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We just had 2 does kindle and both are missing kits. I push the fur aside and check on the pile of kits each day. One doe is missing one and the other is missing two… Has anyone else ever experienced this? I looked around the hutch and I couldn’t find any dead kits. I don’t think the does ate...

Good to know We just had 2 does kindle. One had 12 and the over only 7. I found a dead kit in the 12 pile. I was kinda confused given he couldn’t have froze since he was well covered in fur. Maybe he wasn’t being fed milk with all the competition? Would you suggest splitting the litter so both...

Hello Thanks for this extensive post. I found it very thorough. I felt it necessary to check the forums because we’ve been running into a really odd problem for us. Our main breeding NZ doe recently gave us a litter of 11 but the week following birth we were finding frozen kits completely...

We keep our nesting does on 12 gauge wire hutches. Pretty standard for meat meats although we’ve had a problem. When the doe nests the straw and fur fall right through the holes. Sadly we actually lost a litter because the fur fell and the kits froze. 😞 Is the straw too small or should we put...

Good to know! I’ll definitely leave our next litter with mom for 8 wks. We’ve really been trying to optimize our growth rates. I figured that milk is probably the most caloric thing kits can have and therefore the most weight-packing. I just weighed our 9 wk olds and the biggest is 3 lb 4 oz. We...

I’ll definitely reassess them at 12 wks. I was really hoping to cull around the 6-8 wks marks to economize on time. I thinking of adding some hulled oats and even some dent corn to their diet. Hopefully that can help weight gain. They are in hutches all day. Is that maybe making them depressed...

Interesting, Can hay stashing be a sign that the doe wants to be bred? We have a doe that hay stashes somewhat randomly but doesn’t really make a nest when I give her the box. I wondered what that meant.

I do something similar too! A lot of sites say that you should NEVER leave the two rabbits unsupervised for breeding because of possible “fighting”. I've never had that problem. In fact most of my successful breeds were when we left the two by themselves for a few days. The one downside is that...

Thanks for all the helpful info! So I guess my kits aren’t behind in weight. We have 4 NZ CA mix kits at 8 weeks and they weigh about 2-3 pounds. I thought they were under weight but maybe not… most sites say you can butcher at 6-8 weeks but I guess that’s just wishful thinking. I was...

We have a litter of NZ x CA meat rabbits at 4.5 weeks old. They don’t seem to be very large though and I’ve noticed them eating a lot of Timothy and not a whole lot of milk. You’d think the milk is more caloric and would make them grow faster… Should we try alfalfa given it has more calories...

Ok thanks good to know So you’ve actually had does kindle after nesting 2 weeks early? I was convinced it was a false pregnancy but maybe I’m wrong? I guess we’ll just wait and see… in your experience is early nesting indicative of false pregnancy or just a personality quirk in some does? I...

Interesting to see this not something completely new. We have a large CA doe that was left unsupervised with a buck. She gained a lot of weight then starting nesting on day 14 post being with the buck; now she’s pulling fur on day 15… and honestly the nest looks kinda lousy and half done. So...

Wow only 2/3 per day. I thought I was being frugal with only 3/4. So do you think I can get away with only 1/2 of 18% feed per rabbit per day? We get a good soy-free feed (country acres) it is kinda expensive so we don’t want to overload if we don’t have to. Do you give expecting or nursing does...

She definitely hasn’t been with a buck prior to this recent meeting. I too thought that was a large jump in weight for only one week. At what rate does a pregnant doe gain weight? I have noticed that her dewlap has grown quite a bit since being with the buck. I don’t think it just coming in...

So we have a CA doe that I left in our buck’s hutch for 3 days (I now it sounds unorthodox but given how unaggressive our does are I know from experience it works for us). Prior to this she weighed 8 lbs. 4 oz. One week after leaving the buck’s hutch she weighs about 9 lbs! Is she pregnant? I...

We have our rabbits on 18% protein but we only give each about 3/4 cup per day and unlimited grass hay. I also supplement dandelion to ensure a good source of vitamins a and e. Would it be safe to drop down to 16% given the bulk of their diet is hay? I can’t imagine grass hay would be a great...

He seemed healthy. I did an inspection and he looks fine. Some discoloration on his hocks but they’re not wet or missing fur. I might try putting them both in a dog pen in the garage and keeping it cool. I know this sounds extremely unorthodox but we’ve actually conceived a litter by just...

That’s the odd thing… He’s now completely uninterested in does. He used to be quite interested; in fact he sired a litter of 10! Although now he doesn’t even try, even during the cool parts of the day. Any idea what his issue is? He was put off a lot by a NZ doe. Did she scar him?

She just kindled today! This is our first litter. What’s the best pellet mix/brand for a nursing doe? Or any meat rabbit for that matter… what’s the max temperature the doe and kits can be exposed to? I’ve heard horror stories of stressed moms who eat their kits. Thanks for all the help.

Interesting… We have a young buck who isn’t always so ready. I’ve read a little about heat sterility. In other words if kept too hot over a long period the bucks can’t mate. It has been quite hot this summer. Have you ever experienced this?