50% Stillborns

ReiLossefalme · Aug 5, 2012

I recently got a pair of bred proven Meat Mutt does (one NZ looking but with brown eyes, one Cal marked), with the breeder claiming they had previously raised "7 to 10 kits each litter". Both does have now kindled, one with 3 live & 2 stillborn, and the other with only a single live kit and 2 stillborn. That's 50% stillborns! :shock: Now although I've had pet rabbits for over a decade, breeding meat rabbits for productivity is a pretty new experience for me. So with only 4 kits between the two does, I'm trying to figure out what may have caused this and what to do next.
- The kits are 4 days apart in age. Can I still foster the single in with the other litter? I'm thinking about just breeding that doe back. Or possibly putting her in the freezer.
- Is so many stillborns normal? Only 1 actually looked deformed in any way (missing one eye), the others were just dead. Or could factors like moving or the summer breeding have caused problems? Their current housing stays about 84F during the day.
- Could the summer breeding (or other factors) have affected the smaller litters?

Mostly I'm trying to decide whether to keep these does & give them a second chance, or whether I should just wean out this set & then cull the does. Any advice?

skysthelimit · Aug 5, 2012

I just lost 75% of two litters from two high producing does, so heat can be a factor. You can rebred one or both, within a few days, and the litter (if you combine) or litters can be weaned at 4 weeks.

Losing litters bite

Peach · Aug 5, 2012

I know does that haven't been bred in a while have trouble with having stilborns/weak kits. Heat and stress can also be factors. I have one doe that just needed to reboot her system and now she's on a litter of 6 and doing great. I was suprised how a rabbit that could successful birth and raise 11 couldnt after a few months of not breeding her. Then I learned that you need to keep them on a cycle xD __________ Sun Aug 05, 2012 3:58 pm __________ I rebred her after her I weaned the the surviving kits.

akane · Aug 5, 2012

I've never had good litters buying bred does or breeding them right after moving. The stress seems to effect things. Summer is also a bad time to breed. Bucks often aren't producing good sperm and it adds more stress to the does. Most people give their rabbits 3 chances and then cull just in case there are external factors the first time or 2. Many does go on to produce well after a single bad litter.

ReiLossefalme · Aug 7, 2012

Found another dead baby in the nest box I missed first time around. I fostered the remaining kit, he's just a tiny bit smaller than the smallest of the other litter so I'm hoping he'll be fine. I'll rebreed that doe this week and give them both another chance. __________ Mon Aug 06, 2012 11:15 pm __________ We found another baby this morning in the corner of the garage, he must have found his way out the front of the cage :roll: Oddly enough, he was ALIVE. He seems to be doing well tonight, so hopefully I'm at 5 live kits now

AnnClaire · Aug 7, 2012

Good luck with keeping them going!

I would still suggest that you go ahead and breed back both does now. If the failed kindling is due to moving/heat stress, then getting successful litters out of them is going to get them going for your meat production. If the failed kindling is due to genetic issues with them, you need to know soonest so you can either replace or cull.