Can Rabbits Be Raised With Chickens?

The following are the most important answers related to these questions:

Although rabbits and chickens are pets, it cannot be expected that they can adapt to each other quickly, and this means that they need some time, as all animals can form friendships with each other.

In the event that there is a possibility of accepting each other, it is better to raise them together when they are young. This is because the rabbit is exposed to chicken clicks if it is raised at a late age.

The rabbit adapts to the chickens under certain conditions.

Rabbits can live with chickens if a clean environment is provided. Because rabbits are cleaner than chickens, they will feel sad if they are surrounded by dirt, and it will pose a threat to their health.

Adequate space and privacy must be provided for both; They will feel confused if they feel restricted and not private, which makes it difficult for them to adapt.

Rabbits and chickens can be acclimatized together if they provide places to sleep for both. You may need to include a cage for the rabbit in the chicken coop in order for it to feel safe.

To be able to raise rabbits and chickens together requires raising two of each animal, you cannot raise one chicken and one rabbit as they will feel stressed and lonely.

If the relationship between rabbits and chickens begins to break down, separate the animals immediately to avoid aggression.

Pros of raising rabbits with chickens

Breeding these two pets provides many positives, the following are the most important:

Increasing the financial return of the owner of rabbits and chickens resulting from the production of chickens for eggs, and the breeding of rabbits.

Rabbit urine smells much less than it did before it was raised with chickens.

Raising rabbits with chickens reduces rodent infestations. Rabbits love to waste food, and waste pellets on the floor will inevitably attract rodents. Many chickens will devour rabbit food pellets on the floor, cleaning up every ounce of waste food they can find.

Many gardeners value rabbit manure because it is “cold” manure, as it can be applied directly to the garden without composting, moreover it is one of the most balanced types of compost, chicken manure on the other hand is very “hot” manure, as it has a high content of So much nitrogen that farmers who raise broiler chickens limit their passage to once a year even when there is plenty of nitrogen-loving grass in their pastures.

Save space because they have a lot in common.

Cons of raising rabbits with chickens

Despite the many positives of raising these two animals together, there are some negatives, including the following:

Mood swings : The rabbit is one of the beloved animals that is characterized by tolerance, but because of the rapid movement of the rabbits, it leads to the annoyance of the chickens.

Matters related to mating: Each of these two animals resort to their own matters in mating cases, and have special circumstances related to it, so this may confuse the reproduction process for each of them.

Hygiene : Hygiene rates vary greatly between rabbits and chickens, as the rabbit is a very clean and organized animal, while chicken is the complete opposite, and therefore this discrepancy will affect the living system between them.

Specifications of the barn that collects rabbits and chickens

The barn must have several features that are suitable for both rabbits and chickens, and the following are the most important:

Division : The numbers that both can accept must be divided. If the rabbit is small, for example, it has the ability to live with two or more chickens. As for chickens, it is never preferable to keep one chicken with a family of rabbits. Because they can’t stand like a rabbit and will feel exhausted, it is likely that at least two types of each animal will be kept in the barn.

Space : Both the rabbit and the chicken should be introduced to a common space in the barn, but a little spacing should be done every once in a while to avoid aggression.

The dangers of raising chickens with rabbits

This breeding causes several risks, as there are many diseases of rabbits that may be transmitted to chickens or vice versa, and the following is related to that:

Salmonella : It is a disease that affects chickens but does not show any symptoms, and this means that the chicken can transmit it to the rabbit without realizing it, yet the symptoms of the disease do not appear on all rabbits.

Coccidiosis : It is a disease that affects chickens and is a major source of concern. Because it occurs when the parasite sticks itself to the digestive system of the chicken, and it can transmit it to rabbits, and it may be fatal to both, and it can be transmitted by rabbits eating chicken feces, so if coccidiosis is detected early, the rabbit is likely to recover completely.

Pasteurellosis in rabbits : Known as snuff, it is a bacterial infection of the upper respiratory tract. Snuff is contagious among rabbits. Rabbits can be life threatening if they have a weakened immune system, and thus can be a serious concern for chickens as it can lead to avian cholera.

Things to consider when raising rabbits with chickens

Here are some things to consider when raising rabbits with chickens:

Put the chickens and rabbits on different sides of the coop, and let them feel each other from a distance.

Let them run freely together, they may ignore each other at first, but that doesn’t make them feel threatened.

The size of the barn must be suitable for the number of chickens and rabbits, and appropriate sanitary conditions must be taken into account for both.

Make the coop out of materials suitable for both rabbits and chickens so that the animals don’t hurt themselves, and avoid wire materials.