Questions from a first time kindler

[RoosterMania]

My son's NZW doe is due to kindle this weekend. I have a few questions in anticipation. It will be her first time as well as ours.

1. I built a nest box this week. I don't have a bottom on it. My plan is to zip tie it to the back if the cage so she can't move it. Will it be okay to leave off a wire floor? It's been in the 90's here during the day and the lows have been in the 68-70 range.

2. The does cage about is 24"x24"x24". Since the nest box won't fit in it, I built a maternity ward that is 52"x24"x17". My plan is to move her in on Friday which is day 28. Will this be okay? Should I put her in earlier and then put the nest box in on day 28?

3. My plan is to leave the doe and her kits in the maternity ward until week 5 and then put the doe back in her hole. I'll leave the litter in the maternity ward for another week before moving them to the tractor on the pasture. I'll introduce gathered greens around week 3 so they can nibble here and there and get there gut flora adjusted. Does this sound good?

Anything else you think I should be aware of or need to do?

I'm learning a ton here on RT, but reading about it is one thing. I'm definitely nervous and hoping everything goes well.

Thanks for everything.

 

[Marinea]

Congrats on the coming kits! Let me see if I can help a bit.

1. My nest boxes have wire bottoms. If you secure it well, I think it would be fine- the only problem is if you need, for some reason, to bring it inside, it will require some additional work, but I can't think of a reason NOT to do it the way you have planned.
2. I would go ahead and move her now- gives her more time to get used to the new cage.
3. My kits get rolled oats and pellets from the time they open their eyes (I sprinkle them in the nest box). They get greens from the time they start to venture out of the nest box. Your plan sounds good, as long as the tractor is VERY secure, since they will still be small.

Some other points:
- don't be terribly upset if things don't go that well; first time does can have problems
- give her a TUMS fruit flavored a day or so before her due date- helps with calcium
- relax!

*fingers crossed for healthy kits and mom*

 

[Miss M]

I think I'd be afraid not to have a wire bottom on the nest box... I'd be worried about babies managing to get stuck under the edges of the box. Also, being able to take the nest box out will make it much easier to check the nest for proper clean-up after kindling, and stillborn kits.

Marinea pretty much covered it. :good-luck:

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I would definitely put a bottom on the box, for several reasons:

1. As Miss M said, they could get a little leg stuck under the edge since the floor wire tends to give from the weight of large rabbits (mom!) hopping around.

2. They are at risk of getting a leg stuck in the floor wire itself as they get bigger but are not yet ready to leave the nest. I have had that happen to very small kits who leave the nestbox early, and had to cut the wire to free the foot of one.

3. If there are any predators around they may chew at the kits from beneath the cage.

4. You will want to be able to check the kits daily for at least the first week to remove any dead kits and check their bellies to see if they are being fed. The nest itself may need to have the bedding replaced. It is much easier to pull the whole box out rather than dealing with it in the back of the cage.

You can make the bottom out of 1/4" hardware cloth, plywood, pegboard, or a piece of commercial bathroom plastic wall board.

My plan is to move her in on Friday which is day 28. Will this be okay? Should I put her in earlier and then put the nest box in on day 28?

If the cage is ready, I would move her sooner rather than later. But she should do fine even if moved on day 28- I have moved does to new cages at that stage and never had any problems.

I'll introduce gathered greens around week 3 so they can nibble here and there and get there gut flora adjusted. Does this sound good?

I would feed the doe gathered greens the entire time she is in the maternity cage. That way the kits will have access to greens from the very beginning when they are in the "taste testing" stage. By week 3 they will have started eating with a purpose and may consume too many at once. Better to let them have access when they are just taking a nibble here and there so their gut flora will be able to handle larger amounts as their appetite for food other than milk develops.

Good luck with the first litter! I hope she does well for you! :good-luck:

 

[RoosterMania]

I just got back from purchasing the wire for the bottom. it is 1/8" mesh. I'll put that on this evening as well as getting the new cage set up and putting the doe in there. I'll go ahead and make her a small salad too as she is the only one I haven't put on the ground to graze a little yet.

Thank ya'll so much for the advice! <br /><br /> -- Tue Jun 03, 2014 1:11 pm -- <br /><br /> It looks like Fawn has done us good so far for a first time mother. Today is day 32 and we have what looks like 6 kits (4 pink and 2 black). I didn't want to dig around in there too much so there may be more. So now there is more to learn. When can we take the nest box out to clean it and count and *** the kits? Bunnikan Skywalker will be posting pics sometime this evening I'm sure as he's beside himself right now. :lol:

 

[ek.blair]

:mbounce: :congratulations: YAY for popples!!!!! It is encouraged that you take the litter box out during the first day to check for any dead kits and remove them along with any heavily soiled nest material from birth. My nestboxes stayed very clean and I didn't have to clean them till after two weeks, but all does are different and someone more experienced can give you more advice on that.

