Should I cull her?

[skysthelimit]

I've kind of had it with the chin doe. She's I just over a year old. I got her when she was five months, and she's always had a bad attitude. I bred her shortly before taking her to an unplanned show, and didn't think she took. soon after she stopped eating, and had the entire litter stillborn. Seven in the litter. I have since bred her three times. The first didn't take, the second produced four chins that wasted away and died. The third produced five kits, all small and scroungy looking, all but one was culled, and the one that's still here is considerably smaller than the kit two days older than him from another litter. I have kept her so long because she's beautiful, and she's chin. I've tried the tea, the ACV, a change in food. Most of mine have seemed to stop breeding, but she stopped breeding a long time before them, and she has not produced anything useful. I hate to cull something so beautiful, but she is not productive and I now have three new chins, two does. I already talked to my breeder about it. Now I just have to set my mind.

Selling her is not a real option as I have no market for Rex rabbits here.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

I would cull her....
She is not producing and just taking up space and food.

 

[akane]

If she's such a nice looking doe foster out a replacement kit. Breed her and 1 or 2 others at the same time and then split her litter between the other 2 does. Make sure to mark the kits when necesarry with a sharpie in the ear until they can be tattooed.

 

[skysthelimit]

If she's such a nice looking doe foster out a replacement kit. Breed her and 1 or 2 others at the same time and then split her litter between the other 2 does. Make sure to mark the kits when necesarry with a sharpie in the ear until they can be tattooed.

The problem is she hasn't allowed herself to be bred since June, and I've force bred her every time I have bred her. The last time I force bred her, (June) she missed in July. I culled the previous sire, and now neither of the chin bucks will mount if my hand is there, so unless she lifts, there's no way she's getting bred.
I'm kind of sick of trying, and do I really want a doe that I have to force breed every time? I already have to do that with the Hollands. The other chins won't be ready to breed for months.

 

[akane]

That's when I throw a doe and buck in together, provided neither is aggressive, and say have at it for a week.

 

[skysthelimit]

That's when I throw a doe and buck in together, provided neither is aggressive, and say have at it for a week.

So I'll give that a try. I'd hate to cull her right now, because the chin coat is in molt. So it would be a while till the coat is ready to harvest. I'll report back in a month.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

That's when I throw a doe and buck in together, provided neither is aggressive, and say have at it for a week.

So I'll give that a try. I'd hate to cull her right now, because the chin coat is in molt. So it would be a while till the coat is ready to harvest. I'll report back in a month.

Sure, it cannot hurt to wait until the pelt is in good condition and, maybe, you will be surprised!

 

[ladysown]

my guess is that she has something not right with her.

Could be lack of milking ability.
Could be a genetic fault.
Could be a illness that only kills off the kits.

you've given her lots and lots of chances...why are you choosing to waste the feed on her?

 

[akane]

I think it sounds like her hormones are too low both towards breeding and towards milk production and care of the kits. You might get around if you could get a replacement out of her but if you can't get her to breed then you really have no option.

 

[skysthelimit]

my guess is that she has something not right with her.

Could be lack of milking ability.
Could be a genetic fault.
Could be a illness that only kills off the kits.

you've given her lots and lots of chances...why are you choosing to waste the feed on her?

I think it sounds like her hormones are too low both towards breeding and towards milk production and care of the kits. You might get around if you could get a replacement out of her but if you can't get her to breed then you really have no option.

I was thinking along both those lines. Perhaps the first incident had nothing to do with the show. She went off her feed 4 days before she lost the kits. No water either. None of my rabbits so far have every gone off there feed. Seemed a lot like ketosis. I hear the breeder has lost kits because of that before, so maybe it does run in the lines and is a genetic fault. I lost another chin jr from that same line a few months back. The chins themselves are smaller than the other Rexes, so I wonder just like dilutes, if chin to chin to chin causes some problem? She only had four kits, they should have been porkers, not scrawny.

I will drop her in with him, and keep her, just long enough to get that very nice senior chin pelt, then mid November, kits or no kits, I'm culling and making a hat.

