Well, we finally did it...

Today we dispatched Leia, Padme and Amy. It went pretty well, all in all. Leia really did not bother me, but Padme made me cry a bit. Amy was better. We used a high power .22 pellet rifle with Polymax Predator pellets.

They have a polymer tip for penetration but they behave like a hollowpoint bullet. It worked really well, one shot did the job and it was an instant lights out. There was a little bit of residual muscle twitching in the back legs, but the front legs and head were completely still, so I know they were dead. We hung them up on a tree with a black trash bag tacked to it to keep the bark off the meat. Leia and Padme had 4 and 3 kits respectively, about the size of a big gumball. Amy had 10...very sad. But, hopefully, we will get to keep one of the does from her litter and she will have inherited her mother's fertility and mothering skills. Amy's lungs looked bad, kind of dark red with white patches. The others were similar, but not as bad. They all had clean livers and otherwise healthy organs. We got quite a bit of meat, but we did not get a chance to weigh or take a picture. Now that we have done it, it doesn't seem so hard...but it WAS hard when you are attached *sigh*. On the bright side, I got my new cages from Bryants, two three hole cages, with 24 deep by 30 wide holes, plus feeders and rest boards. Cannot wait to get it hung up and filled with rabbits!

Sorry it was rough for you! I like to think it wont be hard for me to dispatch my first rabbits but I know it will be. Do you think naming them strengthened your bond with them? I named my breeders but I don't plan on naming the babies in the hopes it will make it easier.

It was our breeders that we dispatched today. They got pasteurella from another rabbit I bought at the feed store...(
I think that is what made it so hard...they all were really good moms for their first litters, all in the box, fed, clean, well taken care of. Just a shame, really. But, I am getting some new ones from J and R Rabbits in Cleveland, Texas next weekend. They will go in the new cages away from the bunnies, who are in isolation until butcher or snot blowing.

That was a tough call, but I think you did the right thing. The condition of the lungs would seem to indicate fairly serious illness, whether snuffles or another respiratory disease. Not what you want in your rabbitry at all. I hope that's the end of your bad "beginner's luck" and that it's clear sailing from here on. You've learned a lot in the hardest way possible and that experience, painful as it has been, will help you in the future.

Sorry you had to lose your does like that, but as Maggie said, this experience will be something you can learn from and build on.

I like the sound of that predator pellet. I"ll have to remember to ask Michael about using something like that.

I'm sorry you had to put down your does. Hopefully, that's the end of it.

I like that pellet, too, and I'll be showing it to Shay. We get a pretty good amount of ANS response... lights are out but nobody told the hind legs. Front legs don't move, head doesn't move, just the hind legs.

your description of the lungs sounds exactly like pasturella lungs.

Thanks, guys...I feel better about it today. We are having a rabbit stew tonight. It will be our first rabbit meal, and it smells good! Cannot wait to try it.

I'm so sorry to hear this, I know how much you enjoyed your girls. Hopefully nothing but awesome experiences from here on out!!