So Excited we finally got enough of a break in the weather last week to swap out the first set of cages.  I had assembled then indoors after the long wait for the wire to be delivered from KW Cages. Shipping has been slow due to Rona' and the weather. But Krantz my farm help and I got them  put together. The new cages are 15 foot long  five holes, made out of 14 gauge  GAW wire, with baby safe sides. This is an upgrade from my second round of cages  that are 12 feet long 5 holes. The new Doe Holes, are  nearly a foot wider, and give the mommas some more room to stretch out.   

I had my first Hutches for about a year when I replaced them with hanging cages and built the rabbit shed,  and although the two  12 footers served it's purpose it was time to do some much needed repairs, and the floors were in need of being replaced  and upgrade.   The old cages were 28in wide by 24in deep by 18in high, a little crammed for my big girls, But the new ones are 36 in wide, by 24in deep, by 18in high, they fit  their nesting buckets with a lot of room for lounging, and much more solid floors.  Kranitz and I have already started refurbishing the old holes I removed the very rusted flooring and  have been  adding J-clips to any loose or detached spots.  I will be adding  the new Floor wire this week and get them prepped to hang. The old cages  will be switched out  in the buck barn and made into a 2 stacking unit with  waste drop gutters to funnel urine and poop into collection buckets for use as fertilizer. The older cages are better used as single Buck and Jr. holes. 

 My concern right now is coming up with the next $300 we need to buy the second 5 hole cage set up from KW Cages so we can upgrade the other side of the Doe barn and redo the other 5 hole. The bucks current 4 hole cage will be moved out and turned into a covered hutch set up for more Jr and grow outs after the floor wire is replaced. We had intended to do this last summer but  cage wire was hard to come by as the supply chains  had broken down due to Corona. Unfortunately we had to make due with substandard wire floors, and need to get the boys off the current hardware cloth flooring.  We still have the 2 big grow out pens for Bucks and Does  that are of age, but they are really only meant to hold grow out for a few weeks until they are sold or Butchered . 

My goal with this set up is to have 10, 3 foot wide holes in the doe barn,  the 2 quarantine/sick  solid stainless Steel cages. One five hole set for White New Zealand , one Five hole set up for Red New Zealand,  and in the other barn  Black New Zealand, and  Harlequin/experimental rabbits.