We have babies right now that where fine a couple days ago and they are sick now they have almost a meatloaf stance runny poops and very lethargic any recommendations
Hi. Very educative and informative video. I am doing rabbit farming for the last 4 years but, still I am learning new things from your videos. Best regards.
I like the content on your video. Some of the information I can use with my rabbits. I do not agree about not feeding greens. I have been using a small application of light greens throughout the pregnancy and nursing stages to help give a vitamin boost for mom. It also helps to tame the babies because they pick up on moms excitement. I feed cilantro, parsley, spinach, grass, (very small amount)kale, and lemon balm.
It's fun to watch them enjoy greens. And unfortunately in most cases they're getting fed too much but it sounds like you're feeding the right amount. I've ran into trouble using greens with rabbits under 12 weeks. So I concentrate on clean fresh water above all and supplementing with a higher fat content for terrific lactation. This makes for good immune systems and zero losses. This works really well for us. That said, I think it's terrific you feed your rabbits the way we do. We all do things a little different it's important we adopt a system that works well for us not for someone else. Here's another video regarding feeding more than pellet. Thanks for watching! ua-cam.com/video/dTWFHLbh6hs/v-deo.html
I also provide greens to mine.. but limited.. I look at it as treats not necessarily a part of their diet. I generally give a single leaf of Kale, single sprig of Cilantro, handful of grass with clover, one leaf of turnip, mustard or collard greens, carrot top. Etc. I’m primarily using it to get them used to coming up to me. Also if mothers are fed greens throughout their pregnancy, the kits tend not to have issues with greens. Again, I’m not putting handfuls of greens in there.. it is literally a treat. I do agree that we need to keep in mind that the pellets are nutrient dense and all inclusive diet.
Bobby thanks always for the great info. My momma had 12 kits and it seems that 4 of them aren't being fed, and therefore getting too weak to compete for food, will momma reject them totally if I begin to had feed them? Or can I expect if I get their strength up that she will accept them? Concern is they will get suffocated by bigger siblings
You can remove mama and place the kits on a nipple to get them fed. Get their strength back and they can take it from there. You can try feeding goat milk but Mamas milk is so much better that a supplement feeding.
@@TheRabbitryCenter haven't quite tried that yet, as my momma is quite an awnry one. Should I keep the weak ones separate from the rest of the litter (indoors) until they are showing more strength and then return them to the litter, or do you suppose momma wouldn't respond well to that.
You can bag up extra fur to use for such an occasion. If you don't have any simply comb your rabbit and bag also a mama rabbit will allow you to gently pull fur from her too.
You mentioned to keep barking dogs away... Does this include those that they are accustomed to hearing and smelling? We have three LGDs and a terrier, and the minibarn where our rabbits are is in the center of their patrol area.
rabbits are pretty nervous by nature but if you’re not seeing any negative results and they’ve been able to calibrate to the situation, then I wouldn’t worry.
So I went from not being able to breed any rabbits to having 5 pregnant rabbits. 3 of which are first time moms and all over a year old. I’ve only had 2 litters this time around with rabbits, my last litter was may of 2022. So I’m so excited but also nervous. I really hope I don’t lose too many. Anyways wish me luck! Any tips you could give me would be nice!
I am a lot harsher when it comes to mama skills/instinct, because for me and what i hear it is an inherited trait i want to breed for. Problems in that area means cull, good mothering skills go above numbers per litter even ( 3-8 although i prefer 5, and max 8 given number of teats so all can nurse at once and there are enough kits to keep eachother warm). I don't want to worry about kits being cared for properly. Mistakes that are not my fault (and yes i made those) get no second chance and i don't keep kits from such litters. Carefree litters for me also mean better welfare for the rabbits themselves, since they are selected to be capable of what i want them to do. Meaning less stress for all involved and healthy animals (and those are cheapest to keep). Now i don't breed untill animals are old enough, although for mine that is 6-7 months due to breeding dwarf/small size rather than standard size (minimum there would be 8-9 months). Part of that is what i consider acceptable cage sizes + available space and how much i need for a single household. On top of that, with electric becoming less certain even here due to new energy sources and so on, small is easier to keep on the hoof rather than frozen. A 10 week 2 to 2.2 pound live weight rabbit gives me 3-5 meals. And that i can hotpack into a jar that will pull vacume cooling down, keeps about a week for certain somewhere cool. Yes, safest then is eating the same for those following days (add some fresh veg/greens every day for variety if wanted), but i don't mind. Means food is ready and i can plan in some work days without worrying about what to eat. (Some succesfull people do similar things btw, standard wardrobe and diet to keep the decisionquotum for more important things).
