Should the rabbitry become a private forum? (All May Vote)

[CCWelch]

I guess I should ask...How do you know who are the breeders and who aren't? How do you make the distinction?

 

[Happi Bun]

Peg - You are awesome! Just had to put it out there. The time you are spending thinking this all over, the dedication, it's amazing and very admiring. Even though I voted to change it to private, I understand what you are saying and quite like the idea of the Rabbitry staying the way it is but touchy 'hot topics' not being allowed. Some things just are not up for discussion on pet forums. Obviously breeders can still PM answers to anyone that inquires about banned topics.

 

[TinysMom]

I assume someone will state they're a breeder if they are one....or post about it here or something.

As far as the voting goes - it was mainly trusting the folks to say what they were. I didn't give more weight to breeders or non-breeders but I did want to see what each group felt about the matter.

 

[Jynxie]

You know... Something that wasn't brought up was having a seperate meat section. Kinda like the games section in 'let your hare down'.

Just like people who don't like hearing about breeding... They don't have to look and they can show respect not to post hateful comments.

This way people can talk about meat rabbits and people who don't want to see it... Don't have to look at it.

 

[TinysMom]

Jynxie wrote:

You know... Something that wasn't brought up was having a seperate meat section. Kinda like the games section in 'let your hare down'.

Just like people who don't like hearing about breeding... They don't have to look and they can show respect not to post hateful comments.

This way people can talk about meat rabbits and people who don't want to see it... Don't have to look at it.

To be honest with you - there are other forums out there that are probably more appropriate for discussing meat breeding, etc. - and it would make one more section to moderate (and I don't care to read about it - so I wouldn't want to be the moderator to be honest) and I think it comes down to "is it necessary and will it do more good for the forum or cause more heartaches?"

 

[missyscove]

I am not a breeder. Both of the rabbits I've had were adopted from city shelters. One thing I've always loved about this forum is the way that we can always share knowledge and learn from eachother. I don't think any piece of knowledge should be restricted to just breeders or just meat breeders or just rescue people. Yes, there are bad breeders out there and yes there are some really crazy rescue people out there but what I find so valuable is the knowledge.
I remember once sharing a paper on rabbit nutrition and a member stating that they stopped reading it because it mentioned meat rabbits. I thought to myself, really, you have no interest in information that could improve the lives of your pets because the rabbits involved in the study were bred for meat production?
I'm currently interning in the bird department at a zoo. I work mostly in the brooder where we raise baby birds. Some of the species we're raising have never been raised in other zoos and it takes time to work out what the best way to do it is, but that's why it's so important to share information. Some zoos may develop the perfect formula for raising their chicks and then don't share it. How would that help the future of the species?
I've seen my fair share of controversial topics on this forum. I've seen members come, get offended, and go. I wish we could just have a forum that people knew had controversial topics and the easily offended would just stay away but at the same time, I know that would be incredibly difficult to moderate.

 

[Blaze_Amita]

Just the one thing I would say about the meat breeding, if we have a seperate forum for it, for hot topics in general it would make it easier on some of us breeders. While I myself do breed for meat, I also have been improving my lines for show as well as meat the two can go hand in hand- better body type to produce the better litters. I know when it was a severely hot topic I had posted about it and my thread disappeared and it ticked me off some. I mean, I knew I was going to use the babies for meat since I didn't think they were typie for show, but I needed to know where they lacked, what other breeders thought.



I moved to RH for a while, coming back here lurking and occasionally posting,but they just closed up there and I'm not ready to move into yet another forum where I don't know anyone, so I'm moving back over to here if I can find it comfortable enough.

 

[TinysMom]

Blaze_Amita wrote:

Just the one thing I would say about the meat breeding, if we have a seperate forum for it, for hot topics in general it would make it easier on some of us breeders. While I myself do breed for meat, I also have been improving my lines for show as well as meat the two can go hand in hand- better body type to produce the better litters. I know when it was a severely hot topic I had posted about it and my thread disappeared and it ticked me off some. I mean, I knew I was going to use the babies for meat since I didn't think they were typie for show, but I needed to know where they lacked, what other breeders thought.



I moved to RH for a while, coming back here lurking and occasionally posting,but they just closed up there and I'm not ready to move into yet another forum where I don't know anyone, so I'm moving back over to here if I can find it comfortable enough.

Heather,

I'm sorry but I don't remember the thread - so I apologize for that.

I hope folks realize it isn't that we don't want meat breeders on here at all. Its more that we don't want the discussion of the culling/freezing them, etc.

For example - I raise flemish and no - I don't eat them. But let's say for a minute that I did....and I wanted help with the type.

I could simply share some photos and ask for help on type and say, "I'm trying to decide which ones are showable and which ones might be worth keeping for my breeding program."

Notice - I never state "the others will be butchered" or "the rest I'll cull" or "the rest will go for people who need them for snakes".

Instead - I focus on the part that won't offend the pet owners. I'm still getting help on type and showing...just keeping silent about the culls.

I think its also important for folks to know that certain rabbits are referred to as "meat rabbits" whether they're for that purpose or not.

As I said, I raise flemish giants....many people see them and go "meat rabbit". Well....sorta...yeah....folks do see them that way.

But we prefer them with hay and binkies and "miracle grow" in their water (just kidding - but I love wabbitdad's response on how Titan got so big).

