Last year our rabbit breeding got off to a bumpy start with an older doe that didn't take and a youngster that didn't feed her litter. This year has begun much better. Hollis kindled 6 on April 20 and Jay kindled 10 today, 4-30. Was a little worried because it is still cold--snow forecast yesterday but we just got cold rain.
This is the first time I've thought it might have been better to breed them at the same time for fostering purposes. The 10 day old kits are very fat. Don't know how Jay will do with 10 in her nest. (For me the worst part of raising rabbits is a doe that doesn't feed the kits and they die in that first week)
My ideal litter size is 8 so it would have made sense to transfer 2 from the litter of 10 to the small one. But then, how do you keep track of which kits are offspring of which doe ? And I like to have an idea of how many a given doe can feed, which I wouldn't find out if I fostered. Have to think some more about that--the pros and cons.
Anyway, here's proof
This is the first time I've thought it might have been better to breed them at the same time for fostering purposes. The 10 day old kits are very fat. Don't know how Jay will do with 10 in her nest. (For me the worst part of raising rabbits is a doe that doesn't feed the kits and they die in that first week)
My ideal litter size is 8 so it would have made sense to transfer 2 from the litter of 10 to the small one. But then, how do you keep track of which kits are offspring of which doe ? And I like to have an idea of how many a given doe can feed, which I wouldn't find out if I fostered. Have to think some more about that--the pros and cons.
Anyway, here's proof
