Can Rabbits and Chickens Live Together?

If you are looking for a complete guide on how you can keep rabbits and chicken together, then you are at the right place!

Rabbits and chickens Are very different from each other and differ in food, housing, mating, and a lot of different things, But yes you can keep them –

However, There are a few things you need to know before doing so. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of keeping these animals together, as well as some tips for making the arrangement work. So read on – your furry and feathered friends will thank you!

Is Keeping Chickens and Rabbits Together a Good Idea?

The first time I saw an image of bunnies and chickens together on the internet, I had to do a double take. How could these animals that are natively on opposite ends of the animal kingdom be living together so peacefully?

As it turns out, people all over the world keep these two species together in their homes as pets. The thought is that if they can get along with each other at home, why not let them live together outdoors; after all, both of these animals produce waste that is high in nitrogen content.

There are plenty of images online showing beautiful white rabbits frolicking among hens like sisters amongst best friends. But does this make sense for us backyard chicken owners who also want a bit of bunny cuteness in our lives? I have to say, this is a controversial topic.

The general belief among the chicken community is that it’s okay to keep both together because they’re such different species, rabbits and chickens naturally avoid each other if kept in close quarters.

“Chickens are gallinaceous birds, part of the pheasant family,” says Lee Payne, author of Chicken Tractor: The Permaculture Guide to Happy Hens and Healthy Soil . “They scratch and peck ground clean at night. This helps their coop stay tidy.” Chickens also eat plenty of bugs in addition to their feed throughout the day, which helps maintain a healthy yard.

Rabbits on the other hand, “are lagomorphs. They have a different biological makeup and eat nothing but plants,” Payne says. “They produce a lot of manure high in nitrogen, which can be a problem if it isn’t well-managed.”

What Are The Advantages of Chickens and Rabbits Living Together?

Fertilizers

One of the main benefits of keeping rabbits and chickens together is that, if managed properly, both animals can produce lots of healthy fertilizer. This helps maintain a garden and also makes for healthier plants and grass than if chemical fertilizers were used alone.

Security

When kept with chickens, rabbits typically will not be harmed by predators because the hens will protect them. A chicken coop can provide shelter from weather as well during wintertime for outdoor rabbits to escape to when they need refuge from wind or rain (although small-eared breeds like Netherland Dwarfs tend to fare better in colder climates).

Food Costs

If you live on a homestead where multiple animals are allowed, it can help keep costs down on feed since rabbits eat more plants and grains than chickens (although they do need extra protein to maintain their lean physique) and chickens eat bugs, too. Having these animals together can reduce your dependence on store-bought feed for either species.

Temperatures

Since chickens are gallinaceous birds, they are also able to withstand higher temperatures than rabbits. If your area is hotter or if you live in a climate without cold winters, chickens can provide some relief from the heat for their long-eared friends during warmer months.

Save Space and Give Company to One Another

Chickens and rabbits make compatible house pets because they like to be kept indoors . Rabbits adapt well to apartment life, so if you live in an urban center or don’t have room for both animals outdoors, this is another reason why having them together makes sense. Chickens also need company just like people do. If you’re not home during the day, it can be comforting for them to have another animal around.

What Are The Disadvantages of Chickens and Rabbits Living Together?

Keeping chickens and rabbits together doesn’t always work out as well as expected for many reasons.

Aggressiveness

Chickens are naturally more aggressive than gentle bunnies, so chickens tend to pick on the rabbits. The chicken’s pecking behavior damages the rabbit’s delicate skin, leading to infection or open sores that never heal properly because of all of the bacteria in a typical chicken coop environment. Rabbits also tend to smell less pleasant than chickens – something you may not notice until these two animals live side by side for a while

Diseases

Aggressiveness aside, chickens and rabbits also carry different diseases. The average chicken coop is full of bacteria that can cause disease in household pets like rabbits. Rabbits are not at high risk for catching diseases from chickens, but if they did get ill, it would be much harder to treat them because their delicate digestive systems cannot handle all of the same medications that a chicken’s could.

Food

can rabbits and chickens eat the same food? answer is that The two species also have very specific nutritional needs. Chickens need more protein than bunnies do in order to produce eggs on a daily basis, so this nutrient should be supplemented heavily when keeping both together.

