pavman Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 was out last night on a field I don't often get onto as it has horses on it and the owner prefers I leave it alone until they are off....... shot 21 Rabbits from 19:30 to 21:00 (time available) bit surprised to see a few had Mixy, luckily we don't see much of if and I wonder if the people responsible ever thought of the impact or as far ahead as they ought to have done since it was introduced in Australia in 1950 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 I think if we didn't have mixy in the rabbit population then we'd be over-run with them. Mixy is very effective. I find that it comes in waves when the rabbit population climbs above a certain level. The population then drops considerably, taking 2-3 years to climb back up. Then it all repeats. Whilst mixy isn't pretty, it certainly does do what it needs to. In certain areas (train lines in urban areas, for example) it's essential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshMike Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 I think if we didn't have mixy in the rabbit population then we'd be over-run with them. Mixy is very effective. I find that it comes in waves when the rabbit population climbs above a certain level. The population then drops considerably, taking 2-3 years to climb back up. Then it all repeats. Whilst mixy isn't pretty, it certainly does do what it needs to. In certain areas (train lines in urban areas, for example) it's essential. Have to agree with this point. Not a pleasant disease but it was effective and given the scale of the problem it aimed to combat a sensible choice at the time. I think that it is easy to look back and question choices that were made in the past when we live in a different era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bala Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 Definitely not a nice way for rabbits to go, but have often wondered what the numbers would be now if Mixy had never been used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 It's reckoned that mixy cut the population of rabbits in Australia from 600 million down to 100 million. Someone did post up an article a few weeks back, in New Zealand they hold a large mass rabbit cull on Good Friday each year. This year approximately 10,000 were killed on the day. The UK is reckoned to have a population of 35-40 million rabbits. However, the UK is reckoned to have a population of 2 million deer (according to the RSPCA). I'd be astonished if there were only 20 rabbits for each deer, and if the deer numbers are correct then I think the rabbit numbers are probably more like 60-70 million. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feltwad Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 Prior to mixy a large majority of people ate rabbit I can remember people waiting for my father and myself to return from a days rabbiting on a Saturday for a rabbit for their Sundays dinner,when mixy was introduced the price of beef suddenly rose and I still think that was the reason for its introduction. Feltwad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labstaff Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 I've heard you can eat myxy rabbits......but I've never fancied it 😨 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HunterFarmer Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 (edited) I'm not sure that it was the best solution really I wounder will it ever be eradicated fully or will some rabbit still get it in years to come? Edited May 17, 2016 by HunterFarmer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootingEgg Posted May 24, 2016 Report Share Posted May 24, 2016 I'm not sure that it was the best solution really I wounder will it ever be eradicated fully or will some rabbit still get it in years to come? I think as rabbits get resistance to it then it mutates and a different strain appears... As surely over the years they would of become a bit more resilient to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted May 24, 2016 Report Share Posted May 24, 2016 Prior to mixy a large majority of people ate rabbit I can remember people waiting for my father and myself to return from a days rabbiting on a Saturday for a rabbit for their Sundays dinner,when mixy was introduced the price of beef suddenly rose and I still think that was the reason for its introduction. Feltwad As part of my business, I supply rabbit stew and dumplings to tourists on a daily basis and it very popular Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjimmer Posted May 24, 2016 Report Share Posted May 24, 2016 I think you'll find that it was first trialed on a Scottish island, but it didn't spread/work. It's said that VHD is going to wipe out more rabbits and they don't become immune to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted May 24, 2016 Report Share Posted May 24, 2016 IMHO there was no imaginable reason or justification for introducing such a terrible way to control/eradicate Rabbits. Rabbits were introduced into this country as a food source and would have remained so but for Mixy. As a child I hunted them at every opportunity and as a result I learned the way of the countryside and how to appreciate the natural world around us - better 24 hours chasing Rabbits with a home made Catty than 5 minutes playing some stupid computer game. Crop protection is , of course, a vital and necessary task but imagine how much more shooting would be available if Rabbits were still a serious problem country wide. Bring on all the "Rabbits bankrupted every Farmer in my area" brigade but I, for one, miss the early Sunday mornings with my favourite people (many long since gone ) ferreting Rabbits all day and the warm evenings with the .22lr laying in the summer grass and picking off as many as we could till darkness fell. Mixy? Detest it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjimmer Posted May 24, 2016 Report Share Posted May 24, 2016 Many tenant farmers used to pay their rent with earnings from rabbits. It may have made up for the loss of revenue due to crop damage, but I doubt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted May 24, 2016 Report Share Posted May 24, 2016 Many tenant farmers used to pay their rent with earnings from rabbits. It may have made up for the loss of revenue due to crop damage, but I doubt it. Im sure my dad said they would buy rabbits from the warrener and get money back for the skins, im lucky there seems to be more about this year than normal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nmb Posted May 24, 2016 Report Share Posted May 24, 2016 On a typical nights lamping on our 1500 acres we will typically see 30-40 roe and if we're lucky 2 or 3 rabbits. As a shoot we have not shot any for the last 3 seasons but it's made no difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted May 24, 2016 Report Share Posted May 24, 2016 IMHO there was no imaginable reason or justification for introducing such a terrible way to control/eradicate Rabbits. Rabbits were introduced into this country as a food source and would have remained so but for Mixy. As a child I hunted them at every opportunity and as a result I learned the way of the countryside and how to appreciate the natural world around us - better 24 hours chasing Rabbits with a home made Catty than 5 minutes playing some stupid computer game. Crop protection is , of course, a vital and necessary task but imagine how much more shooting would be available if Rabbits were still a serious problem country wide. Bring on all the "Rabbits bankrupted every Farmer in my area" brigade but I, for one, miss the early Sunday mornings with my favourite people (many long since gone ) ferreting Rabbits all day and the warm evenings with the .22lr laying in the summer grass and picking off as many as we could till darkness fell. Mixy? Detest it. Totally in agreement with this. I was, once, a rabbit farmer, biggest unit going. Sales in France and Belgium were and are very high. Over here only the immigrants buy it on a regular basis. Mixy and Watership Down killed the market stone dead. The bloke who invented it should be injected with it. Horrible way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7daysinaweek Posted May 24, 2016 Report Share Posted May 24, 2016 bloody frightful condition, no animal should suffer like they do with mixy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted May 25, 2016 Report Share Posted May 25, 2016 It has been in the UK over 60 years, the country is a very different place now to then. At that time bunnies ruled the fields and did considerable damage. Its introduction to the UK was a godsend to many, you can't judge events then by todays standards. It is indeed horrible, and we still haven't learnt, mankind persists in playing with nature, and the long term results are seldom encouraging! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted May 25, 2016 Report Share Posted May 25, 2016 We often had rabbit when we were kids, and my Dad and his brothers bred rabbits specifically for the pot, but my Mother stopped cooking them after she saw what mixi' did to them. UK pensioners were eating them nearly everynight when I was in Malta a few years ago, but many said they wouldn't touch them back home because of mixi'. They can survive it as long as they can swallow. It all depends to what extent the mucous membranes are inflamed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FOXHUNTER1 Posted May 25, 2016 Report Share Posted May 25, 2016 Horrible disease , no animal deserves to suffer in such a miserable way. I was out yesterday evening and luckily no myxy to be seen , although it hit this place last June. The place was alive with bunnies so will make an effort to get the numbers down before myxy strikes if indeed it does, which I suspect it will. On another note RHD Strain 2 has arrived which is bad news as they just drop down dead showing no symptoms at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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