Can rabbits and chickens live together, assuming each are shut up separately for the night?

When my friend moves in she's bringing two rabbits with her, for now they'll be indoors but by summer should be living outside permanently (just not enough room indoors long-term).  We were going to build an aviary and have them in the bottom and birds in the top (I'm taking on her dad's birds (budgies, kakarikis, cockatiels)), but on advice from others have decided against it due to rabbits apparently sometimes killing birds as they sleep or land.

I've decided that I want to get some chickens for eggs and meat; I have ample room down the end of the garden to fence off a nice big area for them to roam around in, but I am wondering if the rabbits could be allowed to roam with them?  At present they are living separately as they get a bit grumpy with each other but I'm hoping with loads of space (we're talking an area of roughly 20ft x 40-50ft) they'd be a bit better with each other (male and female, both neutered, btw).  I think it'd be a much nicer life for them if I could let them out with the chickens - much more space than they would have had in the aviary.

We were going to build an aviary and have them in the bottom and birds in the top

I can't answer your question Nikita as I've never kept birds, (hopefully an expert will be along soon) but never seen rabbits and birds together.

But from the above statement I don't think I would like to be the rabbits with birds above, think of the noise, the feathers and droppings, even with a shelf or built in cage above to segregate, if I were a rabbit it would drive me nuts. :-D

I've already decided not to keep them together - I'm asking if I can keep the rabbits safely with the chickens, whenever the enclosure for the chickens is set up and safe.  :-)

http://www.backyardchickens.com/

Try on here :-p

Chicken poo won't be very good for your rabbits.  Could pass on diseases.

I would be a bit worried about the chickens pecking the rabbits particularly on their eyes, but maybe they would be ok if they were allowed to get used to each other's sight and smell first, and the bunnies had somewhere to go to get away from the chooks (like a tunnel) and vice versa (like a perch). How many chickens and what sort are they?

I have seen a farm park in Pembrokeshire keep the two together so I guess it can be done.

No idea what type of chickens, I haven't got them yet!!

I expect there will be a mix of ex-battery hens for eggs, and a chosen breed for meat but no idea on the breed yet.  Still at the research stage.  Not sure on how many either TBH!  What I do know is that the egg-layers will be here first, then the meat birds probably the year after.

Hi, New to the board but have been reading for a week or so and thought i should join... anyway..

My friend had a rabbit that lived in an aviary along with a great number of cockatiels (sp?) and budgies. He lived a good long life and didnt seem to have any problems with his living arangements. He had loads fo room to run round and had a hutch in the corner where he slapt.

I know this doesnt compare much to living with chickens as my friends rabbit rarely met the birds face to face but as i said, he seemd to like it.

Hope that helps a little.

Welcome  K9Lovers  ;-)

Barry

Thank you very much :)

Hello and welcome.