build a two or three-story rabbitry by placing the barrels on a rack specially made from a metal corner. The main components of such a rack are a frame on which a row (floor) of barrels is placed and side supports that fix the barrels from the sides in one position and prevent them from rolling off.

The barrels are placed on a metal rack 70-80 cm from the ground, in two tiers. Flooring is installed inside the barrels, possibly in the form of a wooden lattice.

Inside the barrels, a flooring in the form of a wooden lattice is installed, which insulates the rabbit from the metal and makes cleaning the cage easier.

The door for such a cage is hinged to the flooring and opens downwards. To ensure gas exchange, the door is made of mesh. It also provides for the attachment of a feeder and drinking bowl.

If such a rabbitry is located in a room without drafts, then it would be a good idea to make a frame for laying the barrels with a slight slope back. And in the lower part (laid down) of the end of the barrel, make a hole for drainage. This will reduce the humidity in such a cage and make it more comfortable.

It is necessary to take into account that the metal walls of barrels will not save animals from cold and heat, which means that their thermal insulation should be taken seriously.

It happens that a rabbitry can spoil the appearance of your garden plot with a pile of containers filled with water or feed, a large number of cages, boxes for collecting manure, and so on.

To prevent the rabbitry from spoiling the appearance of your garden plot, it can be fenced off with dense vegetation or trellises with climbing plants.

To solve these problems, you can install the grilles in a vertical position from any slats or rods consisting of metal. Plant any climbing plants in front of the trellis.

You can plant a decorative pumpkin that has spectacular large leaves, and as a result they will entwine the entire lattice. In winter, pumpkin can serve not only as an interior decoration, but will also be an excellent additional product in the diet of the whole family.

On land that is fertilized with rabbit manure, not only cucumbers, but also tall varieties of tomatoes will grow wonderfully. And plants such as climbing rose and clematis will add bright colors and decorate your rabbit farm.

Animals will feel great behind such a hedge, because such a fence can not only provide shelter from the bright sun, but will also allow fresh morning air and scattering light to pass through. And children or adults who work in the garden or walk will not disturb or frighten the entire population.

Compliance with such simple but effective measures will help not only to aesthetically design your area, but also your pets will be calmer, and females will be less susceptible to stress. The rabbits will grow better and faster and develop well.

Sheds are sheds, sheds, specialized premises with a frame, floors (walls), roofing - assembled from various building materials. Often the walls of such a structure are the back walls of the cells themselves.

As we have already said in the previous paragraphs, rabbits can be kept in specialized closed rooms, cages, and sheds. Keeping rabbits in sheds is used in large household farms.

Sheds are sheds or sheds that have a frame made of various materials. Their roof can be made of iron, slate, and so on, and the shed itself is made of metal, wood, or even reinforced concrete.

As a rule, the temperature and humidity of the air inside the shad are very close to atmospheric.

The diagram shows a section of a shad 244 cm long, which includes 4 cells on one side and 4 on the other, for a total of 8. The shad is assembled from the required number of sections.

The disadvantage of such maintenance is the high cost self made and the time spent caring for rabbits.

Another disadvantage is that the reproduction of rabbits depends on the season, which amounts to no more than six litters per year. But under certain conditions, babies can also be born in winter. So that you can get your dues all year round and increase productivity using heated queen cells and drinkers.

The shed has a gable roof and a longitudinal transom on both sides. The transom is used to illuminate the room, as well as to ventilate the room without drafts.

Sheds that have only one tier are a fairly long canopy, which has a passage in the middle, and on both sides of this passage there are rows of cages. The roof of such a shed is gable.

In some homesteads, two-tier sheds that look like a long barn have been used.

The temperature and humidity in the shad are close to atmospheric, which affects reproduction. It depends on the season and is no more than six litters per year. Therefore, in order to produce litters in winter, heated queen cells and drinking bowls are used.

The passage of such a barn is in the middle, and on the sides there are two rows of cells in two tiers.

The roof of such a shed is gable and has a longitudinal transom on both sides. It is designed to illuminate the room.

The passage is made 120-130 cm wide, and at the end walls of the shed it ends with a door.

The walls of the shad are the back walls of the cells.

For additional lighting, small windows with bars are made in the rear walls of the cages. It is convenient to close them for the winter with a folding door. Feeders and drinkers are hung on doors that are attached to the inside of the cages.

