Rabbits are territorial

It was half past ten in the Night, just an hour into sleep when I found myself in an unknown gloomy scene then followed the noise of struggle as if two people were having a fierce fight. Flying objects, heavy thuds of feet, punches and the i beat you or i die resolve all could be felt from that noise.

As my focus shifted to where the noise was coming from, a loud high pitch cry like that of a baby who's been pinched by her nanny echoed from the other room where the rabbits lived. I sprang up from the bed as the cry re-echoed and scampered towards the cry.

By now I had realized it was the rabbits. Were they fighting or being attacked? That I did not know. I just kept running until I collided with a concrete wall, my head getting the rougher and harder part of the wall. The pain coupled with the dizziness of sleep made my whole body spin for a few seconds.

Rabbit breeding records

 

Rabbit breeding records

The does were mated in August and kindled in September 8 kits each, totaling 16.

The does will suckle the kits September and October. And another mating will happen in November.

 

Rabbit mating record

 

The date each doe is mated or will be mated is recorded on this table along with other data like the does number, the bucks number, date doe kindled and the size of the litter.

 

Keeping records even for the smallest unit of rabbits is very important. It helps me to keep track of mating, doe performance and future events that are yet occur but which have been scheduled in well kept records.

Rabbit babies

Extract from Rajis book 'Milking babies from rabbits'

With Rajis permission I am going to list some does and don'ts of rabbit babies, breeding/nursing does, nest box and weaning.

Rabbit babies DO's

1. Put in a nest box on the 28th day of pregnancy
2. Make sure the nursing doe has plenty of fresh water to drink
3. Fill the nest box with dry grass
4. Check the nest box 24hrs after she kindles and remove dead rabbit babies if any
5. Check the rabbit babies daily to be sure they are being fed and to be sure the doe does not need help feeding the kits.
6. Clean and disinfect the cage two weeks after birth, just before the babies start coming out of the nest box.
7. Feed the young babies dry grass/feed and fresh water once they start eating hard food until they are 4 months then you can introduce fresh green and vegetables.
8. Separate the rabbit babies from the doe at 3 months in Extensive breeding or at 4 weeks in intensive breeding.
9. Separate males from females at 3 months old
10. Fatten the males for slaughter from 3  to 5months (2 months)

Rabbit babies DON'Ts

1. Don't touch the babies immediately after they are born.
2. Don't put the nest box in too soon.
3. Don't use hard objects as nesting material.
4. The nest box should not be move from it original position.
5. Kids should not be allowed to handle the litter/litter box without supervision.
6. Too much or loud noise around the does hutch should be avoided
7. No stranger should be allowed close to the maternity  hutch without supervision.
8. Do not leave the buck together with the doe before, during and after kindling.
9. Scattered baby rabbits should not be left on the hutch floor. Pick them up, warm them up, place them in the nest box and put the nest box back to where the doe is.
10. Male and female rabbit babies from the same doe should not be allowed to stay longer than four months together.

10 Baby rabbit facts

 

With a gestation period of four weeks the baby rabbits are born blind, deaf and hairless on the 30th or 31st day from mating.

 

These ten baby rabbits facts are worth remembering for every rabbit breeder.

1. Baby rabbits open their eyes from the tenth day
2. Baby rabbits depend solely on the mothers milk until they are two weeks old
3. By two weeks, new born rabbits are fully covered with fur, have functional eyes and ears
4. Baby rabbits start eating solid food from two to three weeks fro birth and will begin to come out and run around at this age
5. Baby rabbits born same day by same doe are called litter (collective name)
6. Baby rabbits begin to wean from the mothers milk at three weeks
7. The early morning cecal droppings from the nursing doe which the baby rabbits eat helps in introducing the necessary micro flora that aids digestion of solid food in them
8. Between the ages of one month and three months, baby rabbits can be sexed
9. Baby rabbits have fragile digestive system and should be fed mostly dry fibrous feed until they are four months to introduce fresh greens and vegetables
10. The mortality rate in baby rabbits is higher between two to four months when they wean from the mothers milk

 

There are tons of baby rabbit facts on the net. You might have some and want to share it with the world... drop it in the comment box below someone might find it useful.

Nursing doe

Walking towards Raj a smile betrayed my happiness. Triggered by 8:45am event earlier in the morning my face beamed with smiles, anticipating what will be learned about the nursing doe, her litter, the probability of survival, weaning, fattening and all the other events that will likely take place in the coming weeks.

