Rabbit-proofing the chicken-feeder

I have 5 'pet' laying chickens. They have a big run, and free range the garden most of the day. I have recently rescued a pet rabbit from a situation down the road, now he lives in with my chickens. Having been locked in a tiny (very) dirty hutch for probably 2 years, said rabbit now has a mansion to live in, ranges the run with my chickens, and the garden too. I didn't especially want a rabbit, but I felt incredibly sorry for her- and I'm pleasantly surprised at how cute and funny she is (she follows my cat round, its hilarious). Her living with the chickens isn't a perfect situation, but it is a lot better than she had.

Anyway, Rabbit Stu is fed rabbit pellets- a scoop a day. Chickens are fed layers pellets, I just leave a feeder out all the time for them. Occasionally Stu eats the chicken food- but the odd one won't do her any harm. However I need to worm the chickens- which is put into their feed and I suspect won't do the rabbit any good.

Ideas on how to keep rabbit out of the chicken feed, whilst still letting the chickens into it? An added complication- I have a really really old chicken with bumblefoot who can't jump very high....

I read the title and thought "Ha!  Good luck!".  Not in a terribly negative way, but in a bemused way, as I myself have yet to devise a system that can allow chickens to eat and keep rabbits out.  The best solution might be to temporarily pen or cage Stu and deworm the biddies.  Then let miss bunbun back out.  Might be the easiest path, versus trying to devise an elaborate system for a rabbit-proofed chicken feeder.

I'm very curious though if anyone else will chime in with a solution!

Do your chickens have perches to perch on at night? Hang their feeder over their perch. We do that as a standard practice to keep the rats out. I'll post a picture if needed. There are lots of ways to home-make a hanging feeder if your current system doesn't hang easily.

I hear that rabbits and chickens are usually separated. That's what I would do (with rabbits and quail someday).

Jay Angler wrote:Do your chickens have perches to perch on at night? Hang their feeder over their perch. We do that as a standard practice to keep the rats out. I'll post a picture if needed. There are lots of ways to home-make a hanging feeder if your current system doesn't hang easily.

I think the issue with that in this special case is that OP doesn't want bunny to eat any medicated feed, and chickens love kicking their feed out of the feeder.  So any feed that ended up on the ground is now rabbit fodder.  Otherwise that would be a very viable option!

would this work?

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.mypetchicken.com%2F2015%2F10%2F05%2Fdiy-no-waste-feeder%2F&psig=AOvVaw2MZF4ROy6oj0dEqM9tbU_a&ust=1587056132568000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAkQjhxqFwoTCPic7Pny6ugCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

Jen Fan wrote:

Jay Angler wrote:Do your chickens have perches to perch on at night? Hang their feeder over their perch. We do that as a standard practice to keep the rats out. I'll post a picture if needed. There are lots of ways to home-make a hanging feeder if your current system doesn't hang easily.

I think the issue with that in this special case is that OP doesn't want bunny to eat any medicated feed, and chickens love kicking their feed out of the feeder.  So any feed that ended up on the ground is now rabbit fodder.  Otherwise that would be a very viable option!

Good point! I've trained my chickens to pick up any spilled feed due to rats attracting mink. As a back-up, our shelters move and the Muscovy duck pick up anything that got missed, although medicated feed is usually poisonous for ducks also.

Vanessa- that's genius, and would completely work!

However, for now- I've realised it is nowhere near as complicated as I made it! Because I'm now home all day the chickens are out in the garden, with their feeder. And the rabbit stays in the run, without the chicken food! Wouldn't work if I was at work and it wasn't lockdown, but for now it is working fine!