Rabbit Hutch Plans – How to Build a PVC Rabbit Hutch

Building rabbit cages, chicken coops, or any sort of PVC frame is simple, fast, and will last a very long time. Below I’m going to show you how I would build a rabbit hutch out of PVC. It uses 1 1/2 SCH 40 pipe and is about 8′ x 6′ x 3′ deep. It can hold up to six rabbit cages. Why six and not four like most? If you get a sick rabbit or two or ever plan to breed your rabbits you’ll appreciate the extra cages.

There are several PVC rabbit hutch plans online, but really, just go to Home Depot and stare at the PVC connectors for a while. Lets be honest, this is child’s play if you’ve ever worked with PVC before. You’ll be inspired in no time. If you’re one of those that like some instructions or would like some plans before you start then here’s a cool design that I like.

My design is modular unlike other PVC frame designs on the web, meaning you can continue building length·wise however long you want. Need 8 cages instead of 6? no problem! How about 12? Easy as pie.

My design, like most, will hold two tiers of cages as this is a very efficient way to stack rabbits. However each cage will need a slanted roof made out of corrugated plastic or other material. Corrugated plastic is easy to clean, but wood works too. I would avoid metal as it could get pretty hot. This slanted roof will help protect the rabbits from the elements as well as direct the rabbit droppings from the top tiers into an optional worm bed under the cages (think wooden rectangle made of 2×6′s under your cages).

Here’s what you’ll need

Tools Required:
PVC Saw (or hacksaw)
PVC Cleaner And Cement
Sandpaper or debur tool
Tape Measure

Materials Needed (all is 1 1/2″ PVC):
80 feet – 1 1/2 in. PVC Sch 40. Sch 20 will be too thin.
6 – Caps
2 – Couplers
4 – Elbows
14 – Tees
2 – X’s (4-way couplers)

PVC Cut List:
4 – 17 1/2 inch
4 – 18 inch
4 – 13 1/2 inch
6 – 19 1/4 inch
2 – 37 3/4 inch
2 – 14 3/4 inch
4 – 36 inch
8 – 48 inch

Directions

1. Cut your PVC pipe to correct lengths as per my cut list, and debur all the ends with sandpaper or a debur tool. A debur tool works better.

2. Assemble the middle legs, 2 total:

• Start with a cap, then add a 37 3/4″ PVC. Then add a 4-way connector.
• Stick a 8 3/4″ PVC into the connector and put a Coupler on and add a 19 1/4″ PVC.
• Finally add a Tee, oriented the same way as the 4-way connector. You’re done.

3. Assemble the Style 1 end legs, 2 total:

• Start with a elbow, then insert a 19 1/4″ PVC, put a Tee longwise on the other end of the pipe 90 degrees from the elbow TO THE LEFT.
• Next insert a 13 1/2″ PVC into the Tee and add a second Tee that is 90 degrees from the first T.
• Now insert a 18″ PVC into your second Tee and add one more Tee aligned with the first Tee.
• Stick a 17 1/2″ PVC into the Tee and add a end cap. You’re done.

4. Assemble the Style 2 end legs, 2 total:

• Start with a elbow, then insert a 19 1/4″ PVC, put a Tee longwise on the other end of the pipe 90 degrees from the elbow TO THE RIGHT.
• Next insert a 13 1/2″ PVC into the Tee and add a second Tee that is 90 degrees from the first T.
• Now insert a 18″ PVC into your second Tee and add one more Tee aligned with the first Tee.
• Stick a 17 1/2″ PVC into the Tee and add a end cap. You’re done.

5. Glue two 36″ PVC piece to a Style 1 end leg and a Style 2 end leg. Repeat on the other set of end legs. This will make two “Double-H” shaped ends.

6. Insert and glue two 48″ PVC arms into the top and middle section of an end leg “Double-H” section. Repeat on all four end legs.

7. Insert and glue the middle legs to one set of the 48″ PVC now connected to the “Double-H” sides.

8. Glue the remaining 48″ PVC pieces into the middle legs. Don’t try to get ahead of yourself here, once you get one piece in you have to go for it or the glue will harden before it’s in all the way.