The positive aspects of the shed system are the increase in productivity of the rabbit breeder, the possibility of mechanizing certain production processes and the protection of rabbits from bad weather.

Keeping rabbits in enclosures

Using a run for rabbits has a beneficial effect on their growth, eliminates various diseases of the heart and digestive tract, and can be the key to health for your furbabies. But to do this, you must follow a number of essential rules, which are described below.

Many rabbit breeders who have been interacting with rabbits for a long time are surprised to observe their constant craving for freedom and constant movement. If you release the animal into the wild, you may be surprised to see how it transforms. His apathy and lethargy with bitterness disappear. Watching them, you see how these four-legged animals are able to express their joy from the feeling of freedom. Running, jumping, rapid zigzags and jumps - this is how they show a person their boundless joy from the freedom he has.

It is then that you can see what a real rabbit is like: this four-legged animal is dexterous and smart, perfectly adapted to life in the wild. He has soft but springy paws, ears that are very sensitive, his movements are precise, and his reaction is instantaneous. And you really stop and think about how the rabbits, living in cages for generations, managed to preserve all this.

Cleanliness is the best cure for diseases, so general cleaning of the rabbitry should be done at least once a month.
General cleaning of the rabbitry may include several stages - this is mechanical cleaning of the bedding, feeders, and drains. Burning all accessible surfaces - fire destroys most coccidia, scabies mites, and helminths. Spraying disinfectant solutions helps get rid of viruses and bacteria that have penetrated deep into surfaces and into the joints of structures. And we finish our cleaning by inhaling the room with iodine.

On a walking area, rabbits should be kept in a group and this will be correct. Rabbits are essentially herd animals and will feel more confident if they have the opportunity to help each other. As soon as they are released into the enclosure, they will definitely gather in colonies - young and adults.

Overcrowding of animals is dangerous for rabbits, because then they begin to experience stress, injuries and fights. It has been noted that the more space a rabbit has, the healthier the animal.

If the enclosure is small, approximately 20 square meters, then experts advise keeping five female rabbits with offspring of twenty to thirty rabbits, or their number should be twenty-five heads of young animals planted.

Rabbits from the same litter get along best in the enclosure. If young animals from different nests need to be united, then the rabbits are released into the enclosure at the same time. If the enclosure has already been inhabited, then there is no need to transplant a new animal into it; a new animal may have a very hard time.

It is forbidden to combine females that have bred and are pregnant and who were not previously acquainted. The instinct that prompts them to protect their offspring will become quite acute at this time. But if your female rabbits grew up together, then they will continue to live, as a rule, very friendly.

If rabbits were born in a cage and are not sufficiently hardened, then they should be transferred to walking only at 2–3 months and gradually. You need to start in spring or summer, but not in autumn, which is usually accompanied by rain and bad weather. If there are sick ones among your rabbits, then they should be kept in an isolated enclosure in order to be separated from the sick and treated.

Signature: 1 – manhole; 2 – uterine box in a trench; 3 – insulating material;
An artificial burrow with a queen cell installed in it.

You can take him out of the shelter artificial burrows for rabbits . And at the bottom of such a hole you can install a nest. The nest is a box with a removable lid, which is buried 0.6-1 meters into the ground, and a board pipe 1.5-2 meters long is attached at the bottom and up. The cross-section of the pipe is 20 cm. It is the entrance and exit from the nest. The edge of the pipe that is dug in near the nest is installed slightly below the entrance to the nest itself. This is done to prevent water from getting in there.

For the winter, the nest should be isolated from frozen soil, covering it with straw on top. The rabbit will be quite happy in such a home. The rabbit does not have very good thermoregulation and that is why the animal does not tolerate sudden temperature fluctuations. When an animal is in a cage under the open sky, it experiences both cold and heat. In summer, the temperature outside is plus 35 degrees Celsius, and in the cages it rises to 50 degrees. In winter, even when kept in a barn, if it is not heated, the temperature can drop to minus twenty-five degrees, and if the animals do not have the opportunity to shelter, they will suffer from cold and cold. The result is frequent pulmonary diseases. If the animals live in underground burrows, then in the summer it is cool there, and in the winter it is not cold even in the most severe frosts.

