Getting my kits today!

[cattlecait]

Hey DianeS where did you buy your cages from??? Im looking to buy store bought ones and get rid of our hand made one. Thanks

Check out some rabbit shows, most have cage dealers there and the cages from them are much cheapter than at the feed store.

 

[Sama_Lama]

Finally got my coop done.
There is a bit of crowding and It takes some maneuvering to get around but the birds have an extra perch and more floor space and the bunnies have their cage space which is enough for them.
Yay!!

 

[Mitransplant]

Sama_Lama Love the coup and the rabbit. One question though. Is having the rabbits above the chickens a good idea? The reason I am asking is I am getting some rabbits in mid May and have been trying to figure out where to put them in the chicken house. Wont the rabbit poop be bad for the chickens to eat and possibly get in their food or water? Not trying to knock your set up I am just asking for my own reasons of finding out about the poop and pee from the rabbits.
That is a great idea to get them off the floor and out of the way (if you can reach them, I am only 5 foot) and they are right there so when you go to take care of the chickens you can feed and water the rabbits too. I see you used the bigger water bottles to. Smart thinking. Can't make out the feeders though. I was just going to get the little water bottles but might go for the gusto and get the bigger ones. You have a great idea here. THANKS for sharing.

 

[Sama_Lama]

I did a lot of research about having the hanging cages before venturing into bunnies since that was the only way I could have them. I found that many people will hang their bunnies over their chickens in a coop and that the bunny poo is just fine for chickens to eat. That was one of the great things, to have the chickens clean up after the bunnies (IF your chickens are helpful like that, mine are Not). I don't have my chicken feed or water under any bunny cages because I don't particularly want any issues with anyone making a "mess" in them. I did make a "urine guard" of sorts on my bunny cages. It is angled inward and (I hope!) will focus the urine away from my wall. I didn't put these on at first and the little buggers did make a grand mess of things.
Every once in a while the chickens will get pee'd on but in general they stay out of the way and they all get yard time together and generally get along.
It works well for the limited room I have now (living in the city) but if I had the room I would like to have a bunny coop and a chicken coop.

I live in the desert and I really wanted the big water bottles, in the summer I'm thinking I'll even need more than that and got the conversion kits for the 2 liter bottles. I personally think they are well worth the investment and bought them at Bass equipment with all my other stuff. I will be investing in a swamp cooler before we hit those horrible triple digits we are famous for.

 

[terri9630]

I would suggest putting a cover of some kind over the rabbit cages. The chickens will fly up there and end up pooping all over the rabbits. We had this problem and I put a thin piece of plywood on top of the rabbit cages to protect them. Chicken poo doesn't like to come out of rabbit fur.

 

[Sama_Lama]

I would suggest putting a cover of some kind over the rabbit cages. The chickens will fly up there and end up pooping all over the rabbits. We had this problem and I put a thin piece of plywood on top of the rabbit cages to protect them. Chicken poo doesn't like to come out of rabbit fur.

Thank you, I can imagine that poopy bunnies could be a gross mess! My cages are actually only about 6" from the ceiling and my fat birds could never fit Every once in a while the birds stay under the bunnies long enough to get pee'd on. I still haven't figured out how to give the chicken a bath.

 

[cattlecait]

I still haven't figured out how to give the chicken a bath.

And here is where 4-H knowledge kicks in.

How to wash a chicken:

1) Don appropriate swimwear. This will be wet.

2) Fill a 5-gallon bucket or medium sized Rubbermaid tub with warm, soapy water.

3) Fill a second bucket or tub with warm rinsing water.

4) Select chosen victim.

5) Snatch chosen victim and, holding wings semi-tightly, slowly submerge birdie in the soapy water up to her neck.

6) Scrub.

7) Remove chicken and submerge in rinsing water. Repeat if desired.

8) Put a towel over the bird and rub like you've never rubbed before (gently, of course)

9) TADA! Clean bird!

Note that if you don't have the tubs or buckets and are only doing one or two birds, the kitchen sink should suffice. Wash bird ala' dishes-style, skipping the dishwasher part. Although, this might be a wise choice if you plan on eating the bird afterward.

KIDDING! Please don't put the chicken in the dishwasher

 

[Bossroo]

Using the dishwasher sounds perfectly reasonable to me. The temperature would be just fine to loosen the feathers for easy plucking. Also, being so close to the sink for cleaning, then just a step or two and into the oven for roasting. Then a mere half dozen steps to grace the table as the centerpiece. It would be FRESH too with no worries of rigor mortis. Finger licking good !

 

[Sama_Lama]

When should I worry about aggression towards the other bunnies? Everyone has their own cage and are apart 90% of the time, however, as much as possible I let them run around the yard. The boys were starting to show interest in the girls so now they go out in 2 shifts (2 boys, then the 3 girls), but when should I start to be especially cautious about them showing aggression towards each other? The yard they run around in is large (almost 5,000 sqft) so it's not like they are in a small space together but I noticed today that the boys both hang out in the same general area. They are always supervised but I just wanted to be prepared for when I should expect it. I was assuming breeding age but not sure.

 

[terri9630]

When should I worry about aggression towards the other bunnies? Everyone has their own cage and are apart 90% of the time, however, as much as possible I let them run around the yard. The boys were starting to show interest in the girls so now they go out in 2 shifts (2 boys, then the 3 girls), but when should I start to be especially cautious about them showing aggression towards each other? The yard they run around in is large (almost 5,000 sqft) so it's not like they are in a small space together but I noticed today that the boys both hang out in the same general area. They are always supervised but I just wanted to be prepared for when I should expect it. I was assuming breeding age but not sure.

I don't know about bucks, since I've never let them out together, but the does get very territorial and will fight and you'll have fur everywhere. I don't let mine out together anymore and after the last fight the kids understand why. They said cleaning up bloody fur was no fun.