How Many Rabbits Equal 1 Horse?

[toxo 160]

Just spent a half hour on a post and touched the wrong thing on the mouse. Back a page, forward a page, all gone. Livid. Have another go when I calm down.

[Tremo 138]

It's not how much they eat that's the problem. it's the holes they leave.

 

As Walshie and the rest of the guys say, it is the holes that cause the problems for a landowner with horses and/or cattle.

[Welsh_red 4,757]

Just spent a half hour on a post and touched the wrong thing on the mouse. Back a page, forward a page, all gone. Livid. Have another go when I calm down.

Done that many a time . Their a way of getting the txt back tho . Can't remember how . I found a page on google that showed how to get txt back and bookmarked it for when it happened again

[toxo 160]

A little perspective is needed methinks.

 

Leaving aside the rabbit hole thing which of course is a very valid argument, the kind of set up that Deker refers to can easily afford the grass stolen by a few rabbits but there are loads of 1/2 horse hobbyists trying to do it on a very tight budget.

 

The land I'm looking at is like this. In total it probably amounts to around 4/5 acres divided into about 6 paddocks and the grass is as close cropped as a snooker table. This kind of set up can ill afford to lose any grass to the bunnies.

 

I was looking down on this land and although I didn't count the rabbits I would be very surprised if there wasn't upward of a hundred. Not ten yds in front of me was about a dozen, mainly half/threequarters grown taking no notice of me whatsoever.

 

From my getting older minces there were some that were a bit slow and I suspect some Myxi in there somewhere. I reached for the binos to check only to find an empty case. Said binos were at home in my shooting jacket.

 

I like what Rabid said about sporadic and supplementary versus constant feeding. The link I gave probably gave total intake so maybe around 18 to one might be right.

[Deker 3,478]

According to this I make it about forty.

 

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Glossary:Livestock_unit_%28LSU%29

 

To be honest I have no idea, not something that has specifically cropped up for me, but on the basis that is some sort of a guide, I can but assume it is close!

 

As you suggest, that makes it 40 rabbits to 1 horse!

 

 

Edit

The debate about horses being fed additional feed works both ways, there are margins and other areas in the vast majority of situations, bunnies move about, they do not constantly eat in the same place, so who knows how you are really going to do any meaningful maths on this one!

Edited May 5, 2016 by Deker

[David Aiken 253]

Just spent a half hour on a post and touched the wrong thing on the mouse. Back a page, forward a page, all gone. Livid. Have another go when I calm down.

If it's a long piece, I always write it in word first then copy and paste!

[toxo 160]

 

Just spent a half hour on a post and touched the wrong thing on the mouse. Back a page, forward a page, all gone. Livid. Have another go when I calm down.

If it's a long piece, I always write it in word first then copy and paste!

 

I was that organised once David. Trouble is they don't start out to be long winded but I always seem to get a case of verbal diarrhea.

[The one 8,513]

I always say 4 rabbits will eat as much grass as a sheep so size wise you could be right about the twelve rabbit mark as you don't need good grass for a horse its more the damage and the holes the rabbits dig but don't forget to say with that amount of rabbits you will need to be on top of your worming programme as the rabbits have a bad tape worm burden

[toxo 160]

I always say 4 rabbits will eat as much grass as a sheep so size wise you could be right about the twelve rabbit mark as you don't need good grass for a horse its more the damage and the holes the rabbits dig but don't forget to say with that amount of rabbits you will need to be on top of your worming programme as the rabbits have a bad tape worm burden

 

All valid points but there's not much room on a business card. There's never anyone there to talk to so I guess I'll have to do a small flyer type thing. Left two cards at the gate but there was still a long path to where the stable are. Don't know if the paddocks are owned by one or many and someone may have just binned the cards. Not had a call yet but not giving up.

Re; the bunnies versus horse thing, I think it's important to consider how closely cropped the grass is on this land. Surely this impacts on how much is a mouthful for a horse! Maybe there are so many bunnies that competition at night plus the lack of grass is the reason for so many to be feeding during the day

[Tremo 138]

Rabbits out feeding in the day points to the fact that they are confident to be out, mostly probably knowing that there are few to no predators are around. With no predators around to keep their numbers in check it sounds like you might have a ticking time-bomb on your hands. Forget how much grass that they are depriving the horses of right now, but just imagine the situation in 3, 6, 12 months time with all those extra rabbit mouths to feed. As you know, under the right conditions this little buggers breed like it is going out of fashion.