Doe had eleven kits, now has six.

[AshleighNuce]

Doe had eleven kits on the day of delivery. One week later she has six. None of the others are anywhere to be found, alive or dead, whole or in pieces. She is a checkered giant/NZW cross. Do you think she culled them down because she couldn't take care of them? Or is there something else wrong? This is her third litter. She has had two large successful litters in the last year and I have been nothing but happy with her in the past. Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Comet007]

Wow, what a mystery! Could they have gotten out of the cage in any way? Seems odd that five babies could disappear without some trace of blood or something. I hope you can figure it out!

 

[Dood]

:yeahthat: plus I doubt her stomach could hold more than 1 kit.

Id expect some signs or left over bits if it was a rat or weasel, the only predators I can think of that leaves no blood are snakes and people.

 

[AshleighNuce]

There is about 6 inches of hay and straw layered in the hutch she was in, and the door was secured, so I don't think a predator could have possibly gotten in. Could she have eaten one a day perhaps over the last week? I counted the day she delivered and then yesterday, which was one week after. I didn't check in between. I moved her to a different hutch that is easier to access last night and they are all doing fine today.

 

[MaggieJ]

What size is the wire on your hutch? Is there an open J-feeder? Is there any slack around the doors? The fact that the losses stopped when you changed the rabbits to a different hutch suggests to me that it was a predator and that it has just not found them yet OR cannot get into the new hutch as easily. Don't be too fast to blame the doe... especially one with a good track record.

I've had rats carry off fairly large chicks without leaving a trace. They could also carry off a young kit with no problem. Weasels will also carry away their infant prey to feed their young. One morning we watched a mother weasel take several young mice back to its nest. She was very efficient!

 

[AshleighNuce]

My hutches are made completely of wood except for the door, which is 1/2 inch hardware cloth. There are no holes in that hutch, and the hutch I moved them into actually has chicken wire on it, which has much larger holes. I talked to a man yesterday that has raised rabbits his whole life- the same breed as me. He said, because of some deficiency, whether of vitamins or something else, the does will eat their kits after birth. He and his father gave their does one ball of raw hamburger a day - about the size of a ping pong ball for one week before they delivered, and a few days after. He said after they began doing that, they did not lose any more kits. I brought one out to my doe yesterday and then again today, and she wolfed both of them down in less than a minute. Thank you for your help though!

 

[Wheels]

Have you removed the straw from the old hutch? I had a doe deliver 8 kits and I knew because I had removed all of them to count and then placed them back in the nest - the nesting area in this hutch was large and I had the whole thing stuffed full of hay/straw. I went back later to count again and only counted 7 - checked and checked (so I thought) for the 8th and never found it - chalked it up to me just being silly and counting wrong.

Once the youngsters were active and nearly weaned I cleaned out the whole nest area top to bottom and found that 8th kit at the very bottom - it had died not long after it was born and as far as I could tell the doe removed it from the others but it just got shuffled under all that bedding.

 

[Comet007]

I'm sorry - this seems crazy and extreme to me to feed hamburger to an herbivore. I have seen references to others feeding rabbits hamburger or bacon - but might it be better to try to resolve whatever nutrient deficiency that exists with foods that are more appropriate to a rabbit? Maybe a protein deficiency? I've also read that rabbits need extra calcium around kindling time. I hope that your issue is resolved and you don't lose any more kits, but also hope that you will look at potential nutrient deficiencies and a more natural way to supplement them.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I have seen references to others feeding rabbits hamburger or bacon - but might it be better to try to resolve whatever nutrient deficiency that exists with foods that are more appropriate to a rabbit? Maybe a protein deficiency?

I have heard of doing this as well, and agree it sounds gross and would prefer a more appropriate supplement... but wild herbivores do sometimes eat meat when they have a deficiency. Here is a thread on the topic:

post212103.html?hilit=eating%20birds#p212103

A breeder friend of mine has found that making certain that does have a mineral salt block available (even when fed pellets) keeps does from eating their young.

 

[Zass]

Be careful with raw hamburger! The dangerous bacterial load is much greater than it was in past years, and rabbits can be VERY sensitive to gut bacteria.

 

[Comet007]

Thanks for the link - I've actually read quite a bit about the phenomenon when I was in rabbit research mode. I just have also read that there are other ways to meet the deficiencies by preparing ahead of time. I guess that I lean more toward preventatives than cures, and that by doing so we need fewer cures.

In any case, since the situation already exists, I do hope that it helps and that there are no more losses and no negative effects from the meat. No offense is intended here, I hope for the best with the mama and litter.