# rabbits and goats together?



## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

DH finally gave in and agreed to let me get goats. I'm going to convert the boat shed into a goat shed (it was a pig shed before I converted it to a boat shed).

Anyway, I was thinking that it would be big enough to put the rabbits in too. They would not share a pen, just the building. I could re-use most of the movable partitions I made for the current building. 

Do any of you know if there are problems with doing this?


----------



## mysticklobo (Feb 24, 2008)

Just make sure the goats can't get to the rabbit cages, as they will jump on them and crush them. I know from experience.


----------



## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

Goats will also see/smell the rabbit food or hay in the cages, and will smash them purposely by butting them to pieces. Also learned this from experience when my goats excaped into our fenced backyard, and instead of innocently browsing the back acreage they instead went for the easy pickin's in the rabbit cages. *sigh*. 

Obviously, you'll want to have a room separate for grain storage - with locking bins - because goats WILL get into your grain storage area at some point, and will eat themselves to death by gorging themselves on grain (or rabbit food). 

You sure you want to lower available square footage in your goat area by bringing rabbits into it? You'll need all the space for goats you can get... I mean, you may SAY you only want 2-3 goats, but that never lasts for long (I think I have 18 right now, 11 are bred does... ) Oh, and I was only allowed to have ONE goat at first... almost 11 years ago now.


----------



## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

sence you dont keep your rabbits in cages they wont have any of the problems listed above, as long as the partition wall is secure to keep the goats from eating the rabbits food they will be fine, no problems at all,


----------



## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

But... But... you'll have less space for goats. That IS a problem, because everyone needs MORE goats.  (can you tell I'm a goat person before a rabbit person? )


----------



## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

The shed I'm going to use is about 14x30. For the goats to get at the rabbits, they would have to get out of their pen, then into the rabbit pen. 

The goats will have a pasture, but we want a secure building we can close them in at night so they don't become coyote food.


----------



## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

Better use sturdy fence to divide the barn. Better to wall it off. Goats destroy almost all fencing, just a matter of time.


----------



## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

I would build it firm enough to keep the goats where they need to be. Though at least with the goats, I don't have to seal it up good enough to keep the cats out. 

This is what I've got for the rabbits right now. I didn't want anything to get into the rabbit pens.



















I won't want the goats to get where they don't belong. Since they can climb, it will be best to put the fence to the top with them too. 

BTW - this is the inside of the building I'm thinking of using. 










I had moved the center supports so the boat would fit in the middle. I think I'll move them back in for the side the goats will be on, and build smaller rabbit pens on the other side. There is about 3' from the wall to the supports. 

The auto waterer for the horses is right behind this shed, so it would be real easy to tap into that water line to run water to this shed. It's already got power. 

I'm not content with the way I have the rabbits now, and it seems like a lot of space for a few rabbits. Before I was getting more babies than I wanted, now I've got problems with does not conceiving. I think I may do best to have one pen with a buck/doe pair and one grow out pen. I have 3 cages that could be used if I need to seperate any animals.

Here is the shed from the outside.


----------



## mysticklobo (Feb 24, 2008)

Is the side you have the picture from where the goat pasture is going to be? The reason I ask is MOST goats don't like to get their feet wet, so would beat a path around that low spot when it is like that. So, I would work on filling it in, so that water doesn't pool there.


----------



## birdman1 (Oct 3, 2011)

I think you can make it work a goat stall and a protected area for the rabbits are you going to milk the goats? how about a milking stall .


----------



## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

the water is in the yard, the goats will be behind the shed. This was taken after a record rain fall, so more water than we'd normally see in this area. 

I'll be asking lots of questions on the goat board when spring hits and I can start making changes to the shed. Right now everything is in the Idea stage. I'm just not happy with my current rabbit setup. Maybe I'll never be happy - who knows. DH wants me to keep raising rabbits though, good source of protein if the economy went way south.


----------



## mysticklobo (Feb 24, 2008)

We are working on adding meat rabbits and meat goats to our farm. Already have fiber rabbits, fiber/milk goats here, along with hens for eggs.


----------



## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

DH and I had a talk about goats and rabbits this morning. Though he agreed it would be OK for me to expand, he still thinks it's not the best idea I've come up with. 

It's not that I need his permission, we are trying to use our resources to the best for the amount of time we'll be living here. On a dailly basis, money is not a big concern, but time is in very short supply. 

We are post kids and pre retirement, and do not live anywere near relatives, so it's unlikly we'd stay here after retirement. 

Oh well, it seemed like such a good idea . . .


----------



## mysticklobo (Feb 24, 2008)

In that case, I would put the money aside to buy a place where you want to settle. Maybe start looking NOW, that way you can find the perfect place to live. One thing to think about is taxes, state, city and PROPERTY. If we ever move again, we would move to a state without state income taxes, as that can take a bite out of our income.


----------



## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

We found the perfect place to settle, very affordable, I have a great job in my career (very hard to find rural - and why we moved here in the first place) I can work at home 2 days a week - plenty of work for DH in his field (construction). Decent land, available water, no state income taxes, low property taxes - very little government regulations. Winters aren't the best (this one is been very easy so far). 

The bad part is that our kids decided to move south and stay there. No grandkids in the picture yet though, but if they show up, we want to be around to be a part, since our children pretty much had absentee grandparents.


----------

