How to build a wire nest box
by Angie Kolifrath
Nest boxes build from wire are great for summer breeding's when kits need cooling and fresh air to circulate. These boxes are very easy and quick to build, you can custom make them in any size you need and they are much cheaper then wooden or metal boxes. You can line them with cardboard or leave them as is. Wire floors should ALWAYS have a solid lining of cardboard or layers of newspaper, to prevent small baby feet from coming down through the nest box wire and being broken when the Mom or you move the box.
You will need : � " by 1 " galv. Floor wire, wire cutter ( flush cutter preferred), J-clips and J-clip pliers, plastic door liners ( order from Klubertanz ) newspaper, cardboard.
Start by taking measurements of your fav. nest box that you already have. Add a few inches here and there if your current nest box is too short or too narrow to suit your biggest does. I have a few doe's that are longer then average, they get a longer box , bigger doe's might need a box 2-3 inches wider then the average commercial nest box is sold as. The nest box that I build here is 11 inches wide, 19 inches long. Measure out one piece of wire for the floor, cut. Measure out a second piece for the second, false floor, deduct one inch from the 1 inch side, � inch from the � inch side. This second floor has to be a bit smaller then the original floor you have cut. Cut that piece of wire. Remove the 4 corners of wire on the floor piece, like this :
Now it's time to cut the sides. I do not like sharp wire cutting areas exposed to my rabbits, it can cause cuts in the skin and abscesses. I prefer to fold wire for exposed corners. For this box, I cut two long strips of wire, the entire width of the roll, 36 inches long. Measure how high you want your nest box sides and back to be, this box is 9 inches tall. Cut two stripes 9 inches tall, 30 or 36 inches long. Hold one piece against the front of the floor wire, and bend both sides from the middle, to form a U-shaped wire that will fit around the front and along the sides.
Attach the wire to the floor with J-clips every 3 inches. Take the second piece of side wire and bend the same way around the back piece of the floor wire, measuring to make sure that the sides meet. Cut excess wire to fit. Bending the corners nicely can be done by placing the wire on a stair, on a wooden bench or stool, and setting the area to be bend along the edge. Take a hammer and gently tap the wire to be bend from one corner along the middle to the other end, keeping the edge nice and even with the wire. You'll get nice sharp corners this way and a clean bend. Attach the second half of the side and back wire to the floor wire, join the sides with J-clips as well. Your box will now have 4 smooth corners, with no sharp edges or sharp wire exposed to the rabbit.
Next, select how high you want the opening for mom to be, you'll need to cut a door way into the box. This box has an opening 5 inches high. Cut the wire as needed, I left a one inch wire on each side, you can leave more. Just make sure the doe will fit comfortably in and out of the box. Next, cut plastic door liner to size with your wire cutter and cover all sharp edges along the top and front, as shown in the picture above. Do not leave any sharp wire exposed.
Last, line the nest box floor with a few payers of newspaper, folded to fit in the floor. My doe's love to pull up and shred the paper, leaving baby feet exposed to damage if they stick through the floor wire and the doe moves the box a bit by jumping in and out :( I use a second floor wire liner on top of the newspaper, to secure the paper in place and keep the doe from pulling it up. On top of this wire goes a huge amount of nest box hay, the doe will do the rest. Make sure to change the newspaper often to give the babies a clean environment to sleep in, all you have to do is lift the second wire with babies and nesting material in place, pull out the old newspaper and replace. When the babies are older, you'll want to change the hay as well. Overall cost for this nest box : $ 3.00 , time to build : 45 min.
by Angie Kolifrath
Nest boxes build from wire are great for summer breeding's when kits need cooling and fresh air to circulate. These boxes are very easy and quick to build, you can custom make them in any size you need and they are much cheaper then wooden or metal boxes. You can line them with cardboard or leave them as is. Wire floors should ALWAYS have a solid lining of cardboard or layers of newspaper, to prevent small baby feet from coming down through the nest box wire and being broken when the Mom or you move the box.
You will need : � " by 1 " galv. Floor wire, wire cutter ( flush cutter preferred), J-clips and J-clip pliers, plastic door liners ( order from Klubertanz ) newspaper, cardboard.
Start by taking measurements of your fav. nest box that you already have. Add a few inches here and there if your current nest box is too short or too narrow to suit your biggest does. I have a few doe's that are longer then average, they get a longer box , bigger doe's might need a box 2-3 inches wider then the average commercial nest box is sold as. The nest box that I build here is 11 inches wide, 19 inches long. Measure out one piece of wire for the floor, cut. Measure out a second piece for the second, false floor, deduct one inch from the 1 inch side, � inch from the � inch side. This second floor has to be a bit smaller then the original floor you have cut. Cut that piece of wire. Remove the 4 corners of wire on the floor piece, like this :
Now it's time to cut the sides. I do not like sharp wire cutting areas exposed to my rabbits, it can cause cuts in the skin and abscesses. I prefer to fold wire for exposed corners. For this box, I cut two long strips of wire, the entire width of the roll, 36 inches long. Measure how high you want your nest box sides and back to be, this box is 9 inches tall. Cut two stripes 9 inches tall, 30 or 36 inches long. Hold one piece against the front of the floor wire, and bend both sides from the middle, to form a U-shaped wire that will fit around the front and along the sides.
Attach the wire to the floor with J-clips every 3 inches. Take the second piece of side wire and bend the same way around the back piece of the floor wire, measuring to make sure that the sides meet. Cut excess wire to fit. Bending the corners nicely can be done by placing the wire on a stair, on a wooden bench or stool, and setting the area to be bend along the edge. Take a hammer and gently tap the wire to be bend from one corner along the middle to the other end, keeping the edge nice and even with the wire. You'll get nice sharp corners this way and a clean bend. Attach the second half of the side and back wire to the floor wire, join the sides with J-clips as well. Your box will now have 4 smooth corners, with no sharp edges or sharp wire exposed to the rabbit.
Next, select how high you want the opening for mom to be, you'll need to cut a door way into the box. This box has an opening 5 inches high. Cut the wire as needed, I left a one inch wire on each side, you can leave more. Just make sure the doe will fit comfortably in and out of the box. Next, cut plastic door liner to size with your wire cutter and cover all sharp edges along the top and front, as shown in the picture above. Do not leave any sharp wire exposed.
Last, line the nest box floor with a few payers of newspaper, folded to fit in the floor. My doe's love to pull up and shred the paper, leaving baby feet exposed to damage if they stick through the floor wire and the doe moves the box a bit by jumping in and out :( I use a second floor wire liner on top of the newspaper, to secure the paper in place and keep the doe from pulling it up. On top of this wire goes a huge amount of nest box hay, the doe will do the rest. Make sure to change the newspaper often to give the babies a clean environment to sleep in, all you have to do is lift the second wire with babies and nesting material in place, pull out the old newspaper and replace. When the babies are older, you'll want to change the hay as well. Overall cost for this nest box : $ 3.00 , time to build : 45 min.