# First timer...FREAKING OUT!!!



## Paully3 (May 5, 2014)

Hello all!  I'm new on here but I've been on backyard chickens for almost a year now so I am very familiar with what a great resource this can be.  We just got our New Zealand rabbits a little bit ago and one of them is a proven bred doe.


 
Sheis due to kindle on  May 7.  I have researched and researched and researched.  That being said, I don't have a clue what I am doing!  Every site has different information and opinions about everything...from how big the nest box should be to what material to make it out of to what to put in it to what to feed the doe and how much...the list goes on.  We are in the thumb of Michigan and it can get pretty cold here.  We still are having frost warnings at night.  I'm worried it will be too cold at night.  Any thing you can think of to worry about...I've covered it and then some.  So any advice as to what I should or should not be doing, the real important stuff and the not so important stuff.  Anything that will help to insure a healthy litter and make things easier for her, the kits, and us, would be greatly appreciated.


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## CDC (May 5, 2014)

All i can tell you is what I do. 

I make my nest box out of cage wire (1/2 inch by 1 inch).  I just cut a piece a cage wire 30 inches by 32 inches.  I cut the corner pieces out so that it will fold up into a box with 10 inches on the back and sides, 10 inches wide, 18 inches long and about 4 inches on the front.  I use J clips to keep it together.  Here is a youtube video that shows pretty much what mine look like.  I don't go through the effort of lining the edges of the wire with anything but I do take the dremel and grind down any sharp points left over from cutting.  




I cut a piece of cardboard and about the size of the bottom and put in in place covered with about an inch of wood shavings and then a little hay.  In the winter time I will put cardboard up the sides as well and fill the box with straw to provide extra insulation and use my hand to punch a hole down into the straw.  Be prepared to have to replace the cardboard on the sides though, my rabbits love to chew them to pieces.  I also check several times a day on the day the kindling is due and make sure that the mother had them in the nest box (or move them to the nest box if I have to) and that she pulled fur and put it over the top of them.   I have my rabbits inside of a garage so cold was not a major concern but it did get down to the low 40's plenty of times over the winter and never had any issues.

You want to put the nest box in about 2 or 3 days before the due date so the doe will get used to it.  If you put it in sooner she will probably use it as a restroom and you will have to replace the straw, wood chips and cardboard.  I don't bother with securing the nest box down and my does usually move it around the cage.  Most of the time they seem to want it in the middle so they can get around it on all sides.  This also makes it easy to take out of the cage.  I usually take the nest box out of the cage the day after the kindling to check and make sure everyone is doing ok and clean up any messes left behind from the birthing process.  I can add more straw at that time if needed.

As far as what to feed them, I feed pellets and the only difference I make is, once the kits are born, I free feed and keep the feeder full at all times.

Hope that helps.


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## SA Farm (May 5, 2014)

There are many different opinions on what to use because for the most part rabbits are pretty easy-going  A wooden nest box, wire nest box, hutch, they are all used and they all work, so it really comes down to what works best for you, what you have available to make or buy, and which one is easier for you to clean, handle, and work with.
I have hutches, though I've used both wooden and wire nest boxes and for me the hutches work because they're always there and I just move my doe into the hutch from the wire cage about a week before she's due and I don't have to worry about her.
Feeding-wise, we also feed pellets and free-feed once the kits are born. I also give my rabbits hay and give them kitchen scraps (apple peels, carrots, etc) and give them either fresh cut or cut and dried grasses.
If she's due the 7th you'll want to put her nest box in asap


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## Freezer_pets (May 6, 2014)

I am new, too.  Have NZ Reds.  Went with wood boxes with wire bottoms.  Live in SE Alaska and we're still getting frost at night and even below freezing.  My doe kindled her a litter at the end of Feb.  It was in the teens and 20's at night then. I put her box in a few days before due, added a few inches of hay inside and underneath for good measure.  she ran around with hay in her mouth until the due date.  Came home on the 31st day from work to find a pile of moving fur in the box.  14 little piggys warm and toasty.  9 have made it to freezer age... May keep one for breeding.

We Had been on a pretty fixed feed regiment of a cup 16 % pellets each day and all the Timmothy hay she wanted.  After kindle, I gave her pellets and hay, free choice, and a chunk of Apple or carrot each day when I checked the litter.   She did the rest, though I never saw her do anything with the litter.   Not once.  Shy nurser?  

I rebreed her at 5 weeks and relocated the litter to a rearing pen.  She looked relieved!  She just kindled her 3rd littler (but something went wrong and we lost it).  We'll try again this week and hope for the best.

I suspect your temps won't be an issue if you have a proven doe.  Good luck and enjoy the process.  It's been really fun for us..


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## SA Farm (May 6, 2014)

It's normal not to see the doe feed the kits. They typically only nurse twice a day and do so when no one is around -to protect their babies from potential predators


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## Paully3 (May 9, 2014)

Well, she kindled 11 kits...wow!  Now we're concerned that it is too many...can she effectively care for that many babies?


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## SA Farm (May 9, 2014)

Depends on the mom. A good milking doe will produce enough for 11. I have one with 10 right now and I've had one with 15, both does did well and all the kits grew to good size. That said, I would keep a close eye on the kits and take them out and check to make sure their little bellies are getting filled. If not, I would cull the smallest to make sure the others thrive.


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