fruity Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Hi all I have been shooting a new 80acre permission close to me for around 8weeks and always guaranteed good bunny bags .. Decided to take the pcp yesterday as its been a while , first few rabbits I see no problem dropped on the spot (all healthy), then number 4 in the pic obvious early stages of myxy :( Couple of questions.... If I shoot any infected ones soon as they show is it possible to control/slow it maybe or no chance ? .. Also are they ok for hawk food, with wild raptors taking them for food ? Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Fruity, the rabbits will be fine to feed to hawks [ apart from any lead pellets in them]. It's been said before that mixxy rabbits are safe for human consumption, though i doubt many people would Taking out the affected rabbits will no doubt help prevent it spreading but it seems nowadays a rabbit population can recover from a bout of mixxy. Certainly seems the case of some of my permissions. Terrible disease though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Fruity, the rabbits will be fine to feed to hawks [ apart from any lead pellets in them]. It's been said before that mixxy rabbits are safe for human consumption, though i doubt many people would Taking out the affected rabbits will no doubt help prevent it spreading but it seems nowadays a rabbit population can recover from a bout of mixxy. Certainly seems the case of some of my permissions. Terrible disease though! I doubt shooting them will stop the spread as the virus can be carried by fleas that have been feeding on affected rabbits , once the host rabbit is dead those fleas are going to find a new host pronto. Yes they would be fine to leave for raptors apart from the lead aspect , I am always surprised when people on here say they dispose of dead corvids by chucking them on the to of hedges etc for raptors as all they are doing is helping in killing them via lead poisoning , people that keep raptors only feed steel shot stuff for a reason ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Sad, why those idiots brought this in the fifties I will never understand. A natural resource, wasted :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruity Posted June 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 I doubt shooting them will stop the spread as the virus can be carried by fleas that have been feeding on affected rabbits , once the host rabbit is dead those fleas are going to find a new host pronto. Yes they would be fine to leave for raptors apart from the lead aspect , I am always surprised when people on here say they dispose of dead corvids by chucking them on the to of hedges etc for raptors as all they are doing is helping in killing them via lead poisoning , people that keep raptors only feed steel shot stuff for a reason ! I did think with the flea aspect carrying the virus I would be fighting a loosing battle ... I don't leave any for wild raptors they pretty well all go to my hawk guy now he butchers them and keeps what he wants/needs Sad, why those idiots brought this in the fifties I will never understand. A natural resource, wasted :-( Yes very true , such a horrible disease u Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Sad, why those idiots brought this in the fifties I will never understand. A natural resource, wasted :-( I think the rabbit population was getting out of control by that time and that resource was eating most of the others ! I can remember my grandfather showing me a picture many years ago that was taken just after the war , it was him with over 300 rabbits he shot while he lived in his home county of kent , he said those rabbits were all shot walking alongside the harvester while it cut a field of around 15 acres ! Mixy however was and still is a cruel way to control rabbits , thankfully many now seem to have some immunity to it and outbreaks seem less severe . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruity Posted June 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 I think the rabbit population was getting out of control by that time and that resource was eating most of the others ! I can remember my grandfather showing me a picture many years ago that was taken just after the war , it was him with over 300 rabbits he shot while he lived in his home county of kent , he said those rabbits were all shot walking alongside the harvester while it cut a field of around 15 acres ! Mixy however was and still is a cruel way to control rabbits , thankfully many now seem to have some immunity to it and outbreaks seem less severe . Who/where was it developed it then ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Who/where was it developed it then ?? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myxomatosis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b_wales Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 If an affected rabbit is shot, and is wanted for raptor food, I would skin it straight away, and then either bury the skin, or seal it in a plastic bag and dispose of it with my household rubbish. I'm not sure, but I think that flees that leave the hosts body, will soon die if they cannot find another one soon, and are exposed to the cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b_wales Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 We have been free from this terrible disease for many years in my area, but, and although it cannot be proved, it has been deliberately introduced on an industrial estate who are/were having problems with rabbits. This has now spread to school playing fields nearby, where my mate and I used to control the rabbits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeonblasterian Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 When i find myxy anywhere i shoot i leave the area alone for a few months.Some of the rabbits show signs of recovering from it when you do later shoot them.I like to see a few about and don`t want them gone completely.I shoot a few every week if they are healthy just to give as feed to the dogs as they like rabbit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 I know people that would introduce a poorly rabbit from a different area! Sad. I know the rabbit damage was an issue back then but it was a waisted source of protein and with some brains could of been exploited! And another thing, not so many would be so grumpy about shooting like today because they would hear more of it going on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggone Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Around here viral heamoragic disease is a bigger killer of rabbits than mixy. Seems to kill about 90 percent or more within a couple of weeks of seeing the first dead rabbit. They just sit still and gradually die over about 4 hours. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bala Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Havnt seen any in my area yet, it usually starts about mid August. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Yep, we get that too :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flynny Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Sad, why those idiots brought this in the fifties I will never understand. A natural resource, wasted :-( Some scientist developed it to sort the rabbit problem in Oz back in the late 40s, shame it got used over here too, Atb Flynny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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