Idaho?

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

I'm from Southern Idaho. Raising new baby chicks I got this week and another batch will be here next week!

 

[Livia Ammon]

Eastern Idaho

 

[Sage_Grouser]

Any folks from Idaho here?

Kinda sorta. I used to keep chickens in the Treasure Valley, but I'm in the Moscow-Pullman area now.

 

[Bonnes Chick]

I'm from Southern Idaho. Raising new baby chicks I got this week and another batch will be here next week!

Hi! I'm from Southern today! Been raising chickens only since 2021. This year I got 6 new chicks from CAL Ranch and then decided to incubate and attempt to hatch some eggs.

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

Anyone here raise bunnies outside all year??

I have been thinking about getting one or two bunnies as pets, not meat or fur. They would live outside 24/7, 365 days a year (being indoor is not an option for me). One breed I've been thinking about is the Silver Fox; because I have heard that they are friendly and do well outside. Should I get males or females? Which breeds do you guys have/would recommend for friendliness and hardiness to the outdoors? I want to make sure I get a breed that would be comfortable living outside all year. I live in North Idaho (Coeur D'Alene area), so I get all 4 seasons here; winter is cold and snowy, spring is rainy, summer is hot. Additional to the breed is the living space. I know that they will need a large area, as bunnies are active animals, with lots of shade, a "coop" for sleeping, but what else? I have plenty of space with lots of grass for them to graze about in, I just have to make an enclosure for them. Can bunnies jump over walls? I have very rocky soil here, so will that discourage them from digging under to get out? I have 4ft fencing that I could easily make a very, very large enclosure for them, but I wouldn't want them escaping over or under it. Also, what do they eat? Do they need anything beyond hay and fresh water?

And this next one might be a no brainer, but bunnies can't live with chickens, can they? I have a run that my 9 hens live in, which is 301.438, plus another extension that they are allowed into daily, which is about the same size as the run. Having them live together would be nice, since I already have a tall walled run and I can make a bunny hutch under my raised coop.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Livia Ammon]

I keep rabbits outdoors, sort of. They’re out of the house but in a barn. In my experience, unless you are dealing with a very young or small rabbit, cold doesn’t kill them. Adult rabbits have nice fur that will keep them warm and safe. The very young babies don’t, so they can get chilled easily.

The summer is the dangerous season for them. Their thick will isn’t an advantage in the heat. In the hottest parts of the summer, be sure your rabbits are in the shade, have access to clean water, and, if necessary, you can put a frozen water bottle in with them to keep them cool.

Last summer, it got pretty hot, so I got a bunch of paper cups and froze water in them. Every morning, I would bring a frozen cup-cube out to them, and they stayed healthy.

For edibles, they NEED hay and fresh water. I don’t know if it would cause deficiencies to have only hay and water, so I’d look that up online. They probably need some sort of vitamins and minerals to keep them healthy.

I would recommend getting females, as they are less aggressive than males.

Rabbits would probably tunnel under the fence even in rocky soil, so I’d bury some wire or something to keep them in the area you want.

Rabbits don’t tend to jump very much, but it’s been recorded for rabbits to jump over 39 in, so keep that in mind. That was a trained rabbit, though, and I doubt that a normal rabbit would jump that high.