Rabbits, how many is too many?

[Lnk]

I live on 21 acres in East Tn. We run what I call a non-profit farm, (we don't make any money). We have goats and fowl. We also have about 12 acres of pasture and areas of wild "Rabbitat". Being rural, we figured having rabbits and other small critters, would prevent fox and coyote from trying to get our chickens and guineas, easy food instead of trying to get into the tractors. So far it seems to be working. We have Bobwhite quail, though the neighbors say, "no we don't":wink:. So my question is, how many rabbits is too many. At just before sunset, I can go out and see 6 or more of the bunnies in just about any direction. The chickens run by them in the morning when let out to free range. The goats watch them playing on the hill.

My question is there anything I need to be worried about? Should I lower their numbers? Remove habitat? Just don't want them to get out of hand.

Thanks for any and all advice.

Lnk

 

[Jstpssng]

They usually self regulate well, and the predator population will follow a little bit behind the same curve.

 

[Thomas]

If you have veggie garden might consider fencing it,other than that nature will take its coarse.

 

[Lnk]

They usually self regulate well, and the predator population will follow a little bit behind the same curve.

So will predators increase, and if that is the case, what happens when they think the population? Will they suddenly decide my fowl are next? Perhaps I should rethink this.

If you have veggie garden might consider fencing it,other than that nature will take its coarse.

Yup, garden is fenced, though they sometimes still get in. We grow plenty so don't mind sharing some. I think the guineas do a good job of warning the chickens. Only lost 1 to a hawk in the last 12 months.

 

[Jstpssng]

I have a healthy rabbit population here also, yet predators are opportunists, going after whatever is easiest. Last fall I lost a full grown turkey to coyotes at around 8:00 in the morning; I followed the tracks where they were hunting rabbits until they espied my turkeys hanging out in the road. Last week I lost my rooster and 4 hens to a fox, again in broad daylight. I had just chased her away from where my meat chickens were penned out next to the house; apparently she then went up to the field and went on a killing rampage.

 

[Diggin It]

At just before sunset, I can go out and see 6 or more of the bunnies in just about any direction.

6?

That's all?

 

[Lnk]

6?

That's all?

Within 50' of me, yes. More than most years.

 

[ericm979]

The first few years we lived here we'd see 15 or 20 rabbits from the house in the summer. My wife was constantly battling them in the garden. Then one of the neighbor's outdoor cats didn't like his new wife's dog. She moved over to our place and we adopted her. Her favorite food was rabbit. During the late spring and summer she'd eat one or two a day, until the few rabbits that were left were too big and wary to catch. After 9 years she was nearly killed by coyotes and we retired her to indoor duty. That was 10 years ago and the rabbit population still hasn't recovered.

The only thing that kept rabbits out of the garden was putting chicken wire along the bottom over the deer fencing and making sure any gaps at gates were blocked. They'll squeeze through small gaps.

 

[MossRoad]

Some years, especially after an easy winter, we have many rabbits. Then other years, like this past winter, we had really cold weather for really long, and not much snowfall to hide under. We have very few rabbits in our neighborhood this year.

It could also be that the crazy cat lady a few houses down has so many cats that they keep the rabbits in check. :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

We put rabbit fence around our garden..... it keeps the baby ones IN the garden! :laughing:

They squeeze through the smallest of gaps, eat like pigs, double in size in about 3-4 days, and are too fat to get out.

If I ate rabbits, squirrels and groundhogs, I'd do better than the few veggies I can get while battling the critters.