How to independently make cages for rabbits by the method of Zolotukhin

Most of the rabbit growers make their own pets for their pets. And this is not surprising, because such designs are cheaper, reliable and convenient. For their production will need inexpensive materials at hand, a minimum of time and a little effort. The most popular among experienced breeders are cells designed by Nikolai Ivanovich Zolotukhin. What are the advantages of structures and their manufacturing, let's consider.

Design features

Nikolay Zolotukhin is a well-known domestic rabbit breeder who for many years has been carefully studying the life and behavior of rabbits in the household. It was thanks to many years of experience that he was able to develop and manufacture houses for animals, in which conditions as close as possible to natural ones.

Find out what are the types of cells for rabbits and which is better to choose.

In such homes, animals feel more relaxed, comfortable, eat well and breed well. A well-thought-out cell design allows not only to recreate the natural microclimate in them, but also to make systematic care for rabbits and cleaning inside the room as simple and convenient as possible. Cells created according to Zolotukhin’s drawings have a number of key properties that distinguish them from other similar structures:

  1. A large number of tiers. The cage is a capacious structure consisting of three tiers, in which 6 pets can simultaneously live. The peculiarity is that each upper tier moves a little backward by 15-20 cm. This is done so that the products of vital activity of rabbits do not fall to the lower floors. In addition, the rear walls on the second and third tiers have a slight slope, which allows feces not to accumulate, but simply roll down on the surface.
  2. Lack of queen cell. In order to use the cell more rationally, the traditional mother liquor is not installed. In the summertime, the room is divided into two parts by a small bar, and in the darkened place they organize a uterine nest, covering it with hay. During the sukololnosti female will independently equip the nest of down, hay and sawdust. The partition from the bar is removed when the cubs turn one month old.
  3. The absence of a pallet and a mesh floor is one of the main distinguishing features of the design. In the opinion of an experienced rabbit breeder, animals often damage delicate feet on metal rods, so he considers wood or slate flooring, installed on an incline so that feces flow out, as the best option for the floor. In this case, the steel lattice should be located only near the wall, located behind.
  4. Movable tank for feed. The feeder for dry food is placed on the door so that part of it is inside the cage, and the other outside. This makes it possible to freely pour food without opening the door. Such a feeder is mounted in the door frame with two nails.
Did you know? Rabbits almost always, in 95% of cases, urinate at the back wall, and in 70% of cases they excrement there. Therefore, if you build a metal grate for waste in this particular place, the wooden floor or slate flooring will remain dry.

How to make cells Zolotukhin do it yourself

It is not difficult to make Zolotukhin’s cages for rabbits, the main thing is to make the drawings of the future design taking into account the size of the pets, and also to prepare all the necessary materials and tools.

Drawings and sizes

It is recommended to make a dwelling in which rabbits of medium and large sizes will live according to the following parameters:

  • WxHxD (width-height-depth): 2x1.5x80 cm;
  • grid width: 15-20 cm;
  • entrance doors: 40x40 cm;
  • floor slope: 5-7 cm.

1 - test door to the socket compartment; 2 - pole-stand; 3 - mesh door; 4 - drinking bowl; 6 - retractable feeder; 7 - nursery; 8 - hole for the drinker The dimensions of the winter mother liquor box are as follows:

  • front / rear wall height: 16/26 cm, respectively;
  • inlet in height and width: 15x10 cm;
  • capacity area: 40x40.
Instead of a winter queen cell, it is possible to equip a box with a height of 10 cm and a length equal to the distance between the walls of the cell. This design will allow you to fence off part of the room with the little rabbits, thereby saving the usable area.

We recommend to learn how to feed the rabbits, whether it is possible to give them burdocks and wormwood, as well as which herbs are useful and which are harmful to the rabbit organism.

Materials and tools for work

In the process of manufacturing cells will need the following materials:

  • wooden boards with a thickness of 1.5-2 cm, which are necessary for the construction of the cell frame, partitions;
  • bars and beams of wood;
  • steel mesh with small cells required for installation near the rear wall;
  • slate or boards for floor and roof formation;
  • thin sheets of metal for facing wooden bases;
  • polycarbonate sheet for the rear wall.

From the tools you need to prepare:

  • fasteners: screws, nails;
  • nail file and drill;
  • hammer;
  • measurement tools: roulette, level.
As additional accessories, you can purchase drinkers, feeders, hooks for doors or wooden bars for hooks, etc.

Did you know? Rabbits have a pretty good intelligence and resourcefulness. They are able to push back the bolt when hungry, or hint at the hunger of the owners of strong noise, restless behavior. They also respond well to their name and, seeing the owner, joyfully rise on their hind legs.

Step-by-step instruction

When all the drawings, materials and necessary tools are prepared, you can proceed directly to the construction of the cell. Its production consists of several stages.

