# It's time to cull, isn't it?



## EggsForIHOP (Jan 31, 2012)

So a while back I posted about our older California doe...she had one HUGE kit past her due date...over baked and for sure dead when I found it with a split in it's back...

That was the middle of December, the 17th actually...on the 5th of January I re bred her and even though she wasn't even due yet, I just walked out to discover 8 WAY TOO EARLY babies dead on the cage floor...she isn't letting me get them out (vicious only begins to describe her right now)

Something has got to be wrong, it's not the buck because I am looking at 6 healthy babies from him and the other doe...it's got to be her...plus I had noticed a few days ago that she didn't seem to be eating or drinking much either...I kind of knew then something was wrong I think...but I was keeping my fingers crossed hoping it was just me worrying too much...

So...much as I hate to do it...it's time to cull her isn't it?  I'm just not looking forward to it because I KNOW she has been a GREAT mother before!  It's driving me nuts wondering what it could be and if there is anything I can do to fix this...I'm not one to give up easy I guess...but it really is time to send her to freezer camp isn't it?

Any thoughts or opinions would help - I can't wait until morning when I can call my rabbit sidekick and talk to her and pick her brain...but she did vote cull the first time something went wrong...her gut instinct is usually right...but I went ahead and tried one last time...

I dunno...looking for thoughts from others helps me though...whats the vote from ya'll?


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## secuono (Jan 31, 2012)

-


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## SuburbanFarmChic (Jan 31, 2012)

I would be looking at things like a possible uterine infection.  Maybe try a round of antibiotic before you cull. Especially since she's been a good mother in the past.


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## EggsForIHOP (Jan 31, 2012)

Really?  Would you mind telling me more?  I've yet to have to treat a rabbit for anything...goats, horses, dogs....yes...but rabbits no.

Where does one begin with that? I'm at a loss here...


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## SuburbanFarmChic (Jan 31, 2012)

I've honestly never had to deal with one but from other animals if one starts acting funny, not holding a pregnancy, has a major change in temperament, I go with sick.  It's also up to you as to how far you want to go with treatment.  In something like rabbits often the cure is more expensive than a cull/replace strategy.  

The other thing is if you are breeding for hardiness, then you may not want to breed animals that are getting sick on you. A friend of mine that does rabbits immediately culls at the first sign anything wrong and she is angling for the least maintenance possible in her herd. 



http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Antibiotics/Safe_antibiotics.htm   This site has some rabbit antibiotic info.  There are many others. I just googled, rabbit antibiotic dosage.  There are probably some you need a vet rx for but others can come from a feed store. 



I'm sorry she's not doing well. It's never an easy choice when it is one you thought you were going to keep for a while.


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## EggsForIHOP (Jan 31, 2012)

Since she hates me and is a challenge to handle, yup, cull it is...after looking into it, and thinking on it...she's got to go...

You're right, though, it's a major let down when you were thinking you were gonna have one around a while...but such is life I suppose.  At least the other 3 mamas are all doing okay. I really hate the feeling of "giving up" but I'm better off starting over I think in this case.


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## AZ Rabbits (Jan 31, 2012)

Unfortunately, the process of constant improvement means you will be continuously replacing your breeders with better breeders from the litters. Constantly be watching for the pick of the litters and raise them up for replacements. Always cull the weak ones. Doing this will result in stronger, more productive herds. It's not easy, but to be truly effective as a breeder, it's necessary.


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## smiles-n-sunshine (Jan 31, 2012)

A $25 - $50 rabbit (or chicken etc.) is not worth a $100+ trip to the vet, in my opinion.  

I purposely raise more replacement does than I want to keep each year.  The first breeding season, they're competing for a few positions.  Best breeders stay, the rest go away.


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## Beekissed (Jan 31, 2012)

I agree...cull 'er.  Even if she were to produce a good litter, any doe that is aggressive and lunges at me when I try to examine the kits is a goner.  Who needs that trait, no matter _what_ the reason?


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## EggsForIHOP (Jan 31, 2012)

I feel better in this decision - 86'd as soon as DH gets home and tells me what he did with the pellet gun...he has a friend that has been begging me for a "big old stew rabbit" anyways...at least she can go to him and serve some sort of purpose. I don't want to eat her if only because she's so mean I bet she tastes sour!


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## redtailgal (Jan 31, 2012)

lol


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## EggsForIHOP (Jan 31, 2012)

well, I feel bad a little now but better too- she had the worst hairball in her stomach EVER!  As soon I got that far in my "autopsy"/processing I noticed her stomach was HUGE and HARD!  So...being me...which is curious...I opened it and it was jam packed with fur and a little hay/feed - but mostly fur! 

I always make sure they have some hay to nibble on for roughage, but I don't think she was interested in hay so much as she was in fur...poor thing had to have been miserable...nothing else at all in her intestines...just a stomach bigger than my fist bout near to popping full of hair!

I feel awful she was like that all this week and I was just thinking it was cause she had a belly full of babies that she wasn't hungry, but I feel better knowing she isn't suffering...there's not much for that I could have done anyways...I mean I bet there are preventative measures, but it was beyond that at this point...

Poor old gal - probably been cooking the worlds biggest hairball for months and I never knew...


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## Beekissed (Feb 1, 2012)

That happens a lot in the chicken world...at least my chicken world because I cull vigorously for non-laying, lack of thrift, etc.  Often times, upon examining the internal workings of the chicken, which I always do, I find that she had some underlying health problem that prevented her from good production/healthy appearance.  

Culling sounds heartless to some but nature culls just such individuals in much the same way.  

So...what does one give to rabbits to prevent/relieve the problem?  I must confess that none of mine ever had this difficulty, so I'm curious.  

Found this:



> Question: *How Can I Keep my Rabbit from Getting Hairballs*
> 
> *Answer:* Hair balls in rabbits are a potentially serious problem and prevention is definitely easier than treating them once they have developed. When rabbits groom, they can ingest a lot of hair which can accumulate in the stomach. Unlike cats, rabbits cannot vomit so if the hair doesn't move out of the stomach into the intestines, it can form a large mass (medically known as a trichobezoar) in the stomach. This condition is also sometimes called wool block. A similar mass of mostly undigested food can form if a rabbit is kept on an inappropriate diet, so sometimes large amounts of hair isn't the whole problem. In any case, the ability of the rabbit to digest food is affected and the rabbit can become very ill, and possibly even die.
> 
> ...


And this great link:

http://www.verlannahill.com/Hairball.htm


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## EggsForIHOP (Feb 1, 2012)

Thank you so much for those links and the info!  I hadn't come across either of those yet and that was super helpful! 

Yeah, I don't LIKE to cull anything I don't start off intending to eat...but I understand the importance of it.  It's just kind of frustrating sometimes, I will admit...hopefully now I can work to reduce my chances of ever dealing with this again!


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## smiles-n-sunshine (Feb 2, 2012)

Great info *beekissed*, thank you!


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## adorable (Mar 7, 2012)

EggsForIHOP said:
			
		

> So a while back I posted about our older California doe...she had one HUGE kit past her due date...over baked and for sure dead when I found it with a split in it's back...
> 
> That was the middle of December, the 17th actually...on the 5th of January I re bred her and even though she wasn't even due yet, I just walked out to discover 8 WAY TOO EARLY babies dead on the cage floor...she isn't letting me get them out (vicious only begins to describe her right now)
> 
> ...


When a pregnant doe slows down in eating and drinking. That is a sure sign she is going to have those babies really soon. 
But if she will not let you touch those babies. I wouldnt keep her. She is replaceable. You dont need that in your herd.


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