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Hey Sagebrush, thanks for the lovely welcome! :)

Hello again, Rabbit talkers -- I left after my beautiful bunnies died, but it's such a warm and friendly forum I just had to trot back. This time with cavies... I've repurposed the 10' x 10' rabbit pen and made it suit guinea pigs. Meanwhile, just to try out some online ideas, I made this: ] I...

Hi sky's the limit, I'm so sorry you've had those deaths... That's definitely something to note. Cocci can kill a chick overnight too, and there may be no symptoms noticed. I agree that's one of the ways cocci can work. But I would argue that form of cocci death is not likely to happen unless...

Hi squidpop, Yeah, the version of RHD we have in Australia was engineered to be more lethal and virulent than the naturally occurring strain on which it appears symptom descriptions are based. :x The enhanced virus 'escaped' 'accidentally' from a laboratory island to the mainland. In NZ I read...

Well, it's a bit academic this morning -- the remaining 2 adults are dead. Again there's no mark on either rabbit and they were quite normal yesterday. If any of the excerpt added below this post is true, I don't believe it was cocci. They were in a large pen after being bred and raised on the...

Hi Akane, your cocci story is certainly a heads up for when the babies emerge. As for aflatoxins etc, thanks for that detail too -- I've seen similar things with moldy wheat harming chickens, though not that fast. I can see I've got a lot to learn, but will keep trying. Many thanks for all your...

Good(ish) news: I put 3 kits with the other doe (and her existing 3 kits), and they haven't been turfed out, and all look reasonably well fed today. Unfortunately I couldn't see any chance at fostering all 5 (and my home life is rampantly busy due to a disabled family member), so I forced...

Thank you all so much -- I knew you'd be just wonderful. I can't believe how distressing this is! I've butchered my own farm animals before, but I've never had rabbits and I really did adore that girl. I should have known: never, ever have a favourite! I've done as suggested, and have my...

:cry: Unbelievable. Overnight, I've lost my nicest doe (of two). No marks, nothing. I believe it was hemorrhagic disease, but can't be sure -- I was too upset to autopsy. I did look in her eyelids and mouth -- she had no nosebleed but did have extreme pallor of the membranes with some dot-point...

Hello Sumatra, Not sure if this will help, but I'm currently feeding my lactating does a mixture of sprouts (wheat, peas, corn), sunflower seeds and fermented soybean meal. This goes to make up about 15% of the total diet (apart from the above soy/sprout mixture, the total diet contains greens...

That's a wonderful structure, Grumpy. Will you be sprouting barley on its own, or might you do a mixture with some type of legume like peas? By the way, I read your feeding mishap thread -- what an eye opener. When my bucket sprouters are outgrown, I might just have to copy this... if I can...

I just can't thank you all enough for those posts -- some made me laugh out loud. All were just perfect. I grew up with a little farming and have butchered chickens regularly, but I just had no idea rabbits were so loveable. I'm so glad this forum's here to help. :) @Comet007, what you say...

Somehow I went into the 'meat rabbit' thing with no clue about how fantastic rabbits are. They're these gentle lovable things that come hopping up and poke their noses in my knees. And now these: I'm seriously in danger of not going through with it... Help! How do you get past the babydoll...

Although new to rabbits (but a little less new at researching natural feeds), I'd add the old fashioned staple from British rabbitries, weeping willow leaves. They're apparently similar to alfalfa in terms of feed quality for rabbits. Tortured willow is the only one people sell near me, but...

Hi, I'm feeding wet greens all the time -- it's been a rainy month. The trick is not to feed badly bruised or mangled greens, which could theoretically begin to ferment or moulder. Even on hot humid days, if I've picked damp (dewy) morning grass and left it in the bungee cord feeder all day, I...

:popcorn: Sorry -- too new to rabbits (and colony rearing) to add anything helpful. Though I would say that deep litter is known to be anti-coccidial.

Yikes, michael4gardens, that must have been annoying (and distressing). I guess where there are rats there are snakes. I'll be getting the mesh done shortly. :)

Terrific idea -- no, I hadn't thought of it! Thanks for the help. :) Hi michaels4gardens, and thanks for the pointer -- it's a gigantic concern here too. Like you, I've planted chayote and various other plants around the sides, so hopefully the vines will have climbed some way up before next...

Hello -- having been surfing for info on here, I thought I should share what I've done. It has rights and wrongs, I'm sure -- feel free to comment either way. I'm new at this and aiming for happy rabbits who happen to provide healthy meat occasionally. But it's all a bit of an experiment so far...

@akane, apologies, yes, I meant 13'x13'. I phrased that badly! :) Sorry everyone. @michaels4gardens, thanks for those thoughts. If I put the buck in a smaller cage inside the pen, would I be able to let him out periodically without the does seeing him as an intruder? Seems to me this would be a...