Any input on the Durawhelp vs the whelpingbox co box? Any other suggestions?

Keep in mind everyone will have different takes on this, ours:

DuraWhelp
Positives....Light, easy to store, easy to clean, simple to put together, relatively inexpensive

Negatives.....Really flimsy, you must be EXTRA careful getting in and out of the box to help your girl as sidewalls are a joke. An aggressive nester can go right through the corrugated with the result being leaked urine once the puppies get older.

We purchased one and after 4 litters disposed of it in favor of our home made one due to the reasons above.

I love my Jonart box! Very easy to break down, move around and store. I also highly recommend the attached weaning pen.

My hubby and I made my whelping box out of polyurathane pig nursery panels. It is easy to clean, I can put it together myself, it is 30" high x 4 ft x 5 ft. It cosr about $350.00 to make including the pig rails made out of 4" sewer pipe. I can send you pictures and a material ist this evening if you want me to.

I'd love to see it Sherry.

You can make this sturdy box for under $150. This price includes everything, good quality wood, hardware, urethane finish & brushes.

http://www.mcemn.com/WB-WhelpingBox.html

Pictures of whelping boxes made by breeders: http://www.mcemn.com/WB-feedback.html

I have a suggestion. It's pricey, but the Jonart box is awesome!!

I can put mine together and take it apart very quickly alone. The material it's made of can easily be bleached/disinfected, and it's very lightweight for easy handling.

I came on here a few months ago asking about whelping boxes because I was considering the durawhelp and a few others. I thought the Jonart was WAY too much, but when I read the testimonies I caved. SO GLAD I DID!

When I considered that the other boxes might get you through a few litters and then break, warp, or get very hard to clean I decided a one time investment would be a better deal.

I can't imagine ever needing another whelping box. It's so durable and well made.

Sheri...where do you buy polyurethane pig nursery panels?

thank you all for the feedback. The JonArt does look beautiful but I just can't afford one right now. am thinking about making one.

We bought ours at our local farm store, but this is what you need http://www.qcsupply.com/farm-livestock/building-materials/panels.html?p=2 YOu can get something similar at FarmTek. I would try local farm stores.

I use a 5 ft plastic pool and then I have a round pigrail that fits inside the pool. When you use the large blankets or sheets this helps hold it in place for those mothers who like to hide the puppies.

Linda

Hope everyone that asked for the material list andpictures got my emails. Let me know if you did not. YOu can google pvc nursery panels and get a couple other sites that have them available if you do not have a farm store that can get them.

My brother made my whelping boxes out of 12" Formica type shelving. It is 4' x 4' and the pig rail is 3" PVC pipe. It works beautifully. I am not positive of the cost, but it wasn't real expensive.

Thanks Sherry!