4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[solidtechchris]

Good afternoon, fellow Chicken/Rabbit lovers.

 

Flipper, our year old lop, gave birth to 3 babies approximately 3 months ago; unfortunately it was her first litter and they all died within a day because she didn't look after them. I didn't intervene because I was told that I shouldn't go near them for the first couple of days. I know it's fairly normal for the first litter to not make it, so I wasn't too worried.

 

This morning, she gave birth again. I can't see how many there are, because I don't want to disturb the nest and give her any reason to abandon them again, but I have separated the mummy & daddy. What happens if she doesn't feed them again? Can I feed them?

 

These babies are really important to me, because we lost two beautiful chickens to an evil fox the other day.

 

I would appreciate any advice!

 

Chris

[victoriabunny]

It's actually a myth that handling the babies will make the mother kill them - although a doe will frequently kill/eat her young, the reasons for this are unclear but you handling the babies won't be a factor. You will find she isn't an attentive mother - rabbits feed their babies once/twice a day and then leave the nest for long periods. This is to protect the babies as the mother's constant presence would alert predators to the nest in the wild. For this reason, don't panic if there are times (particularly during the day) when she is ignoring the babies. Her milk is incredibly nutritious and they only need feeding twice a day.

 

It is vital that the babies stay warm as they cannot regulate their own temperature. Has the mother built a nest? She should have plucked her fur and made one. If a baby falls out of the nest, it needs to be put back in immediately or it will die quickly.

 

If the mother rejects them, their outlook isn't good - although kits can be hand-reared, this is very time-consuming (they will need feeding with formula every three hours) and few survive.

 

One final note...I don't want to be negative, but I would caution you against breeding in future. Rescue centres are literally overflowing with unwanted rabbits - the one near me has notices in the local paper every week begging people to adopt them as it is full to bursting. It is better to leave breeding in the hands of experts and just enjoy your rabbits as pets.

[The Dogmother]

Thank you victoriabunny - just what I was thinking as I read the original post.

 

Please do get both the parents neutered so that they can live together happily.