[Chicky2]

Just since yesterday we had 5 does kindle.

:

One experienced doe had her first one on the wire, and thankfully I got to it before it got too cold. I don't know what happened, but she didn't have any more for HOURS. I saw them moving, so I just left her alone. I put her first kit in w/another mama who had just had hers. I marked its ears w/marker. When the doe had her 8 other babies, I rubbed their afterbirth all over the first one and put it back in w/it's siblings. So far so good.

Another doe had 8, one dead. Another had 7. 5a.m. and another had 3, one dead and quickly chilling the other 2 kits. Don't know if they will make it==their back legs are dark purple. Anyone know anything about that?

Another doe had 9, all alive.

Whew! We got hit w/a cold snap, so I've been worrying all day and back and forth making sure they are all warm enough. One doe didn't pull enough fur, but another pulled too much, so I snatched some, lol.

3 more that I'm waiting on. 2 may not be pg, though.

 

[scrappingmom]

How exciting! We had 4 kindle a couple weeks ago, first time for us so it was really fun!

Dont know anything about the 2 w/purple legs, is the mom not keeping them warm or just they arent keeping temp at all? would a heat lamp in the area help? looks like the others have there "hands" full so probably cant foster them off...?
We had one lose all 5 of hers because she didnt really make a good nest and we didnt catch it in time

, early morning birth, we think 3 were born dead but not sure.

3 more in the breeding process.

 

[Chicky2]

Well, we got hit w/a cold snap (N. Texas), which is unusual for us right now. It has been in the 70s and 80s lately. These rabbits are half inside, half outside (the wall of the 'outside' part of our rabbitry is built around the set of 3 hutches). This doe insisted on building her nest in the back part of the hutch (private, closed, except for the bottom), and there wasn't very much hay under the kits. She had pulled fur, but it was just too cold for such new lives. I'm not sure the purple is from cold (unless it was from the dead REALLY cold baby because I don't know how many hours it was there before I got out there at 5 a.m. I'm not sure what it's from. Cold? Birth trauma? It was weird in itself that she only had 3, but it was her first time.

Congrats on the ones your rabbits had! It is so exciting, isn't it?

 

[scrappingmom]

haha, we're excited we've been seeing 50s lately..lol
yes it is very exciting, my 10yr old and I are weighing the oldest ones every few days(one from the 2 oldest batches) he's keeping track as some of his schooling. It is really amazing how fast the grow(californias).

Animals can be stuborn about things huh, guess they should read the books on how they should behave

NONE of ours would use the nesting boxes, they all took the hay and made nests in the corners of the cages.

 

[Chicky2]

Well, my mama who had the 3 and 2 w/purple legs started peeing on her babies, so I fostered them out this morning. (I found out the mama probably nipped too hard when cleaning them off and it's suppose to be common) Normally I put Vicks vaporub on the does nose to keep her from smelling the strange baby. I didn't have any, so I put Burts Bees lip balm (peppermint) on them, lol. They haven't been kicked out yet.

Another mama had her kits in front of her nesting box. I think she must have had her butt hanging out of the box. She had 7. I moved them into the nesting box.

Another one had 9 (these are all first timers) LITTLE kits. I hope they all make it. They are small, but really pink and wiggly, so I have lots of hope!

I was out there w/the rabbits 4 times during the night because they were first timers.

So far, if my count is correct, we have 41 kits!

I'm picking up a new doe this week from my 'rabbit mentor', so we can get some new blood in our lines this Fall. This lady has been sending me meat pen business for the last several months (she gets TONS of calls because all her rabbits win Reserve Grand Champion and Grand Champion in shows). Next 'show season' she's going to send me ALL her business because they are getting out of it. Already I have an order for 5 meat pens (at $100/each pen) for next January. I'll get several more orders for this Fall, too, I'm sure. That pays for our feed!

 

[Past_VNE]

Chicky2, how do you get into meat pen business? I'd love to raise some kits for that purpose, but don't know how to "break into it". I've got two does, but haven't gotten a buck yet. We ate the bucks we had, because they were littermates to the does.

 

[Chicky2]

Meat pen business....Well, I sorta stumbled into it myself, lol. Our intention was to raise them for consumption. Then the lady we got our rabbits from called and GAVE me a proven doe (bred, too!) and a proven buck so that I could take some of her orders that she could not fill for whatever reason. I sold several pens in the last few months, and expect to have 10-15 orders or more this Fall.

I'm about to set up a website as a breeder. I would suggest that you start by looking up breeders in your area, because alot of their websites talk about meat pens/meat pen breeding and the shows. Look up shows in your area, join the yahoo meat rabbit and show rabbit groups. Go to some shows and pass out a business card to the people who are showing meat pens. Call your local 4-H or ag groups and ask them if they know of anyone who needs a meat pen for an upcoming show...Call your County Extension office and ask if they know where to ask? Place an ad in the paper, on feed store bulletin boards, etc.

When you breed your rabbits for a meat pen, the customer has to give you a 'breed date', and then they pick up the rabbits before their 'validation date'. Usually they will pick them up at about 5.5 wks of age. I won't start weaning til 4 wks, and it takes a week to get a whole litter off the mama. Then I make sure to have a few days to watch the bunny to make sure it's eating and drinking (mine always start eating food when they are about 3 wks old and I take the nesting box away).

If I think of any more ways to get started I'll let ya know.

HTH!

 

[Chicky2]

I had to put down one of the kits I fostered out.

 

[Asher]

Wow! Lots of popples! Congratulations!

I greatly miss having buns and popples bouncing about!