And the most important thing is that in such a shelter the female rabbits will leave their offspring completely fearlessly, because they also need to feed and rest a little.

Shelters can also be made of boards, brushwood, stumps and straw. For the winter, such shelters must be insulated. Such shelters for rabbits must be located in dry places so that they are not flooded with rain and melt water.

Rabbit breeder O. Azernikova, who has acquired considerable experience in caring for and keeping rabbits in the wild, believes that if grazing of the herd is properly organized, then labor costs for the daily preparation of feed are reduced.

Grazing rabbits undoubtedly requires effort: this includes fertilizers and sowing grass, which the animals themselves love. However, the results that your efforts will yield will undoubtedly be pleasing to the eye.

A gable canopy will help the animals hide from bad weather, in which there are also mangers for hay, drinking bowls and, of course, feeders from which your animals will eat grain. There is so much that needs to be done. So that there is enough for all the animals. You can also think about making burrows in the ground. In summer, such burrows will be cool, and in winter you can keep warm.

But Alexey and Anya’s personal experience in keeping rabbits in the wild

Rabbit keeping temperature

Air humidity and the temperature of keeping rabbits can have a strong impact on the life of your furry animals.

When rabbits are kept in optimal temperature conditions, heat transfer from animals reaches 20-25 percent. This occurs due to the evaporation of moisture. The air humidity at which a rabbit feels good is approximately sixty to seventy percent. If the air humidity is high, your pets may develop a runny nose, especially at sub-zero temperatures.

To protect rabbits from heat stroke and avoid animal mortality, the cages should be placed under a canopy with good thermal insulation. This is especially true for southern regions, where temperatures can reach more than 40 ºC.

Rabbits are more sensitive to high temperatures. If the temperature in the rabbitry remains above thirty-five degrees Celsius for a long time, then signs of dysfunction in animals are significantly reduced. Breathing in rabbits becomes rapid, and after a few hours the animals may die. Air stillness combined with high temperature and high humidity will inhibit heat transfer and cause overheating of the body.

If rabbits are bred in the southern regions, the animals often suffer from heatstroke. They can be avoided by placing the cages either under a canopy or under tree branches.

Rabbit food must contain essential substances for animals, such as vitamins, carbohydrates and minerals. Water also plays an important role in the maintenance of tetrapods. If the conditions for keeping rabbits in winter are such that the water freezes, then it should be poured immediately after you have fed the rabbits with concentrates. In addition, in winter it is best to pour warm water for rabbits, since it will not require additional energy from the rabbits internal heat to keep warm. If in winter it is not possible to give the rabbits something to drink after each feeding, then clean snow is placed in the drinking bowls. Rabbits eat it and thus can satisfy their need for water. Of course, snow does not contain the necessary substances that are found in ordinary water, but the damage to the health of rabbits with a lack of water will be much greater than with a lack of a small amount of minerals that the rabbit receives from water. If your pets have a complete diet, then they receive all the necessary minerals through mineral supplements and supplements.

A good addition to the winter diet can be twig food, which is usually prepared in May-July. If it was not possible to stock up hay for the rabbits, then you can use brooms, which are prepared in the summer. However, such feeding is allowed only as a last resort. If you managed to prepare branches in winter, then you will notice how well rabbits eat the bark from them, especially if these branches are aspen. An adult rabbit is fed pine branches in quantities of up to one hundred and fifty grams. With this feeding, the rabbits will chew the cages less.

Juicy food should be given to rabbits regardless of the time of year. The best of them are cabbage, pumpkin, zucchini, carrots, and beets. You can pamper your rabbit by giving the skins of pumpkin, watermelon, and melon. Red beets and fresh cabbage must be given with caution, because they can cause digestive upset in animals. In winter, if you want to feed your rabbit some succulent food, you can also give him sauerkraut. It is given at the rate of 150-200 grams per day if your rabbit is already an adult and for young animals no more than one hundred grams per day. To make it easier for rabbits to eat sauerkraut, it is usually sprinkled with mealy food. Rabbits also need mineral feed. These foods include chalk, table salt and bone meal. Salt can be fed by adding it to concentrates, moistening them with salted water, and bone meal and chalk are added to small feeds. For example, you can sprinkle chalk on beet tops. In winter, shade-dried hay, pine needles, carrots, etc. can be used as vitamin-rich feed.