Frame

The fabrication of the cage begins with the construction of the skeleton. To do this, focusing on the drawings, make the basis of the frame of wooden beams and planks, fastened together with screws. The construction algorithm is as follows:

  1. Of the four two-meter beams make the base frame and fasten together transverse beams. It is necessary to create a structure with a width of 2 m and a depth of 0.8 m. It is necessary to take into account that the minimum distance between the first floor and the floor should be 0.5 m. Each subsequent tier should be located at a distance of 0.5 m from the previous one. As a result, there should be a three-tier structure on the supports.
  2. Next, you should cover each tier with slate or plywood sheets. Here you need to focus on the fact that the overlap should retreat 15-20 cm from the back wall, since subsequently there will be a waste mesh.
  3. When installing ceilings, it is recommended to take into account a slope of 5-7 cm, which is made by mounting in front of the cage of the bar, 5 cm high.
  4. Each tier must be divided with two slats, with an interval of 25-30 cm.
  5. Under the slope of a polycarbonate sheet, which has high strength, moisture resistance and will not deteriorate under the influence of animal feces, should be mounted on the back wall.
  6. At the front of the structure, you must install the doors and hang them with hinges. The door must be made of durable material that does not transmit light to ensure the animals darkness. Doors should be equipped with valves.
  7. The last step is the formation of the walls and the strengthening of all the corners of the structure with metal sheets so that the animals cannot crack them.

After the construction of the frame go to the formation of the roof.

Read about making a sennik and bunker feeder for rabbits.

Roof

For the manufacture of the roof using slate sheets. They are attached to the frame with special slate nails.

Important! The roof must be done with a slope of a few centimeters. Also, it should be 5-6 cm protrude on the sides so that during the rain the water does not fall inside the room and freely flowed over the slate. This will protect the structure from rotting and rapid wear.

Mother liquor

For the equipment of Zolotukhin’s cells, two types of mother liquor are proposed: summer and winter. The first option is quite simple to make. For this, the room is divided with the help of a beam, 18-20 cm high, into two parts. Moreover, the size of the conditional barrier should be such that the female could freely overcome it, but the babies should not. Winter-type mother water is portable, so the method for installing it is slightly different:

  1. First, you must make a box of slats or plywood sheets, according to the drawings.
  2. Given the size of the female, you need to create a hole for entry and install the door.
  3. It is recommended that the floor of the queen be covered with hay or straw in a rather thick layer so that the rabbits do not freeze.
In winter, if necessary, the box is placed in a cage, and then withdrawn.

Important! Since the rabbits behave agile and can fall out when the door is opened, it is recommended to equip the beads with a height of 10-12 cm in the mother liquor.

Manger

In the Zolotukhin cells, the installation of feeders intended for dry feed and hay is provided. The tank is located on the door of the structure, and 1/3 of the part must be outside to fill the feed.

Important! The edges of the steel mesh should be carefully processed so that the animals do not have the opportunity to get hurt.

The manufacture of the feeder consists of the following steps:

  1. With the help of three wooden planks, 2 cm thick and 40 cm wide, it is necessary to form the bottom, the front side and the rear wall, inclined at a slight angle.
  2. The inner surface of the feeder should be lined with a metal sheet so that the rabbits do not gnaw it.
  3. On both sides you need to attach the wooden bars, made in the form of a trapezoid, and attach them with screws.
  4. The final step is the installation of the trough itself. Two holes should be made in the door and the nail tank should be nailed. A mesh is placed in the middle so that a gap of 2 cm is formed between its underside and the bottom of the feeder, through which feed will be poured.

Drawing trough

Frequent manufacturing errors

In the manufacture of cells according to the drawings Zolotukhin may experience some difficulties and errors:

  • improperly designed drawing and dimensions. In such cases, it is recommended to use standard schemes, with already calculated sizes and the number of materials required;
  • too small door in the front wall. This will make it difficult to care for the cage and animals, since it will be inconvenient to pull them out;
  • lack of legs. The cage must necessarily be at a certain elevation from the floor so that the rabbits are not frozen, and their livelihoods can be easily removed;
  • small size. The cage should be necessarily spacious so that the rabbits can move freely around it. Tightness adversely affects the health of animals, as well as their reproductive function;
  • lack of slope in the ceiling. A slight slope in the floor overlap between the tiers will allow feces to roll into the corner and go outside the cell through the metal mesh.
Zolotukhin's cells are a convenient, easy and economical variant of the rabbit dwelling, which will allow you to feel comfortable and calm not only animals, but also breeders. Such designs are inexpensive to manufacture, simple to install, and due to unique features, allow you to keep the room dry and warm for a long period at any time of the year.

Video: Cages for Zolotukhin rabbits

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