# Hey all



## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

Hey all, just thought I would poke my words in for a minute or two. I have been very busy at work this season, as my ski area has seen an incredible increase of business. With that and all the excellent snow I have not been online as much as I would like. 
A few of you may remember I purchased some rabbits and started breeding rabbits. That went well until something broke open the cage. That let 12 nearly full grown male rabbits out in my yard. I live in a national forest and aside from the local game ranger not being too happy to see a bunch o feral rabbits, I was less then pleased by the amount of fox and coyote they brought in. 
Once the rabbits had been picked off either by me or the predators, the later started going for my chickens. 
I had a group of birds that decided to roost in my apple tree, fine by me in the summer but they stayed up there even in the brutal cold winter storms. Those were the first to disappear. Over time I lost the 4 that would not roost in the coop. No issues for a while, then I hear a chicken screaming, and my dogs going nuts. I figured it was simply my dogs fightin off the rooster but upon checking there is a male red fox in full combat with my boxer/pit mix. 
I dispatched the fox with a .22 as it made its break up the cliff side. It had grabbed a hen, ripped all her tail feathers an left her with a nasty would, I treated the wound with blukote and said it it was not better or if she worsened I would finish her off, well the next morning was real bad, lots of maggots in her wounds but I thought about what an old rancher said and opted to leave the wound and maggots, as the old timers want to see those creepy crawlers as they eat the necrotic flesh as help healing. Low and behold the hen healed right up and is even fully feathered a few weeks after. 
I will be moving from my mountain side retreat back to Utah for a few years to help my father, as he is disabled and trying to get into full retirement. I will be bringing my breeder rabbits but will not be bringing the birds as were are already at the limit for livestock. We do have chickens at my fathers, so I will still get to be around the creatures. 
I had some Cochins sit on some eggs and they had similar results to my incubating eggs, they had a 50/50 hatch, looks like we lost a few during hatching due to sticking shell. I have sold those chicks to a friend and already one of the hens is sitting on another clutch. Maybe this time she can get a better result. I may move her into the smaller coop, however I will likely be selling it to the same friend who took the last chicks.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Hey, PH! Happy to have you find your way back even if it's only momentary. At least we know that you are good and that the snow has actually kept you busy.

It sounds like the word is out that you have MRE's available to the predators in the area.

I never even gave any thought to what happens if domesticated rabbits got out in to the wild. BTW, how did Wild Life find out about them being out? About the same way as that inspector who was giving you grief?

When is the move supposed to happen? What happens with work when you do make the move?


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Hello. Sorry about your predators. I guess you have stronger ones than I have right now. It's a never ending being on alert for them. Hope to see you a bit more in the future. 

You would think that roosting in an apple tree would be somewhat safe. But I guess not . They must smell them.


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## CFAdmin (Dec 16, 2015)

powderhogg01 said:


> Hey all, just thought I would poke my words in for a minute or two. I have been very busy at work this season, as my ski area has seen an incredible increase of business. With that and all the excellent snow I have not been online as much as I would like.
> A few of you may remember I purchased some rabbits and started breeding rabbits. That went well until something broke open the cage. That let 12 nearly full grown male rabbits out in my yard. I live in a national forest and aside from the local game ranger not being too happy to see a bunch o feral rabbits, I was less then pleased by the amount of fox and coyote they brought in.
> Once the rabbits had been picked off either by me or the predators, the later started going for my chickens.
> I had a group of birds that decided to roost in my apple tree, fine by me in the summer but they stayed up there even in the brutal cold winter storms. Those were the first to disappear. Over time I lost the 4 that would not roost in the coop. No issues for a while, then I hear a chicken screaming, and my dogs going nuts. I figured it was simply my dogs fightin off the rooster but upon checking there is a male red fox in full combat with my boxer/pit mix.
> ...


It's good to hear from you! I'm glad everything worked out with your injured chicken!


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

I was being spoken with by the wild life conservation officer about leaving hay out and the dangers it can pose on our native wildlife such as deer elk and big horn sheep. 
It was about at the time when I said the grass is collected locally when he saw one of the rabbits. Being that they are black and not white and I have several cages with black rabbits he knew it was mine. 
I will be around to help where I can.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Did you ever think of electric shock wire? Just don't tell me it's dangerous to the wildlife.


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## powderhogg01 (Jun 4, 2013)

I did, just never got around to it. I kept traps set and hunted out nearly every coin within several miles of the house. 
Trapping locally allowed me to more or less control the numbers. Being so busy this season has really held my trapping season.. I also allowed a grey fox a pass, we only have a few around her so that particular fox was allowed to live...


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Do you have enough moisture in the ground for the hot wire to work effectively. That's if you ever find the time to install any. 

LOL Nothing like giving yourself away, have the guy standing right there to see rabbits that look like yours running around free.


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