Farm News 10-16-05
Sunday morning, after chores, 57°
Dr. M Demonstrates Tenacity
Dr. M, Veterinarian and Cardiac Surgeon, has demonstrated her tenacity in diagnosing animal illness by asking me more questions.
To the best of my knowledge, which isn't much, the answers to all of the above are 'No'. All the rabbits looked healthy and were in good flesh. First, the older buck from Calvin's herd died. Then a lactating doe died. Then some individual 4-7 week old bunnies over a period of several weeks. Once four bunnies died on the same day. Also, two does who had been bred several times still weren't pregnant. I decided that it would be best to destroy the remaining rabbits, clean everything out, and start with a new herd.
Calvin killed and buried the remaining rabbits except for one, a very tame, nice tan bunny. I turned it loose inside the rabbitry, figuring I'd later let it into the pasture where it would be relatively safe from predators. It took the rabbit less than a day to find ways to go wherever it wished, and where it wished was wherever the turkeys were to be found. Now a tan rabbit can be seen grazing with the turkeys in the yard.
I didn't check the rabbit's sex before I turned it loose, so I think I'll call it Bump for now. Bump is possessed of an unusually broad butt and widely spaced hind legs, making the rear view of Bump at speed a great sight. He looks like a little self-propelled war chariot. His droopy ears fly back to his hips as he runs, adding to the chariot appearance.
At first, Trusty was quite upset over Bump's escape from the rabbitry. Trusty had met Bump in the rabbitry and they got along fine. That was in the rabbitry. Outside the rabbitry Trusty expects Bump to join in the cat game. In Trusty's cat game he runs at the cats. It the cat runs, Trusty chases and catches it, and then slobbers all over it. If the cat sits still, Trusty stops just short of the cat and the two touch noses. Bump will not sit still and let Trusty run up to him, he breaks and runs, and Bump can run like a streak.
Trusty can run fast, much faster than the cats, for instance, but Bump can start his dash for the nearest safe spot when Trusty is ten feet away; when Bump reaches safety he will often be fifteen feet ahead of Trusty. Bump is a very quick little chariot.
There is no way to guess Bump's future. Life in the yard is full of excitement, some of which is actually dangerous for small animals. It is interesting that Bump grazes with the turkeys, also quick runners though not in Bump's class. Predators aren't a serious problem except for hawks and owls, and the hawks can be avoided if Bump learns to respond to the turkeys' alert calls. Trusty responds to all the different birds' alert calls, so perhaps a rabbit can, also.
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Dr. M Demonstrates Tenacity
Dr. M, Veterinarian and Cardiac Surgeon, has demonstrated her tenacity in diagnosing animal illness by asking me more questions.
OK, if you have lovely new pelleted feed, and they have lots of access to hay and water, then both the night and day feces are normal? How about urine? Any blood at the end of urinating?
Gruesome question: Did anybody necropsy the rabbits? Are they impacted with anything? Cecal impaction can cause acute death in rabbits.
Any bloody discharge from anywhere?
The other thing to think of would be toxins. Any new paints/varnishes etc in the barn?
Dr. M.
To the best of my knowledge, which isn't much, the answers to all of the above are 'No'. All the rabbits looked healthy and were in good flesh. First, the older buck from Calvin's herd died. Then a lactating doe died. Then some individual 4-7 week old bunnies over a period of several weeks. Once four bunnies died on the same day. Also, two does who had been bred several times still weren't pregnant. I decided that it would be best to destroy the remaining rabbits, clean everything out, and start with a new herd.
Calvin killed and buried the remaining rabbits except for one, a very tame, nice tan bunny. I turned it loose inside the rabbitry, figuring I'd later let it into the pasture where it would be relatively safe from predators. It took the rabbit less than a day to find ways to go wherever it wished, and where it wished was wherever the turkeys were to be found. Now a tan rabbit can be seen grazing with the turkeys in the yard.
I didn't check the rabbit's sex before I turned it loose, so I think I'll call it Bump for now. Bump is possessed of an unusually broad butt and widely spaced hind legs, making the rear view of Bump at speed a great sight. He looks like a little self-propelled war chariot. His droopy ears fly back to his hips as he runs, adding to the chariot appearance.
At first, Trusty was quite upset over Bump's escape from the rabbitry. Trusty had met Bump in the rabbitry and they got along fine. That was in the rabbitry. Outside the rabbitry Trusty expects Bump to join in the cat game. In Trusty's cat game he runs at the cats. It the cat runs, Trusty chases and catches it, and then slobbers all over it. If the cat sits still, Trusty stops just short of the cat and the two touch noses. Bump will not sit still and let Trusty run up to him, he breaks and runs, and Bump can run like a streak.
Trusty can run fast, much faster than the cats, for instance, but Bump can start his dash for the nearest safe spot when Trusty is ten feet away; when Bump reaches safety he will often be fifteen feet ahead of Trusty. Bump is a very quick little chariot.
There is no way to guess Bump's future. Life in the yard is full of excitement, some of which is actually dangerous for small animals. It is interesting that Bump grazes with the turkeys, also quick runners though not in Bump's class. Predators aren't a serious problem except for hawks and owls, and the hawks can be avoided if Bump learns to respond to the turkeys' alert calls. Trusty responds to all the different birds' alert calls, so perhaps a rabbit can, also.
E-mail Subscribers: To subscribe, unsubscribe, contribute stories, complain or send a gift subscription, send an email to FarmNews@GeezerNet.com . The editor reserves the right to steal ideas submitted, rewrite submissions, and sign false names to them whenever it strikes his fancy to do so.
posted by The Geezer at 8:41 AM
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