Supplemental care for newborn kits

MamaSheepdog · Dec 4, 2011

As most of you know from my other posts, my doe Feather kindled the on Thursday night. The kit's bellies were wrinkled on Friday night, and they didn't appear well fed, so I brought the doe in and held her while the kits nursed. They were frantic. I have done the same morning and evening since, but the kits still don't have full bellies after nursing for 15 minute or so (at least), and I am concerned she just isn't producing enough milk.

I have been feeding a couple of leaves of borage daily to increase milk supply, and today gave her some homemade sourdough bread soaked in Guinness Ale to increase milk production.

My plan is to have her feed the kits 3 times daily, since increased demand should stimulate milk flow. I don't want to stress the doe unduly by bringing her in from the bunnybarn several times a day to nurse, but it is very cold out, and I don't want to expose the kits to the cold air outside when holding her for the feedings. I am thinking of setting her up in my 100 gallon aquarium in the house where it is warm, so we only have a few feet to travel. Bringing her in would make my job less complicated, but which approach do you think would be the least stressful for doe and kits?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

MaggieJ · Dec 4, 2011

Depends on the doe. If she is friendly and fairly calm (she looks it!) then I would bring her in. It's what I do when I have a problem with a doe and kits... which has only been a couple of times. It's messy and noisy (thump, thump, thump in the night) but easier on me than taking care of them down in the rabbitry. The other benefit is that you may be able to return the kits to her full time at some point.. It may help if they are there and she can feed them on her own schedule.

Devon's Mom Lauren · Dec 6, 2011

A glass aquarium can be deadly for rabbits as it doesn't allow ammonia gases out. Ammonia is heavier than the air so won't naturally exchange out the top. I always cringe when seeing this type of setup in a pet store.. you can keep the levels down by constantly cleaning but rabbits can be affected by even small amounts. Rabbits also don't get large teats like other animals so it may seem she doesn't have milk. In rabbits its more quality not quantity! I would make sure she has a high quality diet with a lot of water available. I would also make sure the doe doesn't have mastitis as that can affect how much milk is available as well. Changing her environment can stress her hard to say what would happen. How cold is cold? Here if we have to keep kits in the house we feel its better to leave the doe and take the kits in the box to her, it keeps the doe acclimatized to her surroundings and gradually introduces the kits to the same temps. later on. Otherwise you will have to leave mother and babies inside untill it is the same temps. outside as inside the house.

Bramble Hedge · Dec 6, 2011

Hmm tricky one, I have used a glass fish tank for similar reasons with a young first time doe who was hopeless at keeping newborn kits covered in cold weather, as I was tending them several times a day (the tank was set up in our lounge room) any ammonia was probably displaced by my movements in side the tank. A the end of the day I wasn't successful, as the doe never got the hang of raising kits even after 3 - 4 litters and I just got rid of her. So I guess my suggestion is - unless these are exceptional kits your trying to raise sometimes nature has a way of weeding out for reasons that are not always apparent to us humans.

MamaSheepdog · Dec 6, 2011

Thanks, Maggie. The kits have been left with the doe the whole time- I figured she'd nurse them on her own as well. She is a good, calm doe and easy to handle.

Thanks for the insights, Lauren. Maybe I should move her back outside, or I have a rabbit cage that I could transfer her to. (You can read about that in Hopping Mad!) She seems content in here, but the ammonia issue concerns me. It is getting into the 20's at night, but daytime temp's are nice- it's about 37 now, at 8:50. Certainly not too cold if they stayed in their warm nest, but my concern was mostly the evening feeding, when removing them from the warmth and placing them on Mom's belly to nurse. We also get damp windy days, and you know how cold that combo makes it feel!

I have been trying to stimulate good milk supply in her through feeding. I have been giving her home-made bread twice daily- one chunk soaked in Guinness, and one soaked in organic whole cow's milk. (Doctors used to recommend a glass of dark ale daily to nursing women to stimulate good lactation.) Plus borage leaves, dried Blessed thistle, filaree, and beet greens from the garden. Alfalfa hay and good pellets as well of course.

I checked the feed shed for Calf-Manna, and wouldn't you know it, we're out! The bag says it's good for rabbits, but I read somewhere not to feed it to meat rabbits. Anyone heard of that? I don't mind making a special trip to get some if you think it would help.

I do have AllStock, wheat bran, and beet pulp... and in the bulk people food we have whole wheat, barley, and rolled oats.

I can't understand the problem this go-round- it may be that I saw the sticky on fed vs. unfed kits, and had never checked them before. This is her fourth litter (her 1st maiden litter were all dead on the wire). Her first successful litter started as 10, raised 6. Second litter 9 kits, 7 lived. This time 8 (one 'baby bunny jerky'- flat, dry, dead kit in nest) 7 live young. I'm down to 5 now. I lost 2 brokens, and have one broken and four selfs left. I always put the losses down to large litter size, but am now wondering if she's just not a heavy producer in the milk department. This is how they look this morning, without a "forced" nursing:

I did supplement the remaining kits with some KMR and molasses last night, and all are still with us this morning. If I continue to supplement, I'm either going to see if I can milk one of my goats or get some milk from a neighbor that has a bunch. Since it's supposed to be 'condensed' I was thinking of keeping it on low heat until reduced by about half, but I don't want to damage the nutrients- has anyone tried this? An alternative plan is to mix KMR with raw goat's milk.

The brokens are always first to go, it seems. Anyone know if they are just less hardy? They are my favorites, and I seem to lose them most from every litter. It's a real disappointment.

She is one of my original two does, and I tried to get them synchronized with breeding, but it just hasn't worked out so far. I have some up and coming does that are about to be bred, and now that I know the changes in the vulva to look for I think I'll be more successful at timing multiple breedings. Hope springs eternal!

Bramble, I agree about letting nature take its course also, but I like to give them every chance within reason. I've been popple-deprived for a while, and combine that with what I've learned from others on RT, and it may explain my extra efforts with this litter. As for them being exceptional, well I don't know- I certainly can't tell at this age. But they are a first litter from one of my young bucks, and I am eager to see the outcome.