LocoYokel's kindling thread (aka What the ???)

LocoYokel

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@HaloRabbits I like that name too. All the names came from the new owners. Those people came for a Flemish Giant X bunny and left with two, Bleu was in my meat rabbit litter and the daughter just fell in love with him first site. We have been keeping in touch via email, it is neat to see the love and attention those bunz are getting!
My Tilda likes to have those "blue" babies, last litter was a true blue, this time I thought blue but actually gold-tipped steel (?) with the blue eyes.
Creepy is the REW FGX buck I thought about keeping but he went home with 7 yr. old twin boys who have special needs (Autism, ADHD)... again staying in touch with those folk. In fact Creepy will be coming back for a visit while his family goes on vacation. I guess the boys were having a fit about leaving him "home alone" even with a sitter... and they were the ones who thought of me, their Mom was quite surprised. Makes me feel all "warm n fuzzy"!
Bleu: 20170524_164727.jpg 20170525_142342.jpg
 

HaloRabbits

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Super cool. I like to keep in touch with new owners as well. Most often its the people I sell/rehome horses too. I love to see how they are doing in their new homes.

I hope my new blue doe gives us lots of blue babies! The doe I plan to breed her with has a 50% chance of carry blue since his mom carries it. She is still too young to breed as of right now, and he isn't proven yet so there are still a lot of "ifs".
 

LocoYokel

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Captain's Log: Stardate Earth 06.25.17
The Mothership Suki has landed a day early. Of her nine new crew members six have survived to make it to port.
The Suki's Chief Nutritionist has expressed some concerns over her minimal intake of pelleted fuel and liquid coolant. Fresh organic fuels have been requisitioned.
We here at Starbase barn welcome the Suki's surviving crew members with great relief.
20170625_132747.jpg


(The lost crew: two fully developed brokens, one of which was still encased in placenta, and a peanut that looked half devoured. All three were to the front of the nest and buried under the straw. Of the six remaining there are two brokens and 4 dark ones, color to be determined when they have hair...o_O)
 

LocoYokel

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:barnie...and now I am worried about Suki's milk production...:barnie
The kits look OK this a.m. and Suki has been back in the box, she pulled more fur. I'd like their bellies to be fuller, tho perhaps it's just me. I have really stressed over this litter. Now that they are here guess my worries just took a new path. I have to remember that she IS a first time doe, even tho this is her fourth breeding, and I need to take that into consideration. As for me, trying not to peek too much and leave her be is not going well :oops:. Glad she is a calm mama, so far...:fl
She has really been off her feed. This started about 3 weeks ago, 1 week into her pregnancy. She hardly eats any pellets but does seem to nibble on her hay. I put Calf Manna on top of her food (16% pellet in summer, 1 tsp CM dayly, grass hay, ACV H2O) but she doesn't seem to even want that. Of course as soon as things got green I was feeding fresh nibblets to all... dandelion, raspberry leaf, bean leaf, handful of grass, the things I know are safe. She eats that just fine. Perhaps she is just being picky? A bad tooth? Prenatal toxemia? (Do rabbits even get that?)
Her condition is good, bright eyes, dry nose, but her stool is a bit soft. I have blamed the fresh greens diet for that even tho I tried to go slow, after a winter with none I don't want upset tummies.:(
I have a "grazing cage" for the bunnies, maybe I should just set her out on the lawn a few times a day? The meat rabbits only get picked up once every other month when I scrub hutches and when they get bred. I don't want to stress her out with a new routine... :idunno

I know I am stressed out, Suki really needs to raise this litter. Egads, it's good to have a place to vent my worries! :duc
 

LocoYokel

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Now there are seven live kits. With this hot weather I sure hope I didn't miss any more deceased...:sick
Yes, I went and peeked again. :oops:
Looked up through the bottom of her hutch and I can see nipples! :celebrate
This made me look at the kits closer than I did at 7 a.m. and that's how the count rose. Seems like I picked up one of the two runts when I checked them earlier, I only checked a few, more of a feel around for any lost ones. The others look much fuller in the tummy than they do.
Now to leave them alone for a while, glad I work today...:hide
 

LocoYokel

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HELP! @Bunnylady, @DutchBunny03, @Marie28, @Pastor Dave, @ALL of the rabbit smart folk here who I can not think of or do not know... Suki has completely stopped eating her pellets and the Calf Manna on top, 3 days ago. I attributed this to her near kindling but she still hasn't touched a thing. She now barely nibbles her grass hay but does consume the fresh stuff I am giving her. Her water consumption over the past 24 hours has been around a cup, perhaps a bit more. She does show signs of nursing but the kits are not really "round". I think I am going to lose this litter and perhaps the doe too.
What amount of greens: a few raspberry leaves, some dandelion, a bit of bean leaves and mostly trimmed grass from the fenceline, should I give her? Would some comfrey help? I try to keep the medicinal type plants to a minimum. Her stool is a bit soft right now.
Should I even try? With all of the problems I have had with this doe I am thinking Mother Nature is talking... and I am hearing a big NO! :hide
Any help or ideas on how to help her and her kits would be greatly appreciated. I will probably cull her now but it would be nice to give the kits a chance for pet homes. Not a line I want to continue... :he:hit:he
 

Marie28

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:[[ Not sure what you should do for your doe. Hopefully the other people you have tagged have some ideas. Have you tried hold her to let the kits nurse? or possibly giving them some replacement formula? I'm assuming her poop is soft and lake of water drinking is because of the all the fresh stuff she is eating. Have your tried oats or BOSS? Maybe that will spark her interest. Hopefully the others can be more helpful.
 

HaloRabbits

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Yes, with the pelleted food she has a complete diet, but as long as she is eating the fresh food you know she isn't starving. I would continue to give her the fresh food and continue with the pellets, maybe she is just being picky. I have 1 or 2 that go "off feed" occasionally, but for me it has never lasted more than a couple days.

Loose stool is probably because of the greens, I agree. A decrease in water, isn't good when you have a nursing mama, BUT it is not unusual when you have an increase in fresh foods. The fresh foods have water in them. Ex: I raise beetles who get 100% of their water from the carrots I put into their containers. Very efficient creatures.

@Marie28 I agree, Oats may spark her interested. It will also add some calories if you are worried about that.

The first time my doe kindled she had 11 and we lost 6! The second time she had 11 and we lost 2. This third time she had 8 and all are doing great! They learn with experience. But since you have had a lot of issues, culling seems like a reasonable option.
 
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