Popcicles anyone?

[Oakville Shooter]

I bred five of my does a month ago and they are due to deliver yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I filled the nest boxes with hay and placed them in the cages on Tuesday.

This morning when I went out to feed them before work, I see that one doe has kindled. She is the Red NZ/Californian cross. But she pulled no fur and was sitting beside the nest box instead of in it. The kits were all dead due to exposure/getting too cold. This was her second litter.

This doe was a first time mom back in September and she pulled lots of fur. She made the prettiest nest of them all. This time, nothing. Just a burrowed out spot in the hay.

Also, for her first litter, she delivered 12 kits. Two were dead when I found them the first morning. She raised the other 10 to be very healthy, well fed kits.

I counted the dead this morning. She had 16 kits. No, that is not a typo, she really did have 16 babies.

The most disappointing part to me is that I had bred her to the Blue NZ male. I was really hoping to get some blue kits out of this litter.

This was the first litter that this buck has sired so at least I know that he is capable of producing kits. I guess that that is the only good thing to come out of this.

 

[trinityoaks]

Awwww! I'm sorry! I would rebreed her right away.

 

[Jack]

if you can , bring her inside and put her in a large rubbermaid tote, I put mine in the bathtub, that way if they hop out I hear them in the tub,
I put a good layer of shavings in the tote and the nest box, once I see that the doe is taking care of them, they go back out.

 

[randtrabbitry]

I fill for you i lost 2 litters that way. Mom will be culled soon as i dont think she has an ounce of mommy skills. If you have not tossed them you could sell them as snake food. I have wanted to but always forget and im a little scared ill get bashed on craigslist for it.

 

[MaggieJ]

Ah, that's a shame. I agree with rebreeding her... and bringing her indoors when it's kindling time, at least until you can trust her again.

 

[Jack]

Um, a good friend has been known to tat rabbits with such names as Stew and Soup, She said hawk bait was to long to tat on a polish's ear
She had a two bite and your food policy and never has kept a bad mother, says they pass it on.

 

[Oakville Shooter]

I re-bred her last Friday, as well as 4 other does. Hopefully things will work out a bit better this time around.

__________ Fri Mar 04, 2011 7:46 pm __________
Well she missed on that breeding, so I bred her yet again. She started pulling fur two days ago. This afternoon she presented me with eleven kits with fat tummies.

 

[MaggieJ]

Worth waiting for!

Congratulations on the new popples, Bob!

:wbounce:

 

[Miss M]

Congratulations! :bouncy:

Sounds like her instincts are finally kicking in! Hopefully, she'll be a good, faithful mom from now on!

 

[Anntann]

WOOOT!!! ! :bouncy:

 

[pfaubush]

YAY!!! :bouncy: