# Shorty's Kindling thread



## Shorty

I have my second litter due in one week and it will be my first pure breed litter of New Zealands. 


This is my new Buck Mr. Scott



 
I don't have an updated Pic of my Doe Roo


 
This is my new doe I kept from my last litter she is half New Zealand her name is Maybelline I can't wait to see what she produces when she is big enough.


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## Shorty

Well looks like this breeding didn't take and I have re-bred them, if I don't get babies this time I'll have to start looking for a new buck.


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## Shorty

Ladies and gents we have kindled!!!


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## Shorty




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## Baymule

Awww...... they look so sweet! Love the baby bunnies!


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## Hens and Roos

Very nice!  Congrats


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## Shorty

Finally got around to counting 10 kits and since we all love pictures here they are!!


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## Hens and Roos

they sure grow fast


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## Shorty

they sure do in only a couple days they start to look more white then pink!


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## Baymule

They are just so darn cute!!


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## Shorty

I Have a three week old kit whose one eye is still closed his other eye is open. I checked there is an eye in there it just isn't open. I am not overly concerned as he is destined for the freezer but I am curious as to why this eye didn't open and the other one did. Also if this affects being able to eat him

Bad eye 



Good eye


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## Baymule

That has no effect on eating him. His closed eye doesn't look crusty ( why he wouldn't be able to open it) I really don't know why he has an eye closed. Sometimes things just happen.


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## SheepGirl

Is there an injury that is causing swelling that is keeping his eye shut?


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## Shorty

Nope no injury and when I went out and counted them again and  looked them all over three actually had eyes like that. I googled it and someone said it was nestbox eye and recommended an optical gel I have been putting it on a couple times a day we will see if it helps.


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## Shorty

My first time doe kindled this morning to 5 beautiful kits unfortunately the temperature dropped to like 15 degrees last night and she didn't cover them so I lost them all.


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## Hens and Roos

sorry to hear that


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## SA Farm

Sorry for your loss, Shorty


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## Shorty

Thanks SA Farms and Hens and Roos. I'm just upset because so far this winter it has been mild in the high 30s low 40s and the week my bun is due it starts dropping to single digits.


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## Southern by choice

so sorry.


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## Baymule

Are your cages wire on top? I used to raise rabbits in hanging wire cages in a barn-one side boarded up-three sides open. On cold nights, I put an aluminum shielded clamp on auto light over the nest box. It really helped. Sorry about your babies.


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## Shorty

yeah the cages are all wire and I actually use a clamp light to keep their days a good length I could just move it. Baymule did you have a heat lamp bulb in it or just a regular one?


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## Baymule

I just used a regular light bulb. In the winter, I wrapped 2 of the walls in plastic, leaving the front open, to deflect the wind. I just put the clamp lights right over the nest boxes, not clamped, but just rested the flange of the aluminum shield right on the wire.


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## Baymule

Oh, @Shorty if you want to "call" someone to a thread, use the @ and start typing their name. Before you finish, several similar names will pop up, click on the one you want, and it notifies them on their alerts.


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## Shorty

Ok thanks @Baymule I'll have to try that for my next litter minus the plastic they are in a shed lined with plastic.


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## Baymule

@Shorty they can take the cold, and you are doing right by keeping the wind off them. Good luck on your next kindling. I used to breed up to 20 does at a time, so they came due within a few days of each other. I set the alarm to check on them every 2 hours and saved quite a few litters that were born on the wire. dummy does....


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## Shorty

I have a doe with a hay mustache!! She is an experienced mother and throws 8 or 9 kits each time. She is due to Kindle Sunday!


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## Hens and Roos

Good Luck!  Keep us posted


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## Baymule

Hope she has a good litter for you!


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## Shorty

look what I got this morning!!! Quick count of 7 warm and fat kits!!


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## Hens and Roos

Congrats!  What a pile of kits.


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## SA Farm

Congrats! What a good mama!


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## Baymule

What sweet babies!!


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## Shorty

because I know we all love baby pictures here is one of my 1 week old kits!!


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## Hens and Roos

how cute!!!


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## Shorty

2.5 Weeks old!! 
I'm still having the same problem as my last litter with 3 having eyes stuck shut. They do eventually open but they are goopy, it doesn't spread to the rest of the litter. I'm kind of wondering if it has something to do with the parents since I didn't have this problem with my first litter who was same doe different buck. It doesn't effect their grow out weights I tried some eye ointment but it didn't help I'm kind of at a loss for what to do for them.


