Solitary chicken - need advice

[Rustyangel]

My beautiful blue-eyed white doe, Lulu, gave birth today to a gorgeous litter of kits.

 

Six of them are snuggled up in the nest (I haven't touched them) and one, sadly, didn't make it. The seventh was on the other side of the nesting box with membrane covering it's mouth and some afterbirth still attached.

 

Lulu was mated intentionally with one of her sons who carries the right gene to give her some blue-eyed white kits and from what I can see at least four look as though they will be white. We had homes lined up before we mated doe and buck.

 

She is a terrific mum and we are so excited to have had a litter.!!! My six year-old son is exstatic!

 

Debbie

[victoriabunny]

You will be fine to handle them...it's a myth that they eat the babies if they smell of humans. Mum won't spend much time with them - she'll probably suckle them once or twice a day and then leave them alone. You need to handle them from as early an age as possible so that they will be tame and used to human contact.

 

Can't say I approve of the inbreeding though I'm afraid.

[Rustyangel]

Hi

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

I know what you mean about the inbreeding because I had serious reservations about it when my breeder suggested it. However, I did have both rabbits checked over by a vet to ensure there are no congenital defects.

 

I researched it a lot and apparently its fine to back-breed mother to son or father to daughter, but not to mate siblings with one another.

 

Debs

[Hevvur]

Awww, sounds wonderful!!

Can't wait to see pictures!

 

I read the same thing about breeding Rustyangel - that it's fine to do Mother/son, father/daughter, but not siblings.