So a few weeks ago we brought Cloud and Harley home to the farm. There is a lot to know about bunnies, even though they look like the simplest and cuddliest of creatures. Harley is cuddly, Cloud would prefer not to be picked up , thank you very much. That’s actually typical rabbit behavior.. they can be very friendly, but most prefer not to be held.
I have been pimping the hutch a bit… it sits right next to the chicken coop and thanks to my son it also has it’s own fenced play yard. The chickens don’t quite know what to make of the bunnies yet, and as they get a little older I might let them mingle.
The bunnies, who are lop velveteen crosses, love to get out and make mad dashes around their yard, leaping for joy and nibbling at every.single.thing. That includes the wire fencing meant to hold them in. I’ve placed big and small rocks around their yard and they love jumping on them, sunning themselves, cleaning themselves too. Rabbits clean themselves just as you see a cat do it…adorable when they pull their ears down between their paws and wash their faces too. They are very curious.. inspecting and nibbling at everything in their reach. I placed two pots with honeysuckle vines in them, hoping they will crawl up the coop walls and create more shade next summer. They attrack hummingbirds too.
There are many lists on the internet regarding what is toxic to chickens and rabbits. The list is incredibly long and I don’t know that I trust it because all these plants are wild, as are birds and rabbits. According to “the lists”…There are few things I can place with the rabbits unless I want to put a spruce or fir in those pots. On some lists, honeysuckle is safe, on others, their berries aren’t great for the bunnies. I’ve decided I can move the pots if I see any signs of tummy trouble. We have rabbits in the fields and plenty of honeysuckle too.. I’m thinking it can’t be all that bad.
