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| chilled kits - how long until you give up? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 1 2013, 08:48 AM (2,310 Views) | |
| sidd-says-gimme | Nov 6 2013, 09:20 AM Post #16 |
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sidd says stay gold
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Bad experiences at first forced me to breed toward easier-to-breed, easier-to-kindle mothers. My thoughts were that if I was going to breed animals, it's my responsibility to first do the best I can to make it easy on them. I have heard quite a bit of bad things about Hollands... DOA litters (to the point where a lot of people totally disregard the first litter... sometimes second, too), bad moms (have had them, thankfully not lately), lots of peanuts, ect. I liked them enough to work on those problems rather than go for a different breed. They are difficult to breed... with the smaller litters and peanuts, it can be hard to get lucky enough to get good kits in your litters. They are so cute and sweet though... I'm head over heels for them and I think they know it.
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| NeuBunny | Nov 6 2013, 11:54 AM Post #17 |
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Genetics Geek!
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sounds like you are having issues with older kits getting out of the nestbox -- I only ever had one litter that jumped out before their eyes were open. I didn't lose any of those and only had one that needed some warming. Solved that by tipping the box sideways so they could crawl back in the nest (which they did). My much more common chilled kits are newborns where the mom decides to have them 'on the wire' instead of in the box, doesn't pull fur (or not enough), or eats most of the hay/straw bedding before kindling, singletons, kits on top of the bedding or separated from the group within the nest. |
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| ZRabbits | Nov 9 2013, 09:14 AM Post #18 |
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Love My Lions!
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![]() My husband lovingly assembled this for his girl Luna. And yes, she is his girl. As she is more attached to him than me. My husband was the only one that she would relax when being held when she was pregnant. Luna looked to my husband for her needs. Still does in a way. They have a very special bond. My husband was fortunate enough to feel the babies inside. How disappointed he was when Luna decided it just wasn't quite right for her litter. My husband understand now that the sides have to be higher and a roof that partially encloses. Live and learn. It was used for a litter box though. With the litter box though that Luna used, it did give the kits an opportunity too early to get around. Funny to watch the two week old kits clamor back in. Had to help the little ones and Ginnie who was the last to open her eyes. Good tip Neubunny regarding putting the nest box on it's side once the kits get really active. Do want to put out there that to watch plastic bottom crates and litter boxes with growing kits. Splayed legs in forming kits can happen. I made sure to put lots of hay all over so that the footing was more secure. I worried about their growing, forming bones as boy rabbits do grow and develop fast. I also learned that my kits think plastic litter boxes are actually nest boxes. So having the correct nest box design is important. Because now with Molly she uses her litter box as a nest box. She has a place where she lays in her litter box that you can actually see the plastic. A nice clean circle. I guess being the biggest kit, she was the one laying on the plastic, which now she likes that cool feeling. Ginnie digs in her litter box as a nest box. One side is where she will urinate and poo, but the other side is cleaned so she can rest. Fleur is basically the only one that uses her litter box for a litter box. Just observation and also the result of certain decisions we made. Definitely will be big changes before the next litter. Proper nest boxes and will go wired floored crates. Baby saver wire as well. The plastic bottom crates are good for my Z-Tribe to have their own space, but I truly believe not good for a breeding doe and developing kits. |
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| redbunny | Nov 12 2013, 02:58 PM Post #19 |
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Hey, look at you! You chatterbox you. Now you can request a new title! PM the Admin to do so
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This is what we need to see more of....sharing ideas and good practice. Thanks Z. |
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| ZRabbits | Nov 12 2013, 07:14 PM Post #20 |
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Love My Lions!
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lol sharing what not to do. Breeders have had good practices of years. I have read tons of excellent practices and advise. Hopefully my experience with the wrong type of nest box and also plastic bottom crates, can help someone starting. Definitely go with wire, or a solid bottom that is not plastic. Regarding chilled kits, I think a good practice has already been discussed here. And everyone I think agrees, the breeder is the one that should make the decision on when to give up on a kit. I think a good practice to keep kits from being chilled is try everything you can to not let them chilled. One thing that's important, IMHO, is to have adequate nest boxes. Which hopefully the doe will use. With an adequate nest box, hopefully it will keep the hangers-on in. An exceptionally hungry kit will hang on. Ginnie did that once. The kits were about a week old. Watched Luna come out of the next box and then turn around and start staring at the floor of her crate. And there was Ginnie. The breeder can't be there 24 hours a day. All I think a breeder can do is have a good practice of checking kits. But know, no matter how good your practices are, things do happen. KAZ |
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