9. (optional) To Make It Modular - If you would like to make a modular design, make two more middle legs and cut four more pieces of 48″ PVC. Add them between the first set of middle legs and one set of the end legs. Do this as many times as you need. Optionally you can also replace the elbows and middle couplings on the end legs and continue adding 48″ PVC pipes and another set of end legs to build as many as you want. This way you can try not gluing these together so you could add or remove them as your rabbit herd size changes.

Now that your frame is finished it’s ready to hold up to six rabbit cages.

Things You Can Do To Be More Self-Sufficient

We are now three to five generations removed from the rural life that helped make America great. We have migrated to big cities and left our self-sustained lives behind. These mega-cities have caused our general well-being to decline, with suicide rates increasing across the world. Crowded conditions and economic problems have led to rampant crime, pollution, and a dog-eat-dog mentality.

You will find that most of these tips will save you money and some will even save you time.  The closer you get to true self-sufficiency you will save more and more money. Many find that the money saved alows them to cut down on overtime or even quit work altogether, allowing them to truely be free from the system and to become a homesteader. Saving money comes hand in hand with self-sufficiency and homesteading. Your labor is much cheaper than someone else’s and the money you save from gas and utility bills will go a long way towards paying down debts or buying more equipment for your homestead.

Here’s a list of 52 things you can do to become more self-sufficient. You would be one busy beaver, but you could even try doing one a week and in a year you will be closer to self-sufficiency than you ever thought possible. I recommend you learn the basics of your current project before moving on to the next.

1. Plant your own vegetable garden.
2. Change your own oil on your car or truck.
3. Cut your own firewood.
4. Collect and use rain water instead of municiple or well water.
5. Supplement your house’s heating system with solar heating panels.
6. Supplement your hot water needs with a solar water heater.
7. Mulch your garden with local organic mulch instead of store bought products.
8. Raise your own rabbits with worm beds underneath.
9. Use home-made compost and free manure to enrich your garden’s soil.
10. Grow non-hybrid vegetables and save the seeds for next year’s planting.
11. Grow potatoes and save the fingerlings for next years planting.
12. Use biointensive gardening techniques to grow lots of vegetables in small places.
13. Build a greenhouse to extend your growing season.
14. Build a root cellar (above or below ground) to store your harvest.
15. Start a small orchard for a variety of fruits.
16. Learn how to preserve food by canning.
17. Raise bees to help pollination and for honey.
18. Raise chickens for meat and eggs.
19. Raise sheep for wool and meat.
20. Raise goats or a dairy cow for dairy products.
21. Preserve vegetables by sun drying them.
22. Spin wool into yarn for making clothes.
23. Make your own furniture out of tree branches.
24. Preserve vegetables by freezing them.
25. Grow herbs for cooking and medicinal purposes.
26. Use edible wild plants to supplement one’s diet (Find a guide for your area first!).
27. Use containers to grow vegetables in small places.
28. Use chicken manure (composted) to help fertilize your garden.
29. Use, use and reuse as much as possible before throwing away.
30. Conserve electricity whenever possible.
31. Tune-up your own car or truck.
32. Sharpen your own tools.
33. Build your own home or shed.
34. Grow grapes for preserves or raisins or make your own wine.
35. Build a pond and raise fish for food.
36. Use solar and wind power to supplement your energy needs.
37. Learn how to use a welder.
38. Use clothes lines to dry clothes instead of a mechanical dryer.
39. Grow grains to feed your own livestock.
40. Grow alfalfa to return nitrogen to the soil.
41. Use a generator for emergency and supplemental power.
42. Dig or drive your own well.
43. Bake your own bread.
44. Do your own plumbing.
45. Do your own electrical work.
46. Run a small business from your home.
47. Barter goods and services with your neighbors.
48. Use a push mower instead of a gas or electric mower, or let the goats handle it.
49. Use a bicycle (whenever possible) instead of a motorized vehicle.
50. Make vegetables a large part of your diet.
51. Make your own syrup from Maple trees as a sugar substitute.
52. Supplement your diet by hunting game.

How Long Should You Boil Water?

Today a friend asked me, ”How long should I boil my water?”. He’s a prepper and a smart guy, but it’s no suprise to me that he’s confused on such a seemingly simple topic. I frequently come upon bad advice on blogs, books and forums about boiling water for purification. It’s something we all need to learn too. Unless you have a treelimb stuck through your leg or a bear staring you down, having enough safe drinking water should be your number one concern.