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## Hens and Roos

interesting - not sure, have not seen this.  Do you have a different buck to try and see what happens?


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## Shorty

I don't really have the cage space to have more then a trio and a grow out cage I was thinking of trying to sell my buck but he is so sweet. I'm going to bleach the nest box and try with try other doe if it still happens he may have to go :-(


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## Hens and Roos

Good luck, keep us posted on what you figure out.


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## SA Farm

Eyes stuck shut can happen. I've used warm water and a cotton ball to gently soak, then help open the eyes if they still haven't opened on their own a few days past when they normally should (around 10 days old).
If they have pus, it's called "nest-box eye" - never experienced that one myself, but from what I understand it's basically just a mild infection. You can clean with a really mild saline solution or ointment twice a day until it clears up.


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## Shorty

@SA Farm  they are almost 3 weeks old and do have a small amount of puss in their eyes I did try ointment with the last litter it didn't help I will have to try the mild saline solution.  The last litter it never did clear up I felt so bad but I tried everything I could think of


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## SA Farm

Try the saline solution - hopefully that will work for you


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## Shorty

upon closer inspection I think their eye lashes are flipped in toward their eyes :-( I have trimmed the hair and eye lashes to see if it helps 
 
Poky lover of babies tried to help me get pictures


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## mikiz

Shorty it's probably entropion

http://www.backyardherds.com/threads/entropion-in-rabbits.15161/


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## Shorty

@mikiz  I was really hoping it wasn't genetic but looks just like that. Now I have to find a new buck and  I really like Mr. Scott he is my friendliest rabbit.


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## Hens and Roos

Sorry to hear that-  could you possibly bring in a different doe to try with Mr. Scott?


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## Shorty

I can't have more then 3 adult rabbits at a time and I already kept 1 I shouldn't have. I do have 2 other does but they are both out of my proven doe that keeps having the kits with eye problems her first litter didn't have problems but that was with a different buck. I am going to breed him to my mix doe before I sell him and see what happens.


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## Hens and Roos

Good Luck- keep us posted as to what you figure out!


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## mikiz

Sorry to hear, I know it sounds cruel, but what are you using the rabbits for? If they're all turned into meat is it really a big deal?
Fair enough if you want to sell some, obviously you wouldn't want to sell them with a defect that can affect their sight.
If you were to just replace the buck, your does still have the gene that makes it appear too, so there's no guarantee the new litters won't have it if the new buck has the gene, and even if they don't display it, there's a chance the kits from her litters will be carriers as well.

ETA: If mum and dad don't display it, they probably only have one recessive copy of the gene each, so each of the kits has a 25% chance of being affected, 50% chance of not showing it but being a carrier, and 25% chance of not having it at all. 

In order to prove that out with the 75% that don't show it but might have it, you'd have to breed them with an affected buck or doe. If they're carriers, their litter will have some affected, if they don't the babies will all present normal eyes and be carriers. 
Don't know if that helps, but thought it might be interesting


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## Shorty

@mikiz They are bred for meat and I do sell a few to offset the cost of feed. My biggest thing is I don't want the kits to suffer. If I can get a different buck that doesn't carry the gene then I they won't have to now I also know that finding another buck without the gene might be hard and the only way to find out is to breed them together but I am willing to try. I only keep a small herd of 3 rabbits so I have become attached to my buck but for the better or worse I might have to sell him. I may try to find a different buck first to see if that helps if it doesn't I may just sell both effected animals and start over. I just want to explore my options right now.


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## mikiz

@Shorty I wish you luck finding a good clean buck, sorry you're having to deal with this problem 
You might have gotten lucky with Roo, she may be one without the problem at all, especially if her dad wasn't a carrier. Any litters from a non carrier to your doe would have a 50% chance not to have the issue at all, and I'd breed him with the does you kept back, in case you got lucky with them as well. 
Hope all goes well, keep us posted


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## Shorty

I think it's safe to say she is due soon lol


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## Shorty

I was right! Mom is crabby so I only did a quick check there is at least 8 two broken two solid black or brown and 4 solid white!!


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## Hens and Roos

Congrats on the new litter!


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## Shorty

HELP!! My doe isn't eating or drinking much I can get her to eat veggies and a little hay but she is refusing to drink water any ideas? This is her second litter and the last time she did the same thing up until a couple days after she kindled but I didn't worry too much because the litter froze and she wasn't supporting any kit now she has 8 relying on her they look ok but not as fat as they should I may try to supplement what kind of milk replacement can I use?


