Do you prefer to purchase them, or make your own?

Get some good wire at Kluberstanz and make some then sell the rest and you end up paying less for yours that way. That cheap imported wire often breaks when bent. It's easy to make a brake out of 2X4s. They sell 1/2 rolls also or buy the foot even.

I bought a bunch at 4.25 each. Not sure you can make them for that.

Off of a 100 foot roll allowing for waste (cuts) you should make about 46 tubes not including the doors needed so you could get less tubes, use scrap wire or the cheaper wire to do the doors. So at $4.25 a colony that about $200.

I can do them for free. I've about 30 rabbit cages from when the kids were in 4H.
You would be surprised how camoed the rusty wire is in our mud creeks.
just

the majority of mine are 6x5x24...think I have about $3 in them...collapsible, then I snubber them together in packs of 4..easy squeeazzy

keets, that's impressive. I'm thinking about making some, but for starters I feel making collapsible ones might be a challenge. It would sure save a lot of room in the truck though. Maybe I can find some instructions online.