When our first doe was bred we had to think about a nesting box for her. After checking out our local farm supply stores and pricing through the internet, we decided to build our own.
When our first doe was bred we had to think about a nesting box for her. After checking out our local farm supply stores and pricing through the internet, we decided to build our own. The cost savings was substantial enough, especially with our herd expansion plans, and building one did not seem that difficult. We found a few different plans and instructions on the net and took some of each and came up with our own taking into account our specific needs and available building materials.
The design we settled on, makes a box that has outside dimensions of 10 ¾”W x 18”L x 9 ¼”H and inside dimensions of 9 ¼”W x 16 ½”L x 8 ½”H. The sides and top are made of 1×10 whitewood common board and the bottom from ¼” hardware cloth, both from Home Depot or your local hardware store. You will need a 6’ piece of the common board and a 10 ¾” x 18” piece of hardware cloth (I purchased enough board and cloth to do many boxes to save on costs). The other tools and supplies I used were a table saw, jig saw, staple gun, nail gun wood glue.
With the table saw I cut the 1×10 into these lengths:
- 9 ¼”L (Back)
- 8” L (Top)
- 6” L (Front)
- 18” L (Sides)
I also marked a line on the side pieces to make the opening a little larger. Put a mark 3 ¼” down the short side and 10” down the long side starting from the same corner. Connect the two marks with a straight edge and draw a cut line. Trim the corner off with a jig saw.
Assemble the 5 pieces with wood glue and clamps and finish with the nail gun. Use the staple gun to attach the piece of hardware cloth to the bottom.
I hope this helps anyone looking to build their own rabbit nesting box. Please feel free to share and be sure leave questions or comments