 

[Miss M]

:congratulations:

I usually wait a couple of hours, to make sure the doe's really finished. It's usually safe at that point, though it's possible a doe will have a few more left to put in the nest box after that. Sometimes kits can be born as much as two days apart, though that's pretty rare. Usually happens when the doe gets startled, and stops labor to wait until all is safe. I did take the box out once right after a doe seemed finished, and when I returned it, there was another kit flailing about on the wire. :shock: Ever since then, I wait a couple of hours.

 

[RoosterMania]

I hope it is okay to keep asking questions on this thread rather than starting a thread for each question. This way I can come back to one place and maybe it will help other first time kindlers as well.

This morning I noticed that the kits had been moved to a new nest within the nest box. Fawn had pulled a bunch of new hair and build a new nest toward the front of the nest box. However, one of the kits was still in the original nest. It also had some pink streaks on its abdomen and hindquarters on one side. Reminded me of pink tiger stripes. Does anyone know what may have happened? Is this common? The kit was still warm and moving around good. I placed it in the nest with the others (I hope this was okay.)

I'm also concerned now about whether or not Fawn is feeding her kits. They were very active when I pulled out the nest box and didn't seem to have the pot bellies as shown in the Fed/Unfed Kits thread. I was concerned about this yesterday until I read that it may take a day for her milk to come in. How long before I try to make her feed them?

Thank you.

 

[Miss M]

I hope it is okay to keep asking questions on this thread rather than starting a thread for each question. This way I can come back to one place and maybe it will help other first time kindlers as well.

You're still talking about the same litter, just the next day... if this thread goes dormant, they turn 2 weeks old, and then you have another question, you should start another thread.

This morning I noticed that the kits had been moved to a new nest within the nest box. Fawn had pulled a bunch of new hair and build a new nest toward the front of the nest box. However, one of the kits was still in the original nest. It also had some pink streaks on its abdomen and hindquarters on one side. Reminded me of pink tiger stripes. Does anyone know what may have happened? Is this common? The kit was still warm and moving around good. I placed it in the nest with the others (I hope this was okay.)

I see this in nestboxes pretty frequently... the nest starts out way back there, and then there's a new area complete with fur at the front, and the litter is split. At this age, I generally move them all back to the back, but if they won't stay there, I'll fill in both areas, and create a new nest in the middle. That doesn't always work, either. :roll:

Pink streaks could be two things: infection or just nestbox weirdness. It's probably not infection, as I've seen skin stripes like you're talking about quite a bit. Generally on kits that aren't doing as well as everybunny else. The skin might actually be somewhat ridged in that area. But they usually get over it and end up gaining like the others, especially if you do stuff like make sure he's on top of the pile shortly before feeding time, etc. Just keep an eye on his tummy and make sure he's being fed. Chances are, he'll be fine.

I'm also concerned now about whether or not Fawn is feeding her kits. They were very active when I pulled out the nest box and didn't seem to have the pot bellies as shown in the Fed/Unfed Kits thread. I was concerned about this yesterday until I read that it may take a day for her milk to come in. How long before I try to make her feed them?

They're two days old. If they hadn't been fed at all, they'd be getting a little weak by now (at least, that's been my experience). Their tummies would look kind-of hollow. If they're still feisty, they've probably been getting fed, just not a lot.

Hopefully, she'll get more milk in. You can help this by feeding her small amounts of things like parsley, black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS - a couple teaspoons worth, more or less), or regular kitchen oatmeal coated with a little blackstrap molasses.

 

[RoosterMania]

Here is a pic I took this morning.

[album]2815[/album]

They are still very energetic. But between worrying about the heat and whether or not she feeding them, I am a basket case!!

 

[Miss M]

They're fed. I see some nice, round tummies in there!

Does feed quickly, usually 5 minutes or less, and only twice a day (some only once). It is SO easy to miss them being fed. You can raise multiple litters and never see a doe nursing the kits.

About heat, they normally regulate that themselves. They will all be up on top of the nest (like in the picture) if they are too warm, to cool off. If they're REALLY warm, they'll separate from each other. If it's cold out, they'll burrow into the nesting material, and cuddle up in a little popple ball. In that case, it's good to try to catch wanderers and put them back with their siblings.

Lookin' great, so far!! <br /><br /> -- Fri Jun 06, 2014 11:26 am -- <br /><br />

I am a basket case!!

Pretty much everybody on here who has ever had a litter will tell you that we were all basket cases with the first one. :lol:

 

[ek.blair]

I am a basket case!!

Pretty much everybody on here who has ever had a litter will tell you that we were all basket cases with the first one. :lol:

SO very true!! I was a nervous "mamma" with my first two litters as they were a week apart and firsts for each of the does as well.