Questions from a newby

[MaggieJ]

Mystang, I know a lot of people tip the nest box to prevent losses from kits being pulled out, but I don't like the way the nesting materials get scattered. In addition, some does seem to really resent the kits' early exodus from the box... They are after her all the time instead of only when she decides to feed them.

The easiest and best fix I have found is to put a brick next to the low end of the nest box. It acts as a step for the kits to get back in. You may still have losses of this sort in kits that still have their eyes closed, but once they open their eyes they can generally figure out how to use the step to get back to the nest.

 

[BlueMoods]

I raise rabbits as well and, we do have litters in cold weather (too hot in the summer for pregnant does here) I have a rabbit barn with a heat lamp for the nursery section. I also leave the droppings fairly deep under the cages in winter. They compost and that gives of heat, not a lot but it keeps the barn about 7-8 degrees warmer than if I clean it out entirely and, that makes a differences. The water is also warmed since it's an automatic system and, has to be a bit warm to keep the lines form freezing close to the nibblers and, that helps as well.

I loose maybe 2-4 kits a year from cold is all. Not easy but not a bad loss rate and, it's better than loosing the does in the heat. Blasted weather here, it's 30 one week and 80 the next so, winter breeding is better.

I don't tip the nest boxes. I do check them every 2 hours until the kits open their eyes, then every 4 hours until weaning. After that the kits have a kit box (nest box with the opening at the bottom rather than raised.) to get in for warmth. At 9 weeks, I take that out too and it's time for them to grow up and just be rabbits.

 

[Miss M]

I don't tip the boxes either. I try to remember to give them a brick, though.

 

[michaels4gardens]

I raise rabbits as well and, we do have litters in cold weather (too hot in the summer for pregnant does here)

When I was in Florida I never bred does after april first and started again in OCT, [I had outside pens] and even then an unexpected heat wave would kill a preg doe once in a while, FL was wierd that way also-- we had freezing days, then days over 100 all in the same week.

 

[BlueMoods]

Yeah, southern AR here, so a bit more cold in the winter that FL but, still the humid 100 degree summer days and fast weather changes. I also don't breed after April 1, and start back until mid to late September depending on the weather. Summer would kill a pregnant doe here. I think they survive on frozen apples and snuggling bottles of ice in the summer. LOL. Mine are in a barn so I can use heat lamps and, I do warm the water in the watering system in winter (have to so it won't freeze in the lines.) It never gets below 25 in the barn and any that have kits do get a heat lamp if it's going to drop below 35 that night.

I once put the doe and kits in with some chicken chicks I had in a brooder when the power went out and my old generator would only power on heat lamp. It worked but, I had chicks nesting under the doe with the kits LOL. Talk about Easter in January.

 

[michaels4gardens]

I have used 5 gal plastic , and metal buckets for nest boxes, I screwed a bord or alum. angle to the front bottom of the bucket lid to keep it right-side-up, I cut a hole as high as I could in the lid with a jig saw, and then snapped the lid on, if you can get metal lids they last a lot longer, [because they can't chew them]but you have to bend over the metal at the bottom of the hole so it doesn't cut the rabbits as they go in and out, -- the negetive I had was, I had to keep good absorbent bedding in them , and change it more often, then in my wood nest boxes, as it got wet more often

I made some more 5 gal can nest boxes, I cut the hole a 1/2 inch smaller then I want the finished opening so I can bend over the edge to keep it from cutting the rabbits, -- I make some holes diferent size for large --or small does, [I like the hole just big enough for the doe to get in, as it scrapes off clinging babies and cuts down on drafts]