Freezer Camp or 2nd Chance?

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rtower

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Five weeks ago I bred all three of my Florida White does. Two are senior does who successfully weaned a total of twelve healthy kits between them a couple weeks before this latest breeding. The third is a junior doe who had just reached 6 months age when she was bred five weeks ago.

All three does acted normally, haystaching two or three days before kindling. One of the senior does pulled a lot of fur, the other, not so much. I supplemented her nest with artificial fur and both seniors kindled right on time with excellent, healthy litters.

The junior doe kindled sometime in the very early morning hours the next day. I checked her at 6 AM and she had seven kits scattered around on the wire. Tried warming them up but all had been dead for a while. Since one of the seniors had delivered 9 kits (that's a lot for a Florida White) I moved three of hers to the junior doe's nestbox.

All seemed well for the first few days. The three kits with the junior doe looked to be getting fed and were developing hair.

I am self-employed and away from home from around 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning until evening, sometimes as late as 9:30 or 10:00 PM. That makes it difficult to keep a close eye on things except when feeding or on weekends (if I'm not working then too). It was almost 10:00 PM when I got home last night. As I fed the rabbits, I checked on the three kits with the junior doe and found all three cold and dead.

Guess moving the three was a mistake! The junior doe never really made a very good nest, but it was her first time, too. She only pulled about two small tufts of fur but I used the artificial fur that I keep on hand to make a soft, warm nest for those three kits. But the doe never really maintained the nest.

That junior doe is the friendliest rabbit that I have. (But I'm not raising pet rabbits... These are for meat.) She loves to be petted every time I feed. And she seems to have a pretty good temperament... Doesn't usually get too excited or worked up. She also bred very easily. And she delivered right on time.

But she didn't build a decent nest. She had her kits on the wire. And she apparently didn't care very well for the three kits I moved into her nest. But again, this was her first attempt.

I have twelve nice rabbits that I'm planning to move to freezer camp today and tomorrow. Now I'm considering holding back a couple of does from that bunch and growing them out as replacements for this junior doe. That would mean sending her to freezer camp tomorrow.

So what should I do? Accept the fact that first-timers don't always succeed and give her another chance? Or does her poor performance earn her a ticket to freezer camp? I think I'm more concerned with her failure to care for the foster kits than I am with her poor nest building and delivering kits on the wire. She seems to be lacking the necessary mothering instinct.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

Randy
 
First timers don't always get it right .... If you have the option to hold back a couple of those bound for the freezer camp long enough to give her another shot , I'd probably go that route. If she gets it right , you kept them an extra 32 days , if not .... You have potential replacements. Just have to decide if you can spare the cage space for 32 days ....
 
Hello, rtower. I would give her a second chance. But only a second. Most of my does are great moms from the start. Only one doe gave birth on the wire. It was her first time. She never made a nest and they all froze by morning when I checked. I cleaned up her area and she spent the next two days looking for them in the corner she had them in. I could see she had mothering instincts (albeit delayed), so I gave her a second chance and she has done great ever since. I hope yours will, too. If you have the space, I'd try her once more.
 
Ramjet said exactly what I was thinking. Breed her once more (the sooner the better) but also hold back a couple of promising young does. She may do much better next time . . . and you won't have to wonder if you've done the right thing.
 
she spent the next two days looking for them in the corner she had them in. I could see she had mothering instincts

That's what worries me about this doe. After I moved the three other kits into her nest she didn't seem to develop that "mothering" instinct.

Wondering if that should be a disqualifier?

Randy
 
I say a second chance. Not just with rabbits but cats and dogs too,, sometimes I think there is just not enough hormone that kicks in on the first time moms. The second go around, things seem to click in just fine.
 

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