One of my 2 week baby bunnies stopped drinking moms milk. She has low energy, sleeps all the time, stays away from the others and I’m worried she’s going to die. I have been hand feeding her goats milk and she drinks it all up just fine, why won’t she drink from the mom and latch on? What can I do? I really don’t want to lose her. What happened?
I’m sorry to hear you’re having trouble whenever you’re raising livestock there’s a very good chance you’ll experience some losses. You can take your mama rabbit, hold her in your arms and place the kit on one of her teeth and let her feed until she’s full best of luck.
@@TheRabbitryCenter thanks, I tried doing that and had no luck. Sadly she passed away this morning. Maybe she was one of the kits that didn’t get born strong. It would be nice to know what happened for next time. I tried everything I could.
Hi Bobby! 5 days ago we had a litter of 9. She’s a 2nd time mom. 1 baby is much smaller than the rest and his belly isn’t round, he is more wrinkly. Do you suggest holding mom so baby can nurse ? If so how would you suggest doing that? Thanks so much!
While holding your rabbit calm her down-this may take a minute-keep your kit close(within reaching distance) While holding her lean her back a bit and place the kit right on the nipple -repeat 12 hours later
I had one kindle Sunday, she kindle 2 on the cage, I had one do her nesting box today and she had 4 but two died. It's the first time for them both. My question is with the summer heat coming up here in the Northeast should I wait until maybe late August when the summer heat dies down to rebreed again.
Lots of folks don't breed or kindle during the hot months. It's up to you. If you don't keep them on a strict diet they may get too fat when taking the summer off. You have the right idea to take their comfort into consideration. If you're willing to cart frozen bottles out and hang fans -feed at dusk n dawn( coolest times of the day) it's possible to breed right through the heat. But I can't speak for super hot climates we live in Michigan and our summers are in the 90s so we use Kindling Totes so our mama rabbits have a place to escape the elements when they're pregnant. It's like hanging out in a cool basement until the heat breaks. Here's a video to show you more. ua-cam.com/video/XsugHQxiGRA/v-deo.html
I'm looking forward to the class as well! One thing I don't think I have seen you address is what type of hay do you feed your rabbits and where do you get it? I will be in the market for hay this year as I am starting a rabbitry but my current option is just a feed store. I will be watching for hay sellers on Craigslist in my area though.
That's the right idea. Find a hay farmer. The price should be nearly half of what your paying in the stores. Yes check Craig'slist. most Hay farmers will post a sign hay for sale. Ask friends and family to keep an eye out for you and post on Facebook or any social media platform that your looking and you'll get a pretty quick response. Any hay will do as long as it's dry and clean and not moldy. Best of luck
Have you have had problems with ear infections in your rabbits? If so what did you do to help? I have a buck that is having some balance problems I could only guess it's from a ear infection. Any ideas would be appreciated
You can also use safeguard . If used in small amount it is safe for buns but I have pedegreed giant flemish and pedegreed giant continental rabbits. ***please confirm with a vet or get an experienced breeder who as used this method and that smaller scale buns can be given any of these products prior to using it. as it can harm/kill the buns if not given in the proper dose . I'm also live I'm Canada for refrence
One time we had a rabbit with an ear infection it was a new rabbit we treated with cat ear mite medicine but you can use olive oil, you just need to drowned the mites with a couple drops or you can use a broad-spectrum insecticide like ivermectin.
Good morning, evening or night, one week after my doe made 5 kits they died, her nesting box had alot of fur, should I have removed some, or can you tell me what could of coursed them to die , thanks
Mama will remove the fur if needed Was there insulation on the bottom of the nest? Id rebreed immediately and feed a punch of oats or boss every other day after kindling also double their feed portions once the litter arrives.
Bobby, I’m interested in the course but I have a more pressing question. I recently had a doe kindle 11 but she ate 7 of them (leaving only the heads) and the other 4 were dead outside the box when I found them during my evening watering. She must have kindled in the morning when I was out working on a new hutch for them. Could it be I just stressed her out too much with all the noise of saws and drills? It was her second litter. She did fine with the first one.
