Can I put rabbits in the chicken run?

[chixie]

I sometimes let my rabbits out to run in the chicken run and the only problem I have is my largest rabbit has dug her self a hole that is big enough for her to get in... now she is only allowed out under supervision... I know someone that keeps her 2 rabbits in a dog kennel(chain link kind) they placed bricks around the inside... their rabbbits stay in ... they have been in there for several years with no problems

 

[Chicky Joy]

I've never seen rabbits in with chickens but have considered what it would be like to do that with our animals. I decided against it because our rabbit can be very aggressive. She can be fierce. I also think she would dig out if she really wanted to. She is currently living in our chicken tractor as we don't have chicks at the moment. She loves it in there but will dig around if she feels like it. Mostly she makes sand piles.

 

[Feathered Wings]

Quote:
I had a rabbit in a cage and put 2 pigeons in the cage next to him i watched one day as he grabbed the pigeons feathers thru the wire pulling out a wing feather an start eating it and i had thought they were molting.

I have had rabbits and they can be aggressive and they will chew on anything that will stand still long enough

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

I had 5 rabbits in with my pheasants. They didn't hurt the birds,but they dug the place up. Seemed every time I went to feed there were new baby rabbits. I got over-run,so I sold out to keep my pen intact.My pheasants are happy again!

 

[Sespe Chicken]

My daughter had her rabbit in the run with 4 bantams and they didnt seem to bother each other to much except the rabbit would eat all the chicken food. The rabbit finally dug out and ran away.

 

[lavacaw]

Okay...I have tried it. The rabbits and chickens got along fine. The problem came when we decided to move the rabbits back to hutches. We went out to catch them (I have a huge run) and they ran into the burrows they had dug without our knowledge. We wound up digging the floor of the coop to force them back outside so we could catch them. The burrows were not deep, just very long tunnels. Neither species "attacked" the other nor had any diseases, parasites, etc. contracted from the other. This was a temporary thing and they were only together a couple of months. Not sure I would try it for a longer period...might have to dig to China to find the rabbits!

 

[BirdBrain]

I seem to remember seeing a Polyface Farm setup where the rabbits and chickens were housed together. The way I remember it the rabbits were in cages suspended from the ceiling along both sides of a long hoop building. The rabbits were well above the chickens and easy to deal with for humans...no stooping.

 

[fiddleblue]

Thanks so much for all your advice on this question! What I conclude from all your comments is that (1) rabbits tend to dig tunnels and can, if they choose, escape out of a run by digging out, and (2) rabbits are aggressive and may not always do it, but are CAPABLE of hurting the chickens. My conclusion is that I would not leave the rabbits loose in the run for any longer periods of time than I am able to sit and watch and observe and be there to stop any mean or attacking behavior or digging out. Probably the best thing is to have the rabbits in cages in the run, high enough up so that as one person noted the chickens cannot peck the rabbit's feet.
One person wanted to know where to get Californians or New Zealands, which are good meat rabbits. I had to make quite a few phone calls to locate a breeder near me, and the nearest breeder of Californians near me turned out to be not very close, but about 150 or 200 miles away. ( I live in Oakland, CA, and the breeder I found is up near Ft. Bragg). I looked on www.arba.net, the website of the american rabbit breeders association, and found that there was only one listed breeder of Californian rabbits in my entire state. There may be others who aren't listed but how to find them I don't know. Check that website or call your local 4-H club to find out about any upcoming rabbit shows in your area.

 

[goatcrazed6]

I had my bunny in with my chickens and there was no problem between them. The vet says coccidia is species specific so I am not sure that chickens can get it from rabbits and vice versa. Both the hens and bunny were adults when placed together. They were fenced in a 1/4 acre area. Now though, my bunny decided it was time for her to do her own thing and dug out, but she just hangs in the yard. Thank goodness the rest of the yard is fenced too!

 

[Ashmeade]

A friend of mine tried that and it worked out ok for a while but then one of the rabbits got his eye pecked out. I most definitely would not mix them.