LocoYokel's kindling thread (aka What the ???)

[HaloRabbits]

Best of luck to you! I hopefully have a litter coming next week it is a maiden doe so I have no clue what to expect from her.

 

[LocoYokel]

Thank You @HaloRabbits, unfortunately a bit late. Lost another one today and the last has diarrhea. The previous four that I have lost over the past few days also had it but they were already deceased by the time I found them. Thought it was just expulsion from the hot weather lately. Now I see it in a live kit. I have checked the cocci idea but they seem too young, therefore I am blaming myself for somehow mismanaging the doe's diet. I am sure that introducing and then reducing the greens I was giving her to get her to eat again, and the oats and BOSS going into her diet affected her milk somehow. If not that then the doe was just not off her feed, she is sick and infected her kits.
I don't know what to think right now...

Halo, I follow your thread, can't wait to see! Need some good baby news 'round here.

 

[HaloRabbits]

What is the cocci idea?

I doubt the food change affected her milk, but I suppose it's possible. This was her first kindle correct? Do you go by the three strike rule?

 

[LocoYokel]

What is the cocci idea?

As this has been happening I noticed that although the kits had round bellies their hip bones were jutting out. That got me started on bloat which led to gastroenteritis and Intestinal Coccidiosis... The more I researched the more confusing it all got. The one thing that kept coming up consistently was the age of the kits, 4-5 weeks and up. Mine were still nursing (eyes just opening, not out of box yet) and seemed too young.
(One of the sites: Read more at: https://www.vetary.com/rabbit/condition/coccidiosis)
As for the "three strikes rule" this is Suki's fourth time at bat... first litter last fall: born on the wire in unseasonable cold, lost all, second breeding: acted preggo all month, made a nest and never had a kit, third try: false pregnancy, pulled fur at two weeks and that was it. This time at least she had kits and is trying to care for them but they are dropping like flies.
The last kit is still hangin' in there today. Seems like all I can do now is watch and wait.
My buck seems a bit thin to me but he is molting and none of the other rabbits are showing any signs of illness or stress, other than the 90+ temps.
I usually try to not have litters in July/August because of the heat and Jan/Feb because of the cold. Except for my house bun the rabbits are all in outdoor hutches. This litter was poorly timed but I really wanted Suki to prove out. I don't have the space for a non-producing doe. Losing the kits like this is making me nutz!

 

[HaloRabbits]

Oh okay. Awe man, did you have her mother? Was she a good producer? Have you found that is genetic? My older doe Tres is the first doe we got, now I have her babies from a couple different litters and another around the same age that I am raising for producers, here's to hoping they are good producers!

 

[HaloRabbits]

Also, how is the last baby doing?

 

[LocoYokel]

Suki was given to me by an old farmer friend, along with Ma'Tilda and Fur'Nando. He told me she was a Checkered Giant and even after years of rabbits I had no clue that wasn't her breed. We have always raised meatmutts and never cared much. I have since found out that she is NZ with maybe a 1/4 Checkered, her breeder (not the old farmer, I tracked down the other guy thru him) could not remember but that is what he has and how he mixes them for his meat program. His grandkids show the pure breed CG's and NZ's, so she could be full blooded too. She seems awful big to me to be full NZ tho, but what do I know...
(That's all I know about her previous life, she came to me as a 2 yr old unproven doe. Do you still call them 'junior doe' when they are that old but have never had a litter? Heavy sigh, something else I don't know...)
Anyways, pics! I just love the tiny feet in the last one.


Fifteen days old, still hangin' in there...
So tiny...
Lunch time...

I took the box out today. It is a few days early but the kit won't stay in it and I think it is getting more to eat out on the wire with mom. Put a nice big mat of the cruddy hay I got last week (half straw , glad I only got two bales) in for some cush. Suki is enjoying the seed heads on it! She seems to have come out of her slump and is being a good mamabun. Since she only has the one nursing I am sure there is plenty of milk, hopefully the lil' one will gain fast.
Whatever caused it - that bloat/diarrhea sure wiped out this litter. Suki was off her feed but not that sick, at least it didn't seem so?
At least this kit survived it's bout with the stuff.
I am still unsure about culling her, especially now that she has a live kit. Maybe her run of bad luck is over... sure hope so, for my sake!

 

[HaloRabbits]

No, they are no longer Juniors at that age, just unproven. Some people say maiden does as well.
It isn't too early to remove the box, I believe most people remove between 14-18 days. I am glad it is doing well, and it is SO CUTE! It looks a lot like mommy!

 

[LocoYokel]

On July 13 the wee one got the 'runny bottoms' again. I was sure I would lose it this time but after two days of being lethargic then it was back to right again. Again on the 18th, yellow sticky poo and huddled in a corner. By yesterday it was frisky again...

I keep putting off taking pics because I keep thinking "Today it will be gone." Every morning it is still hangin' in there. It makes me feel bad that I can't help it more but Suki is doing a super job under the circumstances. She lets it nurse all the time, she has a ledge where she could get away but she hasn't used it much since I took the nest box out, like she knows the kit needs extra care. She keeps it very clean too, it is odd to see a doe act like a mama cat but she sure is doing a good imitation!
The kit is 27 days old today but extremely small. I doubt it will ever get very big with all of the health issues at such a young age so if it survives it will be a "pet only" bun.
(Charging the phone/cam, I will get pics today.)

 

[HaloRabbits]

Glad to hear it is doing well!