Yes, stress/fear will cause that. I used to breed rats, and if mom was not in what she felt was an ideal and safe situation for whatever reason, she would cull her litter immediately after birth. I think it's a mercy thing: mom feels like she may need to flee, but rather than leave the babies behind to suffer, she ends their lives first. Yes, sometimes that means also eating them, especially if mom is undernourished, plus in the wild she would need all the energy she can get to run away to somewhere safe and start anew.
Had an unexpected mom (misgendered male cagemate) who had 3 kits we didn't know about until after they died. We now are on preggo watch for the three females and I'm terrified that they're going to die.
I couldn't tell you I've never tried but I'd give it a whirl and post the results. You can always comb your rabbit to get more fur it's pretty easy to quickly accumulate a big bag of fur to cover your kits by simply combing a few of your rabbits.
Great information. I have a question and it may sound stupid but if a new momma doesn't take care or forgets to nurse her babies can you give one or two to other nursing mommas to try to nurse or will those mommas kill them because it is not their babies?
Good question. Yes you absolutely can foster kits to a doe that weaned her kits and she'll start lactating again for the new litter. In most cases it's fairly easy to foster kits. The only bad thing is that your mama rabbit may not learn as fast when the kits are removed from her. So you give up for what you get.
Are you close to Texas? I am in Northwest Texas and I am looking for bunnies, to start my own little rabbitry like yours. I love the way you have everything set up! I need some bunnies, do you ship?
Okay so i had two babies died after 3 days old.. i really think its because the mom wasnt feeding shesvery stubborn .. next litter when should we intervene ?? like how do i tell that the babies are not being fed... im so lost
First time subscriber here! Love your videos, very educational and helpful. Our doe had her first litter few days ago and she stopped feeding her baby. 4 of them we found dead on day 1, we have one surviving kit left. Do you have any suggestions on how to get her to feed it?
5 months may be too young, too hot can be problem (over 85F/30C? can give a case of heat sterile that takes a month to flush out), or to fat/thin, wrong diet (vitamins/minerals/protein is also needed for healthy semen). So weigh and bodyscore (feel) your buck, sit down with the ingredient list of your feed (+ weigh how much your really fed) and the weather of the past month or so and check for possible problems. If you find no causes try again at adult age (8-9 months for standard size breed) for the breed with a proven doe.
Hi. What to do when 2 week old baby rabbits dying from diarrhea from eating hay. They are with mom and jumped out of nest box ate hay and 2 days later died
I’m sorry to hear that, mamas milk, 16% protein pellet clean dry hay and fresh water is all they need. young rabbits are vulnerable to mama getting spooked and stomping them. As long as your hay is clean it should benefit your baby rabbits digestion not cause any problems. Feeding an abundance of greens to young rabbits can cause digestive issues like diarrhea
I m amazed at how fast this all happened. I’m also amazed how these tiny babies jumped in and out of their nest boxes and started chasing their mom all around their 4x2 feet cage. And then died.
Did you get a chance to watch the video? I'd disinfect the cage, bowl and water bottle. Id try to feed a higher quality feed with fresh clean water and raise your rabbits in a quiet comfortable area. I hope things turn around for your rabbit.
Do you have hard water? You can try filtered water or distilled or get a Brita. Check that the food isn't stale or moldy. Clean and disinfect everything and do physical check of your doe to make sure it's not a medical issue
@@TheRabbitryCenter mums have an whole hutch on the ground with a nesting room. So if the new mum rather stay in sunny part of hutch not sure what to do with kits, we lock her in nesting section. Mums stay with babies for 8 weeks
Over the years we have had some issues very minimal though but when raising livestock, you most likely won’t be able to raise 100% of your animals injury free without any losses. Try not to beat yourself up and just be prepared for this it’s just part of raising animals at some point you may need to cull some that are not 100%. I’m sorry to hear you had that happen and best of luck in the future.
When raising Rabbits something’s are out of your control and it’s best to be prepared for losses here’s a video that shares more information ua-cam.com/video/CJEBWKSvS_8/v-deo.html
I usually really like your videos but I must admit I'm a little disappointed. You didn't mention weaning diarrhea, babies getting proper gut Flora, avoiding antibiotics in the mother, coccidiosis, stress induced GS or the myriad of other reasons they die. I've been raising rabbits for over 2 decades and I NEVER fed anything but a very high quality pellet until about 4 years ago when I started formulating my own feeds, and I still had issues with losing litters later on that had nothing to do with feeding greens or an improper diet. I mean nothing you said was wrong but I really felt like most people know you shouldn't feed greens to brand new babies unless mom's are used to eating it in relative amounts and babies have the right gut bacteria which they get from the mom (recent experiment I've been conducting where babies are eating greens at 3 weeks and I e had no losses in 12 litters.) I guess I was just expecting a more in depth analysis of other reasons. I guess that's more my own fault than yours though
Feeding greens to young rabbits is by far the most common mistake we see. We get this call more than any other phone call. I think it's just folks spoiling their rabbits and it's fun for them to watch their rabbits enjoy greens but folks are unaware of the damage they're doing to their young rabbits digestion. It's challenging to cover everything in a short video. Those issues you mentioned are valid and We've discussed them in several other videos. But this video was geared toward beginners and I wanted to address the most common issues that can easily be avoided. I'll be sure to mention those topics in a future video as well thank you for sharing and watching.