 

 

 

Unless Your Water Is Toxic, Boiling Water is the Best Method

Boiling kills bacteria, viruses, protozoan’s, and parasites. It does NOT remove chemicals and toxins from the water. Suprisingly not many survivalists cover this side of the conversation. If you’re getting your water out of a perfect mountian stream, then boiling it is probably all you need to do. But if your water source is a large public or private lake or river that collects runoff from cities, then you need a chemical water filter. You’ve got to take the chemicals out of your water before you boil or you will just concentrate them.

Even rain harvested from roofs or plastic lined depressions in the ground may contain some nasty chemicals. Rain can contain a multitude of dangerous chemicals, espeically if you live in or near (read 50+miles) an urban enviroment.

 Assuming your water is chemical free, modern filtering devices and the chemical treatment of water are only substitutes for boiling water. The best part is, unlike most survival tecniques, we all know how to boil water and it requires no special tools. This means that boiling water is sustainable, unlike filters and chemical treatment. As long as you have a source of heat and a fireproof vessle of some sort you can boil water.

The Case For A Lid

Whatever pot you use to boil your water in, make sure it has a lid. Boiling water without a lid is a huge waste of resources. Not only is your water evaporating right before your eyes but you are wasting heat as well. Doing something as simple as placing a good fitting lid on your pot can cut the time it takes for your water to boil significantly. Pasteurizing water also works much better with a lid as it traps the heat inside the container for a much longer time.

Commonly Stated Water Boiling Times

I’ve heard so many different amounts of boiling times that it makes my head spin. It sees like most people spout facts based on personal choice with no scientific proof to back it up. Even different government and health organizations cannot agree on a correct time (what a suprise).

The most common stated water boiling times:

• “Boil water for 10 minutes” is what your mama probably told you
• “5-minutes of boiling” is also frequently thrown around
• “Boil the water for 20 minutes”. You gotta be kidding me?
• “A rolling boil for 1 minute”. Getting closer….
• “When at high altitudes you need to boil water for twice as long”. 40 mins?

So which of the above statements are actually true? None!

 That’s right. Follow any of the above times and you will waste two of your biggest resources. Water and fuel.  Wasting water to evaporation when you’re short on water to begin with is foolish. Whole forests have been cut down for firewood in order to boil drinking water. Weekend hikers and tough mountian men alike have used up the last of their precious fuel to boil water for crazy amounts of time. In a survival situation you cannot afford to waste valuable resources and energy like this

The Correct Water Boiling Time

The correct amount of time to boil water is a whopping 0 minutes. Thats right, zero minutes. None. Nada. Zip. Zero. Read below…

According to the Wilderness Medical Society, water temperatures above 160° F (70° C) kill all pathogens within 30 minutes and above 185° F (85° C) within a few minutes. So in the time it takes for the water to reach the boiling point (212° F or 100° C) from 160° F (70° C), all pathogens will be killed, even at high altitude.

What is not well known is that contaminated water can be pasteurized at temperatures well below boiling, just like milk, which is commonly pasteurized at  160°F (71°C)….

The truth is, with a water temperature of 160 to 165 degrees F (74 C) it takes just half an hour to pasteurize. At 185 degrees this is cut to just a few minutes and by the time water begins to boil at 212 F (100 C) the water is completly safe. I still like to let my water sit in the pot for a minute and cool a bit. This extra time gives the water a little bit longer to pasteurize.

So what about high altitudes? At high altitudes the time it takes for the water to reach a rolling boil and then cool means you can safely drink it. If you live above 2,000- 3,000 ft altitude make sure you let your water sit in the pot (with a lid on it) until it cools before drinking.  If you’re making a tea or coffee make sure you let it sit and then reheat it to the desired temperature.

You don’t need a thermometer to measure water temperature either, just take your water to a full boil and then immediatly take it off the heat. Leave the lid on (you do have a lid don’t you?!) By the time it comes to a rolling boil you’ve wasted time, fuel, and water.

Black Bean & Rice Salad Recipe

I’ve had the opportunity to taste some of the Thrive food products including their sour cream powder, black beans,  and the shredded cheddar cheese. I must say I was very impressed with the taste. Check out this video by Shelf Reliance, watch and learn as she demonstrates how to make a tasty black bean & rice salad using beans, rice, and a few other things.