11 Babies! Chances of Survival?

MarshaM · Sep 6, 2013

Hi, I'm new to the forum. I've been raising meat rabbits for the last year, mostly California crosses and NZ but in all honesty, I know very little beyond the basics of feeding and care. I have six females in rotation. Recently, I was given a Harlequin doe. She had 9 kits in her first litter, 8 survived. Three days ago, she had 11 kits, so far all alive! She's a great mother, I know she will do her best to feed all 11 but that seems like too many. Some of the kits are skinny, some have huge, full bellies. I suspect they can't all get to the top of the pile to nurse so I've been going in there and moving the thin ones to the top to the bed. Does that seem reasonable? She seems to be separating them into two areas and feeding both groups. Could she have a rotation system going? that seems impossible but animals always surprise me. I usually breed two does at the same time so I can have a back-up plan but the other doe rejected her litter, eating some and never making a nest. By the time I got home, most were dead and it was two late for the survivors. Very traumatic for me

That was her second litter and she's done it both times so she's a cull. Does anyone with large litter experience have any advice?

Much appreciated,

Marsha

MaggieJ · Sep 6, 2013

Welcome to RabbitTalk, MarshaM! :welcome:

Many does can handle 11 or even more without problems. You could cull the weak ones, but few of us do. I would just let nature take its course unless there is obvious suffering. One thing you could do to help, however, is to remove the fat kits to make them miss one feeding and let the skinny ones catch up a bit. :good-luck:

AmysMacdog · Sep 6, 2013

Hi! Welcome Marsha!

Congratulations on all those babies! She sounds like a great mom! Hopefully she'll feed them all.
I'm sorry about the other doe and her litter but your right, she needs to be culled.
I've had 11 survive just fine and 10 on a regular basis. Hopefully she'll have enough milk for everybody. :clover:

bunnychild · Sep 6, 2013

I had a doe that had one litter and one foster litter at the same time. She was a smaller breed but she fed them pretty well. You have to feed lots of food with bigger litters or she might run dry on them.

skysthelimit · Sep 6, 2013

My Rex generally have litters of 9-12 and I haven't had to cull any, I had a doe die and I gave one a total of 13, and two are my fastest growing Rex in three years.

coffeenutdesigns · Sep 6, 2013

I don't cull babies for feeding issues. I want them all to make it to the freezer! I've had calis With big litters. The one time I had some kits not being fed enough, I simply removed a few of the biggest kits for 1 feeding and the next day removed 3 different kits for one feeding. Just 2 good feedings was enough to give the little ones enough vigor to get in there and fight for their share.

MarshaM · Sep 7, 2013

Thank you, everyone! I appreciate the info. I'll try to stop freaking out now. I checked in last night. Most of the babies look great, one was pretty skinny and one is a very small runt. I'm of the same mind as Coffeenutdesigns. I would like them all to make it to the freezer. (And yes, I recognize the irony in saving them to kill them later.) I think I'll remove the biggest ones so the others can get some extra milk. Thanks for talking me down.