Welcome to
my
Rabbitry
well, here is a good look inside my newly designed Angora Rabbitry.
The Building doesn't look much from the outside, it's a 10 x 20 pre fab shed with wooden studs, wood floor, metal roof and siding. 3 windows came with the building, 2 on the left side, one in the back. The big front door will allow a 30 x 36 cage to fit trough it with ease.
For 5 years I had a stacked cage system in this building, no finished walls, no insulation. Well, in the spring of 2007 all of that changed.
First I removed all of the cages, light fixtures, extension cords and dirt, cobwebs and wool from the building. Then my friend Lauren Waters and I installed R-13 insulation along all sides and under the ceiling.
Next, we installed white Tile board ( plastic covered ) so that the walls and ceiling are washable.
Once the tile board was in place, I used Vinyl flooring ( 9x12 sheets) with a white pattern to insulate the wood floor. In this picture everything is just about 80 % done.
After the floor was glued down and finished, I caulked all the seams between sheets of tile board, in every corner as well as along the floor where tile board and vinyl meet. Room corners where sealed with molding that was painted white with washable paint.
What you see at the end of the room is a Window Air conditioner, which cools the rabbitry in summer. That window it sits in can't be used for ventilation. Underneath the A/C unit I cut a large opening into the siding with tin snips, to create a new window, for more light as well as for ventilation. A extension cord that comes from the house feeds electric to the A/C unit. a Timer is installed into the outlet as well.
here is a close - up of the new window, a 2 x 2 frame is set against the studs, to hold a nailed down piece of 1/2 x 1 rabbit floor wire piece in place. This wire will prevent rodents and worse, stray dogs, from getting into the Rabbitry. L - brackets screwed into the floor brace a window that I created out of another 2 x 2 frame of painted wood, covered with frosted plexi glass ( also caulked against the wood frame).
In winter, during storms or for any other reason I can cover the large window with this frame and still allow light to come through, but no draft or cold air. In our climate, this " fresh air inlet " is open most of the time.
It is also designed to open ( tilt ) partially, for those days when the A/C is running and the fan is set on timer to run 5 minutes every hour during the day, to import fresh air, and export bad air filled with ammonia.
Here is a view of my ventilation system for the building, a simple box fan.
Purchased new every spring, it's cleaned once every 2 weeks, to remove wool and dirt, and to keep it working at full potential. It is sitting on the floor , at the front wall of the barn, where a 14 x 14 inch cutout , also covered with wire, allows for the export of stale air. This way, the ammonia accumulated in the rabbitry will be pulled out with this box fan, on floor level since ammonia is heavier and will sink to floor level. It imports fresh air into the rabbitry via the large window on the opposite end of the building. Even on cold days, I can run the fan and no draft comes into the cages. You can also see part of my storage shelf for extra water bottles, cleaning supplies, crocks etc.
Since the walls and floor are so white, I had to bring in a bit of color to liven up the place. Presenting : my purple feed stand :)
I store feed in 5 gal. buckets, see the other buckets stored along the floor. The bucket that is use for feed, plus containers for supplements, fit nicely on my stand. My shelf hold other items I might need.
Well, this is what you see when I open the Barn door !!!
Light strips installed with natural full spectrum light, hanging cages 30 x 30 and 30 x 36 ( left side is waiting for a few more 30 x 36 ). Two rows above each other, cages easy to get to. All cages are supported by hanging off of cage hooks screwed into the wall in the back, the top cages have chain attached to each front corner which goes to a large hook crewed into a ceiling beam, the bottom cages are supported in the front by the white wooden legs you see here. The cage corners stand on L-brackets. The legs also support my self designed flush system.
Clear, smoke tinted ( to allow light to filter through to the bottom cages ) corrugated plastic ( not fiberglass ) panels made for green houses ( same plastic material used by Bass for their flush system ) where cut and glued to fit from the support beam in the front into a plastic gutter , nailed in an angel against the back wall. More caulk, and a lot of measuring, to make sure it all fits and works.
I had used 6 flush- clean panels purchased from Bass several years ago, and planned to use it again after renovation, however, it is impossible to install by yourself. So, I came up with an idea that not only works, but can be installed by one person and replaced easy if nessissary.
Here is a picture of the right row, completely installed. I can use every inch of space for cages, and give more cage room to every bunny that way. As you can see, each bunny has a Lixit wide mouth water bottle, and I love my new plastic hay hoppers from Klubertanz, purple off course. Note how much light reaches into the bottom cages, the bunnies do not sit in dark little holes.
I used extra tile board pieces, cut into 18 x 30 pieces, as dividers between buck cages, that way they can't fight and spray each other.
Well, you might wonder
how the flush system that I build actually works ?
