Countdown to kindling

[Hens and Roos]

A little bit of good news.
The older doe still has done nothing through day 33. The first-timer kindled nine since yesterday. The bad news is that she pulled no hair at all. I found one dead one on the wire just outside the box, two dead ones in the hay in the box but not back in the nest depression, and one dead one in the nest depression. I put hay on top of the survivors and turned the heat up in the enclosed shed. The survivors appear to be reasonably plump, so it looks like the doe fed them at least once. I hope these five can hang on. Is there any reason why it might not be a good idea to scrape up what hair I can from my wire cages (and other rabbits) and cover the kits with that?

Congrats on the kits, hope that they continue to do well. As far as using hair from other rabbits- I guess it would depend on your does attitude and if she is okay with it. We have used dryer lint once before when a doe didn't pull hair and the next day she had replaced the lint with some of her hair....

 

[Hopalong Causually]

I'm learning to be more patient with these rabbits. Just came back from checking on the first-timer doe and her little ones and discovered that the older doe had pulled hair and delivered at least one kit as there was movement of the hair in the nest. While I was there, she jumped into the box and appeared to be in contractions with another delivery. AND, she had enough pulled hair throughout the cage that I should be able to gather it and cover the kits of the other doe. I'm not going to try to determine the size of her litter until tomorrow. Hot diggety dog!

 

[Hopalong Causually]

Well, the older doe had only the one kit. Is there any evidence to support a theory that low productivity like this is attributable to the doe? She's less than two years old. Is it more likely a genetic trait or the result of a physical defect? At any rate, I'll try her again in due time.

 

[Hopalong Causually]

I took one of the kits from the first-timer's litter and fostered it over to the doe that had only one. Those two kits are doing fantastic. The fostered kit is growing far faster than its litter-mates from the first time mother. The first-timer's kits are hanging on, but not really putting on much size. Could she just be slow in producing milk? I've been thinking about fostering another one from the first-timer's litter to the other doe but wonder about the timing of it. They're over a week old now. Would I just be better off letting them go as they are and hope that the first-timer becomes more proficient?

 

[Pastor Dave]

The other doe might still accept another kit. I usually try to get done fostering them out by a week old, but it might work.
The first time doe may very well be slow getting her milk. I had one that did that, but has been fine every time since.

 

[Hopalong Causually]

Thanks for letting me learn from your experience, PD. I think I'll just let them be and hope that the experience will be beneficial to the doe, too. She is a very shy rabbit but actually charged me this morning, so I think her maternal instincts are taking hold.

 

[Pastor Dave]

Sounds like it. I know when mine start growlin', they're close to kindling and usually ease up abt the time they come out of the box because they're gettin' tired of 'em.

 

[Hopalong Causually]

Having more problems. The younger doe kindled nine. Four were found dead right off the bat. I fostered one out to another doe and it is doing great, far better than the rest of its litter mates. The remaining four have been struggling. It seems like the doe either has poor quality milk or not much of it. Found that another one died since last night here on its eleventh day.

That leaves three for her. Today, I discovered that one of those had an awful looking "thing" over its genitals. Looked like a big scab or mass of urine, feces, and hay dust. I gently swabbed and massaged it with warm water on a towel today until it came off. Anybody have any idea what this was?

 

[Hopalong Causually]

Here's the fostered kit at just less than four weeks, a very handsome booted broken, and doing splendidly.