What size/thickness wood for chicken coop/rabbit enclosure?

[Newbiehelp]

Hi I’m new here and wanted some advice. I’m attempting to build a rabbit enclosure and need to know what size of wood will be best/sturdy. I’m aiming for something like in the pictures .

Also, what kind of screws will be best to build an enclosure like this? I’ve been watching loads of YouTube videos but they don’t tell you wood sizes and screw sizes.

Thanks for any advice!

[Job and Knock]

The framing on those looks like 2 x 2in (44 x 44mm) section softwood although commercially made ones often use 1-1/2 x 1-1/2in ( 38 x 38mm) or even 1-1/4 x 1-1/4in (32 x 32mm) softwood which is less substantial. For exterior use treated timber will last longer, but check if the treatment used is harmful to your pets as rabbits tend to chew everything! To join pieces I'd consider something like 4.5 or 5.0mm diameter countersunk head screws, 70 to 80mm long; for longevity the coated screws sold for timber decking are a better choice if available in the right sizes, if more expensive. Use only plated hardware (door bolts, hinges, etc) and preferably hot dip coated as opposed to electro-plated if given the choice

[Dave54]

I've made quite a few chicken runs and houses, just as described by J & K.
I usually try to put some short corner braces in at the end uprights. Helps it stay together when moved.

[Newbiehelp]

Thanks for the replies, you’ve made things a lot clearer for me now!

[Grendel]

The framing on those looks like 2 x 2in (44 x 44mm) section softwood although commercially made ones often use 1-1/2 x 1-1/2in ( 38 x 38mm) or even 1-1/4 x 1-1/4in (32 x 32mm) softwood which is less substantial. For exterior use treated timber will last longer, but check if the treatment used is harmful to your pets as rabbits tend to chew everything!

We used to keep rabbits , Californians if anyone is interested, and yes they do chew everything. Thicker timber if nothing else means it will resist the chewing just that little bit longer.
With regards to the treatment it reminds me of an incident . The rabbits were busy chewing shed doors , fencing and the like and my father cut up some tanilised tiling batten and gave to them. He did this early in the week and it wasn't until the weekend I noticed not that there was much left of the pieces. I fully expected to see a load of dead bunnies but it didn't seem to harm them ,indeed the main buck was 15 years old when he finally died. Not that I recommend feeding treated timber to rabbits or anything else.

[Dave54]

What I have noticed is that rats don't seem to be so keen on chewing tanalised.
It's not "rat proof" but they don't seem to like it.

[Job and Knock]

I fully expected to see a load of dead bunnies but it didn't seem to harm them ,indeed the main buck was 15 years old when he finally died. Not that I recommend feeding treated timber to rabbits or anything else.

I didn't think it would kill them immediately, but some of the treatments in use still contain nasty chemicals which can make some pets and humans ill. The one thing you should never do, though, is to burn the stuff as that releases some esoteric chemicals which are harmful to the environment

What I have noticed is that rats don't seem to be so keen on chewing tanalised.
It's not "rat proof" but they don't seem to like it.

Best "art proofing" I've come across (for gaps) is steel wool held in place using expanding foam. The steel mustn't do their teeth much good as they give up on it quite quickly. If you can get hold of the stainless steel variety that doesn't even rust

[Grendel]

I fully expected to see a load of dead bunnies but it didn't seem to harm them ,indeed the main buck was 15 years old when he finally died. Not that I recommend feeding treated timber to rabbits or anything else.

I didn't think it would kill them immediately, but some of the treatments in use still contain nasty chemicals which can make some pets and humans ill. The one thing you should never do, though, is to burn the stuff as that releases some esoteric chemicals which are harmful to the environment

On one job someone had a pretty large splinter from tanilised timber and I can remember how inflamed it became which didn't fill me with confidence when the rabbits chewed it. It's possible that they just chew it and spit it out rather than swallowing it or perhaps it's because they have a relatively poor digestive system ( that's why they eat their own droppings) and the poisons aren't absorbed as much , I don't know.
I won't burn treated timber or painted for that matter for the reasons you mention . While my father might have been soft enough to give it to the rabbits he was also a furnace controller and he told e about that . It's dependant on the temperature to a point . Domestic fires and wood burners just don't get hot enough to destroy compounds like dioxins . I seem to recall something over 850 needed to safely burn treated timbers which and some sort of forced draft .