 

[Miss M]

Another thing to try is to put the buck in her cage and watch carefully. Apparently, I have one of those rare does who will not allow herself to be bred unless she's in her own cage. :roll:

Careful with it, though, if she decides to defend her space instead of lifting, you'll need to rescue the buck.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

and now neither of the chin bucks will mount if my hand is there,

Sky what i would do... Is to take a string ,loop it around her tail and bring it down her back to her head. So when the buck try to mount ,you pull on the string just a little .. It will bring her tail up . So this way your hand isnt in the way and the bucks should still go for it. I have bucks here dont care if my hand is in there or not. That is if you really want to keep her and get at least on litter out of her and then cull her if she does it again. But if she does have a litter. and because of this issue you have with her i would breed her back days after kindlings. They are more willing to lift then.

 

[skysthelimit]

and now neither of the chin bucks will mount if my hand is there,

Sky what i would do... Is to take a string ,loop it around her tail and bring it down her back to her head. So when the buck try to mount ,you pull on the string just a little .. It will bring her tail up . So this way your hand isnt in the way and the bucks should still go for it. I have bucks here dont care if my hand is in there or not. That is if you really want to keep her and get at least on litter out of her and then cull her if she does it again. But if she does have a litter. and because of this issue you have with her i would breed her back days after kindlings. They are more willing to lift then.

I'll give the string thing a go too, but she will fight to get him off, she runs to the side of the cage and climbs up so her front feet are off of the ground, and she's wedged in the corner of the cage. I did try to breed her back immediate, since the litter was only four, she was not interested. Tried that every other day for three weeks. The REW doe was like that, I tried her for months after the first litter, finally culled her last week.

I tried switching cages for a time, and I tried putting the buck in with her. The buck acted like he was lost, she stayed hunched in a corner.

 

[ladysown]

table breed or cull her.

seriously... do you want to breed that type of behaviour into your herd?

Some rabbits are NOT meant to be breeders/producers. Either make them into pets if they are inclined that way (or if you are) or cull them to your freezer (or to the local raw food crowd).

Unless you are living in an area with a limited supply of rabbits and you are totally stuck for finding any stock. Don't keep trying for ages with the non-productive rabbits. You are wasting time and energy on stock that simply won't perform. go on and get new stock or work with the rabbits that you have that ARE working for you.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

she runs to the side of the cage and climbs up so her front feet are off of the ground

I dont think i would of gone this long...That is terrible . wait till her fur is in good condition .. give her sunflower seeds and flax for about 3 weeks and then ... well you know.

 

[skysthelimit]

Yeah, (sigh). That is the problem with Rex, they are few and far between. And as far as I know, there are only two of us in the state breeding chin. The only reason I have kept her for so long.

She would make an awful pet, if I could sell her, here only dwarf breeds sell. She is standoffish, flighty, and had been that way since I got her at 5 mos old.

__________ Tue Oct 23, 2012 10:40 am __________

So they are getting along just fine, the two of them, like peas in a pod. She can stay there till she starts making a nest, or until 30 days pass.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

mid November, kits or no kits, I'm culling and making a hat.

:yeahthat:

 

[mystang89]

I'd cull her too. It sounds to me like you're using your money and food on a useless rabbit just because of the way she looks. That's like me doing the same thing to my wife, (she's standing with me so I'm laughing) :lol:
Anyway, I would cull her because there will always be another rabbit that looks beautiful. This one is just killing kits, wasting time and wasting food. If she's really beautiful tan her hide. That way you'll always have her with you

 

[skysthelimit]

If she's really beautiful tan her hide. That way you'll always have her with you

It's not sentiment, I hate her guts. It's that chin colored Rex are far an in between. Rex are hard to find as it is. And that would mean I only have two Rex of breeding age now. Which means that I only have two meat sized does of breeding age. A maybe might be better than none at all, though in the long run it might be a waste. That's the big thing, Rex being hard to find, the color being rare, and no replacement does of breeding age.

She hasn't killed any kits, they are just thrifty.


There are no positive here. I do want to make sure that it's not my fault first, but it sounds like all you all feel it's not my fault and I am not being too picky with want I want for my breeding program. And like someone said, even if she has a live litter now, with two sets of skinny kits (same sire though) she might never give me anything useful.

 

[AnnClaire]

Sky, how could it be your fault ... either she came with some illness or genetic weakness. Neither of which you want in your herd. The way I see it is you could dose her with medicines (more money down a money hole) which would only perpetuate the weakness in the line. I so feel for you having such a hard time finding good quality breeding stock! I hope you get some better genetics from your convention delivery! Now, if you wanted satins, there's a lady east of you wanting to sell off her herd due to unexpected financial disaster. Good quality show stock. If you are interested, PM me and I can put you in touch with her.