Short Litter and Blood

[SoDak Thriver]

Okay! So we have our second litter in two weeks. It's a small one: 3 kits. A cursory look indicates they are normal-sized and healthy. They are on the bottom of the nest box because the doe did not pull hair until after the birth. She pulled LOTS of hair to cover them, so I'll get some of that under them later.

Litter #1 was born at least 2 hours before I discovered it, so if there was bloody hay, she may have cleaned it up before I got there. Litter 2 has a small handful of bloody hay and there's a little blood under the hutch where the doe normally urinates. Is this normal? Or indicative of kit retention?

As the father of 4 who was there for the births, I know that blood and birth go together. It's not a problem. Just want to know if it's normal. <br /><br /> -- Wed Mar 30, 2016 10:34 am -- <br /><br /> The doe appears to be fine. She is eating. In a few hours, I'll pull the box out and situate the kits on top of some hay and fur and then cover them again. All appears to be ok.

 

[Rainey]

I don't have a lot of experience so hope someone else will respond. But just wanted to say that one of my biggest surprises when we started raising rabbits was how quick and clean the kindling was. Sometimes I knew because I had checked earlier that the kindling had taken place within the last hour or 2. And most times the nest and kits were clean. Quite different from what I was used to with our goats. A couple times there was some blood in the nest or in the pan under the cage. It wasn't a huge amount and doe and kits seemed fine, so I assumed it was normal.
Congratulations on the new litter. Don't be too disappointed about the small size of this one--just keep good records and eventually you'll know who you want to have more litters from, whose kits you want to keep breeding. You seem to me like someone who is paying good attention and doing the right things. Hang in there and enjoy the popples

 

[ladysown]

Very normal. I toss it in the compost. <br /><br /> -- Wed Mar 30, 2016 11:55 am -- <br /><br /> Very normal. I toss it in the compost.

 

[SoDak Thriver]

You seem to me like someone who is paying good attention and doing the right things. Hang in there and enjoy the popples

Thanks! I am really enjoying them. I wouldn't be here without RT.

Very normal. I toss it in the compost.

Ha! That's exactly what I did on my way back to the house.

 

[macksmom98]

Very normal. I have seen a real small amount of blood even a couple days after on the cage floor, nothing to be concerned about. It's possible she's not done kindling yet though, I was surprised by my Hollands first litter when she had 2 kits, and 24 hours later had a stretched one, then 3 more. I don't think that's the norm for sure but.....rabbits will keep you guessing!

 

[Preitler]

Last year I noticed that a doe had kindled only because of some blood in the hutch, but the nest was in an earth hole in the garden.

 

[ozemba]

In my own limited experience here, I watched her haystaching for about two hours, then she started pulling fur, and next thing I know there are three clean babies in the nest box and she's chilling outside grooming herself. So not maybe more than 20 minutes for her kindle.

 

[SoDak Thriver]

It's possible she's not done kindling yet though...rabbits will keep you guessing!

Wow, ya don't say. So I go out there this morning and there's a dead kit on the wire. Poor Neenu. I disposed of her kit and looked to the box for the live ones and I see....more blood in the hay! I dug in a little further and found two more dead ones and, I think, two more alive!

I say "I think" because it is windy and raining hard here today and I didn't want to dig too hard, but I put my hand under the pile of kits and rolled them over to make sure they were all moving and I see 5. We will know later when the weather is better for pulling the box.

I'm glad I bred the does in the order I did. Ginny was easy as pie. Neenu is...complicated. Ginny made a beautiful nest and put all the kits in it the first time. Neenu didn't pull hair until the kits were born and she made her nest so the kits are directly on the floor of the box. Yesterday, I reformed the nest so there's some hay and fur under the kits.

Anyway, if I'm right, my short litter is now a litter of 8 with 5 surviving.

rabbits will keep you guessing!

Word, sister.

 

[Rainey]

When our rabbits were out where we'd have to walk through the wind and rain to bring a nestbox in we just took a waterproof to cover it while in transit. Don't know what your forecast is like but here it's going down cold--high[/i in the 20's. If it's going to stay cold and wet where you are it might be better to get the nest clean and dry so the survivors can stay warm.
Do you still have another doe expected to kindle? Were they both first timers? Look how much you're learning
Hope things settle down for you and go smoothly for a while.

 

[SoDak Thriver]

No more kindling for a bit: I don't expect to have anymore kits until early-May. Both were first-timers. Some would argue that I bred them early, but I went with Zass' opinion on that and I'm happy with the results thus far.

My nest boxes are big, luxurious, and heated. Yes, these are the nest boxes of the Rich & Famous (and the stupid who put great care into planning for the cold, which rabbits are well-equipped for, and is now worried that he has planned inadequately for heat). So the kits are safe and warm and dry. Nights are in the mid-30's here now.

Given that Neenu was already having difficulties, I didn't want to interrupt what might a dawn feeding, so I'll wait a bit and then bring them in, making sure there are no more dead ones.

 

[macksmom98]

Sneaky little buggers! Well I am glad you have a couple more, and hopefully the next kindle will be easier for her. Unfortunately mine that had hers 24 hrs apart has always had at least one stretched one, and it's never been as easy for her as for her daughter or fellow "rabbit sisters" here at our house. But she is our oldest, and we bred her later than some recommend, 1 1/2 years old....she's got great mothering instincts just seems to have that issue when kindling. Don't know why that happens sometimes, perhaps in your situation it had to do with the dead kits.

 

[SoDak Thriver]

So, five it is! They are very active, too, real wigglers. It looks like they've been fed.


The other 8 are having an "in" day. No one looks too eager to venture out of the box. Temp is 33degF, it's raining, and the wind is 43 MPH gusting higher. :singinrain: The hutch is good, but high winds still manage to come up through the bottom of the cage. <br /><br /> -- Thu Mar 31, 2016 11:20 am -- <br /><br />

 

[Marinea]

Aww, congrats!

 

[macksmom98]

Yes those look like full tummies! Congrats!