Birds are often carriers of salmonella , which makes many people wary of letting them roam too freely around other livestock or pets. For this reason, chickens are often kept in their own special coop.

Chickens may also steal all of the food out of a bunny’s bowl, so it’s best to feed these two species in separate areas to avoid conflict.

Space

When you have both rabbits and chickens living together under one roof, their housing needs will vary wildly. Chickens need much more space even when they’re confined indoors because they’re birds that require constant access to fresh air. Rabbits on the other hand are comfortable with less indoor space because they don’t move around as much during the day or night.

Rabbits can be territorial, so they may need a bit more room to roam around at night when chickens are sleeping.

In general, rabbits should have a good-sized hutch from the get-go so that their living space doesn’t become too cramped after several months. On the other hand, you can start with two chickens in one coop and up the number to five or six if you’d like because chickens need less space.

Cleanliness

Keeping your chickens and rabbits clean is also a tough task, especially if you don’t have any extra room to dedicate to housing for these animals. The average chicken coop will need to be cleaned at least once per week because it’s just not very sanitary for pet bunnies. Young kids should definitely avoid playing in the same area where the coop is located because they’re more susceptible to bacteria that can cause illness or disease that would be much harder to treat than the flu or a common cold.

Digging

Unfortunately, rabbits aren’t fond of being kept in a chicken coop. They’re naturally very active creatures who enjoy digging and exploring, so they need at least enough space to hop around without getting caught on something.

Laying chickens are less likely to dig or get themselves stuck because they spend most of their time sleeping during the day when the sun is up. The problem with laying chickens is that these animals can become territorial even if you introduce them properly from the start. This means that they may attack rabbits each night while everyone sleeps if there isn’t much room for them to spread out in their own separate living quarters.

Size of a Rabbit and Chicken Coop Combo

If you’re looking for a chicken-rabbit combo coop and run, then you should go with a minimum of 250 square feet for the coop and 100 square feet for the run. This size allows chickens to roam around wherever they please during the day while leaving enough space in one area for rabbits to doze off at night. Once again, this means that if there are six bunnies living together, they’ll need at least twelve square feet of space and four square feet for the chickens to sleep every night.

If you live in an apartment, then it can be difficult for rabbits and chickens alikeThe size of a chicken coop that can house both rabbits and chickens is only about 1,000 square feet. In contrast, a good-sized rabbit hutch should be roughly eight square feet in size for one bunny to live comfortably. This means that if you’re keeping six bunnies together in the same space, their living quarters won’t last long before they all start getting on each other’s nerves.

Ideally for chickens, the size of a coop would be at least 30 square feet with a run that’s around 100 square feet in total. The more space chickens have to roam around during the day, the less territorial they’ll become when night comes around and everyone wants to sleep close together.

Rabbits on the other hand should be kept in a hutch that’s at least eight square feet and their own run that’s about 50 feet in total. This means that if you’re housing both rabbits and chickens together, there should at least be four square feet of space for the bunnies to hop around and plenty of room for the chickens to spread out during the day as well. Here are a few other things to keep in mind:

Breeding

To simplify things even further, it’s best to take breeding out of the equation completely when you have so many other variables involved such as space and overall coop size. Rabbits can become territorial during mating season which is very uncomfortable not only for them but also your chickens. On the flip side, laying hens may try to steal fertilized eggs from a separate nesting box if you’re housing the rabbits with the laying chickens.

Social Structure of Chickens and Rabbits

Chickens are very social creatures that live together in flocks. They take comfort in living alongside other birds instead of being isolated, especially if they were born into a flock or introduced to one at an early age. On the other hand, rabbits can be more territorial than chickens because they sleep during the day so they feel safe enough to leave their hutch for short periods of time when everyone is sleeping. If you introduce them properly from the start, rabbits can coexist peacefully with chickens but only if there’s plenty of space for both animals throughout their lives.

What is a Rabbit and Chicken Coop Combo Made from?

For a rabbit-chicken coop combo, building with plastic doesn’t cost as much as you would think. In fact, it can even save you some money because you won’t have to build a wooden frame from scratch or put up fencing for the chickens. The best material for making a chicken-rabbit combo coop is with weatherproofed plastic that’s UV resistant and very durable.