If the rabbits are one to two months old, then experts do not recommend giving them vegetable waste, potato peelings, straw or rough green feed. Such feeds cause digestive upset in young rabbits. This may occur because the digestive organs of these animals have not yet adapted to digesting such food. The rabbits you have placed can be fed with oats, green grass, and legume hay. You can also give boiled potatoes, to which you can add bran, fodder beets and red carrots. If you give your rabbits wet food, then you should distribute it within 1-1.5 hours, otherwise they will turn sour in the summer and simply freeze in the winter.

If the food is dry, then it can be distributed for several days. However, to do this, the feeders must be handled in such a way that the feed is not scattered by animals. If the feed is grain, then they are allowed to feed the animals for ten days of fattening. The norm for food procurement for each adult rabbit is: grain feed - 32 kg, per adult rabbit - 17 kg, potatoes - 40 and 36 kg, hay - 42 and 32 kg.

A converted greenhouse is an option for keeping rabbits in winter.

As for keeping rabbits in winter, the experience of rabbit breeder V.I. is interesting. Ustyuzhanin, who lives in the Urals. When winter comes, he keeps the pregnant females in a greenhouse, which is somewhat refurbished. To prevent the rabbits from tearing the film and running away, he surrounds the greenhouse with a metal mesh, the height of which is 50 cm. As a protective measure, a mesh is also used, which is dug into the ground 50 cm. This is done so that the rabbits literally do not dig themselves out overnight. were released and did not run away, because these animals belong to the category of burrowing animals.

It is interesting that female rabbits themselves are able to dig such holes for themselves and bring offspring into them. They eat what the owner stores for them - coniferous spruce branches, branches fruit trees, hay. To prevent rabbits from taking it away and trampling it, he collects it in a stack, which is made of aspen logs and fenced with a mesh with cells eight by eight centimeters. In the greenhouse he also places self-feeders, which serve for grain feeding and drinking water.

The result of such wintering exceeds all expectations. The rabbit not only winters well in such a greenhouse. By spring, such soil is ready for a good harvest. And severe frosts will never be scary for young animals kept like this.

We breed Rabbits. Method of Igor Nikolaevich Mikhailov

Having considered these and other tips, you can see the following: keeping rabbits really requires costs, not only physical, but also material. However, by making these efforts, you can get the joy of communicating with these four-legged animals and get a little closer to the world of nature, which, although still closed from us, is, believe me, very, very interesting.

21 comments

Regarding snow instead of water, I would not recommend replacing water with snow. This will do more harm than good. Rabbits in mandatory will have to catch colds. After all, in winter the temperature is not particularly pleasant anyway, and then there is cold, frozen snow. It’s better to heat the water and give the rabbits this warm water several times a day.

• I fully support your opinion, Georgy: “It’s better to heat the water and give the rabbits this warm water several times a day.” You can also use heating electrical appliances in combination with a low-voltage network, as provided by the Mikhailov method. As for the snow, the article wrote that the conditions may be such that after each feeding it is not possible to give the rabbits warm water to drink. That is, an extremely critical situation will arise, then you can enter, at your own peril and risk, by snowing.

It so happened that this year we didn’t have enough cage for one rabbit, and we had to release her straight into the garden. Every morning I watch how she, tearing up the frozen ground, chews the roots she finds along with the snow as additional food. And winters in different regions have different temperature conditions. Snow can lie both at minus two and at minus thirty.

We keep the rabbits in a barn at the dacha. We can’t travel often, so the little ears have been “fed” with snow all winter. Two female rabbits are about to give birth soon. I’m very worried about the water, because spring is not in a hurry, and the water left behind quickly freezes.

• Yes, I understand you, my rabbit is also about to give birth and I’m worried that she won’t scatter the feeder with snow again. She turns over both the food and the snow, and throughout the day I add snow.

Please help me with advice. The first time they mated a young rabbit. They were sure that she did not accept the rabbit, after 2 weeks the mating was repeated. The rabbit covered her twice. The problem is that she gave birth from the first covering. The rabbits are already a week old. In the literature I briefly wrote that this happens, a female rabbit can be pregnant with two litters. Or did I understand something wrong. Please tell me what to do?

