Special Precautions for Raising Rabbits and Chickens Together

Rabbits and chickens are common farm small stock. Many times people want to raise them together because they seem to enjoy the same conditions. Both require room to run during the daytime, but also need a secure space to sleep at night. It is possible to raise rabbits and chickens together, however there are risks and precautions to keep in mind.

  1. Disease Spread

    • Rabbits and chickens share many diseases in common. Because of this, it is a risk to keep them together. A disease contracted by one can easily spread to the other. It is important to keep their living space clean and free of droppings to decrease the risk of disease.

    Age

    • Rabbits and chickens who are raised together from a young age will usually do better than rabbits and chickens who are introduced to each other later in life. When they are raised together early, they become accustomed to each other and there is less risk of injury later.

    Injury

    • There is a possibility that rabbits and chickens will injure one another if kept together. Chickens might peck at the rabbit's eyes or ears. Rabbits are sometimes territorial and may attack chickens who get too close. Chickens also like to have their own roosting space at night, so they may attack a rabbit if it tries to share the chicken's space.

    Feeding

    • Rabbits and chickens eat different types of foods and require different nutrients. If they are raised together, it is possible that they will eat each other's food. This could be problematic if the rabbit eats too much chicken food, because rabbit food contains more protein than chicken food. If a rabbit eats mainly chicken food, it will not get the nutrients it needs to be healthy.