Anybody ever put a rabbit in the tractor with the chicks? I am building a tractor... 3x3x3 foot box (several nests inside) with 3x3x5 run attached. Was wondering if I could introduce a young weened rabbit to 2 or 3 half grown chickens... would they fight? Is territory an issue? Should I get the rabbit first, then the chicks? Male or female rabbit?

Lots of questions here... thanks, Otter

-- otter (kitchen@eng.fsu.edu), February 13, 2002

Answers

My silkie chickens free range in my barn under the rabbit cages. Silkies dont roost. You dont want your rabbits exposed to chicken manure. I dont think it would work.

-- tracy (murfette@stargate.net), February 13, 2002.

Rabbits dig. Fast. You think the chickens in "Chicken Run" were escape artists? Try to deal with a rabbit on natural earth surface.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), February 13, 2002.

otter, as mentioned very ably above, rabbits are champion diggers, and hostile sometimes too. Also, chickens are prey to many internal and external parasites that you don't want your rabbit exposed to. You might check with your local extension service and get some handouts, they are free, we support them with our taxes, and get some idea of cross species contamination. Just a thought. LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), February 13, 2002.

They should get along, but its not "good health" for the rabbit to expose it to chickens- some diseases can be passed form chickens to rabbits. The rabbits wont dig too much if the tractor is moved to greener acres often. Of course, I am one to talk. The piglet is cohabitating with the ducklings quite well due to a shortage of heat lamps- they even sleep together. As expected, the ducks eat the pig food, the pig eats the duck food.

-- Kevin in NC (Vantravlrs@aol.com), February 13, 2002.

As stated above chickens are fabulous UNDER the rabbit cages, but chicken (or any bird) feces are harmful (even deadly) to your bunny budddy.

But the like the folks above me, my geese get penned with the goat and have noisy arguments about who eats what.

-- Novina in ND (homespun@stellarnet.com), February 14, 2002.

I didnt' have them as tightly confined as they would be in a tractor but I did keep a rabbit with my chickens for a time. It shared the same house, feeder, water and yard. Seemed to work out OK, none of them ever exhibited any sign of disease.

On real ground though they are powerful diggers just like the others said. Keeping a rabbit *in* a hen yard (or tractor) can be even more difficult than keeping dogs *out*. I eventually ended up trenching the entire fence line a foot deep, stapling poultry netting to the posts, lining the bottom of the trench with broken concrete then filling it in. The rabbit could no longer get out but it sure did show me what a rabbit warren was all about. For meat purposes this would probably produce a somewhat tougher, stronger tasting animal.

.........Alan.

-- Alan (athagan@atlantic.net), February 14, 2002.

Tracy, the Silkies will roost if it's not placed too high. 12-18 inches up from the ground, depending on the bird.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2222@hotmail.com), February 14, 2002.

Have you read any of Joel Salatin's books?

His son raises rabbits indoors in cages about waist high. On the floor of the building are chickens who scratch the droppings into the bedding on the floor. The bedding is later used as compost

His soon also raises rabbits outdoors in "tractors" the rabbits would dig under the pen's open bottom and escape so they use a wire "bottom " for the pen. If the wire bottom was attached to the "tractor" it would smash down the grass when moved and not be accessible to the rabbits. Salatin therefore lays down the "bottom" screen covering a large area of ground and allows the grass to grow up through the screen. He moves the upper parts of the tractor conventionally over top of the screened area daily.

See attached link for a few details of that.

http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/familyfriendly_jun00.pdf

As far as the chickens and rabits being in the same pen without separation I have no answers for you

Thanks

Ed

-- Edward T Kuchtjak (ekuchtjak@capitalcontrols.com), February 14, 2002.