@@TheRabbitryCenter I can certainly understand how challenging it is to try and fit all of those into a video, that's why I'm more of a blogger and writer than a vlogger. I guess I underestimated how many people aren't aware of not feeding greens lol. Honestly I sell mostly angoras and I don't sell them as pets or to first time rabbit owners due to their much higher upkeep requirements so that's probably why I don't get asked that a lot, the biggest issues I get asked about are gastric stasis/wool block and stress issues, so I admit it's likely a larger problem than I personally see due to my target customers. Thank you for the response, and I apologize if it was unkind, I didn't mean it to be I had just been hoping for insight on other causes more relevant to myself. I've been doing it a while but there is always something new you can learn about rabbits! I look forward to your future videos, hope you have a wonderful day
@@hilljack6765 lol I'd love to know where he lives that he's getting anything above 14 percent for 13 for 50 lbs! Around here 14 percent sells for 16-17 for 50 pounds. 18 percent is 23.99, that's what I feed, but I can only get so much. The co op has a limit on how much you can buy since they are the only supplier in central VA, so you're limited to 400 pounds per 30 days. I have 85+ rabbits so I go through that in less than a month, which is why I started formulating my own feeds, growing white mulberry, moringa, Siberian pea shrub, azolla, bird's-foot trefoil, and lots of others. They make up 30 percent of my fiber rabbits diet and 90 percent of my champagnes diet. The grow outs do great, takes a little longer but they make weight right as coats are prime and they have higher omega 3 to omega 6 ratios than I got when I was I was feeding commercial feed.
@amandaparker I’m very interested in your wean and feed process, I live in south Florida and alfalfa isn’t really readily grown here, but I want to be able to provide feed for my rabbits without dependence on the feed store. I’m growing similar plants to what you mentioned along with some tropical feeds.
Excellent information. Love your channel, professional.
Hi..... Thank you for showing your video rabbit 🐰 🏡🎥👍👍👍
Thanks for watching!
We have babies right now that where fine a couple days ago and they are sick now they have almost a meatloaf stance runny poops and very lethargic any recommendations
Very good information. You and I do things a little differently. But we try to take care of our rabbits as best we can. Thank you.
That's all we can do. Thanks for commenting! Best of luck with your Rabbitry!
Hi. Very educative and informative video. I am doing rabbit farming for the last 4 years but, still I am learning new things from your videos.
Best regards.
I'm so glad you like the channel. Thanks for commenting!
Great information, can't wait for the class. Thank you for the recipe also. 😁👍💞
You're very welcome! Thanks for watching!
I like the content on your video. Some of the information I can use with my rabbits. I do not agree about not feeding greens. I have been using a small application of light greens throughout the pregnancy and nursing stages to help give a vitamin boost for mom. It also helps to tame the babies because they pick up on moms excitement. I feed cilantro, parsley, spinach, grass, (very small amount)kale, and lemon balm.
It's fun to watch them enjoy greens. And unfortunately in most cases they're getting fed too much but it sounds like you're feeding the right amount. I've ran into trouble using greens with rabbits under 12 weeks. So I concentrate on clean fresh water above all and supplementing with a higher fat content for terrific lactation. This makes for good immune systems and zero losses. This works really well for us. That said, I think it's terrific you feed your rabbits the way we do. We all do things a little different it's important we adopt a system that works well for us not for someone else. Here's another video regarding feeding more than pellet. Thanks for watching!
ua-cam.com/video/dTWFHLbh6hs/v-deo.html
Parsley will stop milk production though....😳😳
I also provide greens to mine.. but limited.. I look at it as treats not necessarily a part of their diet. I generally give a single leaf of Kale, single sprig of Cilantro, handful of grass with clover, one leaf of turnip, mustard or collard greens, carrot top. Etc. I’m primarily using it to get them used to coming up to me. Also if mothers are fed greens throughout their pregnancy, the kits tend not to have issues with greens. Again, I’m not putting handfuls of greens in there.. it is literally a treat. I do agree that we need to keep in mind that the pellets are nutrient dense and all inclusive diet.
