Is a rabbit a problem for a deep litter run?

[Sunnymommy]

We are new to chickens with 8 almost 3 week old chicks. Now designing our chicken coop and run but getting overwhelmed with trying to make sure we are making good choices that we will appreciate later without knowing what we are doing! If we have a 4'x8' coop in a covered, enclosed 8'x12' run with deep litter in both - would it be a problem to put the bunny hutch in there as well and let bunny out in the run, too?
Also, I am gathering that DE is bad in deep litter because it kills off the composting microorganisms and bugs, but PDZ (zeolites) is ok? Is that right?
Last question, if the coop is on the ground so as to have a dirt floor for the DL, the nesting boxes and roosts would be close to the ground then as well, right? The coops I have seen are raised off the ground a few feet...

 

[aart]

No reason to have DE or PDZ in deep litter.
Rabbit might dig out of run....hutch would probably be ok in run.

Doesn't matter if coop if on ground or raised, bottom of nests can be up 18" or so to maximize floor space, then roosts are best at least a foot above nests so less chance of birds roosting(sleeping) in nests. Tho 4' width in coop can make landing areas for jumping/flying off roost tricky.
4x8 coop for 8 birds might get crowded....
....as may 8x8 run(with on ground coop taking up 4x8).

 

[TalkALittle]

FYI, rabbits have a powerful kick and can do some serious damage, if not kill a chicken if they kick it just right.

 

[kitkat5505]

We have 2 rabbits and decided not to put them in the run. First off, they'd get covered in chicken poop, second they dig. We had to put chicken wire under our rabbit coop (under a few inches of dirt) because one had almost dug out. Rabbits naturally dig burrows. If we had them in there we'd have their coop up on stilts (though it would still end up covered in chicken poop because I'm sure they'd want to hop on top), but we'd need a bigger run, so they are separate.

 

[orchardflock]

We have a rabbit in our bantam yard. We spent sometime researching it, and decided the full sized chickens were a bad idea (given the size of our rabbit and the poops), and the yard had to be big enough for the bunny to have his own space. I'm guestimating our yard is 20' by 20.' We buried fencing down about a foot on all sides. If you have a male, it has to be neutered or he will probably try to mate with the chickens. He goes into the chicken house at night on his own and sleeps under their ramp. He'll also go up the ramp into their roosting area. The biggest problem we're having currently is him eating the chicken food. We're about to hang the chicken feeder up to try and keep him out of it. Corn is bad for bunnies.

Challenges aside, he is one extremely happy rabbit. Watching him frolic and play and jump and twist is delightful. And it is really cute when he snuggles up to the two old English game bantam hens for a nap. Yes, he's digging tunnels, and it clearly makes him delighted. It seems like a much better life than stuck in a small confined area. When we got him, he was going to be a house rabbit, but he was too destructive and fought with our other rabbit too much to let him roam inside. So we have one potty trained indoor house rabbit who acts like a half cat half golden retriever, and one outdoor rabbit who acts half chicken. They are both very happy now.

 

[Chickiemom25]

I keep my rabbits separate as I dont like them stepping in chicken poop

 

[Nikasha]

You might check out the hen cam blog for more on happy rabbit/chicken coexistence. She also had a bigger space than you are thinking of, though.