• I haven’t heard about this. In my opinion, you have nothing to worry about. If the rabbit has “passed”, then she will not let the rabbit in. She will run in circles from him. And in general, using the example of pigs, when a sow is allowed first to one, then to the second, and if there is and to the third boar. It is believed that the offspring will be strong and healthy, and the percentage of coverage is high

  • I would really like it to be so, but unfortunately, the female rabbit has a special structure of the uterus. I made a second nest. I don’t know if she will feed the first and in general how they will get along?

    • Dear Lydia
      I tried to understand your question and found that double pregnancies do indeed happen in rabbits. This phenomenon is called superfetation and is possible if the female is placed with the male two weeks after mating. The anatomical structure of her reproductive apparatus is such that embryos of different ages can develop in different horns of the uterus, which, after completing their development, will be born at different times.
      I also looked for reviews of those who had this happen. What can we say? Feed her well, always have water, that’s basically all you can do, but it’s impossible to determine - she can either feed everyone or simply trample everyone. Just be careful next time. And one more thing - the control mating is done on the same day, about three to seven hours later. Then there should be no errors with the coating. But if the rabbits are already a week old and she is looking after the first offspring, then in my opinion there is a good hope that at least some of the offspring will survive. Good luck!

Dear Islamdin!
First of all, I would like to say that it is winter now, and between late autumn and this winter season, female rabbits are often very reluctant to allow a male to approach them. In addition, the hunting cycle of female rabbits is never constant. It always changes depending on the circumstances. It can be influenced by: nutrition (good or bad), daylight hours, ambient temperature, and the presence or absence of males nearby.
If the conditions for the rabbits are favorable, then they are in heat every week. This often applies to summer. In autumn or winter, rabbits usually hunt once a month. I would also like to add that in the autumn months, such as October or November, they may not come into hunting mode at all.

I can only add that from the advice that experienced rabbit breeders give, in order to induce heat in a female rabbit, two weeks before mating, feed her heavily with good hay, while limiting other foods. The hay will contain the vitamin E needed in such cases. Try adding vitamin Trivit to the food; it is oil-based and is sold in veterinary pharmacies. Give your rabbit celery more often, it enhances sexual desire. Increase daylight hours, leave artificial lighting up to 16 hours a day. If you place a male in the next cage, this will also have a positive effect on the female rabbit’s hunting. Also, check whether the rabbit is healthy, whether she has mites, discharge, or ulcers. Best regards, Ed.

To what was written above, about snow as a water substitute. I have been keeping rabbits for only 4 years; in winter I don’t give them any warm water. They eat snow (if they find it on the rim of the cage) and drink water from the snow too. No one has ever gotten sick and nothing has happened to them. In general, in winter I try to eat juicy vegetables.

And I have another question. For the first time in all this time, I made a mistake and did not recognize two “Alphas.” In the fight, one of them had his ear severely torn. What to do with the ear? I washed and re-bented, but I don’t know what exactly to do.

• Ours was dragged out of the hole by Dachshund. He tore and broke his ear. Next - curdled suppuration in the cavities. They cleaned it mechanically and injected it with antibiotics suitable for rodents (at the veterinary clinic). A month and a half of work and the rabbit is fine. Expenses approx. 5000 rubles. You won’t be able to eat this anymore: there’s a lot of chemicals inside and the price of the dish is prohibitive! 😉 For us, he is just a favorite pet. After recovery, he received a girlfriend – a rabbit – as a reward for his perseverance. If you need help, write 89106501364(sob.)mail(tm.)ru

Tell me please! The rabbit gave birth in a warm room. Rabbits are 2 months old. Is it possible to move them outside, and it’s winter outside -25 degrees. Will they survive or not? Thank you in advance.

• Honestly, I wouldn't risk it. If the temperature outside drops to -20, I have the opportunity to move them (rabbits of all ages) to the barn where it won’t be lower than -12. And I’m generally kind to kids. If you were not able to make a warm “bunker” (queen cell) for them in advance of the birth, then expect an increase in temperature. If they don’t have enough space, they may strangle someone in pursuit of warmth.

  Dear Natalia!
  I will say that theoretically, of course, it is possible, but here you need to take into account several points:

  1 Firstly, the main thing is that there are no drafts. If the rabbit is healthy, then it can easily withstand even a strong headwind, but a small draft can cause rhinitis.