@@TheReverses78 I have ready the exact opposite, parsley will boost milk production, but mint will dry them up
Thank you very much. Am really learning from you 🙏
I'm so glad you find the videos helpful!
Bobby thanks always for the great info. My momma had 12 kits and it seems that 4 of them aren't being fed, and therefore getting too weak to compete for food, will momma reject them totally if I begin to had feed them? Or can I expect if I get their strength up that she will accept them? Concern is they will get suffocated by bigger siblings
You can remove mama and place the kits on a nipple to get them fed. Get their strength back and they can take it from there. You can try feeding goat milk but Mamas milk is so much better that a supplement feeding.
@@TheRabbitryCenter haven't quite tried that yet, as my momma is quite an awnry one. Should I keep the weak ones separate from the rest of the litter (indoors) until they are showing more strength and then return them to the litter, or do you suppose momma wouldn't respond well to that.
You should try breeding two does at the same time so that one can become a surrogate, esp if you know one doe has large litters
Whats is your opinion on using another rabbits fur for the nesting box of the mom is not pulling enough.
You can bag up extra fur to use for such an occasion. If you don't have any simply comb your rabbit and bag also a mama rabbit will allow you to gently pull fur from her too.
You mentioned to keep barking dogs away... Does this include those that they are accustomed to hearing and smelling? We have three LGDs and a terrier, and the minibarn where our rabbits are is in the center of their patrol area.
rabbits are pretty nervous by nature but if you’re not seeing any negative results and they’ve been able to calibrate to the situation, then I wouldn’t worry.
Great information thanks for the video bud
You're very welcome!
So I went from not being able to breed any rabbits to having 5 pregnant rabbits. 3 of which are first time moms and all over a year old. I’ve only had 2 litters this time around with rabbits, my last litter was may of 2022. So I’m so excited but also nervous. I really hope I don’t lose too many. Anyways wish me luck! Any tips you could give me would be nice!
Best of luck with your litters and Rabbitry!
@@TheRabbitryCenter thank you! Just had a surprise litter. 2 out of 3 are doing good!
I am a lot harsher when it comes to mama skills/instinct, because for me and what i hear it is an inherited trait i want to breed for. Problems in that area means cull, good mothering skills go above numbers per litter even ( 3-8 although i prefer 5, and max 8 given number of teats so all can nurse at once and there are enough kits to keep eachother warm). I don't want to worry about kits being cared for properly. Mistakes that are not my fault (and yes i made those) get no second chance and i don't keep kits from such litters. Carefree litters for me also mean better welfare for the rabbits themselves, since they are selected to be capable of what i want them to do. Meaning less stress for all involved and healthy animals (and those are cheapest to keep). Now i don't breed untill animals are old enough, although for mine that is 6-7 months due to breeding dwarf/small size rather than standard size (minimum there would be 8-9 months).
Part of that is what i consider acceptable cage sizes + available space and how much i need for a single household. On top of that, with electric becoming less certain even here due to new energy sources and so on, small is easier to keep on the hoof rather than frozen. A 10 week 2 to 2.2 pound live weight rabbit gives me 3-5 meals. And that i can hotpack into a jar that will pull vacume cooling down, keeps about a week for certain somewhere cool. Yes, safest then is eating the same for those following days (add some fresh veg/greens every day for variety if wanted), but i don't mind. Means food is ready and i can plan in some work days without worrying about what to eat. (Some succesfull people do similar things btw, standard wardrobe and diet to keep the decisionquotum for more important things).
Thank you so much for taking the time to write your comment and share.
Mine get two shots.. in case there was a stress problem or especially first time moms.. twice though and she’s gone
One of my 2 week baby bunnies stopped drinking moms milk. She has low energy, sleeps all the time, stays away from the others and I’m worried she’s going to die. I have been hand feeding her goats milk and she drinks it all up just fine, why won’t she drink from the mom and latch on? What can I do? I really don’t want to lose her. What happened?
I’m sorry to hear you’re having trouble whenever you’re raising livestock there’s a very good chance you’ll experience some losses. You can take your mama rabbit, hold her in your arms and place the kit on one of her teeth and let her feed until she’s full best of luck.
@@TheRabbitryCenter thanks, I tried doing that and had no luck. Sadly she passed away this morning. Maybe she was one of the kits that didn’t get born strong. It would be nice to know what happened for next time. I tried everything I could.
Hi Bobby! 5 days ago we had a litter of 9. She’s a 2nd time mom. 1 baby is much smaller than the rest and his belly isn’t round, he is more wrinkly. Do you suggest holding mom so baby can nurse ? If so how would you suggest doing that?
Thanks so much!
While holding your rabbit calm her down-this may take a minute-keep your kit close(within reaching distance)
While holding her lean her back a bit and place the kit right on the nipple -repeat 12 hours later
I had one kindle Sunday, she kindle 2 on the cage, I had one do her nesting box today and she had 4 but two died. It's the first time for them both. My question is with the summer heat coming up here in the Northeast should I wait until maybe late August when the summer heat dies down to rebreed again.
Lots of folks don't breed or kindle during the hot months. It's up to you. If you don't keep them on a strict diet they may get too fat when taking the summer off.
You have the right idea to take their comfort into consideration. If you're willing to cart frozen bottles out and hang fans -feed at dusk n dawn( coolest times of the day) it's possible to breed right through the heat. But I can't speak for super hot climates we live in Michigan and our summers are in the 90s so we use Kindling Totes so our mama rabbits have a place to escape the elements when they're pregnant. It's like hanging out in a cool basement until the heat breaks. Here's a video to show you more.
ua-cam.com/video/XsugHQxiGRA/v-deo.html
Thanks
Always entertaining Bobbie
Thanks for watching!
Storm like crazy
I'm looking forward to the class as well! One thing I don't think I have seen you address is what type of hay do you feed your rabbits and where do you get it? I will be in the market for hay this year as I am starting a rabbitry but my current option is just a feed store. I will be watching for hay sellers on Craigslist in my area though.
That's the right idea. Find a hay farmer. The price should be nearly half of what your paying in the stores. Yes check Craig'slist. most Hay farmers will post a sign hay for sale. Ask friends and family to keep an eye out for you and post on Facebook or any social media platform that your looking and you'll get a pretty quick response. Any hay will do as long as it's dry and clean and not moldy. Best of luck
Have you have had problems with ear infections in your rabbits? If so what did you do to help? I have a buck that is having some balance problems I could only guess it's from a ear infection. Any ideas would be appreciated
We use ivormectin
You can also use safeguard .
If used in small amount it is safe for buns but I have pedegreed giant flemish and pedegreed giant continental rabbits.
***please confirm with a vet or get an experienced breeder who as used this method and that smaller scale buns can be given any of these products prior to using it.
as it can harm/kill the buns if not given in the proper dose .
I'm also live I'm Canada for refrence
One time we had a rabbit with an ear infection it was a new rabbit we treated with cat ear mite medicine but you can use olive oil, you just need to drowned the mites with a couple drops or you can use a broad-spectrum insecticide like
ivermectin.
I lost 21 litters in 3 months from the same mother. It's hard. I am going to give her another chance as you suggested.
Sometimes it's challenging to get new doe's started. Hopefully she begins to produce for your Rabbitry in the near future. Thanks for watching!
Hope you mean 21 kits..
Good morning, evening or night, one week after my doe made 5 kits they died, her nesting box had alot of fur, should I have removed some, or can you tell me what could of coursed them to die , thanks
Mama will remove the fur if needed
Was there insulation on the bottom of the nest? Id rebreed immediately and feed a punch of oats or boss every other day after kindling also double their feed portions once the litter arrives.
@@TheRabbitryCenter thanks so much
Bobby, I’m interested in the course but I have a more pressing question. I recently had a doe kindle 11 but she ate 7 of them (leaving only the heads) and the other 4 were dead outside the box when I found them during my evening watering. She must have kindled in the morning when I was out working on a new hutch for them. Could it be I just stressed her out too much with all the noise of saws and drills? It was her second litter. She did fine with the first one.
You are alone. I experienced the same...
Yes, stress/fear will cause that. I used to breed rats, and if mom was not in what she felt was an ideal and safe situation for whatever reason, she would cull her litter immediately after birth. I think it's a mercy thing: mom feels like she may need to flee, but rather than leave the babies behind to suffer, she ends their lives first. Yes, sometimes that means also eating them, especially if mom is undernourished, plus in the wild she would need all the energy she can get to run away to somewhere safe and start anew.
Had an unexpected mom (misgendered male cagemate) who had 3 kits we didn't know about until after they died. We now are on preggo watch for the three females and I'm terrified that they're going to die.
Every few days introduce some hay or straw to see if they bundle it up into a mustache and then you can introduce a nesting box. Best of luck!
Can I use alpacas hair for a nesting materials For if the momma does pull enough hair?
I couldn't tell you I've never tried but I'd give it a whirl and post the results. You can always comb your rabbit to get more fur it's pretty easy to quickly accumulate a big bag of fur to cover your kits by simply combing a few of your rabbits.
Had 2 first time mommas had litters last week both being great moms I think. One is 5 days old others 2 days.
That's terrific!
Great information. I have a question and it may sound stupid but if a new momma doesn't take care or forgets to nurse her babies can you give one or two to other nursing mommas to try to nurse or will those mommas kill them because it is not their babies?
Good question. Yes you absolutely can foster kits to a doe that weaned her kits and she'll start lactating again for the new litter. In most cases it's fairly easy to foster kits. The only bad thing is that your mama rabbit may not learn as fast when the kits are removed from her. So you give up for what you get.
Thanks
You’re welcome!
Are you close to Texas? I am in Northwest Texas and I am looking for bunnies, to start my own little rabbitry like yours. I love the way you have everything set up! I need some bunnies, do you ship?
We're up in Michigan
Sorry they're pick up only
This video will help you find them near you ua-cam.com/video/F3GyTnEmJb8/v-deo.html
@@TheRabbitryCenter THANK YOU
Okay so i had two babies died after 3 days old.. i really think its because the mom wasnt feeding shesvery stubborn .. next litter when should we intervene ?? like how do i tell that the babies are not being fed... im so lost
Im sorry to here that here’s a couple videos that may help
ua-cam.com/video/GN-0CCZ9VWs/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/CJEBWKSvS_8/v-deo.html
I Made my Rabbit Italian Style ,Polenta and Porcini Mushrooms 🍄 Or Frye my Grandmother recipes..
Sounds tasty
First time subscriber here! Love your videos, very educational and helpful. Our doe had her first litter few days ago and she stopped feeding her baby. 4 of them we found dead on day 1, we have one surviving kit left. Do you have any suggestions on how to get her to feed it?
Freshwater twice a day give her a punch of whole oats or black oil seeds every other day. Double her feed portions. This should help lactation.
I love your videos and it has in courage me to raise New Zealands. Is it possible to have a sterile 5 month old buck?
5 months may be too young, too hot can be problem (over 85F/30C? can give a case of heat sterile that takes a month to flush out), or to fat/thin, wrong diet (vitamins/minerals/protein is also needed for healthy semen). So weigh and bodyscore (feel) your buck, sit down with the ingredient list of your feed (+ weigh how much your really fed) and the weather of the past month or so and check for possible problems. If you find no causes try again at adult age (8-9 months for standard size breed) for the breed with a proven doe.
Absolutely. Your rabbit can't get too hot upper (90s with no relief)or too cold (-10F or below). This can cause your buck to go sterile.
Hi. What to do when 2 week old baby rabbits dying from diarrhea from eating hay. They are with mom and jumped out of nest box ate hay and 2 days later died
I’m sorry to hear that,
mamas milk, 16% protein pellet clean dry hay and fresh water is all they need.
young rabbits are vulnerable to mama getting spooked and stomping them.
As long as your hay is clean it should benefit your baby rabbits digestion not cause any problems. Feeding an abundance of greens to young rabbits can cause digestive issues like diarrhea
I m amazed at how fast this all happened. I’m also amazed how these tiny babies jumped in and out of their nest boxes and started chasing their mom all around their 4x2 feet cage. And then died.
I just came home too two new liters and both was dead litters. Uhg. I have 4 first time moms and 2 liters out of 4 lived
Were these surprise litters? Did you have nesting boxes in the cage? Thanks for sharing.
Best of luck with the remaining litters.
My litter just died
And I feel sooo bad
🐇
How do you cure mastitis?
You can lightly clean the area. A vet can prescribe an antibiotic for the infection.
Is that safe for nursing kits?
Mine died because somebody ate them all one night. ..... Not a fan of that.
I'm sorry to hear that
Please my rabbit doe is not eating and drinking help me out
Did you get a chance to watch the video?
I'd disinfect the cage, bowl and water bottle. Id try to feed a higher quality feed with fresh clean water and raise your rabbits in a quiet comfortable area.
