[knightquest]

We sell rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters in our shop. In an effort to recycle, we intend to put the stuff that we collect when we clean the animals out into the chicken run. This will include shavings, hay, poo and bits of left over food from each type of animal.

Will this be ok?

Following on from that, could we keep rabbits and/or guinea pigs in with the chickens?

Thanks in advance,
Ian

[doganjo]

Don't they eat different foods?  I think rabbits etc and chickens would eat each others food, but if that's OK then I suppose it would be alright to have them together, but why do you want to do that?

[Jackie]

Wont the chickens peck and draw blood with the rabbits?

[jameslindsay]

Wont the chickens peck and draw blood with the rabbits?

I have had 3 rabbits share a paddock with the hens (only 1 rabbit left now) and never had any fighting or trouble but that is in a large piece of ground and not in a cage. Not sure of the recycling idea is a good one though! Perhaps it is only us humans that struggles to live with someone "different"?

[knightquest]

I just wondered whether they could co exist. The area isn't small as in a cage but it isn't a smallholding either. I probably wouldn't do it to be honest.
The main point was to see whether the chooks would be ok to scratch around in the sawdust etc. We produce about two big dog food bags full every week.

Ian

[doganjo]

I think I'd be a bit worried about cross infection.

[jacob and Georgina]

i would suggest that if it is to dirty for the rabbits and guinne pigs to use then it would be too dirty for the hens aswell??

[meebh]

Hi We have a rabbit who lives in with the hens and it works really well as the rabbit digs tunnels overnight and the hens dust bath in it in the morning!!  They eat each others food too as the rabbit loves the treadle feeder.  The only reason we have for thinking about changing their living arrangements is the rabbit keeps going in the nest boxes and eating the straw and they hens she lives with are coming in to lay and we don't want her kicking eggs out to get the straw.  As for used bedding from a pet shop, I too would worry about cross infection from other animals.   

[knightquest]

I hadn't thought about cross infection so won't do it.

What we do at the moment is take out the wet soiled stuff and compost it. The rest of the stuff may have a few droppings in but not many. We change the bedding at least every other day, often more as we want to keep the cages as clean as possible. Nothing worse than a pet shop that smells of dirty animals 

Thanks for your input,

Ian