Rabbit hutch to outdoor brooder

SheaLoner

Crowing
Feb 27, 2020
1,142
5,306
386
Upstate Ny
I needed a better brooder system. No room indoors, plus cats. So last year I used one of my rabbit hutches. Worked ok. The nest box held a mamaheating pad well enough. But then I was shy one rabbit cage. 🙄

This year I found a good sized rabbit hutch off of craigslist for $40. A very good deal as I am on "light duty" with my dominant arm for the next few months. Building from scratch was just not going to happen.
Its 3 1/2 ft wide and 4 ft long.

So far I've pulled the old doors and loose panels off, removed old nails and screws.
Added longer legs so the bottom sits at waist height for me.
Just finished reattaching door #1, prepped for door # 2. And am deciding if the last wall should also have a door or just be straight hardware cloth.

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Think Im leaning towards hardware cloth to the left and a solid hatch door on the right. That way I can reach all corners of the cage.

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I picked up a TSC brooder plate and that will go over the solid floor in the corner. Debating making a plywood box for it to sit in or a 3 side box with a fabric curtain.
Also found some rubber mats at walmart for $4 ea.
3 will cover the plywood floor nicely and should make clean up a breeze.
 
Got the rest of the build done today. Had to take a break due to a nail in the foot and weather. 🤨
Need to use the compressor and blow out all the cobwebs. Thinking of spraying it all down with some bleach and letting it sit, might not.
Covered all access points with wire or blocking. Nothing is getting in without chewing through wood or hardware cloth.
Put the floor mats down, should make clean up easy. Will use soaked wood pellets on top for bedding.
Need to build the box for the heat plate. Might just use a cardboard box though.
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Kind of proud of this one. Spent $40 on the hutch, everything else was scavenged or salvaged. The only things purchased were the mats, $12 and a new box of staples for $5.
 
Haven't set the hutch up yet, doing that this weekend for my easter chicks. Was on a time limit to finish build due to some NHs from freedom ranger. But they had a poor hatch and the shippment got delayed. Just got called again that my order is pushed back again. Set to ship now on 5/9. They are throwing in some cx for the inconvenience.
Hope my easter chicks will be able to go out to the mini coop or sold by then and that the mites infesting it have BURNED.
 
Ok Chicks are outside. Seem to be doing well. TSC brooder plate is doing its job. I found a cardboard box large enough to cover the plate with a few in between the walls. No Fire Here, Please.
Luckily the cord fit perfectly through a gap in the door, so no holes needed to be cut. Thought I had an overall shot of the setup. Will take one this afternoon.
 

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Ok Chicks are outside. Seem to be doing well. TSC brooder plate is doing its job. I found a cardboard box large enough to cover the plate with a few in between the walls. No Fire Here, Please.
Luckily the cord fit perfectly through a gap in the door, so no holes needed to be cut. Thought I had an overall shot of the setup. Will take one this afternoon.
I've been using one of those brooder plates w/o complaint, going on a year and a half now. Apart from periodic cleaning, it ran essentially non stop from November of 2020 until late October of 2021, and has been back in service for the last couple weeks (2) since my ducks hatched. Cleaning today (the ducks are out in the grow out pen now) for a chicken hatch late next week.
 

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