I hope things turn around for your rabbit.
Do you have hard water? You can try filtered water or distilled or get a Brita. Check that the food isn't stale or moldy. Clean and disinfect everything and do physical check of your doe to make sure it's not a medical issue
I had luck with locking mum in with babys overnight , helped with new moms feeding
Did I read this right? Your rabbit mom doesn't stay in the same cage as your nesting box?
@@TheRabbitryCenter mums have an whole hutch on the ground with a nesting room. So if the new mum rather stay in sunny part of hutch not sure what to do with kits, we lock her in nesting section.
Mums stay with babies for 8 weeks
Have u had moma jump on baby and hurt its leg. . Have sml 5 week old that has hurt back leg
Over the years we have had some issues very minimal though but when raising livestock, you most likely won’t be able to raise 100% of your animals injury free without any losses. Try not to beat yourself up and just be prepared for this it’s just part of raising animals at some point you may need to cull some that are not 100%. I’m sorry to hear you had that happen and best of luck in the future.
If you see the bunny dying of hunger, why would you let nature take its course instead of feeding the bunny kmr or goat milk
When raising Rabbits something’s are out of your control and it’s best to be prepared for losses here’s a video that shares more information ua-cam.com/video/CJEBWKSvS_8/v-deo.html
I usually really like your videos but I must admit I'm a little disappointed. You didn't mention weaning diarrhea, babies getting proper gut Flora, avoiding antibiotics in the mother, coccidiosis, stress induced GS or the myriad of other reasons they die. I've been raising rabbits for over 2 decades and I NEVER fed anything but a very high quality pellet until about 4 years ago when I started formulating my own feeds, and I still had issues with losing litters later on that had nothing to do with feeding greens or an improper diet. I mean nothing you said was wrong but I really felt like most people know you shouldn't feed greens to brand new babies unless mom's are used to eating it in relative amounts and babies have the right gut bacteria which they get from the mom (recent experiment I've been conducting where babies are eating greens at 3 weeks and I e had no losses in 12 litters.) I guess I was just expecting a more in depth analysis of other reasons. I guess that's more my own fault than yours though
Feeding greens to young rabbits is by far the most common mistake we see. We get this call more than any other phone call. I think it's just folks spoiling their rabbits and it's fun for them to watch their rabbits enjoy greens but folks are unaware of the damage they're doing to their young rabbits digestion.
It's challenging to cover everything in a short video. Those issues you mentioned are valid and We've discussed them in several other videos. But this video was geared toward beginners and I wanted to address the most common issues that can easily be avoided. I'll be sure to mention those topics in a future video as well thank you for sharing and watching.
@@TheRabbitryCenter I can certainly understand how challenging it is to try and fit all of those into a video, that's why I'm more of a blogger and writer than a vlogger. I guess I underestimated how many people aren't aware of not feeding greens lol. Honestly I sell mostly angoras and I don't sell them as pets or to first time rabbit owners due to their much higher upkeep requirements so that's probably why I don't get asked that a lot, the biggest issues I get asked about are gastric stasis/wool block and stress issues, so I admit it's likely a larger problem than I personally see due to my target customers.
Thank you for the response, and I apologize if it was unkind, I didn't mean it to be I had just been hoping for insight on other causes more relevant to myself. I've been doing it a while but there is always something new you can learn about rabbits! I look forward to your future videos, hope you have a wonderful day
@@hilljack6765 lol I'd love to know where he lives that he's getting anything above 14 percent for 13 for 50 lbs! Around here 14 percent sells for 16-17 for 50 pounds. 18 percent is 23.99, that's what I feed, but I can only get so much. The co op has a limit on how much you can buy since they are the only supplier in central VA, so you're limited to 400 pounds per 30 days. I have 85+ rabbits so I go through that in less than a month, which is why I started formulating my own feeds, growing white mulberry, moringa, Siberian pea shrub, azolla, bird's-foot trefoil, and lots of others. They make up 30 percent of my fiber rabbits diet and 90 percent of my champagnes diet. The grow outs do great, takes a little longer but they make weight right as coats are prime and they have higher omega 3 to omega 6 ratios than I got when I was I was feeding commercial feed.
@amandaparker I’m very interested in your wean and feed process, I live in south Florida and alfalfa isn’t really readily grown here, but I want to be able to provide feed for my rabbits without dependence on the feed store. I’m growing similar plants to what you mentioned along with some tropical feeds.
He's in Michigan