Doe has possible abscesses on paws.

[MaggieJ]

Congratulations on all the new popples, John Francis!

:wbounce: :wbounce:


I'll bet now raising rabbits seems a whole lot easier than last week!

 

[ottersatin]

) I am meeting a moral obligation I undertook when I assumed charge over this creature to provide it with a decent quality of life. [John]

Though I understand your point and stance on the issue.
A rabbit with chronic sore hocks is not having a very good quality of life.
Contrary to another poster, housing rabbits on wire floors is NOT the cause of sore hocks
nor any other affliction. In fact it is becausae the rabbits are housed on wire floors
that they are less apt to become infected with a large variety of diseases which affect rabbits.
I would suggest that you breed your rabbits for better furred feet. With proper breeding choices
this can be achieved, even in the Rex breeds. All it takes is dedication and perseverance.
It is far more humane to Cull/put down a suffering rabbit than to spend time trying to save the animal
at all costs of it's health and sanity. As always, JMPO. We all must do what we feel is best
for the rabbits in our herd.
Dennis, C.V.R. :lonergr:

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

Sore hocks/abcesses are another manifestation of pasturella as well. depends on what it looks like... an abcess or an actual injury/cut/?

 

[john_francis]

I do understand about culling, and I'm certainly not against it. After all the rabbits we're raising are intended to grace the supper table.

Krystal has reasonably heeled, eleven of her kits have survived so far, and they look very healthy. Eight of the smaller ones are pre-sold. She's also settled down quite a bit. Turned out to be a good producer too; and a good mother but I certainly don't intend to keep any of her offspring.

If we were to expand I'd pick out one of my other does offspring because she's so fit and has a delightful temperament ( in fact she could worm her way indoors, she's lovely! ) but in all seriousness I don't think it would be wise to increase our production.

We live in an extreme rural setting. Marketing our three month and two month kits presents logistical challenges and I've only got so much creativity to go round! At three successful litters each a year our does are providing near enough to sixty kits.

Selling a third of them even at discounted volume prices allows for the feed cost to be recouped as well as a substantial portion of the capital cost of our start up with a break even on targeted for the 18th month. That's half way to Krystal, Gingersnap, and our mighty buck Vinegar's retirement.

I don't know if we could consume more than 40 rabbits a year, they're pretty big rabbits!

I'm very sure no one is keeping any of our sold rabbits for pets or breeding so the chance of passing on poor hocks or sore hocks into the greater gene pool is pretty slim, but I would advise anyone wishing to breed using our stock against buying Krystal's kits and sell them a kit from Gingersnap instead. That would be the ethical thing to do.

Come to think about it that's what the people we bought our does should have done! Oh well, I only judge my actions, not what other people do.

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

There is always a chance she didn't pass on poor hocks as well, the buck is half of it! lol

 

[john_francis]

Our mighty buck; Vinegar, is a pretty healthy looking rabbit so if the kits inherit his "hock genes" they'll be very "hoppy".

My wife thinks he is the most handsome rabbit she has ever seen. I wouldn't tell Vinegar that though. He's pretty conceited already and any compliments just make him impossible to be around.

He's a pure NZW. We had a problem with him too. He stopped eating, drinking, and pooping. We were forcing him to drink with a sixty mil syringe for a couple of days back in July - ghastly experience!

He came to us from a terrible place. It was like a rabbit concentration camp. He was in a twenty inch square by sixteen inch high rusty cage mounted on a wall, he could just turn around to eat and then back the other way to drink. Some of the other rabbits in there looked liked they'd gone insane a long long time ago, just glazed over eyes staring into the nothingness.

I don't mind another persons business or how they conduct themselves but I will say that's not how our Vinegar lives today, or our does for that matter; who I will point out came from much nicer circumstances. It's eight foot by two foot by three feet high hutches with full enclosed two foot square straw lined boxes for sleeping and privacy that I've built for each of them.

He's all better now, seems pretty "hoppy" too, and the kits from his service seem fine (now that you mentioned it), they eat like full grown ponies!

Maybe there's something to what you're saying about his half of the bargain, I had not thought about it like that. Thanks.

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

LOL I like the bucks name! I hope those kits are very hoppy for you!