# Twas the week before Christmas....



## Hopalong Causually (Dec 19, 2016)

....and all through the shed,
not a rabbit was stirring,
With cold months ahead.

The nest boxes were hung,
All cleaned and in order;
In wait for future use,
by the next litter boarder.

Adult bucks and does,
Were acquired with care;
Having size and demeanor,
And the right color hair.

Herd members are comfy,
with water and feed;
Being patient for two months,
Till again time to breed.

So, here is a greeting,
from little more than a beginner;
Merry Christmas to all,
and have a good winter!


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## frustratedearthmother (Dec 19, 2016)

That's too cute!  Thanks for sharing!


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## promiseacres (Dec 19, 2016)




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## TAH (Dec 19, 2016)

Very cute


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## Latestarter (Dec 19, 2016)

Thanks for sharing! Merry Christmas to you and may a happy new year follow closely behind!


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## countrygirl1178 (Dec 20, 2016)

Thanks and Happy Holidays to all from Pennsylvania


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## DutchBunny03 (Dec 20, 2016)

Merry Christmas, and great poem!!


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## Hopalong Causually (Dec 21, 2016)

Well, that was a short spell of Holiday exuberance.
Went out to the rabbitry this morning to find my younger buck dead.  There is absolutely no indication of what did him in.  He was active and eating yesterday and, today, gone.  It's an enclosed, heated shed with no possibility of any animal intruding and there were no marks on his body or indicators of disease.  I've heard this can happen.  I guess it's true.  So now, I'm down to one buck and two does of my target breed.  The rest of the winter suddenly seems a whole lot less certain or promising.


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## frustratedearthmother (Dec 21, 2016)

I'm so sorry!  I'm not a rabbit person, so not a lot of help - but here's a hug anyway!


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## countrygirl1178 (Dec 21, 2016)

Yes i too am sorry the loss of any animal leaves its mark on us i lost a pinkie on Monday morning  right as my doe had 6 in the night i know its not the same so my sincere condolences


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## Mini Horses (Dec 21, 2016)

I am so very sorry.   It happens to us all, no matter the animal.   I've fed in morning only to find them gone a few hours later.  You never know sometimes.  It is one of hard parts of raising animals...death & often never knowing why.


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## Goat Whisperer (Dec 21, 2016)




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## DutchBunny03 (Dec 21, 2016)

That's terrible! Had he been experiencing any abnormal behavior? How cold did it get at night?


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## TAH (Dec 21, 2016)

Very sorry!


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## BlessedWithGoats (Dec 21, 2016)

Sorry to hear you buck died!


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## babsbag (Dec 21, 2016)




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## samssimonsays (Dec 22, 2016)

I'm so sorry for the loss of your guy.  it can happen but it is never easy! 

That Christmas saying was very great however!


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## Hopalong Causually (Dec 22, 2016)

DutchBunny03,
Absolutely no abnormal behavior at all.  I have them in a heated small barn/shed and keep the temperature at 30 or above by thermostat.
It was 11 months old.  I really regret that I hadn't bred him to any of my does and lost benefit of his genetics.  But then, if his early death was due to a genetic defect, it's just as well that he didn't pass it on.  We'll do the best we can with what we have left.  I realize that it's all a process and things don't always go according to plan.


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## DutchBunny03 (Dec 22, 2016)

That's weird. These things happen, and of course they have causes, but it can almost impossible to find out why.


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## Hopalong Causually (Dec 29, 2016)

I have been unable to post for some time but I wanted to let everybody know that I did discover what killed my buck.  A close examination revealed that he had an exterior tumor on his abdomen so I think it's safe to say that cancer got him.  At least it appears to not have been anything of a contagious nature that would threaten my other rabbits.


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## DutchBunny03 (Dec 29, 2016)

Figuring out what happened is good. Otherwise, all you do is worry needlessly over the rest of your herd.


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