Coop/Run door that chickens don't like/won't use?

[whitenack]

Hey all, this is a weird question, but is there a door or opening that chickens don't like or won't use...but a rabbit/bunny would?

We are getting started with our backyard farming and would like to add rabbit farming to the mix. I like the idea of mixing the rabbits and chickens together (maybe making a "raken house") but I'd like for the birds and the bunny(ies) to have their own private areas where the other kind can't/won't go. For the chickens, it will be easy...just elevate it so they can fly/jump. Plus, I don't think bunnies are that interested in invading chicken territories. But the chickens would/will go anywhere and everywhere.

I wondered if there were certain features that a chicken wouldn't like that a rabbit would. Could you build a long, dark tunnel that leads to the rabbit hutch? Or some really small opening that a chicken can't fit through?

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

I can't speak to how effective it would be to house them together, something in my gut tells me it'll just be easier to house them separately.

However, depending on the size of the chickens and the size of the rabbits, I do know my chickens generally don't go through smaller gaps, whereas the rabbits (pets) Ive had in the past would. A long dark tunnel might work, although it may depend chicken to chicken and rabbit to rabbit.

What makes you want to mix them by the way? :0 I'm just genuinely curious, I've settled on large hutches and enclosed grazing situations if I were to start farming rabbits, but never really thought of mixing them.

 

[whitenack]

I can't speak to how effective it would be to house them together, something in my gut tells me it'll just be easier to house them separately.

However, depending on the size of the chickens and the size of the rabbits, I do know my chickens generally don't go through smaller gaps, whereas the rabbits (pets) Ive had in the past would. A long dark tunnel might work, although it may depend chicken to chicken and rabbit to rabbit.

What makes you want to mix them by the way? :0 I'm just genuinely curious, I've settled on large hutches and enclosed grazing situations if I were to start farming rabbits, but never really thought of mixing them.

I don't know ...just brainstorming. Only having one run to set up, fence, protect, etc.. Figured that since I was already planning a decent sized run for the chickens, that adding one or two rabbits would allow them to share the space without taking up much more room.

 

[ScratchNbawk]

Some people do it, looks like there’s a range of opinions on it. I think you should be fine if you research it, hopefully someone with experience doing it will chime in.

 

[NatJ]

Um, I thought I had just one idea, and then my brain started churning out more, so this got rather long. Maybe one or another of them can help you

I've had rabbits, and I've had chickens, but never tried housing them together.

is there a door or opening that chickens don't like or won't use...but a rabbit/bunny would?...I wondered if there were certain features that a chicken wouldn't like that a rabbit would. Could you build a long, dark tunnel that leads to the rabbit hutch? Or some really small opening that a chicken can't fit through?

A tunnel might work, as long as the chickens don't decide to use it for a nest. I think chickens only like dark places for nesting, not for anything else while they are awake.

I think any door a rabbit could fit through would also let some chickens through, so just size probably won't be enough to keep chickens out.

Maybe a swinging flap like a dog door? I would think a rabbit could learn to use it more easily than a chicken could, and a bit of internet research appears to agree with that idea, but I have never actually used a dog door for anything but a dog.

Daylight makes a difference: chickens sleep at night, and go outside in the daytime. Rabbits are often active at night, and sometimes also in the daytime. Sometimes they prefer to hide in a tunnel or burrow during the day.

So night could be a chicken-free time for the rabbits, but I don't know if they would also need a getaway space during the day. It might be enough to build a bunch of ground level "nests" or "tunnels," and assume the rabbits can hide in some and chickens will lay eggs in others.

I like the idea of mixing the rabbits and chickens together (maybe making a "raken house") but I'd like for the birds and the bunny(ies) to have their own private areas where the other kind can't/won't go. For the chickens, it will be easy...just elevate it so they can fly/jump. Plus, I don't think bunnies are that interested in invading chicken territories. But the chickens would/will go anywhere and everywhere.

Chickens like to be up, and they like things well-lit. So maybe you could build a two story building. The top level would be for chickens, who could fly up to a perch, then walk through an opening to get in. That level would need plenty of light and ventilation, and of course roosts and nests. The lower level would be for the rabbits, accessed through a low opening, possibly with a swinging flap. It would need equally good ventilation, but probably not any glass windows or electric light. And both would have access to the same outdoor yard. You would want to put each kind of animal in their own space and shut them in for a week or so, so each group learns which "home" is for them, before letting them have access to the shared yard.

One other consideration is feed. Chickens won't eat a lot of rabbit food pellets, and they won't eat a lot of hay. The amount they do eat of those things will not hurt them.

But I would expect the rabbits to eat some chicken food, and I do not know if they would self-regulate or if they would eat so much chicken food that it causes problems. Problems could range from "dies of indigestion" to "minor nutrient deficiencies show up months later," and I have no idea which ones are how likely.

 

[MissE]

I wouldn't mix them together. Chicken poop can spread diseases to the rabbits, and rabbits can be territorial. They will get into each other's feed. What seems easy in the beginning can cause more work later. Best to keep rabbits separated from other livestock.