Feeding doe raw bacon...

[bluemini]

Rabbits are herbivores and their digestive system is not designed to deal with meat. I would not feed this to your rabbit. Does do not eat their babies because they are craving meat, they do it when they get scared or if the kit is born dead. Once in a while you will hear of a rabbit that eats her kits for no reason, but this does not happen normally. Either they were trying to "protect" their litter from a perceived predator (I know, makes no sense but that is what rabbits do) or they are just cleaning up when the kit is already dead.

Shannon

agreed !

 

[Tab003]

I have heard of several breeders that show rabbits doing this.
Usually w/ a rabbit that has eaten her babies before.

 

[Roll farms]

I've had it suggested to me on several occasions, from several different people. Most of them aren't people I'd be prone to listen to advice from, if you know what I mean...

I haven't actually done it, but have had it suggested if I mention a 1st time mom killed her litter.

I have also been told extra salt will prevent it, but we had one evil doe who killed her every litter, no matter what. She went into the stewpot.

My very much untested theory is that *if* salt truly would help, maybe they eat / lick the salt of the bacon / fix any imbalance they have.

Lots of wierd advice out there in the world.

 

[CYGChickies]

My dad swore by it when he had rabbits when I was a kid. If a doe ate a litter she'd get a piece of bacon next pregnancy and wouldnt eat the litter. I don't know how founded in science this is but a lot of old Southern farmers have told it to me and I'm yet to hear of it causing adverse reactions. Afterall if raw meat hurt a rabbit wouldn't every cannibalistic doe die or become ill? Does also eat placenta and while not "meat" exactly it's certainly not a plant.

I've heard it from people who aren't crazy or cruel and animals are always surprising with what they'll eat. Maybe raw bacon gives some sort of calming effect or maybe it's an insane coincidence. Either way I havent heard of it causing harm and never found it to be alarming. I've heard too many crazy Farmer's cures and stories to be alarmed by what I hear as much anymore.

I'd be interested to find out why this might ever work IF it did. It's one of those times I wish I was or knew a scientist!

CYG

 

[currycomb]

one theroy is they are lacking in something from their diet, which i would assume bacon would cure. most mammals eat the afterbirth, supposedly to retreive the nutrients it contains to replenish their own reserves, as well as to conceal the fact a birth has taken place.

 

[crazyturkeydesigns]

My dad swore by it when he had rabbits when I was a kid. If a doe ate a litter she'd get a piece of bacon next pregnancy and wouldnt eat the litter. I don't know how founded in science this is but a lot of old Southern farmers have told it to me and I'm yet to hear of it causing adverse reactions. Afterall if raw meat hurt a rabbit wouldn't every cannibalistic doe die or become ill? Does also eat placenta and while not "meat" exactly it's certainly not a plant.

I've heard it from people who aren't crazy or cruel and animals are always surprising with what they'll eat. Maybe raw bacon gives some sort of calming effect or maybe it's an insane coincidence. Either way I havent heard of it causing harm and never found it to be alarming. I've heard too many crazy Farmer's cures and stories to be alarmed by what I hear as much anymore.

I'd be interested to find out why this might ever work IF it did. It's one of those times I wish I was or knew a scientist!

CYG

Hmm...usually does don't eat their young because they're missing something from their diet. It usually happens because if stress. A friend explained to me once as a sort of flight or fight response. The only time we had a doe eat her litter (she only ate parts of kits too, not the whole kit...) was when we purchased a doe from someone who didn't know she was bred and we were pretty young to the rabbit world, so we had no idea until we found "kit bits." The doe was beside a buck, had no hay that day or a nestbox, and I believe it was her first litter. It just seems strange to me that eating bacon would essentially sate a doe's thirst for protein (I'm going out on a limb to assume that's what it is, but just guessing).
I wonder if it's more of an old wive's tale thing because of advances in animal nutrition? No idea though. I also believe that raw meat has a better chance of carrying nasty things like salmonella than the newborn kits (provided they are healthy and in a clean environment)...and nowadays bacon isn't just bacon lol! Most of it (grocery store stuff, anyway, just went and checked a label) has a high sodium/fat content. Maybe a little piece wouldn't hurt, but...I don't know, it's just something I wouldn't do.
Also, fwiw, I didn't mean to offend when I said "craziest" thing I ever heard...I didn't mean that the people who said it were crazy just that I thought it was a weird idea...so sorry if I caused any offense

 

[CYGChickies]

Oh gosh I wasn't offended! I just wanted to comment that feeding a piece of raw bacon probably wouldn't cause a doe to explode or catch fire or keel over dead--not that anyone has said that exactly. I just wanted to contribute something besides alarmed reactions. I haven't ever seen this put into place--I was very young when my parents were together and had the farm. I wasn't offended at all I promise.

CYG

 

[Snowfie]

I have heard of several breeders that show rabbits doing this.
Usually w/ a rabbit that has eaten her babies before.

I would think if you have a rabbit prone to eating their babies for no reason, you'd be better off removing them from breeding entirely. Those are not traits you want to keep, even if it can be mitigated.

 

[Genipher]

CrazyTurkey, I wasn't offended either. I thought it was a bit strange myself.

As far as I know my does haven't eaten their litters in the past. This will be my first litter, but not the doe's.

 

[crazyturkeydesigns]

I have heard of several breeders that show rabbits doing this.
Usually w/ a rabbit that has eaten her babies before.

I would think if you have a rabbit prone to eating their babies for no reason, you'd be better off removing them from breeding entirely. Those are not traits you want to keep, even if it can be mitigated.

I agree with this. I do think you have to look at the circumstances, but if I had a doe that ate her kits more than once, I'd probably cull her.
I'm so glad no one was offended!! I saw Chickies post and I was like noooooooo!! I didn't mean it like that!!! Everyone is so frickin nice here, I love it