Rabbits living with chickens??


Yes!! Rabbits can live with chickens and it is a very fun experience for both the rabbits and you. Besides you wouldn't put a dog/cat/yourself in a small cage with wire floor so why do it to a rabbit? Look at wild rabbits or any wild animal,they have a lot of territory and things to do and rabbits don't get anything natural in a cage. They love to dig,eat grass,lay in the dirt,run,hop and just be rabbits. So why not let them?



I have 3 rabbits right now,a netherland dwarf buck,netherland dwarf doe,a new zealand white buck,and soon getting a new zealand white doe. I still raise my netherland dwarfs in there hutches and recently put my NZW buck in my chicken pen to live a happier life and see how it worked out. I wish I could put my ND in with him so they could all be together and happy but the bucks will fight till death sometime's and if the bigger buck bred the small doe the kits growing inside her could kill her so they can't be together unless they were fixed. I heard of doing this before and seen other people doing it with success so I really wanted to try it and it works out great!! Here's some tips and things I experienced while I'm doing this.


*Before you put your rabbit(s) in your pen walk around the perimeter and fill in any holes or week spots with rocks,dirt,logs etc. to make sure they don't dig out the sides. You will need to give them some rabbit feed wherever you want in the coop/pen and the good thing is my chickens don't care much for rabbit pellets so they don't gobble it down. Make sure your rabbit(s) can drink out of the waterer or supply a separate dish for them. You can give your rabbits the mineral and salt wheels in the pen if you want and even there cage or whatever you want to. I just give mine rabbit feed in the coop and he drinks out of the chickens water pan and I haven't put minerals and salt in the pen yet for him. Another good thing would be supplying them with some hay or grass with there feed.

*My buck ''Buster'' is having a blast in the pen as you would expect like I said they don't want to be kept in a cage there whole life's and Buster was peeing and rubbing his chin(scent) on all the stumps and everything else,and he was jumping an running with joy and checking out the whole pen/coop and having a blast. It is great and I can't wait to have them all out of the hutch in the future.


*Buster like's to go in the coop and eat his food and check things out

*He drinks out of the waterer with them as well

*Like I said he is always exploring the pen and coop and sniffing the chickens but if they don't want him there they will give him a little peck and he will hop away all silly and playful

*He is even good around the mama hen with chicks but when he gets to close she reminds him to stay clear of her babies and he respects her space

*Not to mention the duck that's with the chickens which of course he don't mind either

*And there's a nest box on the floor of the coop and he doesn't mess with the eggs at all,he's jumped in there before but not since they've laid in there


*He digs every now again in there dust bath spot but hasn't dug a hole yet,but they can will but most likely won't dig out. I've seen doe's(female rabbits) that dug about a foot or so hole and had kits in it. But he enjoys digging and hopping around. In this picture is a small depression he dug under the chicken ladder leading up into the coop he love's to lay under a lot

*Here he is in his favorite hang out

*Even know he is ''free'' he still runs up to me and let's me pet him

*And 99% of the time they do there own thing and don't bother each other


As you can see myself and Buster are having a lot of fun with this and you can too,it is real easy and they don't bother each other much. Yet I've seen picture's of rabbits trying to breed a hen so it depends on the animal it's self. But it's natural and fun for your rabbit and it's a cheaper,easier,and faster way of caring for them all and they love it. You can also check out colony rabbit raising. But hope you guys enjoyed this and do it with your rabbits!! Take care all
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