WooHoo..Getting new rabbits tomorrow. Questions???

Just have to share some new with everyone! We are getting a new Polish doe (black that carries chocolate) and her litter of 6 tomorrow. My friend in a neighboring state has them and the doe has decided she does not like my friend at all and goes after her when she tries to feed her. She is meeting up with us tomorrow and giving them to us for no charge. Since I am ope most of the say I figured while the kids are at school I can work with her. From what I have been told so far, her dam has 8 legs and her sir has 28 legs so hopefully she will do well when we go to start showing her. Will try to get some pictures up tomorrow of her and the babies once they get settled in.

Congratulations on your good fortune

Hopefully they will take after their accomplished relatives and please post pictures

When we got there to pick her up we found out that between Friday night and Sunday afternoon the mom had take all the ears off all babies (2 have 1 ear left that are completely there), some tails are gone, and 2 have feet that are gone (1 is just a few toes the other is the whole front of the foot). Trying to decide what to do about the litter. They have a stellar pedigree (going back 5 gen. almost every rabbit on the dam's side has multiple legs) and I was told the sir's side is very good too. Obviously they will not be for show, not sure if anyone would be interested in a brood rabbit that has these things missing.

Can I get some opinions on what others would do, cull the whole litter, cull the foot issue ones, or let everyone grow out? (Not sure if it really matters but there are both black and chocolate in this litter)

Regardless of what you do the foot ones need to be culled... If you let it grow it would need a solid floor and special treatment, likely wouldn't be able to be bred / would kill the litter on accident. I don't imagine a rabbit missing a foot is very graceful

The one missing a few toes would be fine I imagine if she still has the majority. If it's a buck though I wouldn't bother. But if you can sex it if it's a girl it may be worth the issues.

I wouldn't worry about the missing tail as much as the missing ears too. She probably did this because of the stress of moving ): poor mama.

The aggressive behaviour towards your friend and the cannibalism of her kits would make me worry about continuing this bloodline - no matter how well bred they are I would cull them all

CochinBrahmaLover":1sou1x0g said:

Regardless of what you do the foot ones need to be culled... If you let it grow it would need a solid floor and special treatment, likely wouldn't be able to be bred / would kill the litter on accident. I don't imagine a rabbit missing a foot is very graceful

The one missing a few toes would be fine I imagine if she still has the majority. If it's a buck though I wouldn't bother. But if you can sex it if it's a girl it may be worth the issues.

I wouldn't worry about the missing tail as much as the missing ears too. She probably did this because of the stress of moving ): poor mama.

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I shouldn't say the whole foot is gone, more like the area where all the toes are is gone (so small it is hard to tell very well though). The one for sure is only a few toes on a back foot.
As for the stress, she did this sometime Friday night to Sunday morning at my friends house. My friend was to scared of her to check on the babies any more as the doe would sit right in front of the nestbox so she could not reach in to get them. Since we picked her up on Sunday afternoon, she has been doing great. No behavior issues at all. Eating, drinking, going bathroom, and feeding the babies is all right how she should be doing everything. <br /><br /> __________ Mon Sep 01, 2014 6:23 pm __________ <br /><br />

Dood":1sou1x0g said:

The aggressive behaviour towards your friend and the cannibalism of her kits would make me worry about continuing this bloodline - no matter how well bred they are I would cull them all

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I really just am wondering if something was spooking her in my friends barn. So far she has been great at our house (have her inside to keep an eye on her). No bothering the babies beyond feeding, has let us pet her, and let me trim her nails with no problems.
My friend lives out in the country and they know they had some wild and dropped off to fend for themselves domestic animals in their yard in the last month so it could have found its way into the barn (not sure how secure it is from predators), also not sure if she was handling her other rabbits before this doe or not.