We are currently in the process of building a new rabbit barn! This has been a long time coming for me and I am so thrilled that the time has finally come.
The barn is being built on a slab that was already on our property that was years ago used as a pig pen for the feedlot that was located here. The slab has a built in drainage system, so it will be great for the bunny barn. There is a roof that was still there, however you can only stand up straight half way down, then it gets to short. So we have cut off the old frame, and are building a new frame. It will have a brand new roof, and we will use the metal sheets that were on the old roof for the side walls.
The total size of the rabbit barn will be 20 feet by 30 feet, and will house a total of 154 rabbit cages. They will all be on an automatic watering system, and waste system.
We just ordered all new rabbit wire, as all of the cages will be brand new as well. Some improvements that I will be making to the rabbits cages are in floor wire nesting boxes, and hopping shelves. I hope that the in floor nesting boxes will keep the kits cooler in the summer, and reduce the number of kits that I lose due to being pulled out of the nesting box by mom, or being born on the wire, as they can crawl around and fall into the nest. This is also a more natural way for the doe to nest, in the ground:) With the hopping shelves, I want to allow the bunnies to jump up onto something if they wish, it sounds boring to be in a flat cage all the time. This would also allow moms to get away from their babies for a while, and also build muscle in the show bunnies!
Here are some pictures of the new rabbit barn at its current stage. I will get more posted as we continue to build after this terrible cold spell is over. We hope to have the barn completed by the end of February!
