Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 12:12 pm Post subject: Rabbits and Chickens?
Do rabbits and chickens do alright in the same pen?
I have heard that a diet of rabbit can be bad because they have very little nutritional value, is this true?
How about the nutritional value of chickens?
If we were to live solely off rabbit meat, chicken meat, some fish meat, and homegrown veggies and fruits, would we have problems with malnutrition or anything?
I'm sure I could locate someone locally that sells red meat, but the goal is self sufficiency as much as possible. _________________ Tired of high gas prices? Then stop driving to work, duh..... Learn to Work from home
Joined: Jun 03, 2008 Posts: 127 Location: Terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought
Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 12:42 pm Post subject: Re: Rabbits and Chickens?
burtonridr wrote:
Do rabbits and chickens do alright in the same pen?
I have heard that a diet of rabbit can be bad because they have very little nutritional value, is this true?
How about the nutritional value of chickens?
If we were to live solely off rabbit meat, chicken meat, some fish meat, and homegrown veggies and fruits, would we have problems with malnutrition or anything?
I'm sure I could locate someone locally that sells red meat, but the goal is self sufficiency as much as possible.
The only problem I have heard with a rabbit diet, is that the meat is so lean, that you die from lack of fatty acids. But, I think that is wild rabbit. Pen kept should have plenty of fat, as would fish. If you are concerned about nutrition, multivitamins are cheap in bulk. Vacuum seal and store with desicant.
Joined: Oct 16, 2004 Posts: 1425 Location: Appalachian Foothills of Virginia
Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:29 pm Post subject: Re: Rabbits and Chickens?
burtonridr wrote:
Do rabbits and chickens do alright in the same pen?
Yes, and this subject has been covered in the chicken and rabbit threads.
burtonridr wrote:
I have heard that a diet of rabbit can be bad because they have very little nutritional value, is this true?
How about the nutritional value of chickens?
If we were to live solely off rabbit meat, chicken meat, some fish meat, and homegrown veggies and fruits, would we have problems with malnutrition or anything?
Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 2:27 pm Post subject: Re: Rabbits and Chickens?
My rabbits and chickens do run together. We've never had a problem. Though I should say, I do have about 2 1/2 acres fenced for them all to free-range. The perimeter of the acreage is fenced in 2x4 wire. It's a big enough area that nobody ever has a desire to escape. When we used to keep the chickens and rabbits in a "run," the rabbits always wanted to dig out. So if that's your plan, you'll need to bury wire around the edge of the pen.
As for not having enough fat, I'm pretty sure that applies to wild rabbits. My rabbits, who not only get their pellets, but also help clean up scrap veggies and love chicken food as well, have fat rolls - double chins I don't think we'd have to worry about getting enough fatty acids from them .
And, yes, this has been discussed some in the poultry thread if you want to search Hope this helps.
Kathy
Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 2:59 pm Post subject: Re: Rabbits and Chickens?
To continue the tangent for a moment...
I would think that a constant diet of anything would affect one's mental state as well. I'd go crazy eating the same thing everyday . So, plan for alternatives. We have chicken (which also provides the protein of eggs), rabbits, goat (chevon), fish, venison, and will be adding pigs and beef (or trading with neighbors for those) in the future. Small animals can be effectively raised on small acreage. Just think how a diet of rabbit would get old everyday and add a few other small critters.
Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 3:03 pm Post subject: Re: Rabbits and Chickens?
One other thing....
How far down should I bury fence to keep them in a run? _________________ Tired of high gas prices? Then stop driving to work, duh..... Learn to Work from home
Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 8:13 pm Post subject: Re: Rabbits and Chickens?
burton,
What I did was get a 2 ft. tall piece of wire fencing (hardwire? 1/2 x 1 inch squares - though I imagine 1 inch chicken wire would work as well). I tacked it to the bottom board of the chicken run and laid it flat. Like so...
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Then I buried it laying flat. It kept the rabbits from being able to dig close to the edges of the run. They did still dig tunnels under the chicken house, but never far enough in to escape out the back. I never worried about the burrows, because the rabbits used them to cool off in the heat of the day and to escape from the chickens when they were driving them buggy.
As for pregnant does, they'll have babies in the burrows they dig. By the time the babies are big enough to venture out, they should be too big for the chickens to bother. But, you could always cross fence off a part of the run to keep does and babies away from the chickens - or, as you said, separate them out when they're bred. Don't try to move babies after they're born, though. The mother will reject them.
Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 10:17 pm Post subject: Re: Rabbits and Chickens?
I didn't consider rabbits until now, because I think it is difficult to kill them, especially when you have kids. But I know that during WWII, everybody had rabbits and people still had rabbits back in the 60th 70th. They didn't run they were confined in small cages.
Our chicken run has approx 30 m˛ but it is bare as they eat nearly everything (except lemongrass), and we have 5 girls. But we would have enough weeds for the rabbits as well.
What do rabbits eat besides the weeds? We don't have sufficient carrots for rabbits.
Do you have children and how many rabbits do you have? I gues that eating your backyard rabbits is difficult for adults, but more difficult for kids as they want to handle them all the time.
Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 11:27 pm Post subject: Re: Rabbits and Chickens?
alokin wrote:
I didn't consider rabbits until now, because I think it is difficult to kill them, especially when you have kids. But I know that during WWII, everybody had rabbits and people still had rabbits back in the 60th 70th. They didn't run they were confined in small cages.
Our chicken run has approx 30 m˛ but it is bare as they eat nearly everything (except lemongrass), and we have 5 girls. But we would have enough weeds for the rabbits as well.
What do rabbits eat besides the weeds? We don't have sufficient carrots for rabbits.
Do you have children and how many rabbits do you have? I gues that eating your backyard rabbits is difficult for adults, but more difficult for kids as they want to handle them all the time.
It is important for the kids to know what the rabbits are for. I have two kids and we have been eating rabbit since the youngest was born (he is now 4). I think he has a harder time when we butcher our chickens. there is more blood and it just looks more violent. After you get proficient at breaking rabbit necks it is no big deal. I would rather butcher 100 rabbits than 20chickens.
I feed hay and a small grain ration (more to pregnat does and fryer rabbits). They also get a little bit of what ever weeds we pull and some kitchen waste. A favorite winter treat is the stems of apple trees that I prune. Oh, I also keep a small piece of mineral block in the with rabbits. There seems to be an age when the young fryer rabbits just love the stuff.
I keep my rabbits in cages suspended above the chicken run so all the feed the rabbits waste (and they do waste) then the chickens eat it up.
Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 2:22 am Post subject: Re: Rabbits and Chickens?
alokin wrote:
I must admit that we didn't eat our chickens until now.
I guess that I would not let the kids watch.
It is a philosophical question and one to which I would not say there is a "right answer." The bride and I have made the decision to, as appropriate, not hide the real world from our children... the hard part is trying to figure out what age is appropriate for what.
I did sit the oldest down and explained to him what would happen and it is how we get the chickens outside to be like the chicken that we eat. I then let him know he could stay inside or come out and watch. He was a little interested but after the first time seemed to loose interest. There is, I think, something to be said for not making it a big deal so they do not make a big deal out of it.
Of course he is only 4. If your kids are older, they are better positioned to decide for themselves what they will make a big deal
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Then stop driving to work, duh..... 
I don't think we'd have to worry about getting enough fatty acids from them 
