# What to do with runts.



## Snowfie (Nov 21, 2011)

My doe had her first litter of 10 two weeks ago and most of the kits are doing fantastic.  But there are a couple runty ones.  They're developing but they are REALLY small and skinny.  Should I be trying to hand feed them?  And if so, what do you recommend as far as milk replacer?  I thought that if they got to the point where they'd start nibbling solid food they'd be able to make up lost ground, but they don't seem to be interested in solid food (the bigger kits are nibbling hay).

Any suggestions?


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## Queen Mum (Nov 21, 2011)

Are raising them as pet grade buns?   Runts don't usually catch up.   I would just let them catch up on their own.   You can hand feed them with Kitten milk replacer and goats milk.   BUT really you could end up overfeeding them.  SO you would be better off leaving them on their own.  Maybe dose them with some vitamins, though.


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## Snowfie (Nov 21, 2011)

Queen Mum said:
			
		

> Are raising them as pet grade buns?   Runts don't usually catch up.   I would just let them catch up on their own.   You can hand feed them with Kitten milk replacer and goats milk.   BUT really you could end up overfeeding them.  SO you would be better off leaving them on their own.  Maybe dose them with some vitamins, though.


I'm breeding meat rabbits, so not pets.


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## Queen Mum (Nov 21, 2011)

In that case, they are probably not worth the effort.


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## CCourson05 (Nov 21, 2011)

If euthanizing, what's the best way? I don't have rabbits, but it's useful information...


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## oneacrefarm (Nov 22, 2011)

Snowfie said:
			
		

> Queen Mum said:
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> ...


Well, they will either catch up, or they won't....maybe try some kitchen oatmeal, the rolled oats, not the quick oats. Mine love that...


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## Snowfie (Nov 22, 2011)

CCourson05 said:
			
		

> If euthanizing, what's the best way? I don't have rabbits, but it's useful information...


What I have been told (I've never done it myself), is if you need to euthanize a tiny kit, grasp it in your hand with it's head sticking out, and then whack it hard against a table so the edge of the table hits the kit in the back of the head.

Sounds unpleasant but it's supposedly the fastest, painless way to cull a newborn or young kit.


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## SmallFarmGirl (Nov 22, 2011)

Maybe you can let them catch up ... ??


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## Beekissed (Nov 22, 2011)

I'd just let nature happen with those two...you never know how quickly they will catch up if they make it out of kit stage.  I've had a few runts that you couldn't tell from the Baby Heweys by the end of grow out.


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## 2seth2 (Nov 22, 2011)

if the runts grow up small, you can sell them as pets


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## Ms. Research (Nov 23, 2011)

Totally agree with what Beekissed and 2seth2 stated.  

Give them time.  And runts do make great pets!


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## Bossroo (Nov 23, 2011)

Since you are raising meat rabbits... cull the runts asap as they just take away nutrition from the real meat makers , wich will deminish their rate of gain. Keeping runts is just a lose, lose proposition.


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## Ms. Research (Nov 24, 2011)

Bossroo said:
			
		

> Since you are raising meat rabbits... cull the runts asap as they just take away nutrition from the real meat makers , wich will deminish their rate of gain. Keeping runts is just a lose, lose proposition.


Couldn't understand the lose, lose proposition, but did some "looking" and found that your meat rabbit profits would diminish somewhat raising rabbits that won't make it to "fryer" status.   The profit margin is influenced by "feed to meat" conversion ratio which is the amount of feed necessary to produce a fryer of market weight.  

Good ratio:  4:1  meaning 4 lbs of feed to produce 1 lb of meat.  

So runts from commercial meat rabbits would be a lose, lose proposition bringing down your profits.  

K


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## Snowfie (Nov 27, 2011)

Well the problem kind of solved itself.  Both runts died this week.  But there was definatley somethign wrong with them.  Even after I got momma out of the cage and put the kits underneath her to nurse, they still weren't having it.  And one of the runt's eye was glued shut.

Probably for the best, I was just wondering if there's any way to help otherwise non-peanut runts in a litter.


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## Ms. Research (Nov 28, 2011)

Sorry to hear, but I have to agree, it was for the best.  You did all you could do. There's not much, even a professional, can do when you have a rabbit in distress.   Or a runt that will not eat.  Nature always takes it's course.  

K


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