I bring my garden hose into the barn, and with a soft flow of water, rinse the plastic panels from the front of the barn towards the back. Most of the droppings fall along the panel as they are produced, and rest in the gutter. Other stuff like feed and hay will sit on the panel. When I clean, right now every other day, I wash the entire panel under each cage, the water will carry stuff off the panel and into the gutter. the tilt / pitch in the panel and gutter will wash everything down to the end of the building, where , see above, the mix is carried into a drain pipe ( fit into a cut opening in the wall , one per gutter). The pipe is 4 inches across, and with a good pitch in the gutter, even hay is transported along without a clog. Where does it go from there ??
Into my " manure retrieval system " LOL
ONE large bucket with handle, floor cut out and lined with 2 layers of floor wire plus hard ware cloth, to catch manure, but allow water to drain quickly. One bucket for each drain. After cleaning, I let buckets dry for a few hours, then pick them up and move them into my compost bin, only a few feet behind the rabbitry as well. All buckets now stand on red bricks, to allow for quick drying under the bucket. The tree's around the Rabbitry love the extra watering they get and thank me with shade for the building.
In summer, when I plan to cool the Rabbitry with A/C, I'll rinse out the gutters every morning , prior to the A/C turning on, to eliminate all urine and ammonia. That will greatly improve the air quality in the building during the day. Time spent cleaning this system for 40 rabbits : 15 minutes. Time spent dropping and washing 40 trays daily : 2 hours.
Air quality in my Rabbitry during summer days the last few years : terrible :( Air quality in my rabbitry this summer : price less :)
Here is a close up picture of a new cage door that I designed, swinging out and down !! The door is attached on the bottom of the cage opening, and the latch is attached on the top. This way the door is out of my way, will not swing in on itself, and not be in my way when I try to get the bunny in or out. This is my old Lady , AA's Jasmine.
Well, I hope you enjoyed the tour of my new Rabbitry, I think it's pretty neat :) I have been cleaning it and working with it for 3 months now, fixed a few minor kinks and problems, and everything is working as I had planned it. I love how easy it is to clean now, sweeping is no chore and mopping with hot water is a joy, can't beat a washable floor and walls in the rabbitry :)
Angie K:)
well, here is a good look inside my newly designed Angora Rabbitry.
The Building doesn't look much from the outside, it's a 10 x 20 pre fab shed with wooden studs, wood floor, metal roof and siding. 3 windows came with the building, 2 on the left side, one in the back. The big front door will allow a 30 x 36 cage to fit trough it with ease.
For 5 years I had a stacked cage system in this building, no finished walls, no insulation. Well, in the spring of 2007 all of that changed.
First I removed all of the cages, light fixtures, extension cords and dirt, cobwebs and wool from the building. Then my friend Lauren Waters and I installed R-13 insulation along all sides and under the ceiling.
Next, we installed white Tile board ( plastic covered ) so that the walls and ceiling are washable.
Once the tile board was in place, I used Vinyl flooring ( 9x12 sheets) with a white pattern to insulate the wood floor. In this picture everything is just about 80 % done.
After the floor was glued down and finished, I caulked all the seams between sheets of tile board, in every corner as well as along the floor where tile board and vinyl meet. Room corners where sealed with molding that was painted white with washable paint.
What you see at the end of the room is a Window Air conditioner, which cools the rabbitry in summer. That window it sits in can't be used for ventilation. Underneath the A/C unit I cut a large opening into the siding with tin snips, to create a new window, for more light as well as for ventilation. A extension cord that comes from the house feeds electric to the A/C unit. a Timer is installed into the outlet as well.
here is a close - up of the new window, a 2 x 2 frame is set against the studs, to hold a nailed down piece of 1/2 x 1 rabbit floor wire piece in place. This wire will prevent rodents and worse, stray dogs, from getting into the Rabbitry. L - brackets screwed into the floor brace a window that I created out of another 2 x 2 frame of painted wood, covered with frosted plexi glass ( also caulked against the wood frame).
In winter, during storms or for any other reason I can cover the large window with this frame and still allow light to come through, but no draft or cold air. In our climate, this " fresh air inlet " is open most of the time.
It is also designed to open ( tilt ) partially, for those days when the A/C is running and the fan is set on timer to run 5 minutes every hour during the day, to import fresh air, and export bad air filled with ammonia.
Here is a view of my ventilation system for the building, a simple box fan.
Purchased new every spring, it's cleaned once every 2 weeks, to remove wool and dirt, and to keep it working at full potential. It is sitting on the floor , at the front wall of the barn, where a 14 x 14 inch cutout , also covered with wire, allows for the export of stale air. This way, the ammonia accumulated in the rabbitry will be pulled out with this box fan, on floor level since ammonia is heavier and will sink to floor level. It imports fresh air into the rabbitry via the large window on the opposite end of the building. Even on cold days, I can run the fan and no draft comes into the cages. You can also see part of my storage shelf for extra water bottles, cleaning supplies, crocks etc.
