How much to feed a doe throughout pregnancy

annanicole18

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Getting ready to breed my doe this weekend and am wondering how much to feed at different stages. She always has acted the pig and right now I limit her pellets to about I would guess is less than 3/4 cup. she gets free choice grass hay and lots of water. I have tried to cut back her pellets more because quite frankly she could lose a little weight but she always acts like I'm starving her and goes crazy at feeding time. I'm planning on weighing her tomorrow and my buck too just because I'm curious.
My doe Jinx some kind of meat rabbit mix she is quite large

jinx.jpg


My rescue buck Butterscotch what do you guys think full dutch or mix?

butterscotch.jpg
 

Bunnylady

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If your doe is overweight, you would be better off getting the extra weight off her first, then breeding her. There is a condition, called fatty liver disease (or "young doe disease") that causes the death of many does every year. Overweight does have fat deposits in their livers, which aren't as efficient at their jobs as a result. Pregnancy and lactation require rapid metabolism of nutrients, and these animals' bodies aren't up to the job.

I usually feed a mature rabbit one ounce of feed per pound of (normal) body weight per day. I might increase this slightly during the week before kindling, but I save the real increase for after the kits are in the box. The doe's milk output increases gradually, as the kits grow, so I gradually increase the amount of food over the course of a week, until the doe is getting as much as she can clean up in 24 hours.
 
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