September babies

[AClark]

These were born on 9/8 to the partially blue eyed doe that lost her last litter. This picture is from yesterday, all 6 still going strong. They were born on day 32.


Then these guys were born yesterday afternoon (9/12)to the red doe - her first litter but she made a great nest and had them all in the box. They are pudgy. Born on day 30, all 5 still alive this morning. If there's a female in them I may keep her, born on my wedding anniversary.


I'm having a hard time telling the males from females, they all look the same underneath to me.

It is pretty warm where I moved them, (80-90) so the older ones don't stay in the fur bed anymore, understandably so.

The dad to these two litters is black, with a white foot and some white on his neck.

We have 1 more litter due Thursday, with our californian x buck (white with gray tipped nose and ears) and the chinchilla broken doe.

 

[animalmom]

Good looking kits!

 

[Alexz7272]

Gorgeous kits! Keep us updated on their progress with lots of photos

 

[AClark]

Born last night (5 of them):




Updates on the rest since I was already out there taking baby pictures:




So, right now I have 16 babies and the 5 adults.

 

[AClark]

Funny thing about the ones born last night. My husband walked out to get in the deep freezer and comes back in and says "Your white rabbit looks weird, she's grabbing big globs of hay and stuffing it in the box" - so I go check and 4 are already born, lol.
I pulled one of the oldest litter out for him to pet since he hasn't touched them and it jumped a little and startled him, that was great entertainment.

 

[AClark]

Still going strong with 16 new babies since the 8th. The oldest ones have eyes open and keep escaping their box - pretty soon it'll be time to take it out. Both of the new mama's are taking care of all their babies, and the other one must have figured it out since all 6 of hers are fat and healthy looking.
The one with the 2nd litter and the white one didn't pull a ton of fur, but it's a good 80-90 where they are, the red doe pulled more than enough for all 3 of them. So far it looks like she's the prize mama in the bunch.

 

[Mini Horses]

Beautiful kits! All fat & sassy looking, so I'd say all three moms did well. Perhaps less hair pull was because of the warmth in the location?

I hate to ask -- that darn cute, snuggly factor -- you raise rabbits for? I'm ok with meat rabbits, just didn't feel most were so colorfully marked but, more solids.

In Italy rabbit is very popular meat. At a market, I watched a table of pretty white ones being picked up, handled, then handed to seller who went behind truck and returned in 5 min with a bag of fresh meat. Fast, quiet, obviously he was well experienced! It is excellent meat, health wise, small space to raise and economical. I can raise, even cook & eat -- it's just that I'd need that little man around to "do the deed". I can skin & gut.

 

[AClark]

Yes they are intended for Camp Whirlpool. I did get some weird colors and that is definitely making the end goal a lot harder to consider, because of the cute factor. The really wild marked ones momma has weird markings too, which must be fairly genetically prominent considering what came out since the dad is just black. I do know that once they are the size of full size bunnies they won't be as cute. I get tasked with the "ugly" job of all of it, not that hubby won't help me but it needs to be done when kids aren't home and generally during the week hubby isn't home either. I am considering selling off the "cuter" ones if there's a market in it, but if they aren't sold by the time they hit butcher weight, well...I can't keep them all.
I guess I picked a bit of a different method than most, I can't even consider trying to do cervical dislocation, something about that turns my stomach with bunnies - I've had to do it on birds before and that doesn't bother me. I do have a high powered pellet gun to do this deed (would use something larger caliber except I have neighbors, so it needs to be basically silent and can't carry more than a couple of feet) and in my unfortunate experience, shooting anything in the head is a quick and painless end.
I've pretty much been tasked with putting animals down since I was a teenager on my parents ranch. I hate doing it, I feel crappy for about a week, but someone has to do it. My husband volunteered on my ancient horse who couldn't get up anymore, but I didn't want to burden him with feeling like that either, so I did it myself. I think the fear factor of messing up improves my efficiency, I am not sure I can live with causing something to suffer.

 

[Mini Horses]

Ahhh....method. Yep, even when I have "nasty roos", it's a little guilt trip. Easier to do if they have made you mad!

But, if we ever get completely unaffected, we have lost our compassion. Good life, quick demise. All said....still sad.

 

[AClark]

Definitely. Animals that irritate me make the job a lot easier. My parents had a mare that kicked me out of pure spite (i was helping them move her and she was a nasty old witch, spun around and kicked me in the lower stomach as I was closing the gate) and it didn't bother me at all to see her gone. I could have probably done it without remorse at all the day she kicked me, dropped me to my knees and I cursed her very existence once I caught my breath! lol

As a side note, I also sew, so not even hides will get wasted. I'm still looking for projects to use furs for. That's one side that might have been easier if they were all say, plain white bunnies. I may end up selling some of the things we make because items like rabbit fur gloves aren't really useful when you live somewhere that winter temps rarely get below 50 during the day.