 

Me: Hi Raj, hi everyone

Raj: That doe has lightened up your day Alfred, you were smiling all the way down here

Me: I can't help it Raj, can't help but let the emotions flow

Raj: If you're so happy then you should buy me a drink

Me: I sure will, lets do that at lunch time.

 

Lunch time came and I got Raj his favorite drink ... Red Bull

 

My ears were itching seriously already. The next moment Raj handed me a note. He had been preparing this through the day. The note was packed with lots of information about nursing does, caring for the litter, weaning, fattening and the possibility of selecting newer breeding stock from this does litter.

 

He told me it's a good sign the doe kindled up to 8 kits all alive as her first litter. It shows the doe is an excellent breed and will perform better if I continue to take care of the does and the buck properly.

 

And that the note he gave me was carved out from his unfinished book which is about producing 3000 rabbits in a year from just a buck and a  doe rabbit.

 

I will post the snippets from that note in the coming days.

 

Stay in touch for regular updates here

 

Rabbit kits

8:45am 05/09/17 languidly I unlocked the door and walk in. As I dragged my feet towards the hutches with sleepy eyes, there were lose fur on the floor and in the nest box of one of the cages and blood stain too. I realized the first doe had kindled (given birth to) her first kits. It was truly a mixed feeling at that moment.

Phone dialing moments later...

I: Hello Raj... one of my rabbit has kindled, I guess it was during the night. There is blood stain in the hutch... will the rabbit  be okay?

 

Raj: That's good news. Have you counted the kits?

 

I: No. I don't know what to do next...

 

Raj: Don't touch the kits yet if you have a strong scent on you - the rabbit will perceive the scent and may abandon the kits. Also pick the rabbit up gently and check her downside to see if she is still bleeding.

 

I: Okay... I don't have any smell on me... and there is no blood on the doe

Raj: Check if all the kits are in the nest box

 

I: There are no kits outside the nest box, the are all in the nest box. The mother pulled fur to cover them.

 

Raj: That's good. You can count the kits. But if you are not sure, you can place a drop of deodorant on the rabbits nose before touching the kits.

 

I: Okay...

 

Raj: Be sure the nursing rabbit has enough pellets, hay and water... That will be all for now. We'll talk later. Don't be late for work.

 

I: Thank you Raj. See you later.

 

I hurriedly went back to my room and brought a roll on deodorant and rolled it a few times back and forth on the rabbits nose before gently pulling the nest box out of the hutch. The kits had burrowed to the bottom when I removed the fur that the rabbit coverd them with.

 

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. There are 8 baby rabbits in the nest box, no death and the kits looked plump and were hairles and blind.

 

I returned the fur I removed over them and returned the nest box back to its original position in the does hutch.

 

Tic-tac the clock tiking. Few munites left. I filled the feeding bowls with their morning ration, except that the the rabbit with kits will be having more today onwards to help her produce more milk and get back to shape ealier.

Palpation - The rabbit scan

In the previous post  I mentioned mating the does on  04/08/17. Today being the third week, I had to palpate the two does early in the morning before leaving home.

The palpation process:

This requires some practice - two or more tries before you can master it. When I was feeling the does abdomen, I wasn't doing it to grab the kits or to count how many there were... that could have endangered the developing kits as well as the does life. I was mindful of the of the amount of pressure I applied and how long.

 

When palpating, the focal point should be the upper side of the abdomen. The pressure applied should be very low most of the time. Move your hand gently up and down from the upper to the lower abdomen while your thump and middle finger are used to prob the abdomen with gentle pressure.

 

Of course, you can feel a lot in the belly. Amongst others, right behind the left ribs you can feel the liver; all the way up in the abdomen on both sides and just under the spine, halfway back you will feel the kidneys. You may also feel the small fecal pellets and the guts. If she is pregnant after two weeks, you will start to feel hard things like marbles, also in the upper side of the abdomen. These become progressively larger until you might even be able to feel the form of an embryo.

It is also possible to check for pregnancy by putting the doe with the buck again 12 days after mating. If she refuses, the first mating has almost certainly worked out well. If she is willing again, the buck can repeat his work. This method has the very small risk that an already pregnant doe gets mated again with the possibility of starting another pregnancy halfway through the first. This super-pregnancy occurs occasionally.

At the end of the end of the palpation the first doe gave a positive sign while the second doe did not.

 

Bingo!... the first doe is already heavy. I could feel the embryos.

 

Meanwhile, I have rescheduled the second doe for mating...