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DROP NEST BOXES By Erin Maclean For the last few years, I have been using drop nest boxes. These nest boxes are wire baskets that hang down below the floor of the cage. I first saw this type of nest box at Gail Smith's (Windsor Farms) in Oregon. With a herd of 60 rabbits, she had very good luck with these wire baskets. I left her barn determined to change over from the traditional style box to the dropped nest box. I found with the traditional style box I had more kit loss than I liked. Primarily this was due to kits escaping. I found I did not have this problem with the drop nest box. Due to the fact that the nest is below the floor of the cage, does have to jump up to get out and kits have more of a tendency to fall off the teats as she exits the box. CAGE REQUIREMENTS A drop nest box requires a cage with no bottom tray, although Gail has hers set up so the nesting cage is on the bottom of the stacked cages with a tray on the ground. My nesting cages are hanging cages and these are dedicated to nesting doew with permanently fixed drop nest boxes. Theoretically, the wire baskets could come out, and some breeders have them set up that way to make their cages more versatile. However, I find it too much work to both remove them and cover the hole when not in use. Frankly, I have seen no reason to do so. I rotate these cages among the nesting does and if I need to, move a doe and litter out as early as four weeks, to make room for the next doe waiting to kindle. I also use the nest cages even when I don't have nesting does. If I don't need the nest cage for the next doe ready to kindle, I just leave the resident doe in after she has weaned the litter. Drop nest boxes do require a larger cage. My German angoras are in the 9-12 pound range. My nest cages are 30" x 48" x 24" high. BASKET SIZE I make my own wire baskets with baby saver wire, although I have seen them for sale in catalogs. My wire nest baskets are 12" x 16" and 8" deep. I make sure I place the basket in a spot that has easy access for kit inspection. I place the basket flush with the side of the cage and use j-clips to attach one 16" side to the side wall of the cage. I have that side overlap the cage by an inch or so. The other three sides are folded over the hole I have cut in the cage floor. I usually don't have to attach the three sides to the floor in any way as the folded part is flat enough and the basket is snug enough not to move. When I made my first basket, my wire basket was too small. As I recall, I made them the same size that Bass shows in their catalog in order for me to use their pre-made liners. My doe refused to use it! I have since retooled the cage for a larger basket and this same doe used the drop box willingly. Another mistake I made with the first generation baskets is the depth was too shallow. I think they were 7 inches deep, not the 8 inches I use now. I did lose kits because they escaped. Although my wire baskets are large, the size of the basket should be the size of the nest box you would normally use. I have not found the depth of the basket I use to be a problem. In my experience the kits generally start exploring outside of the next box at about two weeks of age. LINING THE BASKET During the colder weather I line the basket by dropping a cardboard box slightly smaller than the size of the basket into the opening. However, since I usually cannot find a box the size of the basket, I make one. Gail Smith made the size of her wire baskets to fit the tomato boxes she gets. Apparently, in Oregon, you can buy tomatoes in nice little boxes that coincidentally are the perfect size for a nest box. Of course, every time I go to Oregon I look for these boxes, and have never found any. The advantage of having a box liner is that if you need or want to, you can lift the box out and take the whole thing inside for the night. Generally I just line the bottom of the basket with cardboard and lift it out when the kits get a bit older and the lining gets wet and dirty. In warm weather I don't line at all. Hay and the wool the doe uses to make her nest are perfectly adequate. CLEANING If you don't remove your wire baskets, they can be cleaned like the rest of the cage and torched. All in all I have been very pleased with the wire drop next basket method. It works well for my rabbitry and I can honestly say I have had far less kit loss using drop baskets. The hardest part is getting up the nerve to cut a hole in a perfectly good cage! Reprinted from IAGARB News, Summer 2003