Straight out my back door, there is this little cottage shed. In it live my rabbits and chickens.  The chickens have a run off to the left, and the rabbits have hanging cages off to the right.

This all began with my rabbits about 10 years ago.  I bought them for my boys to have for 4-H.: then they lost interest and I took them over! I used to raise and show Mini Rex and Holland Lops.  I am down to just a few now, some Mini Rex  that I occasionally breed.    I hang my travel cages on the walls and have extra drop pans clean and ready to use in an emergency.  I use  grass hay and have some straw for the chickens.

I built this "bunny condo" myself, but that was several years ago!

I built all of these holes. The ones on top are made on a shelf, have wood and wire doors, wire tops, and have holes that go to outdoor hanging cages.  They are very efficient and many rabbits will keep the indoor holes clean!  For this winter, I have moved all the rabbits to indoor cages and have covered the holes with plastic in and out so I can heat the shed efficiently. The floor model can convert to house two single rabbits, or the divider can be folded up and it can hold a litter or two as they grow up.

I store all of my feed in clean trash bins and I really like the product "Stall Dri" to line the drop pans.  It really cuts the odor and eliminates the life cycle of flies.   I scrub all my cages twice a year with a wire brush and bleach, but after a few years, the calcium buildup from the urine stains everything.  This sure looked nice when it was new!

My inside coop is 2' X 6' X 3' tall. There is no bottom so I can lift it up to clean.  The top is hinged and lifts up for access. It has two nest boxes and a pole across the center for roosting.  I have 6 hens: MilleFleurs (small cream-colored eggs), Rhode Island Reds (large brown eggs), and Amercaunas (soft blue-green eggs).

For information about rabbits, click here.

For information about keeping chickens, click here.