Mega Mom!

My doe JMJ-1 had 17 babies (all live) 2 litters ago. On Monday she kindled again with 15 , again all live. We were able to foster out 3 of them. This morning a first time mom had 3 live and 4 dead. She was taking good care of the live ones so I gave her 3 more of the JMJ-1 babies and so far they are all doing fine. I think JMJ-1 can handle nursing 9 babies :) I used to put a dab of vinegar on the foster mom's nose and on all the babies so everyone would smell the same, but for the last several months I have just put new babies in the middle of the nest or each one between 2 original babies.

What is the highest number live in the litters you have had? Do you move some to other moms? What has been your technique?

They keep us hopping!

We had seven new litters born in the last 4 days. Six of them had litters of 9 - 13, which is our norm. As the does get older (3-4 yrs) they produce smaller litters; such as Miss Bunnie who had 6. We still use them because they can be good foster moms for does that just have too many to nurse. So Miss Bunnie adopted 2 from the doe that had 13, which left me with 3 litters who had 11 to raise. Another doe had 9 and the others had 10 each.This picture is of a brand new litter of 11 kits.

This litter, 2 1/2 wks old, is taking an afternoon nap. Notice the nearest one, on his back, feet up, like a little kid. It is so neat to see how relaxed they are.This is a common sight, out of the nest box, yet all piled up. The nest box will be taken out on day 18.

I took this picture to show the difference in size between a full grown Dutch doe and a full grown 6 mo old NZW doe, in pens back to back. This was the little Dutch doe I got for my grandchild at the Fairview auction in March. She had kindled 2 weeks later.

Tomorrow is rabbit truck day, so we will have more pens to clean, and more babies to wean!

Nest-box material

We use pine wood-chips for nesting material in our rabbits nest-boxes, for absorbancy and warmth. The does will get in the box, dig it around, chew some into smaller pieces, and pull their hair to add to it to make a nice soft nest for their babies. So what do we do with it when the nest box comes out?

We have found a very good way to use it "twice". We mulched around our blueberry bushes and the newly planted grapevines we added this year. We have used it in the raspberry bed and around other flowers and bushes. If you don't mind it not being the commercial mulch color, it works just as well...... and saves money in the long run.

The next step.....

We have started to cut the openings in the top quarter of the side-walls in the rabbit barn. Each section, like the one in this picture, will have a tilt-out frame, covered with white poultry curtain material, and hinged at the top.

They will be opened for air circulation, yet shade the direct sun's rays while allowing light in. In winter they can be closed , or partially closed while still allowing daylight in. This should be very advantageous in allowing the rabbits a more natural, day-night transition. That, coupled with the insulation, may allow us to breed the rabbits further into the heat of the summer, and start up breeding again in the early fall.

We are always seeking to improve on the quality of care for our animals. If anyone has further suggestion, we are always open to comments and ideas. Let us hear from you, especially from other parts of the country, or even other parts of the world. Tell us what your "hare-raising " experiences are like!

Who's been sleeping in MY bed??

Friday was a good day to catch up on scrubbing the rabbit nest boxes. They had been stacking up for some time now. As I was going through the pile and carrying them outside , I came across one in the very back that, soon as it was uncovered, a little wren flew out.

Apparently she had decided the nest box was a perfect site for her hatchlings!

My oh my! yummy Rabbit Pie!

Extra rabbit and veggies from the roast rabbit......add juices from roast and 1 can cream of mushroom soup. Bake in oven till bubbly.

Dumpling recipe is from the Pillsbury 8th Grand National Cookbook ( 25 cents at the time, no copyright date, but one of my Mom's cookbook collections) and has added chives, savory and celery seed (1 tsp ea) Roll the dumplings in buttered crumbs before putting them on top of the "pie", then bake uncovered in a 350* oven, for about 35-40 min. This gives a nice crunch texture to the top of the dumplings.

As an added plus, our wood-cook-stove was still burning so of course we made use of it. It always makes food super-delicious! My husband just could not comment enough on this delicious meal. And we had plenty left over for the next day!

Hare today and gone tomorrow!

Hubby thought he had about 50 rabbits to go on the truck this week. He kept loading and weighing and putting them in transport cages. He ended up with a whopping 103 to go! Those does are doing a great job!