Rabbits and Chickens

[BuilderGal]

I don't know if this is going to be a really stupid question or not...
I am getting chickens in May. Along with the coop, I would like to build a portable run for them to access fresh grass and bugs.
I also have two rabbits. I would like them to be able to use the portable run sometimes as well. I was thinking of just alternating days, chickens one day, rabbits the next.
But, has anyone ever hear of chickens and rabbits getting along? Could I put them in together? Neither are really aggressive animals, but I know even "prey" animals can do damage when scared or threatened. We got the rabbits this summer as babies, so they are still pretty young. They'll be under a year old when we get the chicks. If I introduce them when they are about the same size, would it work?

 

[Mahonri]

The run would have to be huge. My chickens have anything and everything green eaten up and scratched up within one weeks time.

I don't suppose it would hurt to alternate time, but after the chickens have been in there, there will be nothing left for the rabbits but chicken poop.

 

[Judy]

People do house them together, or so I've read; some with no problems and some who've had problems. You might get mre information about this at our sister site Backyardherds, linked at the bottom of the page.

 

[BuilderGal]

Thanks!

If I did alternate them, I would probably move the run to a different spot so they didn't choke on chicken poop. We have a little over an acre, so we won't run out of fresh grass too quickly. I hope...

 

[clairabean]

I have housed them together in a permanant run for about 6 months. The bunny was a bit of a bully until the roo stepped up and dominated her. Bun would go in the pop door to the coop and hang out in a corner. She learned to drink from a chicken waterer and I fed her pellets twice a day. They got along great, actually.

The main problem was the rabbit digging. They dig and dig and dig. Every single day I had to go out and fill in a hole or a burrow. She still dug. Withen an hour she could dig out of the run, under the fence. I was preparing to enforce the fence area by burying fencing/metal to stop the digging when the egg stealing started. The rabbit would go in to the nests and take the eggs. It was stressing out the hens and annoyinge. Needless to say BunBun was rehomed.

Honestly I do not see a portable run working. Rabbits feel the need to dig and chew through any thin wire fencing.

 

[BuilderGal]

Thank you for the advice.

We've already had to deal with the bunnies digging out of their run. Went to go feed them one morning and found one outside their hutch. Thankfully, they are kept in a mostly enclosed area already, otherwise we might not have been able to catch it.
We stuck bricks over the hole, inside and outside, and haven't had any trouble since.