Chickens have a pecking order too but nobody locks them in individual cages for their own protection they work it out and go about their business . I'm no expert but we raised meat rabbits fairly successfully for several years with very little drama. Your set up sounds great to me you obviously put a lot of thought into. I say give it a try but watch them carefully. You can always divided your pen up into individuals if there is a problem
Meat Rabbir Colony Plans
- Thread starter mikki717
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Bunnylady
Herd Master
Anybody that has had more than a few chickens for more than a few months most likely has had a bird pecked to death, or separated one out that was just inches away from it. As with rabbits, the issue is most often space (though chickens are naturally social by choice, and rabbits are more often social due to lack of choice). Rabbits get along until they don't; I've had does that lived peacefully with another doe for years suddenly start chewing their "buddies" up. It's awfully sweet to see two rabbits snuggling and grooming each other, so I understand the appeal of the colony, but you still need to pay attention in case things go south.
At one point or another every one of the animals we have on our farm has got into it with another animal of its species except maybe the sheep. The dogs the goats the chickens all of them even my wife's lovebirds occasionally fight. Rabbits are very social animals like I said ours got out at the beginning of summer but instead of scattering they all moved under our tool shed and come out every night and have a big bunny party together. Why do so many ppl insist you have to raise rabbits separately?
Bunnylady
Herd Master
Because every other species of rabbit is solitary in nature. Where they can, the European wild rabbit (the domestic rabbits' ancestors) tends to spread out; but when good habitat is limited, they can live in (rather uneasy) groups. There are no friends in wild rabbit colonies; there are dominant animals, and subordinates that spend a lot of energy just staying out of the way of the dominants. This kind of aggressiveness is normal for rabbits; a lot of people have seen domestic rabbits shred each other (even siblings and mother/daughter combinations) when there isn't plenty of room to get away from each other. Baby rabbits instinctively seek each other's company; their survival depends on it. This tendency is often lost when they become adults, as a need to establish their own territory asserts itself. A person who is breeding meat rabbits is often much more interested in a doe's mothering instincts and productivity rather than her friendliness; a truly alpha doe that would eat the face off another rabbit isn't a problem when housed alone. Likewise, a timid doe won't have to waste energy running away from other, more dominant animals, but can raise her family with a minimum of stress. As long as what you are dealing with are rabbits with more laid-back temperaments, you can keep them together, but even the House Rabbit Society has had a few that they had to house alone.
I agree with Bunnylady and then add that if one rabbit gets any bug , infection , ear mites, etc. then you can place a bet and win that those maladies will infest the rest in short order.Because every other species of rabbit is solitary in nature. Where they can, the European wild rabbit (the domestic rabbits' ancestors) tends to spread out; but when good habitat is limited, they can live in (rather uneasy) groups. There are no friends in wild rabbit colonies; there are dominant animals, and subordinates that spend a lot of energy just staying out of the way of the dominants. This kind of aggressiveness is normal for rabbits; a lot of people have seen domestic rabbits shred each other (even siblings and mother/daughter combinations) when there isn't plenty of room to get away from each other. Baby rabbits instinctively seek each other's company; their survival depends on it. This tendency is often lost when they become adults, as a need to establish their own territory asserts itself. A person who is breeding meat rabbits is often much more interested in a doe's mothering instincts and productivity rather than her friendliness; a truly alpha doe that would eat the face off another rabbit isn't a problem when housed alone. Likewise, a timid doe won't have to waste energy running away from other, more dominant animals, but can raise her family with a minimum of stress. As long as what you are dealing with are rabbits with more laid-back temperaments, you can keep them together, but even the House Rabbit Society has had a few that they had to house alone.
