Raising our New Zealand Meat Rabbits *Start to finish - Birth to processing* Possible Graphic pics*

[kacklinkelly]

There is nothing cuter than a little bunny sticking out a tongue!! They are adorable.

 

[Angelicisi]

They're so Frickin cute lol and wanna play.

Doe #2 still has eleven kits.
Yesterday I checked each one. All but one tiny guy had a full belly. So I pulled him, put him in with doe #1 for about ten minutes to feed. Baby latched right on and filled up about. I didn't want her to squish the tiny one (hers are a couple weeks old now) and saw the real mama was feeding, so I slipped the baby right back in there with them. She fed them, cleaned um all off and hopped out to lay down. This mornin I pulled them out again and the lil one had a full belly so I let them be. I'll check later this afternoon too. Maybe I just delayed the inevitable but maybe she'll raise all of them now that the tints spunk is back lol

 

[Angelicisi]

So we often give the buns cardboard tubes to toss around and play with. Today while gardening with my kids we stuffed the inside with clovers and herbs and gave them to them lol my daughter says they're special for Easter lol aw

 

[Angelicisi]

We lost a kit an older kit. Well born April fool's. So about 3 weeks old.

Saw one kit sprawled out, legs behind it. I've seen my dog, cat, other rabbits all lay stretched out. Thought how cute...go to give it a pet and it didn't move paralyzed. All looked normal, its head was functioning. Front paws working. But struggling to move and back feet dragging
I set her out of the way and went to look up a few things. 10 minutes later went out to go look for diarrhea in cage (none) but the kit was dead.

None of the others seem to have an issue. Poop looks good. They're active. No changes in diet. Could the mama have stepped on it and crushed its back? I've been watching them all like a hawk for any signs and all seems great. Sux not knowing.

 

[kacklinkelly]

Sorry for the mystery. Hoping the others are strong and healthy and that mom learns how to tip toe around them.

 

[Angelicisi]

I heard all this banging this morning! Rabbitry it a good distance so I had to go check it out, waaaay too much noise coming from there...so I go check it out and one of our bucks is going nuts! By the time I got my camera out and figured out he was hollering about his doe in labor he calmed a bit but was still doing laps IN his cage lol literally bouncing off walls. Aww he's finally gonna be a daddy!

 

[kacklinkelly]

Congrats. That buck's behavior is amazing.

 

[Bunnylady]

We lost a kit

an older kit. Well born April fool's. So about 3 weeks old.

Saw one kit sprawled out, legs behind it. I've seen my dog, cat, other rabbits all lay stretched out. Thought how cute...go to give it a pet and it didn't move

paralyzed. All looked normal, its head was functioning. Front paws working. But struggling to move and back feet dragging

I set her out of the way and went to look up a few things. 10 minutes later went out to go look for diarrhea in cage (none) but the kit was dead.

None of the others seem to have an issue. Poop looks good. They're active. No changes in diet. Could the mama have stepped on it and crushed its back?

I've been watching them all like a hawk for any signs and all seems great. Sux not knowing.

Is there any way the baby could have gotten a leg caught on something?

I have seen this kind of thing happen to adult rabbits - the rabbit is lying down, sprawled out, with a foot or feet sticking out through the cage wire. Something startles the rabbit, it jumps up and tries to jump away, and winds up breaking its own back. I've seen young rabbits' backs get broken when small children accidentally drop them, too - which is why my rabbitry floor is sand.

And as fun as it is to think that your buck is excited by the prospect of becoming a father, I suspect that he's just excited by the hormones that a kindling doe produces - they are very fertile at that time, and most does will breed immediately after kindling if given the chance. I've often seen bucks get rowdy with newly kindled does around, just like they do when there are other rabbits breeding.

 

[Angelicisi]

Possibly there is a lot of hay as bedding but it could have been caught. They make lil nests in hay and could have gotten a foot caught. Awww poor thing.

I know Cleatus is hormonal. I don't breed them right after but they are in close proximity, he's just unique - out of our bucks here - in his excitement of a doe in heat lol very vocal and happy. To be able to post it on our website I didn't wanna explain he's a horny rabbit and wants it NOW!
our other bucks are chilled out knowing we bring them girls lol this is Cleatus's 1st try lol he had a hard time figuring out which end last month but got it figured out eventually lol

 

[Crickett]

Just got my first meaties today! 19 NZ whites and 18 Flemish. The man we bought them from is moving and sold them all to us with cages, water bottles and feeders for $100.00! The Flemish had a litter that was about ten days old. One of the babies may not make it. It climbed out of the nest box and my dog grabbed it. I put it back, but it doesn't look good. I got these to process, as well as to sell some for pets. I'll probably be asking lot's of questions, so please bear with me!