Hi mortality in shared nest situation

[DanaYares]

I have 4 does in a my colony. In the last breeding cycle two does shared a nest, with 18 kits total.

I debated splitting the nests, but didn't know if one doe would accept a new location or just go back to their original nest site. I decided not to separate and to watch and see what happened.

All but 8 kits died because the dominant doe wouldn't let the other doe into feed, so not all the kits were getting fed, and only the strongest kits who were able to get fed every time survived.

If this were to happen again, I would definitely separate the nests so that both does could feed. Has anyone done this? Did it work?

 

[ladysown]

I've had does share nests and had everyone survive... 12 kits approx from each doe. The kits thrived. Mind, neither doe was particularly dominant.

 

[Dood]

I no longer keep breeding does in a colony for this reason.

I would have does drag out other mothers kits so they could have the nest, become very agressive and not let anything near her litter which lead to abscesses in other does, and sometimes everything worked out and they co-nested without an issue, but it was not worth the heart ache.

I found that if you move the litter, the does usually put them back and if you cage a doe who was use to being free the stress of a new home can inhibit her mothering skills and the litter fades.

I had my best colony results and the least in-fighting with mother-daughter- sister groups and eventually all my girls were related but when I decided to get into rabbits again, I went with individual cages. Although I do have a mother daughter bonded pair that can share nicely.

 

[trinityoaks]

UGGHHH! One of the reasons I won't do a colony, especially for does with litters.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

i am working on putting a colony together and this is one of the things i'm worried about. i think in this situation i would seperate and check on the seperated babies. if the moms moved em back i would just take the smallest ones in a nest into the house, bring em out to hold a doe on the nest to nurse.
hope all the babies make it

 

[Zab]

I'm thinking of this too..

How do people go about it when they move the kits out and in for feeding? Going there twice a day? For how long - when can the kits/nestbox be left in the colony?

I'm thinking of using the removable wall in my pen and have one doe in there some days before kindling and the other one outside (breeding two at a time), then leaving it open once the kits are born/are a few days. Do you think the other does would be a threat from that point?

 

[DanaYares]

I think in the future, I will breed ht does a week or tow apart so that the nest sharing doesn't become an issue.