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## mikiz

If she's not drinking, have you tried warm water, or water with a bit of ACV in it, or try getting a needleless syringe and squirting some into the back of her throat?


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## Shorty

I've tried all of that. I gave her a bottle won't drink it, gave her a bowl still won't drink it. My water always has  ACV in it. I did take the water bottle and squirt some in her mouth but she wasn't a fan. I also checked her teeth and they seemed a little long so we trimmed them.


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## Hens and Roos

Hope she's doing better today


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## Shorty

When I checked this morning she had drank maybe an ounce. I put her veggies in a water bowl and she drank a little more trying to get them out and she was eating hay as I left. About half the babies looked fat so I think I'll be buying a bottle or dropper after work and supplementing some of the kits.


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## Hens and Roos

with the litter.  We offer our does black sunflower seeds once they have kindled.  What about trying ice cubes in a dish


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## mikiz

Is there a way you can maybe get her to eat watermelon or grapes or some other sort of saturated food?
Do you know if she's still urinating?


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## Shorty

And she drinks! Not sure what made her do it but I'm happy she did.


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## Hens and Roos

that's great to hear!


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## mikiz

Woohoo, what a scare, so glad she's drinking again!
Maybe she was just in shock over having so many babies haha


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## Shorty

I'm still supplementing a few of the small ones as I don't think she is quite up to taking care of all of them but I'm so glad she is drinking again


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## mikiz

Since it's the second litter she's done this with, would you give her one more go at being a mum after these little ones and then if she continues to jeapordise herself and her babies, cull her?


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## Shorty

@mikiz  I'm going to cull her it is too much worry when she stops eating and drinking about a week before she kindles and since I am having o supplement the kits it isn't worth it for me to keep her. I was planning on selling her anyway after this litter was weaned now I can't justify selling her as breeding stock knowing her history which is sad I love this doe despite her attitude problem she was my favorite since she was born.


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## mikiz

Sad but sensible news  it's always the favourites that make us do things we don't want to do!


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## Shorty

Ok so bad news is I have lost 4 kits but good news is since I brought them in for full time bottle feeding I haven't lost one. That means I'm down to 4. They are growing slowly but surely. They are getting fed twice a day once when I get up and another when I get home from work. Will they make it I'm not sure but I'm doing what I can to make sure they don't suffer.


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## Hens and Roos

not sure, from what I read it is hard to feed rabbits, they look pretty good from the picture  what are you feeding them?


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## Shorty

@Hens and Roos  I am feeding them a mixture of condensed milk, water, egg yolk and karo syrup. I found the recipe online and it seems to be working well


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## Hens and Roos

That's good to know.  that the kits continue to grow for you


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## Shorty

I lost the littlest kit yesterday . The other three are doing pretty good I added cecotropes to their milk as a way to prepare their gut for real food 


this was taken after their second bath of the day they are messy little things lol.


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## Hens and Roos

Sorry to hear you lost the littlest one


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## Shorty

Today the kits are 2 weeks old. I'm down to 2 the spotted one had an accident and just never recovered . You can't tell but the black one has an eye open according to what I have been reading when their eyes are open I don't have to potty them anymore


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## Hens and Roos

Sorry to hear about the loss it is awesome that you have been able to feed them and that their eyes are starting to open!


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## Shorty

Thanks @Hens and Roos  it gets harder to lose them the longer I have them. I'm trying not to get attached but they are so darn cute.


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## Hens and Roos

totally understand @Shorty , some how it doesn't matter how long we have them- we get attached!


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## Shorty

Well they are all gone. I lost the last one this afternoon I was hopeful it would make it. Its eyes were open and it was popping around. I knew something was up when it didn't want to eat this morning.


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## Hens and Roos

so sorry to hear this @Shorty, I know you did everything you possibly could


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## Shorty

I know thanks @Hens and Roos  I took them everywhere with me its going to be weird not having to bring something with me everywhere.


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## Goat Whisperer

So sorry for your loss


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## samssimonsays

Hugs! I am sooo sorry for your loss. I have been there too many times. I am just now adjusting to not force feeding my latest two on their mom twice a day as yesterday the last one passed away. I am trying not to be too crushed but it hurts no matter what. They are just so darn fragile, darn those little things!


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## Shorty

The last one was the toughest I had it for 15 days and I took it everywhere with me I finally put the heating pad away yesterday I just couldn't do it before then.


