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runningtrails_gw

Housing together

runningtrails
16 years ago

I have two large chicken houses with a secure run to which they both go. I'd like to fill one house with chickens and also have a few ducks and rabbits. I'm thinking about dividing the second house into sections with chicken wire. Keeping the mother hen with chicks in one section in the summer only, the rabbit cages in one section and the 2-3 ducks loose in another section. Each with their own water and feed containers. In the winter there will only be the ducks and rabbits in that house. Does anyone see a problem with this?

If I only have one male rabbit and the rest does, do they have to have separate cages? Can they be kept loose in a penned area? It would be a lot easier to feed and water them from one source that way.

Can all of the adult animals be let loose in the run together - ducks, chickens and rabbits during the daytime?

I also want to get a couple of milk goats for the back pasture that has a small shed for them. Can I perhaps keep the rabbits with the goats? Can they be let out together in the pasture? Can the ducks be allowed to range, only during the day, in the pasture with the goats? I want to keep as many of them together in the same space as possible for easier and safer management.

Will the goats protect the fenced pasture from preditors?

Comments (3)

  • beeliz
    16 years ago

    with my experience I would keep the buck seperate from all the does,,there will be fighting..except when you know who you want to breed you can put them in a seperate breeding cage/run. Other than that you would be better to keep the buck beside them but seperated if you can.
    my hens and ducks were ok together as long as they had plenty of space to roam around,,if they're too confined you may get fighting there as well. My 2 goats are in a paddock during the day with the others during the day,but I do find it sometimes dangerous when they get an urge to run,buck and play around all frisky! The hens try to get out of their way,but this year I'm making a seperate run only for the chickens. Rabbits seem to become ill easier when they live in with chickens ,,,I've always kept rabbits in hutches with runs but not in with the ducks or hens anymore,,,as I found that they would pick up bacterial infections easier.

  • buckeye_brian
    16 years ago

    Goats will not be good watch dogs. They are on the "prefered menu" list of every predator.

    Some people will let chickens free range inside their rabbit barn to clean up any rabbit pellets / food the rabbits waste. This isn't necessarily bad...but it can be. For instance...rabbits carry coccidia. They will not give it the chickens...it does not cross that way. But the chickens can give it to the rabbits. When the chickens are scratching through the rabbit poo on the ground, they could get it on their feet. At night when the chickens fly up onto the rabbit cages to roost...the poo / bacteria fall back down on the rabbits...hence potentially infecting the rabbits making them sick!

    I agree with beeliz...keep as many animals separate as possible. You do not have to get fanatical about it. We have free range chickens that scratch and feed in the goat pasture. I even have a couple that will not go into the coop at night...they roost in the barn over top the goats. Just make sure you keep the goat feed troughs and water buckets cleaned out.

    Keeping doe & buck rabbits together is a bad idea no matter how you try to justify it. If they do get along for a time period...when the doe has her kits...the buck will kill them. Another doe will kill them as well. Rabbits are very territorial. They need to be housed in separate pens...period. Very rarely does it work in a community pen. When it does...they need to be in a large area like a chicken run. This way each rabbit can have their own little corner of the run as "their territory."

    Hope this helps...

    Brian

  • runningtrails
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Good info. Thanks. I guess I'll keep the rabbits in separate cages, in their own area of the housing, someplace secluded.

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