Bunny rabbit as 'flock protector' ?

[Billy-jean]

I have NEVER had any problems with my giant,,and he sometimes doesn't go in at night, Too big for a hawk or owl to carry off with or kill.
I don't think they actually defend by any means,but they are great to have...and to me,he's their guardian,,Obviously I know a dog or coyote
could kill it, but he;s in a well fenced yard,and has never run into problems.(knock on wood)

 

[mkeawsh]

I think the chickens would protect the rabbit more than the rabbit protecting the chicken

This was so funny!

Thanks.

 

[xC0000005]

I have a flemish giant rabbit who is living with the chickens and ducks,,and she ,no joke,is their guardian! I laughed when I read this because I thought I was the only one that had a guard rabbit.If you get yourself a giant flemish pure breed, it will scare away,or at least make other animals think twice about coming into their area. works for me ) No joke! I will always have a flemish giant,some are the size of beagles,,

Agreed. We have a small rabbit that roams with the chickens but she wouldn't protect them. Growing up I had one that attacked the neighbor's cats. The cats quickly learned to avoid the furry fury.

 

[JenellYB]

Maybe to a hawk, it doesn't recognize something that big as a rabbit.. Maybe it thinks its a dog. Land predators would probably figure it out faster, but a hawk, maybe that's it..it thinks its a dog. Or at least something like a dog.
Its just too awful hot here for breeds like Flemish in summer. The breeder I got mine from, at the time one one of the most succesful showing and breeding Flemish, kept his in a garage with huge fans and in warm weather, those fiber-type water coolers, like AC, and never showed at outdoor shows during summer. They just can't take this heat like smaller rabbits.

I have NEVER had any problems with my giant,,and he sometimes doesn't go in at night, Too big for a hawk or owl to carry off with or kill.
I don't think they actually defend by any means,but they are great to have...and to me,he's their guardian,,Obviously I know a dog or coyote
could kill it, but he;s in a well fenced yard,and has never run into problems.(knock on wood)

 

[JenellYB]

Now if somebody could breed a rabbit with Flemish size, and Netherland Dwarf pugnacity and agression, now there you'd have a GAURD rabbit!

 

[Billy-jean]

Here's my guardian

 

[centrarchid]

Time (many, many generations) and selective breeding for size and aggressiveness. With enough effort you could produce a rabbit like animal that is more aggressive and capable of taking on just about anything.

May seem off the wall but my adult game chickens will readily take on a Coopers hawk that is well outside the abilities of a red jungle fowl. Again, time and selection required, in this case several thousand generations worth although similar results could be realized faster if you now what you are doing and are consistent.

Goto following link:http://speculativeevolution.wikia.com/wiki/After_Man:_A_Zoology_of_the_Future

see Bardelot

May seem silly but evolution has done much extreme in past.

 

[JenellYB]

My own experience with rabbits causes me to suspect that long before you got them aggressive and tough enough to take on serious predators, they'd have got so mean and dangerous to the people raising them they'd have done put them all in the stew pt! Lol! Those I had that showed aggression were far worse at going for the person they are used to, that takes care of them, and they feel safe with, than anybody or anything really threatening. A really nasty one can rip your hand with those claws bad as a cat faster than you can get it out of the way!

Time (many, many generations) and selective breeding for size and aggressiveness. With enough effort you could produce a rabbit like animal that is more aggressive and capable of taking on just about anything.

May seem off the wall but my adult game chickens will readily take on a Coopers hawk that is well outside the abilities of a red jungle fowl. Again, time and selection required, in this case several thousand generations worth although similar results could be realized faster if you now what you are doing and are consistent.

Goto following link:http://speculativeevolution.wikia.com/wiki/After_Man:_A_Zoology_of_the_Future

see Bardelot

May seem silly but evolution has done much extreme in past.