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## samssimonsays

I am crying for you right now! that sounds like my first bottle baby I had... day 15 was exactly when she passed away, I was in high school and devastated. Again, I am soooo sorry. I had one baby I raised all the way through to weaning. Baby was 4 months old when she passed away. It was the hardest thing for me. Even now, it doesn't get any easier, but I can at least function still when I do lose them. Before it would knock me down so low I didn't want to get up.  The thing that helps get me through is knowing I did everything I could and that they were loved and that they knew they were loved. You gave them the only chance they had.it doesn't make it hurt any less or any easier but it makes me feel some sense of peace


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## Shorty

Thanks @Samantha drawz  That is exactly what I tell myself I did everything I could and they wouldn't have made it that long without me but you are right it doesn't make it hurt any less. I saw you lost your two you were hand raising I'm so sorry


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## samssimonsays

Thank you. We can hurt together  BIG HUGS!


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## Shorty

My other doe kindled Sunday that definitely helps. I'm pretty sure there are 7 and she hasn't lost a kit yet this is her 5th litter I think.


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## samssimonsays

Congrats! It does help a lot


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## Hens and Roos

Congrats!


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## Shorty

1 week old and super jumpy! I wanted to weigh them but my scale is broken  I feel like they are twice the size of my last litter at this age. I'm just happy that are all chunky and doing well!


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## Hens and Roos

What a pile of babies


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## samssimonsays

They are sooo cute!!!!


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## Shorty

Well the kitsare 3 weeks tomorrow! If I sexed them right I have 6 girls and 2 boys which makes up for my all male litter last time lol. The best part is non have any eye problems


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## Hens and Roos

Great to hear that!


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## Shorty

My doe kindled this morning and she refused to use the nest box. Out of 7 babies one was in the box four were on the table and two were in the tray under the cage. I managed to save 4 but I don't think one is going to make it. She usually does so good with babies and up to this point had never lost a kit let alone three. 

I don't think the one on the left will make it.


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## Shorty

went out by the rabbits this morning and Roo was pulling fur but no babies yet. Went out an hour later and found this!


 
Five though I'm not sure she is done yet, she has never had less then seven before.


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## Hens and Roos

Congrats!  That's awesome


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## leanneellison1979

awww fantastic news, im loving seeing all the pics of buns x


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## Shorty

I think it is safe to say Roo will be having babies tomorrow


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## TAH

She sure looks busy building a nest.


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## Shorty

I'm so excited Toffee kindled! I'm pretty sure there are five! Some are broken some are solid. She did great and had them in the box and cleaned when I got home from work!


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## Latestarter

That's great news! Congrats!


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## Shorty

Well my excitement turned to horror this morning when I found an empty nestbox. I looked everywhere and only found a single head. Five babies just gone I can't believe she ate them they were fat and warm last night I just don't know what happened overnight.


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## Latestarter

That's horrible! So sorry... I never realized how difficult it is to successfully raise rabbits


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## Bunnylady

Wow. Just . . . . wow. I've only had one doe that I know ate her babies after a successful delivery, and she didn't kill the whole lot overnight. I am very sorry (maybe _aghast_ would be a better word) to hear that you have had this happen!


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## Shorty

I just couldn't believe it I thought I was in the clear at 3 days old. I made my sister come search the cage with me to make sure there were no kits. There was nothing in the cage and only a small bit of blood in the nest box. I found the single piece behind the cage until then I was convinced someone took the kits. I rebred her and she was very willing so hopefully she will do better next time. I have another doe due in just over two weeks I'm just hoping this time goes better.


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## Shorty

Well Roo kindled today the only good thing I can say is everyone is alive but she only had three. This was her last chance to produce well or leave so I am on the search for another doe, but at least I have three babies to fill orders I have.


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## Shorty

Roos three kits are 2 weeks old now and are fat little buggers! Toffee kindled three yesterday in her box but didn't pull any fur which is ok because it was 95 degrees. It is supposed to cool down now so I pulled some of her fur and covered the babies this morning. Fingers crossed she doesn't eat them again she seems very protective so hopefully she has her act together.


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## Shorty

Toffee is being a fantastic mom this time around! As a bonus all the babies are different colors!


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## Hens and Roos

Congrats, hope they continue to do well!!


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## Shorty

I guess I never updated on Toffees kits, well they are all in their new homes now doing great! My nephew has one his name is excavator and he is really loved!





I bred Toffee again and Saturday she gave me 5 kits! 1 Harliquin, 1 dilute Harliquin, 1 tort, and 2 booted torts.


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## animalmom

Way too cute!


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