Double litter of kits!!!

[Duckfarmer1]

Hi all...so this is an interesting rabbit story for ya....I’ve been breeding rabbits for a year now...having fun...it’s a hobby...got the hang of it, etc. I have a rabbit with a litter right now with 6 kits that are just over 4 weeks old. There were 9 but 3 didn’t make it, various reasons. Tonight I went out to check on things...and saw that my momma bunny was bloody....I quickly grabbed her out. Her privates were all bloody. I thought she was having a major problem and might be hemorrhaging or something. Then , I thought, what if she hurt a baby? I ran to the hutch...I put her in an empty One. Checked the bunnies...they were fine, but noticed there was a ton of new fur in the nest box...and I felt around.....oh my goodness...I found five baby bunnies..new ones! One was dead. These babies were only maybe an hour old, if that, because momma was still bloody and cleaning herself up. I was totally thrown for a loop! Two weeks ago an old far friend told us that a rabbit can have old sperm inside her for up to a month and become pregnant this way. I blew him off. Could this be what happened?? I went up to the house and got onto my rabbit forum for help. The one person sa one thing, one another...but then, the known ‘expert’. said that it’s actually a second kindle from the same pregnancy. She said I needed to remove the older ones...only 4weeks..yes, they are eating pellets and drinking water...but...it’s not weaning age. But...the momma would reject the new ones. The older ones have a better chance being on their own. So, that’s what I did. I’m going to add some rolled oats and some kitten formula to their water. But, isn’t this the craziest thing you ever heard? My friends on the other forum are laughing so hard because I’ve had other funny things happen, so they are waiting for one of my hens to turn into a rooster.... here’s some pictures of the 4week. bunnies and today’s bunnies

 

[Duckfarmer1]

Hi all...so this is an interesting rabbit story for ya....I’ve been breeding rabbits for a year now...having fun...it’s a hobby...got the hang of it, etc. I have a rabbit with a litter right now with 6 kits that are just over 4 weeks old. There were 9 but 3 didn’t make it, various reasons. Tonight I went out to check on things...and saw that my momma bunny was bloody....I quickly grabbed her out. Her privates were all bloody. I thought she was having a major problem and might be hemorrhaging or something. Then , I thought, what if she hurt a baby? I ran to the hutch...I put her in an empty One. Checked the bunnies...they were fine, but noticed there was a ton of new fur in the nest box...and I felt around.....oh my goodness...I found five baby bunnies..new ones! One was dead. These babies were only maybe an hour old, if that, because momma was still bloody and cleaning herself up. I was totally thrown for a loop! Two weeks ago an old far friend told us that a rabbit can have old sperm inside her for up to a month and become pregnant this way. I blew him off. Could this be what happened?? I went up to the house and got onto my rabbit forum for help. The one person sa one thing, one another...but then, the known ‘expert’. said that it’s actually a second kindle from the same pregnancy. She said I needed to remove the older ones...only 4weeks..yes, they are eating pellets and drinking water...but...it’s not weaning age. But...the momma would reject the new ones. The older ones have a better chance being on their own. So, that’s what I did. I’m going to add some rolled oats and some kitten formula to their water. But, isn’t this the craziest thing you ever heard? My friends on the other forum are laughing so hard because I’ve had other funny things happen, so they are waiting for one of my hens to turn into a rooster.... here’s some pictures of the 4week. bunnies and today’s bunnies View attachment 2002685View attachment 2002686View attachment 2002687View attachment 2002688View attachment 2002689

 

[Love my chickens 25]

ADORABLE

 

[DiYMama540]

Omg they're so tiny! I dont know anything about rabbits...when do they get fur?

 

[Abriana]

Oh my goodness they are so cute!!

 

[muddy75]

my doe just kindled first litter last week....i had read/heard of your situation happening and i was concerned it may be a possibility as we attempted breeding several times over last couple of months to get this litter.....mine are NZ whites, and i was instructed to breed again in 21 days and wean (remove these babies) at 4 weeks.

 

[Duckfarmer1]

Omg they're so tiny! I dont know anything about rabbits...when do they get fur?

Well each day they get a bit more...by week one they have enough to no longer look like mice. By week two they open their eyes..week three they jump out of the nest and start eating pellets a bit...but, they really shouldn’t leave mom until week 6 and it should be half the liter at a time. Rabbits get stressed very easy, and can die...this is risky...but, it was the best option. They skwiggle a lot even at this point and each day will jump around in the fur. You have to be careful that they don’t accidentally jump out.

 

[Duckfarmer1]

my doe just kindled first litter last week....i had read/heard of your situation happening and i was concerned it may be a possibility as we attempted breeding several times over last couple of months to get this litter.....mine are NZ whites, and i was instructed to breed again in 21 days and wean (remove these babies) at 4 weeks.

Well, this rabbit wasn’t rebred...these babies were just still inside her apparently from the first pregnancy....it makes no sense to me...I was told the ovaries were still fertilized from the initial sperm. I still don’t get it...

 

[muddy75]

Omg they're so tiny! I dont know anything about rabbits...when do they get fur?

mine are 1 week old today

 

[Duckfarmer1]

Well, this rabbit wasn’t rebred...these babies were just still inside her apparently from the first pregnancy....it makes no sense to me...I was told the ovaries were still fertilized from the initial sperm. I still don’t get it...

Oh...did you do that...did you rebrew and take the kits out at 4 weeks?