Are you next?

[debilorrah]

Quote:
X2 Authorities got called into my place once but luckily it was a nice woman who told me she'd used to live in the country and I could keep my brids just ditch the roosters. And what's better was that my neighbours who complain all the time, could not retaliate XD

There is a BIG difference between a casual chicken owner compared to a rabbit breeder whose stock is her livlihood.

 

[Moxiechick]

Quote:
I agree with Redhen, that something doesn't sound right here. Lack of water is serious, and even if the rabbits were on wire above the feces, if a lot of it is there, it can create harmful amounts of ammonia fumes. Granted, the news reporting is rather shoddy, but if you look at this news clip, at just over a minute into it, they show a dead rabbit being placed into a bag. http://denver.cbslocal.com/2011/07/22/200-rabbits-seized-in-animal-abuse-investigation/ It doesn't appear to be a kit, or a processed rabbit. It's not even wrapped like you would expect for putting a dead animal in a freezer. Something isn't being told correctly in this story. I do hope that the truth, whatever it is, comes to light.

 

[redhen]

Yeah, cages deep in feces...
And yes, sure looked like a full grown rabbit being put in that bag... not a new born.
Theres more to the story,... NOT saying the news is 100% correct.... but i do believe they had reason to step in.
Yes, i hope the truth comes out in this story. And i HOPE this lady IS innocent and those rabbits wernt suffering. That would be the BEST thing to hear.

 

[Matthew3590]

Does that mean since I have an outdoor hutch and it can get to 95 degrees that I am a bad owner?

 

[punk-a-doodle]

There is a BIG difference between a casual chicken owner compared to a rabbit breeder whose stock is her livlihood.

Both are very important to me, casual pet owner and those who rely on animals for money. I don't like seeing either group being unjustly treated myself!


The frozen rabbits we would get from breeders for the aviary were not specially packaged. Some came in bags, some in boxes, and they were whole rabbits. They were usually separated by general size (S, M, L, and XL), but that's it. I would sure like to see the media get any sort of details out there.​

 

[arabianequine]

Quote:
Yes terrible

....change the weather, move your animals to Alaska in the summer, get them in an a/c cooled room asap.

Make sure they at least have water though

 

[debilorrah]

Here is a yahoo group that is building a legal defense, for those of you who feel as I do.

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Meatrabbits/

 

[Sword]

Updates anyone?

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Not yet.....

 

[1MrsMagoo]

Okay, so I watched the video and read the article. I also dug around online and found a follow-up article from another area paper as well as postings on several rabbit breeding websites/forums and her website. As an educated person of at least average intelligence I have come to the following conclusion: There is at least an 85% chance that this is complete and utter BS. The way they went about this I believe they violated her rights and have treated her like a criminal by even disclosing her website.

I mean come on....just look at the supposed starving filthy rabbits shown in the video: They all look very clean, fat and healthy to me. This lady is well respected, donates her time and helps the local 4-H clubs, is a member of the official clubs for each breed, and from what I can figure, looks like a responsible breeder. From what I can find, it seems all but one of the "dead" rabbits were removed from a freezer: She donates the carcasses to the zoo for the raptors and has been doing so for years.

Sadly, I have read that this rescue group is currently, without court order spaying and neutering her rabbits. If that is the case and she manages to win, I hope she owns their

behinds.

Now, I do not know this person, but had an uncle who bred show rabbits when I was a kid in the 70's. If you don't take care of a rabbit and clean its drop pan regularly you will have conditions that do get deplorable quickly. His place was always clean and never smelled or had a fly problem; unless you went into the garage you would never have known he had nearly 100 rabbits in there. I have one pet rabbit and will tell you their urine can stink quick and draw flies quicker. I find it odd that they didn't state that the place had odor problems or fly problems???

Another issue for me is that she had both a swamp cooler AND fans running for the rabbits: Hoarders or people who abuse animals don't do things like that. Now, after the well meaning rescuers barged in and flung the doors open of course the shed got warmer...duh. Worse yet, they took those rabbits and stuck them in CARDBOARD boxes as well as carriers and then placed them in that metal horse trailer in the heat. Let me tell you something about cardboard; when it soaks up animal urine, it heats up. I learned when we moved and put our guinea pigs in boxes (tops open...air running...they had food and water): Three of the four ended up with heat stroke and nearly died. So, the rabbits are taken from an 84 degree controlled climate where their waste dropped into a pan below their living area (according to people who have been in her barn) and placed into a 90 degree plus environment where they were forced to sit in their waste. Big improvement.

Also about the dead rabbit: Adult rabbits can literally have a heart attack and die from being startled. Before anyone tells me I am full of it...it happened to me. My pet rabbit was killed by my landlord's children in this way. I would let them come over and play with my daughter and one day they thought it would be fun to chase me poor rabbit Monty around the living room. They cornered him and were stomping their feet and he just keeled over and died right there before my daughter could get them to stop: I was outside talking with their dad. He was only 2 and a great pet...needless to say I was ticked. Also, anyone here ever had a seemingly healthy chicken just end up dead for no apparent reason? What if you didn't find it right away and somebody else did....does that mean we are abusers? I think the odds of having one dead rabbit on any given day out of nearly 200 is pretty high.

I don't know about the water issue as their are conflicting reports about her having an auto water system that was disconnected by authorities so they could give the rabbits water in their bowls. I do know that some breeds of rabbits can drink a lot of water. I always keep miniature rabbits and it takes them a couple days to go through a single water bottle. Not enough facts here to draw a conclusion without seeing the premises.

I found another place that has set up a trust fund to help defray this woman's legal costs: I donated $25 because if we remain silent next thing we know folks like this rescue group could be showing up to take our birds and charging us with animal cruelty because the poor chickens don't have deluxe condos with a flat panel tv, free wifi, and freakin room service.

Here is the page http://www.raising-rabbits.com/responsible-animal-owners-defense-trust.html