Share about recent or expected rabbit kindling?

[TroyerGal]

If good mothering instincts are given priority when selecting breeding animals, you generally get does that do the things they are supposed to do. But since we often have other things in mind when we make our choices, we can get animals that are totally clueless (obviously, a junior doe has no track record to go by, but does that are good mothers often have daughters with good instincts, too). Some does will take a time or two before they get all the details worked out, and some never do get it right. That's why a lot of breeders have a "three strikes" rule - if a doe can't figure things out by the third time, she probably has faulty programming, and it's best to just get her out of the way and move on to a doe that can produce. Of course, there are those that just have to do things their way, too - I had one doe years ago that did nothing at all until mere minutes before the kits started arriving, but when she got going, she was a whirlwind of activity!

Okay... I'm just worried about the kits. It's FREEZING outside, and i want them to survive!! She's built a nest, she just hasn't pulled fur yet.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I'd keep as close an eye on them as possible if there's any chance the kits could be too exposed to the cold. While mine live in tractors on pasture normally, all does come into the (unheated) garage to kindle, and I will put a heater out there if it gets really cold...kits can start exploring really early, and does sometimes do random things like kindle on the wire even if you've put in a nice fluffy nestbox - I just won't take a chance on it.

Hopefully, she'll soon start a frenzy of fur-pulling (it can actually be scary how much they pull) and those kits will be well-covered and toasty when they arrive.

 

[Bunnylady]

Quote:

The majority of my does pull little or no fur until right around the time that they kindle. For me, the lack of fur pulling is so normal, if I see a box with a lot of hair in it, I expect to find babies under the fur - to not find some is surprising. Of course, every doe has her own way of doing things; I had one doe that started fur pulling at about 21 days' gestation, and continued until the kits were born. The first time she did this, I thought for sure she had a false pregnancy, but she kept it up and by the time the kits came, her cage was swimming with fur and she was almost completely bald. I had one person ask me if the rabbit had had surgery, her skin was so bare. All that was left was a 2" Mohawk along her spine. To make matters worse, she was a Siamese Sable Jersey Wooly; pulling the wool caused her skin to cool down, so the fur that grew back in was nearly black. She looked almost as strange with fur as she had without it.

Some people can raise litters during the dead of winter with snow on the ground. All I can say about that is, more power to them, I can't do it. I have lost perfectly healthy-seeming litters when the temp's were in the 50's. When I got to the point that I felt like I couldn't stand to see one more dead litter, I started bringing soon-to-kindle does into the house when the weather got cold. Most of my does have been very accepting of all the disturbance, and have done a perfectly acceptable job of taking care of business as if nothing had changed.

 

[TroyerGal]

My doe kindled while i was gone today... 8 beautiful little kits. They all died. Her box wasn't secure enough, and i guess she accidentally flipped them out. She has great mothering instincts though, and i hope to re breed her soon.

 

[Bunnylady]

My doe kindled while i was gone today... 8 beautiful little kits. They all died. Her box wasn't secure enough, and i guess she accidentally flipped them out. She has great mothering instincts though, and i hope to re breed her soon.

I'm sorry you lost them. That's rabbits for ya.

I met a guy at a rabbit show once that told about getting his first pair of rabbits many years before. He said, "at the end of a year, guess how many I had?" Sensing a trick question, I refused to "bite," so eventually he told me - "one. The other one died!" Yep, the folks that use the expression "breed like rabbits" have obviously never tried it.

I hope you have better luck next time around.

 

[TroyerGal]

I'm sorry you lost them. That's rabbits for ya.

I met a guy at a rabbit show once that told about getting his first pair of rabbits many years before. He said, "at the end of a year, guess how many I had?" Sensing a trick question, I refused to "bite," so eventually he told me - "one. The other one died!" Yep, the folks that use the expression "breed like rabbits" have obviously never tried it.

I hope you have better luck next time around.

Thanks

... When would it be okay to rebreed? Also, is it too chilly for litters? It gets to be below freezing at night now

 

[Bunnylady]

As you know, rabbits don't do "heat" cycles like a lot of animals do, but they do have hormonal peaks and valleys. One of the highest peaks a doe will ever have happens right after she kindles. If she breeds then, she will likely conceive the largest litter she is capable of producing. For this reason, if I lose a litter at birth, I like to rebreed the doe a day or two later. I find this particularly useful when I am breeding an older doe whose fertility is dropping.

As far as the temperature goes - I have often seen posts from people who say they can raise litters outside in the winter, in climates far colder than I deal with. But in my rabbitry, I need to make extra efforts to keep the babies warm; I even go so far as to keep them, nest box and all, in my hall closet, and only take them out to their mothers a couple of times per day. I even put expectant does in carriers and have them kindle in there; I jokingly refer to it as "the maternity ward." So yes, with a little extra effort, I know you can have litters in the wintertime; I just can't say how much "extra" you will need. One issue can be light; since breeding at that time of year isn't natural, some rabbits may not be willing to breed during the short days of winter. Just as supplemental lighting can fool chickens into laying during the winter, it can get rabbits "in the mood" when otherwise they might not be.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Thanks ... When would it be okay to rebreed? Also, is it too chilly for litters? It gets to be below freezing at night now

My condolences on the loss of your doe's first litter.

Honestly, I wouldn't chance letting her kindle outdoors until it gets warmer (like in spring). If you have the ability to let her kindle indoors - even in a garage or outbuilding where you can have supplemental heat - then kindling in winter could work.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Just an update on the two litters...they don't look much like piglets anymore!

They all have fur and you can identify their colors. The NZs' eyes are opening and the SFs should also be opening their eyes soon. When they do...poor does.

NZs:

SFs:

 

[TroyerGal]

Just an update on the two litters...they don't look much like piglets anymore!

They all have fur and you can identify their colors. The NZs' eyes are opening and the SFs should also be opening their eyes soon. When they do...poor does.

NZs:


SFs:

SOOO cute! They grow incredibly fast! I'm expecting another litter in a few days, So i hope things will go better