Keeping kits in house... will doe feed if brought in house?

[jimmywalt]

We live in Michigan where it's EXTREMELY cold. This weekend it's supposed to be NEGATIVE 21 degrees.

We have 3 litters of 13 day old kits (holland lops, lionheads and mini rex).We have been keeping them in the house, in their nest boxes, each in a cage (in case the jump out of the nest box). Twice per day we take them out to our 2-car attached garage to do feedings with the 3 does. The temp in our garage has been around 40 to 45 degrees lately.

Pretty soon the kits will be hopping out of the nest boxes and will be too large to even be in them. So were trying to figure out what to do.

I'm really nervous about putting them in the garage with their mothers because I don't want them to get cold and die. Our cages are the 3 stack with wire floors. The does are ok and have resting pads to sit on, but the tender kits might not be able to take the temps (especially after living in our 65 to 70 degree house since they were born.

So would it be possible to bring each doe in the house twice a day and put in their cage? Would she feed them? Or would it be better to take them out to the garage (maybe carry them in a 5 gallon bucket) and let the does feed them there, then bring them back into the house?

Having bunnies in the winter is a lot more work than in the spring and summer we have learned.

 

[ladysown]

If i may make a suggestion to you.

Next winter litters...bring kits in the house at night ONLY if it's super duper freeze your nose off cold. Otherwise, if mommas have built a proper nest the kits will be just fine outside.

During the day unless you have less than three kits OR a poorly built nest that you can't fix up to make better. Leave the kits outside.

For this year... Bring those kits outside. Especially during the day. Tip the box on it's side so the kits can huddle in it. They'll be fine.

They are much hardier than you think. I've been winter breeding in SW Ontario for several years now and the kits do fine.

 

[Marinea]

I am a person who brings their kits in during the winter.

But once they are two weeks old, they stay outside. I don't tip my wooden nestboxes on their side as I don't like the idea of the urine on the wood. I make a three sided box (top, back and sides), put in a lot of hay, and put that in the cage instead of the nestbox. I have yet to lose a kit to the cold weather.