Ideal Ratio of Rabbits And Chickens Living Together

As long as you have plenty of space for both animals throughout their lives, you should be able to house rabbits and chickens together. If any one animal seems uncomfortable due to lack of space, simply separate them so everyone can coexist peacefully.

Make sure to put the chicken coop right next to the rabbit hutch with a wire fence between them that’s four feet high or taller. This type of fencing is usually referred to as poultry netting since it’s very durable and easy to clean compared to other types of fencing. The best thing about poultry netting is that it doesn’t cost all that much if you buy in bulk which leaves more money left over for other materials like hardware cloth for your rabbit hutch instead of regular wood planks.

If you buy plastic instead, make sure to use wire fencing between the two coops so the rabbits don’t chew through the plastic walls and injure themselves. It’s also very important to place durable ramps between both areas for better joint safety. If possible, it’s always best to have an outdoor rabbit hutch so your bunnies can get plenty of natural sunlight throughout the day.

In conclusion, housing a chicken-rabbit combo is very possible as long as you take extra care with ensuring everyone has enough room to live without being too cramped or uncomfortable from one another.

How to Introduce Rabbits and Chickens?

The first thing to do is to make sure that your chickens and rabbits are already comfortable with living together.

If they’ve been used to housing together for a few weeks or months, then you can find ways of introducing them even more closely. By carefully doing this, there may be an increased chance of both animals getting along better than if their relationship was forced upon them suddenly.

A trick: put food bowls near each other but not quite touching and see how the animals react. If their bodies relax over time and they don’t show any signs of aggression towards one another, then it’s safe to say that they’re okay with one another’s presence.

As an owner, always keep in mind that some bunnies will never get used to having chickens close by, especially if they’re prey animals. This is more or less true of other small animals too even though it’s not as common. If you do decide to try and introduce rabbits to chickens, always remember to be cautious because one wrong move can cause injury or death on either side.

Are My Rabbits and Chickens Getting Along?

You should always stay alert and look for signs of trouble. If rabbits and chickens are cohabiting together, you’ll want to make sure they’re not fighting with one another—especially if you plan on keeping them in the same pen. Some signs to look for include:

• lots of feathers near the rabbit’s pen or a dead chicken in your rabbit’s area. It goes without saying that if you see blood in either pen, the animals are most likely fighting with each other.
• Scratching and biting is common when animals don’t like each other.
• Hissing, growling and squawking is a sure sign that they cannot live together.
• If you hear this type of behavior, separate them immediately and seek advice from an animal expert if necessary.

Rabbits can also suffer from stress related heart problems. They may even stop producing droppings if they feel threatened or ill at ease around chickens. This only makes things worse because rabbit poop is essential for proper chicken coop sanitation . It’s important to monitor the situation closely so no one gets hurt in the process.

How To Keep Rabbits And Chickens From Fighting?

To keep rabbits and chickens from fighting, you should keep them separated at all times. It’s best if their coops are close together but not touching. Lines of communication between the two groups can be formed with small barriers like chicken wire or bird netting.

Make sure that chickens do not go into the rabbit cage and rabbits do not venture into the chicken area. This is more than simply keeping an eye on them while they’re outside in their cages. Chickens love to play in dirt and dig up areas where rabbits rest, for example so it’s very important to watch what goes on between both of them when they’re inside too if possible.

Rabbits love laying down in their bedding after a long day. Chickens, on the other hand, love to peck at bedding and dirt in search of bugs and worms or anything else that food. If rabbits feel threatened in their area they will kick up a fuss and disturb all of your chickens even in their coop.

It’s worth noting that you should only separate the animals when they want to be together. If either group has babies or is broody, you should provide livestock guardian dogs or keep them next to each other so everyone can grow up together.

Do Rabbits and Chickens Share Diseases?

Rabbits and chickens are both prey animals, which means they have to watch their backs around a number of predators. That being said, there’s also a fair chance that they can catch diseases from one another due to the close contact they share during playtime or at feeding time.

Some diseases transmitted between rabbits and chickens include: Myxomatosis , a viral disease passed on through Salmonella bacteria. This will usually cause blindness and swelling from the infection in order to prevent it from killing them off too quickly. Pasteurella Multocida . It causes snuffles in small mammals—a respiratory condition that results in eye discharge as well as sneezing and coughing. Encephalomyelitis is similar to rabies and is known to cause paralysis and even death if left untreated.

