Rabbit in Chicken Coop?

furrybollocks

Chirping
6 Years
May 26, 2015
85
1
94
Houston, Texas
My Holland Lop girl is a very spoiled outdoor rabbit with her own fan and constantly cycled frozen gallon water jugs since it's so hot here, but she definitely prefers to be out and about. She's found a new favorite spot under the outdoor stairs where the coop is, and since the the bottom is uneven and sandy, she's dug a hole for herself. It started out small and no big deal, but I came home yesterday and she was lying in her self made bed inside the coop. She doesn't bother the chickens and they don't bother her, but I did catch her eating their food once. Does them being together pose a health risk, or is it okay to let her chill out with them during the day? I'm in the center of a city, so rodents and predators are not a concern for the most part.
 
There are wild rabbits in my chicken pen and they thrive together. The rabbits leave the chickens alone and vice versa. I have read one account of someone saying that chickens can pick on a rabbit and peck it but I have not seen that happen here with the wild rabbits. There are even baby bunnies out there right now and they get along OK.

Of course the wild rabbits go right through the chicken pen fencing and come and go as they please. I never try to capture one.

As far as the food goes, I have no idea!
 
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If they all seem to be getting along, I don't see any issues with it. I would probably try to limit her with the chicken feed though. Rabbits have a very different digestive system and they should eat mostly hay and their own type of feed.
 
You want to keep her out of the chicken feed. Even if you are feeding an all- vegetable source type of chicken feed, the nutrient content of chicken feed is all wrong for a rabbit. At minimum, she can get very fat eating that stuff; worst case scenario is a major digestive upset.
 
I've only seen her nibbling very minimally at the food, and she grew bored of it very quickly. So far I don't think it's a problem, but I'll keep an eye out.
 

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