Letting Nature weed out the weak, now what? PICS!

[Secuono]

So, I've decided that the deaths of the kits was Nature weeding out all the weak and unfit kits for my area. I won't go into numbers, as some of it early on was my fault and in total, it's a slightly scary number.
But, I'm wondering, what should I do with these survivors?
I've gotten real attached to my 'originals', I couldn't just fry them up, plus, I have no idea how these new ones will breed. They are also far from a breeding age.
Should I just keep the best from each pairing for breeding and once those kits are grown and the best have survived, breed them and toss the parents?
I only have 6.
Seems like the kits who escaped regularly from their pens are the ones who survived, though, 3 were permanently penned and also made it.
They all grow slowly, I'm guessing because their lines weren't grass based, but just pellet. Plus the heat makes them less willing to eat other than early morning and late in the day, if it's cool enough.
The ones that died became dinner for my pup and she's still alive, no ill effects on her. So it couldn't of been anything truly dangerous illness-wise or she would of puked them back up. While she eats them, I did sometimes walk by and all the innards looked to be properly colored, nothing off about them, other than the green grass slobber on them.
I'll try to figure out who is who this week, but I will only know the breed mixes with age. AmChin with SF is easy to tell, but not Chin with Cali, haven't had that mix yet. None are pure SF as I didn't have a breeding male left at the time. Anyway, I'll get pics, weights and ages of them later. They were also all screamers...every last one of them suckers! But, some I've caught so many times that they have stopped. lol.
Be back later, celebrating my birthday a day early!
:bunnyhop:

__________ Tue Aug 14, 2012 4:49 pm __________

Ok, pics of the kits and of 2 grower does. Not the best, most were not happy about being posed and the prop I used for most was not level or stable. >.< Sorry.
The Cali doe in the grower pen is sick with possible mites, but she looks good to me and quite calm when handled. The AmChin/SF doe was very annoyed with me trying to pose her, obvious by the pic, but this mix is large, usually friendly and I just love the fur on them!
Anyway, for some, I know I'll need better posing on and others I have to wait until they are larger. But, I'm looking for general thoughts on them at this stage.

I will add ages in a little bit for all of them.

1st buck kit. AmChin/Cali.

2nd Cali buck, he is a little larger than the others and is now in solitary because he started a fight in the pen with all the other kits.

3rd Cali buck, lives with his parents and the AmChin doe in the colony right now. Bigger than the kits because he's older, but still a bit too small to be in with the growers. Very nice guy and calm enough to let his head go.

1st doe, SF/Cali.

2nd doe, Cali.

3rd doe, AmChin/Cali.

4th doe, light AmChin/Cali[I think, might be chin/sf]. Not a good poser, but used to me handling her now, keeping her because of the very pretty color. =D

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Here are the two grower does, near adults. I believe I have one more of this mix that is a doe. Then I have 3 SF, 1 doe and 2 bucks, I think. No pics of them right now.

AmChin/SF, did not want to pose at all.

Cali doe.

 

[grumpy]

I've wondered the same thing about the youngsters and their mothers that went through the wicked heat wave.

Some does lost all of their young. Others lost part. While there were several that had large litters and kept every one of them alive and thriving.

Very interesting questions.

grumpy.

 

[Secuono]

I think the 1st and 2nd doe kits I won't keep. Already have a near breeding AmChin mix doe or two. And the 1st AmChin mix buck I don't think I should keep either.

As for the Cali bucks, the near breeding age[in grower pen] buck I have I won't keep, he's not the right shape for it or size. So that means I need to choose the 2nd or 3rd Cali buck. 3rd is getting close to breeding age, 2nd is still too young. But which of the two look best?

Guess I am starting to answer my own Qs, but it's still hard. I want to continue with good size/shape, but also need them to do well on pasture. I will get pics of all the growers, seems like I have to in order to get things straightened out.


I had 3 litters, one 1st time mom that lost some kits and then the others lost some to heat. Eventually, I lost my original SF doe[!] to the heat and her kits and the kits I added to her had to be split up again to the other does[still on milk]. Then they all got larger and things were fine, but then heat came with some rain mixed in and I lost some more. I had very large litters that time around, 13, 12, 10 I think, or close to it. But the SF pulled way too much fur and the heat got the kits. Maybe because she was suddenly bald, she died to the heat or cold exposure, not sure. Either way, these are the toughest kits to have survived all of that and being the first generation growing on pasture.

 

[Piper]

3rd doe, AmChin/Cali. In the picture, she looks like, she has a bald spot behind her ear.

 

[Secuono]

...I have too many Calis...lol. Just realized that. Have my original doe, 2nd pink eared doe. Then adding hopefully just the grower doe if you guys think she is good for it. Can't keep any more of that breed does...Have the original buck and wanting to add one new one. Either have them all together[4f/2m] or split them after adding a 4th doe[2f/1m x2]? Or replace my original buck with the son...but that's sad...

Pure AmChin will be in with her mix light Chin daughter. One or two of the dark Chin/SF does will be with them, too. Should I make their buck the new Cali? Then the Cali will be 3 does and 1 buck...

My grower SF are pure, should I keep the does I find and put her in with my new SF pair I have? Should the SF grower buck live with the AmChin does instead of the Cali buck??

Oh...so many things to figure out!! Maybe I will keep the Cali buck with the Chin girls and occasionally swap him with my SF buck instead. This Chin mix group are all dinner kits. The other groups are pure bred groups and I'd want them to be available if someone wanted a pure kit of either breed.

Guess I am thinking out loud/via text. =D

__________ Tue Aug 14, 2012 5:36 pm __________

3rd doe, AmChin/Cali. In the picture, she looks like, she has a bald spot behind her ear.

No, that's just a dirty lens mixed with Sun glare. The kit pics are all over the place in bad quality. They are, after all, the Escapees and I was more concerned with them managing to get away than how well the pics ended up...pup was also rolling all over me for attention, lol. Some of the pics ended up really whacky looking with all the movement and random dog parts blurred in...=D

You can actually see that white spot in most of the pics if you look closely enough.<br /><br />__________ Wed Aug 15, 2012 12:30 pm __________<br /><br />1st buck, 2nd buck, 1st doe, 2nd doe and 3rd doe I've decided to try and sell off, if they don't they will be marked as dinner rabbits.
Guess just the Light Chin I'll be keeping from the 6 kits after all.