Rabbit Barn design

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Hi all, I am planning to build a rabbit barn to house my rabbits and I'm hoping you can provide some tips or information to help make it work. Right now I have 2 bucks, 11 does, and 2 litters. I am using wire cages placed on metal pipes suspended over metal sawhorses. The cage area is covered with a Harbor Freight carport with tarps added to the sides to keep out the weather.

We just moved to a new property and I'd like to build the rabbit barn into the hillside to help keep the rabbits cooler during the summer. I was thinking concrete blocks or poured concrete for the walls. Has anyone done anything like this? Is this a good/bad idea? Should I keep the floor as dirt or make it concrete with drainage channels? I was planning to continue using wire cages but change to have them suspended from the ceiling, so manure could be easily shoveled out.

 

[Alasgun]

Obviously there’s greater cost associated with a cement / block structure but if that’s not a deal breaker i’d go with that. Cement floor too, much easier to keep clean.
i looked at an ”in the hillside“ option when i built our greenhouse and didn’t due to construction timing. This proved a good decision when i noticed how much lower the angle of the sun would have been. Which in our case would have had a negative effect on stuff growing.

 

[promiseacres]

Ventilation would be my only hang up on a barn like this. But it should be doable, would be nice and insulated.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

The hill I'm thinking of building into slopes down to the west, so there should be sunshine depending on how many trees we end up taking out. I do want to build a greenhouse, but the rabbit barn would hopefully have less sunshine and warmth than a greenhouse. We don't get into the low 30s much.

 

[Grizzlyhackle]

Obviously there’s greater cost associated with a cement / block structure but if that’s not a deal breaker i’d go with that. Cement floor too, much easier to keep clean.

I'm sure sometime you've walked into a concrete block building and noticed how much cooler it was in the summer. If you can afford that definitely get the cement floor. I'm on dirt with a cheap cloth carport for cover on 4 rabbits. The other 2 are in an old dog pen with 12x12 pavers. So much easier to clean, use a hose to wash down with out making mud. My only downside is using a shovel on the pavers. That scraping noise .

It should give you better pest control also. Rats and mice won't be able to tunnel and make nests as easy. If I could make a suggestion, you may have already done this. Do a google search and see others set ups. Look up Delaware rabbitry. She's closed down but pictures are still there. That led me to pinterest. Anyway she had a pretty good setup with dropping collection. Some cages hung others were on wood. She had a mess of rabbits. People say rabbits don't stink...the urine gets to me sometimes. Her enclosed barn really had no aroma. I smelled animals but not the ammonia.

Ventilation would be my only hang up on a barn like this. But it should be doable, would be nice and insulated.

I agree you may have a ventilation concern. If the roof is exposed a couple of roof turbines installed would move some air. I've had one 27 years still spinning.