Since the walls and floor are so white, I had to bring in a bit of color to liven up the place. Presenting : my purple feed stand :)
I store feed in 5 gal. buckets, see the other buckets stored along the floor. The bucket that is use for feed, plus containers for supplements, fit nicely on my stand. My shelf hold other items I might need.
Well, this is what you see when I open the Barn door !!!
Light strips installed with natural full spectrum light, hanging cages 30 x 30 and 30 x 36 ( left side is waiting for a few more 30 x 36 ). Two rows above each other, cages easy to get to. All cages are supported by hanging off of cage hooks screwed into the wall in the back, the top cages have chain attached to each front corner which goes to a large hook crewed into a ceiling beam, the bottom cages are supported in the front by the white wooden legs you see here. The cage corners stand on L-brackets. The legs also support my self designed flush system.
Clear, smoke tinted ( to allow light to filter through to the bottom cages ) corrugated plastic ( not fiberglass ) panels made for green houses ( same plastic material used by Bass for their flush system ) where cut and glued to fit from the support beam in the front into a plastic gutter , nailed in an angel against the back wall. More caulk, and a lot of measuring, to make sure it all fits and works.
I had used 6 flush- clean panels purchased from Bass several years ago, and planned to use it again after renovation, however, it is impossible to install by yourself. So, I came up with an idea that not only works, but can be installed by one person and replaced easy if nessissary.
Here is a picture of the right row, completely installed. I can use every inch of space for cages, and give more cage room to every bunny that way. As you can see, each bunny has a Lixit wide mouth water bottle, and I love my new plastic hay hoppers from Klubertanz, purple off course. Note how much light reaches into the bottom cages, the bunnies do not sit in dark little holes.
I used extra tile board pieces, cut into 18 x 30 pieces, as dividers between buck cages, that way they can't fight and spray each other.
Well, you might wonder
how the flush system that I build actually works ?
I bring my garden hose into the barn, and with a soft flow of water, rinse the plastic panels from the front of the barn towards the back. Most of the droppings fall along the panel as they are produced, and rest in the gutter. Other stuff like feed and hay will sit on the panel. When I clean, right now every other day, I wash the entire panel under each cage, the water will carry stuff off the panel and into the gutter. the tilt / pitch in the panel and gutter will wash everything down to the end of the building, where , see above, the mix is carried into a drain pipe ( fit into a cut opening in the wall , one per gutter). The pipe is 4 inches across, and with a good pitch in the gutter, even hay is transported along without a clog. Where does it go from there ??
Into my " manure retrieval system " LOL
ONE large bucket with handle, floor cut out and lined with 2 layers of floor wire plus hard ware cloth, to catch manure, but allow water to drain quickly. One bucket for each drain. After cleaning, I let buckets dry for a few hours, then pick them up and move them into my compost bin, only a few feet behind the rabbitry as well. All buckets now stand on red bricks, to allow for quick drying under the bucket. The tree's around the Rabbitry love the extra watering they get and thank me with shade for the building.
In summer, when I plan to cool the Rabbitry with A/C, I'll rinse out the gutters every morning , prior to the A/C turning on, to eliminate all urine and ammonia. That will greatly improve the air quality in the building during the day. Time spent cleaning this system for 40 rabbits : 15 minutes. Time spent dropping and washing 40 trays daily : 2 hours.
Air quality in my Rabbitry during summer days the last few years : terrible :( Air quality in my rabbitry this summer : price less :)
Here is a close up picture of a new cage door that I designed, swinging out and down !! The door is attached on the bottom of the cage opening, and the latch is attached on the top. This way the door is out of my way, will not swing in on itself, and not be in my way when I try to get the bunny in or out. This is my old Lady , AA's Jasmine.
Well, I hope you enjoyed the tour of my new Rabbitry, I think it's pretty neat :) I have been cleaning it and working with it for 3 months now, fixed a few minor kinks and problems, and everything is working as I had planned it. I love how easy it is to clean now, sweeping is no chore and mopping with hot water is a joy, can't beat a washable floor and walls in the rabbitry :)
Angie K:)
Home
Fiber Studio
The Four Breeds of Angoras
French Angora Does
French Angora Bucks
Giant Angoras
For Sale
Tips and Tricks
Basic Angora Care
Visit My Rabbitry
Wool Harvest Demo
Angora Color ID
Angora Grooming
Transport Information
Upcoming Shows
Links
E-mail
Fiber Studio
The Four Breeds of Angoras
French Angora Does
French Angora Bucks
Giant Angoras
For Sale
Tips and Tricks
Basic Angora Care
Visit My Rabbitry
Wool Harvest Demo
Angora Color ID
Angora Grooming
Transport Information
Upcoming Shows
Links