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Can rabbits live with chickens?

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noodles

noodles

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Can Rabbits live in with chickens and eat chicken feed or can chickens eat rabbit feed??
because wee building a coop cause our chickens will be out there soon and my mum has always wanted a rabbit and asked me if they would be ok to live with chickens


any suggestions? anyone done this b4

ETA:the chicken food is going to be raised and a seprate living quaters like a hutch in the chicken run and the rabbit food will be in the rabbit hutch but they will mainly be in the run together and i will be cleaning out the whole enclosure every second day the chickens will be bantam hens not sure on the size of the rabbit yet
 
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I would say no as they need different diets. There is also the risk of injury and possibly zoonosis infections being passed on.
 
In short no. Rabbits have sensitive tummies for one thing and shouldnt be eating chicken food. Rabbits are also very clean animals and it wouldnt be fair to make them live in an enclosure full of chicken poo. Not sure if chickens can eat rabbit food but my guess would be no as Id have thought they need seeds and grains to remain healthy.
 
I would ask a vet!

I recently went to a rescue that had rabbits out in the same room with chickens.... and a turkey!!!! It was pretty messy and I'm not sure how good it is for the rabbits to be with all of the chicken faeces as bird faeces contain a lot of bacteria. Not to mention parasites etc.
 
I would say no as well. Not only would an enclosure most likely get too dirty for rabbits (not just the poop but because chickens root around and turn over the surface of the enclosure), but because both chickens and rabbits can carry and get very ill from coccidiosis...you could end up with them all very poorly or even die from it.
 
I still wouldn't do it. The poor bunny won't like it an will most likely get scared. Unless it's a massive enclosure like free run of a farm or something.
 
Jazzy B Bunny said:
I still wouldn't do it. The poor bunny won't like it an will most likely get scared. Unless it's a massive enclosure like free run of a farm or something.
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the run is going to be big compard to the hutch cause im hatching 4 bantams which are small so there is going to be heaps of room and im thinking ofmaking a tunnell just big enough for the rabbit to get through to its hutch and food and to escape and small enought so that chickens cant get to it
 
I would say no. Firstly chickens can be quite agressive to anyone that they see as lower down the pecking order and can bully each other. This could cause the rabbit quite a bit of harm as those beaks and talons are sharp. Chicken mess is also quite acidic, you risk your buns getting sore hocks if they decide to go into the roost. Even if you cleaned them out every day I'd say it is still quite a risk. The risk of one species transmitting one disease to another would also have to be considered, even if the risk is low.

Food wise rabbits should not be eating chicken food as it is too fattening and rabbit food is too low in nutrition for chickens. it is also too big for them to eat & they might choke. Chickens should not eat hay at all as it can cause an impaction in their crop and rabbits should have access 24 hours a day to hay.

Could you not split the enclosure into 2?
 
ecudc said:
I would say no. Firstly chickens can be quite agressive to anyone that they see as lower down the pecking order and can bully each other. This could cause the rabbit quite a bit of harm as those beaks and talons are sharp. Chicken mess is also quite acidic, you risk your buns getting sore hocks if they decide to go into the roost. Even if you cleaned them out every day I'd say it is still quite a risk. The risk of one species transmitting one disease to another would also have to be considered, even if the risk is low.
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the reason im asking is bacause i have seen people do this b4 with no problems and i would be raising the rabbit & chicks together
 
yes but sometimes people keep piggies with rabbits and they are ok MOST of the time or they don't lock their bunnies up in hutches or fox proof run at night and MOST of the time the rabbit doesn't get eaten by the fox. What I'm trying to say is that in order to maximise the welfare of both species you should keep them separately as MOST of the time is not really sufficient for animal welfare.
 
ecudc said:
yes but sometimes people keep piggies with rabbits and they are ok MOST of the time or they don't lock their bunnies up in hutches or fox proof run at night and MOST of the time the rabbit doesn't get eaten by the fox. What I'm trying to say is that in order to maximise the welfare of both species you should keep them separately as MOST of the time is not really sufficient for animal welfare.
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they are going to be seperate most of the time like at night or when the rabbit goes into its hutch and when the chickens free range at the end of the day
 
It sounds like you've made your mind up to keep them together anyway, but the simple answer is they shouldn't be kept together. Both species can be quite aggressive and rabbits can lose an eye due to a peck, chickens are fragile and can be hurt by a rabbit kicking. They should certainly NOT be eating each other's food, it will make them ill and chickens are very dirty, which could also be a health issue for the rabbits.
I often hear people say it works for somebody else, we all know rabbits can survive in 3 foot hutches, it still isn't good for them is it?
 
halfpenny said:
It sounds like you've made your mind up to keep them together anyway, but the simple answer is they shouldn't be kept together. Both species can be quite aggressive and rabbits can lose an eye due to a peck, chickens are fragile and can be hurt by a rabbit kicking. They should certainly NOT be eating each other's food, it will make them ill and chickens are very dirty, which could also be a health issue for the rabbits.
I often hear people say it works for somebody else, we all know rabbits can survive in 3 foot hutches, it still isn't good for them is it?
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everything is going to be cleaned every day
 
I'm sorry, but it sounds like you've already made your mind up. We all suggest not keeping them together and I can see that you will probably do it anyway.
 
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