  2 Secondly, it is also not advisable to suddenly throw baby rabbits out into the cold. Just as we harden seedlings by periodically exposing them to the air, the same must be done with rabbits, since a sudden change in environment will cause a decrease in immunity, and, as a result, illness, and in the worst case, death of the rabbits.

  3 It is easier for any rabbit to endure frost if there is sufficient food in its feeder, which, living outside, it will eat significantly more than its brother living in the warmth.

  4 You will have to make sure that the female and her babies have enough water and do not freeze.

  5 Don't forget about vitamin supplements.

  When raising rabbits for income, special attention is paid to the ability to increase the quality of the resulting products using small financial investments. Keeping rabbits in cages has proven its effectiveness by many years of experience among rabbit breeders in different countries. Using cages for raising and breeding rabbits, you can make the most of the entire available territory and obtain skin, fluff and meat of the required quality. However, it is not at all necessary to keep animals locked up all year round. Modern methods make it possible to combine housing methods, using special walking areas or portable cages for walking rabbits outside their cages.

  Positive aspects of cellular content:

  1. Feed consumption is minimal. It is easier to achieve rationed feeding when the animal receives all the necessary feed and minerals, but does not overeat;
  2. Breeding rabbits in cages occurs strictly according to plan. Uncontrolled mating does not occur. This means you can engage in breeding work and improve the necessary qualities of rabbits;
  3. There is less chance of death of the entire herd due to infectious diseases. When kept in a cage, a sick animal can be promptly isolated from others and try to prevent the entire livestock from getting sick;
  4. There is no need to waste extra time catching animals. This is especially true with vaccination;
  5. The meat of a rabbit kept in a cage is more tender and soft, and has a light pink tint. Such meat is in great demand on the market; it is more readily taken to cafes and restaurants.
  6. In confined spaces, rabbits gain weight faster because they don't move much. Fattening animals for slaughter will take less time, products can be obtained faster;
  7. The possibility of keeping males separately reduces the likelihood of fights. The risk of damage to the rabbit skin in an individual cage is minimal.
  
  

  The main disadvantage of cage housing is the large amount of time spent distributing feed and cleaning cages. They can be minimized by technical improvement of cages with pitched two-level floors, bunker feeders and automatic drinkers.

  Necessary conditions for cage keeping of rabbits

  When choosing a site for placing cages, you should pay attention to the level of melt water in the spring and protection from strong winds. Rabbits cannot tolerate high humidity and drafts, and under unfavorable conditions they often get very sick. Therefore, it is better to choose small hills with natural or artificial barriers from the winds. Natural barriers can be trees or hedges, while artificial barriers include the walls of buildings. This is especially important if you plan to keep rabbits in winter.

  
  

  Rabbits are very unpretentious to the area of ​​the room where they live, as they dig holes in the wild. But at the same time, these animals are very sensitive to microclimate readings. Eared pets require maintaining the required level of illumination, temperature, humidity, as well as the content of certain harmful substances in the air.

  Classification of cages for rabbits

  All types of rabbit cages can be classified according to several criteria.

  According to the conditions of detention, they can be:

  • external stationary;
  • external mobile lightweight;
  • stationary for premises;
  • outdoor with walking enclosures.

  In small private farms with the seasonal nature of raising rabbits, it is more advisable to use fixed cage structures in the open air. They are installed at a distance of 80-100 centimeters from the surface of the earth. If the area of ​​the plot allows, then additional construction and installation of walking enclosures or mobile cages would be optimal to provide the rabbits with the illusion of freedom and movement. The latter allow you to save time on preparing green feed.

  Lightweight versions of cells can be transferred indoors for wintering, thereby increasing the period of obtaining offspring and final products throughout the year.

  Cells also differ depending on the inhabitants:

  • For collective keeping of young animals;
  • For individual maintenance of males;
  • For keeping a female with offspring.

  Males used for breeding are always kept separate from females to control the breeding of rabbits. Each pregnant rabbit is also given a separate cage, with a uterine compartment or a portable uterine house. After giving birth, the rabbits will live with her until they reach the age of 3 months. Grown-up young animals can be kept in groups of 5 to 20 individuals until puberty.

  Most often, wood and metal mesh are used to make cages, less often plywood, bricks and plastic. There are cages made entirely of mesh, including the floor. They are the most practical in terms of removing animal waste, but are not suitable for all breeds.

