kit ?

[MOSSY NUT]

I tried looking this up and couldn't find anything. I'm looking for what temp our babies should be at as they get older. I saw 60-70 when first born but as they get older week by week what temp should they be? Our Americans are three weeks old. we had a few little cold snaps and they did fine we kept them warm but then it got real humid a little rain but the humidity showed over 100% it wasn't really cold but that night we lost 3 babies :evil: If it wasn't for my lovly wife it would've been 4. Has anyone else had this problem? If so how do you remedy this?

 

[Zass]

All 9 kits of my winter litter survived cold snaps at -11 for several days at once, they were born outside the last day of November and have always been outside with no additional heat. Just lots of straw inside the hutch and heavy plastic outside of it to stop the wind.

 

[MOSSY NUT]

Wow we use feed bags to cut the wind and had a heat lamp and we weren't no where near that temp :lol: Before and still all of our buns look very health that is to say big and fat. but after my wife brought them inside and warmed them all up they have all done fine. Our doe seems to be doing a good job. It's her second litter her 1st she had 1 now 8 the 2nd.

 

[Zass]

There are SO MANY things that can kill kits. I'm starting to think I lost a few to just about everything. :roll:

60-70 degrees at birth? I think mine were born in something like 22 degrees. A good nest and a place out of the wind is all they need. With temps like I've had, bringing them inside and warming them up can be much more dangerous than leaving them out.

Are the kits perhaps leaving the nestbox and having trouble getting back in?

 

[MOSSY NUT]

2 were out 2 were in the one that she saved was out. Could the high humidity had anything to do with it ? it relly was cold at all they were 2 weeks old.

 

[Zass]

I do know that heat combined with humidity is a lot more dangerous than freezing temps. (if it's 80 F and very humid here in PA, my rabbits start to suffer and need ice bottles to cool down)

 

[BlueMoods]

The only way cold and humid would be a problem is if you had a slick sided (like plastic) nest that collected condensation with the temperature changes, then that could result in a damp kit, and damp kits freeze easy.

Because of the summer heat here, my does kindle October thru March so as warm as 80 and as cold as 10 (sometimes colder at night.) I have them in a barn so no wind. It isn't heated but, I do keep a heat lamp on over each cage bank on nights below 25 to keep the lines of my watering system form freezing (also have a heater in the water tank.) If I get a litter that is prone to holding teats and being drug out of the nest box, I put a heat lamp over that cage in winter. Saved more than one that way.

 

[MOSSY NUT]

My boxes are made of wood.
Thanks guys & gals