Bunnies and chickens-does this work?

[Parkbenchchickens]

We are thinking of getting bunnies. A couple questions, can bunnies live with chickens? Also, can bunnies eat layer pellets that chicken eat?

 

[diamondsilkies]

I don't know much about keeping rabbits, but I do know that they are herbivores, while chickens are omnivores, so I assume their pellets contain more protein and calcium than would be healthy for a rabbit.

 

[pekincochin12]

No, they should never be housed together. Rabbits are prone to hypercalcemia, and chicken feed typically has high levels of calcium. It would be deadly to the rabbits. The chickens could easily injure the rabbits. The rabbits and chickens could spread disease among themselves. It's not a good idea.

 

[Birdielee]

The first night i had my hen, she was unhappy where i put her to roost. She was stressed and I decided she was going to hurt herself on the metal cage. So I put her where I thought she would be comfortable... my rabbit's hutch. Poor Hopper. So I shut the door between the cage half and the wooden box half and put her in the wooden box. Hopper always sleeps out in the cage area anyway, but there was a hen in the bathroom ALL NIGHT. In the morning, I found the HEN out in the cage area, and Hopper in the wood box, door open. They had switched. Both were calm and the rabbit didn't get injured. I was worried he might have gotten his eyes or something hurt, but he was fine. Their food is very different. Wild garden greens are good for both, but the hen's pellets are mostly grain. And she loooves the insects.
The rabbit likes leaves. He eats all the way up grass, and leaves the seedhead. Supposedly it's not healthy to feed rabbits carbohydrates. I give him the occasional sunflower seed, and he likes them. But it's not really his thing.
The rabbit is interested in the hen but she doesn't seem too interested in him. She pecks at him occasionally, through the shared fence, but i think she could take him or leave him.

 

[Parkbenchchickens]

Good to know. We have already decided that we’ll just stick with chickens instead of bunnies and chickens

 

[NatJ]

I don't know much about keeping rabbits, but I do know that they are herbivores, while chickens are omnivores, so I assume their pellets contain more protein and calcium than would be healthy for a rabbit.

Years ago when I had both, the chicken feed and the rabbit feed both had about 18% to 20% protein (that was rabbit feed suitable for pregnant does and growing bunnies, chicken feed for laying hens or for growing chicks.)

Most chicken foods seem to have only plant products now, with no animal protein. The protein levels seem to be lower now than what I used to get, too.

Chicken feed is mostly based on grain, and rabbit feed is mostly based on hay, so that is one difference. Layer feed also has much more calcium than a rabbit needs.

I'm pretty sure a few bites of each other's food won't hurt either one, but I don't think either would do well on a constant diet of the food meant for the other species. If someone put out a container of each kind of food, I think the chickens would mostly eat the right food and do fine, but I'm not sure if the rabbit would make wise choices.


Another reason to house them separately is that chickens generate a lot of dust, and rabbits are quite sensitive to air quality.


What worked well for me in the past was rabbit hutches inside a fenced yard, and that yard was also the chicken run. Plenty of fresh air for the rabbits, neither animal could bother the others, and the chickens could scratch around under the rabbit cages. They found worms and bits of dropped rabbit food (they wouldn't eat much rabbit food, but seem to like a few bits here and there by way of variety.)