misty's kindling thread lots of words/pics** update again 9/27

[()relics]

I use the hands off approach, I guess, to breeding my rabbits. I put the nest box in the cage at 29 days...I fill the box with a good quality grass hay...the doe jumps in almost immediately and begins to eat some of the hay making a hole in the middle. She then starts the hair pulling to line the box..almost all my does kindle on days 31...I check the box on the morning of day 31...The does don't like me putting my hands in the box but I do anyway...I count the kits and inspect them; removing any DOA and possibly any "peanuts"....I check the nest box everyday and remove the kits one at a timeholding all of them for a few minutes, much to the dismay of the doe...at 10 days the kits eyes should be open again they are handled everyday...at eyes open +11 I remove the nest box...again I try to handle all the kits everyday...I start to wean at eyes open +39 days and end at EO +46...left unsaid the doe is rebred at EO+32....I raise netherland dwarfs. So the litter size is small,I averaged 5 kits per litter with the average of 3 that were viable...This is after the peanut cull...I weaned 3 kits per litter which was exactly the amount I kept every litter.....I have 4-5 litters per doe per year depending on my schedule... I have a smokey pearl doe that just got her nest box this morning....I will take a picture of her progress...should be some hair pulling already.....
so here is misty...her tattoo is J48...she is a smokey pearl Ndwarf

she is pictured ontop of her nest box which I introduced this morning...no hair pulling yet.
she was bred on 8/4/9 to Bob...his tattoo is QD...he is a black otter Ndwarf: picture below

this is misty's 4th litter this year...
#1 She kindled 1/17/9...2 kits kept...weaned 2...sold to a 4h'er
#2 she kindled 4/21/9...5 kits born...kept 3...weaned three..2 sold 1 kept: picture below

he is a black silver marten and I plan on keeping him.
#3 she kindled 7/2/9...3 kits...kept all three...sold 1 to a breeder:

these are the 2 does left...one is a blue otter and the other siamese silver marten...I will be keeping both of these.


stay tuned...we will see what happens with #4....then I think she gets the rest of the year off...
forgive the picture quality...I used my phone

 

[trestlecreek]

Ahhh, thanks for sharing!!
I just put a box in tonight for one of my HL does. She was a building her nest like crazy, so we'll see what happens!
I really love to watch my does build their nests, I truly think that is one of the sweetest things they do.

 

[waynesgarden]

Very nice!

Just a suggestion though: In picture # 3, there appears to be a drywall screw sticking out of the wood. I'd snip that off to prevent an active kit from injuring itself on it. (If it were me, I'd have already cut myself several times on it reaching in for a bunny.)

Wayne

 

[()relics]

Day 30 update...I left for work early this morning and didn't want to bother her...I checked on her when I got home and the situation remains essentially the same is the above picture...Misty on her box...no hair pulling yet...I hope tomorrow morning there will be kits....

Yeah Wayne....the screw is actually the hinge for the door that rotates out of the way...That isn't his home...I just opened the door and slid him in there for a picture....Probably should cut the screw off but it seems to work better with leaving the screw long...When I cut them off they work their way out....or I could just change the design...maybe a winter project.

trestle C...I also like to watch the progression of kindling...But this particular doe gets VERY aggressive from day 30 until after the kits are weaned...So I don't get to handle her kits as much as some of the other does...if all goes as planned I'm sure I will include a picture of my hand with a bleeding bite mark on it....

 

[JoieDeViveRabbitry]

You have beautiful Nethies! Your otter jr. buck is just gorgeous! Look at the head on him!


*Must. Stick. With. Angoras!*

 

[()relics]

thank you Jenna...I try...you have to have alot of litters to get just a few kits that "work out"...Actually I thought the jr does look like carpet huggers...But they are still young....I guess I'm keeping them for their color and hope that one of my bucks will add better conformation....We shall see

 

[()relics]

Day 31...again I left for work early so I didn't bother her in the morning.....When I got home I checked and everything seemed to be the same....except maybe that is a little hair???

could it be time...Misty seems a little more angry than usual.......

Yep...just like clockwork....4 good sized ones 1 extra small....no telling why it didn't make the picture...Misty does it again....that is 18 kits born this year with and potentially 12 weaned providing these all "make it"...not a bad year for misty....I decided she will wean this litter and get a break...I'll try to have her kindle again maybe April...

 

[trestlecreek]

Ahhh, how sweet!! Mine is due tomorrow, so hopefully I will have a good outcome as well.
I know, the doe I have now that will be due is mean from day 26 on,...I got batted(I forgot ) as I put her in the momma cage.
You're making me want to breed my ND's now!!

 

[JoieDeViveRabbitry]

CONGRATS!

 

[()relics]

Day 10:

their eyes are just opened...Its amazing how fast they grow...they are moving around inside the box now...Looks like all kits are otter pattern....1 black and 3 blue....possibly 1 of the blues is a charlie...too early to tell ...sorry about the horrible picture...misty really doesn't like me to even open the hutch door...much less put my arm and phone inside...Oh well you get the idea....next picture will probably be at weaning...at which time some of them will be for sale.
as I have said this will be misty's last litter this year...She will get her winter ration after she weans the kits and prepare for a litter next May(?)