  Large rabbits on a mesh floor will very quickly acquire a paw disease - pododermatitis. Females expecting offspring may experience similar inflammation of the limbs due to increasing weight. Mesh cages are not suitable for keeping small rabbits who can get stuck in the cages and get injured.

  Rabbit cages - design features

  Cage designs for rabbits are developed by employees of scientific institutes and amateur rabbit breeders. When placing cages in one tier, the design invented at the Research Institute of Fur Farming and Rabbit Breeding has become widely used. In two sections, separated by nurseries for roughage, two female rabbits with offspring can be kept. The nesting compartment with a solid floor in such cages is built-in and located on the sides. The remaining part of the area is used for feeding animals. The floor in the aft part is mesh or slatted. The nesting compartment can be accessed through external doors and through a hole in the partition. Folding feeders and drinking bowls are hung on external screen doors. The roof of such a cage is pitched, protruding above the doors and on the sides to protect from precipitation.

  Maple-Chegodaev type cages are also popular in small farms. The nest boxes here are portable, the nurseries are located outside the cage, and the feeders and drinkers, on the contrary, are inside. The floor is solid and slopes towards the back wall for ease of cleaning.

  
  

  It is easy to build frameless walking enclosures from mesh for Klenovo-Chegodaev cages. A more durable structure is obtained using a metal frame. The entrances to the enclosure are equipped with shutters. The floor is usually two levels. The upper removable level is solid, and the lower one is made of mesh. Cages with walking enclosures are not suitable for multi-level placement.

  
  

  Mikhailov developed his own version of a two-section cage. Its floor is double, the lower part slopes from the sides to the middle. All rabbit excrement drains into a bucket or some other container. Since female rabbits will never go to the toilet in the nest, the uterine compartments are swapped with the feeding compartments and are located in the middle of the cage. And on the sides there are bunker feeders, which you can make yourself.

  
  

  In a small area, two- and three-level placement of cells will help to make the most of the available space. In this case, the roof of the uppermost tier should be pitched and overhang the side walls so that the rabbits are not exposed to bright sunlight, streams of rain and snow flakes. Zolotukhin proposed a good design. In his interpretation, two two-section cages are placed one above the other on wooden supports. The floors on both tiers are sloping. Nest boxes are located outside the cages on the sides. Part of the hay manger can be taken out of the cage to facilitate the process of distributing roughage.

  After being weaned from the female rabbit, the baby rabbits are placed in group cages. If rabbits are raised for their skins, it is important to prevent spoilage. Therefore, females can be kept together until slaughter, but it is better to place males one at a time in order to prevent fights between them over the redistribution of territory.

  Rabbits can be placed in separate cages, but there is a better solution. Rabbits are kept for up to 3-3.5 months in a cage made of mesh. Typically, its area allows you to keep up to 12 rabbits. The space is then divided by removable partitions made of wood or slate into separate mini-cages, where the rabbits are kept in solitary confinement until slaughter.

  
  

  Most types of cells do not have a very complex design and you can try to make them yourself, knowing the parameters and having the necessary materials available.

  1. The wooden parts of the cages must be at least 15-20 millimeters thick so as not to be gnawed by the sharp teeth of the residents. It’s even better to cover the inside of wooden walls with mesh, galvanized iron, or at least a metal profile. For the construction of cages for rabbits, it is advisable to use hard wood species, such as oak or maple.
  2. Careful attention should be paid to the construction of the floor. To facilitate the cleaning process, make a slatted or mesh floor in all rooms of the cage, except for the nest with the rabbits. When placed in several tiers, the floors of the upper cages must be two-level to eliminate the possibility of feces and urine of rabbits getting into the lower row. To reduce the incidence of paws in pets, you can make a continuous flooring in some parts of the cage or provide an inset floor.
  3. To protect rabbits from bad weather, you can install a removable glazed frame. It is constructed quite easily with the help of homemade hooks made from nails. In clear, windless weather, such a frame is simply moved to the side for full access to air and sunlight into the cage.
  4. In regions with relatively warm winters, when keeping rabbits outside, the cages can be fenced with shields or covered with film and an additional gable roof installed. In cold winters, keeping rabbits in cages outside is unacceptable. They must be moved to an insulated and plastered room.