Myxomatosis already ?

[Arry 21,967]

I'm in two minds about killing them as if a few get over it they might get an immunity to it and they're young if they breed. It's bloody hard though when you see the poor buggers suffering though.

We were catching some last winter that showed some signs like they might be getting over it, right through the season when we went back the same all on the same ground if you catch my drift. Or it was a really weak strain.

Cheers Arry

 

[Arry 21,967]

11 minutes ago, W. Katchum said:

I can’t watch them suffer mate, sack that, wouldn’t wish that in a rat, see them mixy ones sat at side of road here in dales tucked up next to walls, can’t even see nowt justbsat waiting for 2 cars to pass an to be squashed or aye alive by crowsNo thanks I’ll get out every time an stand on there heads I don’t need to hunt that much that I’d let me suffer to keep me about, I’d rather give up Not judging folk who leave em an I know for a fact some survive but I’d be thinking about it for hours after if I let it live

I know mate thats why I said in two minds, Torn between helping them long term and putting them out of their misery, which is what I usually do but often wonder if it's the right thing. If you know what I mean.

Cheers Arry

[Pirate 9000 676]

It shows our governments up for what they are shower of cnts they can pay scientists to develop one of the most cruel ways of controlling a pest species,tell us that old Brock needs protecting and then waste millions of tax payers money killing them.

[Chaff 3,622]

Was chatting to a sheep farmer in north devon, and he was telling me that badger eat the stomach out of lambs.

Have caught rabbits that were getting over mixi alright, but the suffering they go through is wicked the thing is the longer they live the more they infect others.

 

[Arry 21,967]

18 minutes ago, Chaff said:

Was chatting to a sheep farmer in north devon, and he was telling me that badger eat the stomach out of lambs.

Have caught rabbits that were getting over mixi alright, but the suffering they go through is wicked the thing is the longer they live the more they infect others.

 

It's all down to the flees then carry. The ones we caught last winter had no or little flees and only a slight indication of mixie I was so torn as to well as to kill them or not. I let them live in a hope it will be the best for the Rabbit.

Cheers Arry

[micky 3,325]

Rabbits have always had diseases that will wipe out a colony mainly caused by inbreeding and one of these is Syphilis which can often be mistaken for Mixi if the Sores are on the Face , years ago on places where rabbits were managed the population was reduced as much as possible and new Blood added, where I lived there was Four large Rabbit pens  and these were opened April time so the new Blood could filter out .

[micky 3,325]

14 hours ago, tatsblisters said:

Still hard to believe this disease is still as deadly and about from when it was first introduced in the 50s.

The Disease today is a Watered down version  of what it was when it was first released .

 

[Bobtheferret 1,248]

Not that I was alive then but from what I have read/been told mixi is nothing like it was back in 1953 when 99.9% were wiped out with piles of dead littering the countryside. Compared to that it is no where near as bad. 

Regards killing or putting back, I have caught them that have clearly recovered from mixi and I will release them but if they have still got it then I put them out there misery. 

Numbers looking up near me after some lean seasons but the whippet caught a milky doe with mixi Saturday absolutely covered in fleas...just praying it’s not a sign of things to come. Atb. 

[tatsblisters 9,860]

22 hours ago, micky said:

The Disease today is a Watered down version  of what it was when it was first released .

 

That's true thankfully .I remember the tales some of the old boys told me about mixy when it was first introduced in the 50s I believe that wiped out nearly all of the rabbit population in some area's.

[micky 3,325]

There are many strains of the Virus but the one that landed in Kent during the early 50s was the worst , most places had 100% mortality though one area in Nottinghamshire was untouched no matter how many times they tried to introduce it , Rabbits have built up immunity to weaker strains of the Virus but when the original strain pops up it is Curtains for that pocket of Rabbits , I have been told Soil Type plays a part in a Rabbits survival because a Rabbit living in Cold  Wet Clay has a higher chance of secondary illness [Pnumonia ] which is the main cause of Death than living in the drier Sand or Peat  Soils

[Chaff 3,622]

So is it a virus that one or two are born with then it spreads through out the warren by fleas ?

 

 

[micky 3,325]

35 minutes ago, Chaff said:

So is it a virus that one or two are born with then it spreads through out the warren by fleas ?

 

 

The Fleas or Mosquitoes carry the Virus at some stage the Vector will bite a Lactating Doe thus kick starting the Mixoma Virus ….BOOM 

[Chaff 3,622]

What do you think the real reason they released that virus was Micky, was it to protect crops and pasture or was it to take the poor mans meal away and stop black market trading ?

[micky 3,325]

Rabbits were completely out of hand Farmers could not make a living so something had to be done and Mixi done it , it wasn't nice but it had to be done . Years ago I asked a Dairy farmer if Rabbits had any affect on him and he told me it was the amount of ground that they Fouled ! something that I had never thought of I thought it was eating or digging holes , destroying Woodland but the fact is they were a pest to many people .

[Chaff 3,622]

Never would of thought of that either mate but now you say that its true they sure do crap a lot.

Still a shame when the rabbits I pictured earlier in this thread are miles from crops and livestock, except a few horses.