Can Rabbits Give Chickens Diseases?

Pasteurellosis, otherwise known as snuffles, is a disease that can be passed onto chickens from rabbits. The main symptom of this disorder is nasal discharge which results in the loss of smell and taste, eventually leading to weight loss because they cannot find food themselves.

This disease can also lead to eye infections if not properly dealt with so you should consult an experienced poultry veterinarian for more information on how to look after your animals or what medication you need to use to treat them.

Myxomatosis is another illness commonly found in small mammals like bunnies but it can also affect chickens. This particular disease causes blindness and swelling around the face due to infection which prevents other diseases from causing death first. Vaccinations are available for both types of animals but none are 100% effective.

Catching diseases isn’t always a bad thing though. The Salmonella bacteria rabbits carry can help treat chicken illnesses like Encephalomalacia which causes paralysis and other serious problems if left untreated for too long. Just remember that contact between both groups should only happen when necessary so their environments remain relatively sanitary at all times even when they get sick

Can rabbits get coccidiosis from chickens?

coccidiosis is a disease that rabbits can catch from chickens. It’s a common disease and isn’t usually fatal unless the rabbit has other problems already. If you raise your rabbits within sight of your chickens, they will be exposed to coccidia through the air or through direct contact with feces from infected birds.

Rabbits can also get it by ingesting feed or water contaminated by droppings from infected chickens. Coccidiosis only affects the intestinal tract which means rabbits may not show any signs of sickness until their immune system is too weak to fight off the infection.

It takes about 2 weeks after exposure for cecal worms to develop into adults that cause illness in your rabbit. The most prevalent sign of this condition is soft stools or diarrhea .

Without treatment, your rabbit may die from the disease. Worms and other parasites in its body will also be passed onto any young rabbits or to future litters if the doe is nursing.

Symptoms include:

Diarrhea Loss of appetite General weakness Severe weight loss Lethargy Excessive mucus in stool (especially for kittens) Diarreaha with blood in it Difficulty breathing Huddling and shivering Sunken eyes Abdominal pain Swollen belly due to fluid retention (which can become very severe) Death

Your vet will perform a fecal float test to check if coccidiosis is present in your pet. This involves placing a small amount of feces on a slide along with some saline solution before putting it under a microscope.

The treatment usually involves giving your pet antibiotics and other medications to control and treat the symptoms of coccidiosis. Keep in mind that there is no cure for this condition so you will need to keep treating the symptoms until the illness passes away on its own.

Will rabbits kill chickens?

Rabbits and chickens can live together in peace if you take the necessary precautions to protect your flock from harm. Rabbits will not kill chickens unless they are cornered or protecting their young.

Surprisingly, chickens can get along with rabbits and guinea pigs just fine because they don’t respond to their predatory instincts. The only thing you should worry about is if your chicken eats too much of their cecotropes (a type of feces) which contains essential nutrients to help them grow and stay healthy.

My Experience with Keeping Chickens and Rabbits Together

I had my first experience with keeping chickens and bunnies together when I received two orphaned baby bunnies (thanks to my neighbor who found their nest out in his yard cut down by landscapers). At first, I tried integrating them as quickly as possible, but I didn’t anticipate how territorial the chickens were going to be towards the bunnies. Although it took a few weeks for me to realize what was going on, both of my baby bunnies ended up dead after about six or seven weeks because they couldn’t compete with five adult laying hens.

Afterwards, I decided to give this experiment another try by using two very young bunnies who still hadn’t grown out of their bunny-carrot-hating phase (bunnies are most vulnerable when they’re between three and four weeks old). They made it past that stage with flying colors and had lived together in harmony for over ten months before I moved them into separate hutches. Even though I’d lost a bunny in the past, I didn’t want to risk taking any chances with these two. Unfortunately, the bunnies started getting along so well that they both went into heat at the same time and were constantly mating. The roosters sensed their young hormones and would constantly flap over during the day to watch them mate – it’s just how roosters are wired.

I decided that it would be best to separate them after observing this behavior for about three days straight (their fourth day was when we moved). Once we got our second chance attempt at housing these rabbits together, we found that they could live in harmony until one of them died from old age. Now that they’re older and more mature, Its not that difficult.