 

[irishbunny]

I would love to see it stay open to everyone. There is a lot to be learned from this forum, and over the couple years I have been on this forum it has become one of my favourite sectioms. A large portion of topics made are from people with suprise litters who need information quickly from knowledgable people, and if this section was made private, they would be loosing out on vital information. I think it is a big job for Peg to have to moderate it by herself, and another moderator to take the pressure off might be helpful.

 

[kuniklos]

I do not think this should be a private forum. However, I think that in order to meet the needs of those who are breeders that there should be a section of the site that is specially maintained for breeders and the topics that are relevant for them.

I may make (assuming it's possible) that section of the site private, or have it carefully moderated. As long as the rules are clearly outlines for that section of the forums, I see no issue. It could be a trial is non-breeders with countering ethics get involved, in which case it might be worth looking into a new moderator to look at that section specifically and keep things peachy.

I am not a breeder, nor do I ever plan on breeding. I have no issue with the topics discussed (including culling)and would be interested in reading them, even if I never replied to them. Even if it were breeder-only, this forum has been a wealth of knowledge for people of all rabbit backgrounds, and I don't see any reason to censor information that could be available. However I understand that the internet epeen can get in the way of a stable conversation.

 

[BethM]

I missed the poll because I don't come here very much anymore. When I joined, it seemed like most of the active members were pet and/or rescue, which is what I liked about this forum. There didn't seem to be very many threads about the more controversial breeder topics. As the breeder talk (and controversial topics) increased, I started coming here less and less frequently. I never usually choose to go into the breeder section, but those threads do still come up on the side topics, and I would sometimes accidentally step into a thread that could potentially ruin my whole day.

That is a big reason I stopped coming here so much, and the main reason I will not be renewing my paid membership here.

I will add that I'm currently an active member over on another (non-rabbit) forum, and they have some very clear guidelines about what is and isn't allowed. The "rules" are made clear, and all the mods follow the set guidelines, whether they personally agree with them or not. There are clear rules that if you talk about certain topics you WILL be banned. There's no argueing about wanting "to be heard," they are just banned and sent an explanation of what rule(s) were violated. (People who were previously banned, then re-join, are identified by their ip addresses and banned outright again.) Threads that get heated are edited and locked fairly quickly. It can be annoying at times, but helps to keep thing civil, overall. They also have the option to temporarily ban someone (one or two weeks seems usual), if they are pushing the limits but not in clear violation. They rely heavily on a system for users to report posts- there's an icon on each post that users can click on and are given a form to fill out. This way, mods can do their job efficiently without having to wade through every post in their forum.

Anyway. Not sure if you are interested in the opinion of someone who doesn't come here so much anymore, but since this is the reason why I'm not around much, I thought I'd chime in.

 

[Happi Bun]

I couldn't agree with you more, Beth. I'm sorry, but this is primarily a pet forum, so I do not see it necessary to have topics of meat raising and culling. Can you imagine going to dog or cat forum like this and talking about putting culled puppies and kittens in the freezer, or raising them for meat? That is taboo because they are pets. Well, rabbits in my eyes are same. Call me what you will, but I will be leaving this forum if those topics are allowed. Take those discussions to PM or join a forum geared to that specifically.

Having a 'Hot Topic' forum is not a good idea, IMO. I know of a pet guinea pig forum that has one and it is a constant source of arguments and locked threads. Things get nasty quick there. Peg doesn't need that added stress when she is having problems already with the breeding section.

 

[Inle_Rabbitry]

On one hand, I personally think it should stay open. Simply because it helps to educate both pet owners and other breeders.

On the other hand I do also feel that breeders should have a right do discuss some of the more serious issues that they go through with each other.

My suggestion is, would it be possible to keep the breeder forum open, but also have a seperate closed forum set only for posts about such selective serious issues?

 

[bunnychild]

the poll ended so i cant vote but i say yes

 

[Flashy]

I know this is 'old' and I'm also not active, but I think this is a valuable resource.

I learnt so much in this place and from the respected members when I was active.

I swung heavily away from where I was when I joined and am now steeped in the rescue world.

Nowadays people specifically seek me out if they have babies in the rescue world and need the advice that they can't obtain from a breeder. Without this forum I wouldn't be able to help those people save those bunny lives.

I'm not anti breeder in any way. I am anti-irresponsibility, and that goes with anyone owning bunnies, be them breeder, pet owner, rescue, sanctuary, etc.

I do think it's valuable and it sounds like only some people create the problems. Could you maybe look to 'exclude' people if they cause problems as opposed to exclude/include specific groups?

(and yes, I am very late to this and I am sorry).

 

[The Haven Rabbitry]

I am a breeder myself, and have no preference to whether it remains open or closed, however I do feel there are a lot of people who visit this site that need help and can't find it anywhere else. For example: an accidental breeding, a rescue bunny who 2 days later has an unexpected litter, etc...

My only other question is, how do you determine who is okay for the forum and who isn't? How will you know if someone is a true breeder or just saying that to get access into the Rabbitry section? Just a thought.

 

[TinysMom]

Since the poll is closed, this thread is old and we won't have a separate forum (at this time)-I'm going ahead and locking this thread.

Thanks to all who gave their input.