# Chickens or quails in rabbit run and hutch?



## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

I was wondering if there is any kind of bird that would be ok to be kept at night in a 4 ft rabbit hutch which has a ramp down and sits on top of a 4x6 ft run.

During the day they would have a larger area to free range, just literally thinking somewhere to put them away overnight.

I would like small chickens, but any bird really as long as they could give some occasional eggs for the dogs.


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## Moony14 (Aug 20, 2011)

You can get some lovely breeds of bantam hen. My personal favourites are silkies, polish and wyandottes. They would fit nicely in there


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## Corn89 (Mar 15, 2013)

I would suggest Bantams, they are full of character.

We have a cockerel that is very defensive of his girls, and won't let you anywhere them lol


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## ljb107 (Nov 16, 2008)

You'd have no quail if you free ranged them haha.


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## corvid2e1 (Jan 21, 2007)

Most Bantams would be fine, Quail fly! They have to be kept in a secure aviary. Call Ducks may also be an option but you would have to consider the rest of the housing eg. a pond.


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## Dee_Williams (Aug 15, 2010)

that is quite a small housing really and you'd have to consider keeping them warm at night. 
A trio of silkies is likely to get cold as they have no insulating feathers.

Polish, wyandottes, pekins, dutch bantams, serama, belgians, possibly the smaller bred types of sussex/barnevelders/rhode island reds might do well. 

edited to add:
game birds! Bantam game are tough and hardy and good layers too.


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## Moony14 (Aug 20, 2011)

Most people recommend 4sqft of space per bird in the coop so in theory you have room for 6 birds but ofcourse it's up to you (I think 3/4 is more suitable). In regards to cold I found that having more chickens kept them warmer and never found the cold to be a problem, even with my ex-battery hens (obviously were acclimatised during the summer/fall). Oh I suggest you add a perch to the hutch if you haven't done so aleady!


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## julieszoo (Dec 22, 2012)

I wouldn't personally keep any large fowl permanently in something that size unless it was being isolated due to illness. I have barnevelders and legbars and they are active birds. A trio of bantams would probably be OK. Modern game bantams are pretty and quite teeny. Pekins or sabelpoots are other possibilities, although the former often go broody. The feather footed breeds are far less destructive of your lawns then the bare legged ones


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