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Post by macmex on Nov 9, 2020 18:23:22 GMT -6
You should be able breed several does to him in a given day. Make sure he doesn't get too fat. His grandad was fat and would get tired before he would succeed with a mating. I can't remember if I got him back on weight, but I know that Blackeye's dad was on weight all his life and had plenty of energy for breeding.
Flaming a cage is really a great way to disenfect!
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Post by macmex on Dec 13, 2020 5:28:42 GMT -6
Yes, if they are out of direct wind and protected from rain and snow the rabbits truly don't mind the cold. I just keep an extra set of water bottles and rotate them when frozen and the rabbits are fine.
I'm glad you have two litters! That will be a lot of meat in about 3 months.
We had a little of nine born, just before Thanksgiving. They were born to a first time mother and she let them die from cold. She didn't pull enough fur. I'm giving her another chance. First time mothers, in any species, often make mistakes. Nine for a first litter was really good too!
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Dec 14, 2020 15:36:50 GMT -6
This is great, reading about your higher rates of success as time wears on. Thanks, for posting.
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Post by macmex on Dec 19, 2020 7:16:01 GMT -6
I suspect the older doe is just wore out.
That's the advantage of having several litters arrive at the same does will readily foster when one fails. Good going Bon! This strain with Giant Checkered in it always seems to throw some pure blacks. The litter I lost at Thanksgiving was almost all of black kits with one or two checkered. The mother is a pure black out of the checkered strain. I still think she looks very promising.
Interestingly, the friend from whom I obtained the original Giant Checkered crosses (crossed with New Zealand, I'm sure) recently told me that for some reason, some of them just drop dead at around 9 months of age. This is precisely what happened with one of my original does and, then again, with her daughter. I bet they are prone to heart problems, just like some strains of meat chickens. So, I try to keep an extra doe and an extra buck on hand, just in case. I love they way they produce, so I'm not moving away from them, only hoping to eventually select away from the problem.
I produced so much rabbit meat last winter/spring that Jerreth doesn't want me to produce so many now. We have a reserve in the freezer. So I have three does ready for breeding, only one bred and only one litter of five in the grow out stage.
Pretty soon I need to clean the litter on the floor of the rabbit room, in the barn. That'll drop the floor by at least 1 1/2'. The last few days I've been cleaning out the other part of the barn, where our goats and sheep have their babies. Been so very glad to have a tractor with a front loader for that. I've taken out a couple tons of litter and my back hasn't been good. Can't get a tractor into the rabbit area though. I'll have to do that by hand.
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Post by macmex on Dec 25, 2020 20:50:04 GMT -6
Don't know what to tell you about the seals. Maybe someone else will have an idea.
Our feed place switched from paper to plastic sacks last year, I believe. I miss the paper sacks. The plastic are more waterproof and don't rip as easily, but I used to be able to use the paper sacks for fire starter or mulch. Now we accumulate plastic sacks.
I'll have to check on the price of an individual sack, but I use 16% Allstock from our local feed mill. It's about as inexpensive as one can get, and it seems to work well for the rabbits. I supplement with hay, or in the summer, with weeds.
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Post by macmex on Dec 26, 2020 18:30:46 GMT -6
I can just hear the squeals of delight! That'd be a very creative, positive way to wake a teen.
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raf
New Member
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Post by raf on Dec 27, 2020 17:03:38 GMT -6
Over the summer I shifted gears with my meat rabbits, my older does were aging out & I decided I wanted to go a different direction (not the point of this post). I've had trouble with one particular doe absolutely refusing to lift (1st breeding) I tried swapping pens, feeding her BOSS, 14hrs of light and every other trick I knew of (except forced breeding which I won't do). I saw a video that said to take them on a ride so today the youngest and I took her on a 15 minute ride after Church, brought her home and placed her in the Buck pen, she bred twice! Something to consider if you have one that won't lift.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Dec 27, 2020 21:37:11 GMT -6
Bon,
If you're converting an old freezer into a feed bin, make sure to skirt the lid with drip flashing, sealed with silicone, to prevent rainwater from seeping through the seam where the lid meets the freezer box. You can attach the drip flashing with sheet metal screws, but be sure to use some sort of sealant between the flashing and the surface of the lid. Otherwise, water will find its way inside your box.
I've used angle iron to do the same thing but drip edge flashing is probably a lot easier to work with.
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Post by macmex on Dec 29, 2020 6:31:02 GMT -6
Our largest doe is huge. She's a Giant Checkered/NZ cross. She's about the size of the rabbit in this photo, who was part Champagne d'Argent. A good New Zealand is pretty large too.
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Post by macmex on Jan 2, 2021 6:29:05 GMT -6
I'm not familiar with Dura trays. I am positive, if you call Klubertanz, they will give you the straight scoop. I ordered some cage floors from them, some years ago. I believe I got hold of the owner himself. There was no doubt, speaking with him, that he was a straight shooter. Shipping was high, and he asked me if I thought it was worth it.
I came away from my experience with Klubertanz, having decided that I will definitely do business with them again, and also, I need to do a larger order, to justify the shipping. My cages were over 20 years old, when a friend gave them to me, in 2010. I replaced the floors on a number of them and fully expect to get another 20 years out of them.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2021 13:44:32 GMT -6
2nd new doe kindled a litter of 9 this morning. Her condition was visually alarming, but she was eating and drinking and cleaning as normal. She didn't care for the kits, they didn't make it. I will give her some time and try again. Would be cool to have two does serving up 9 at a time.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2021 10:28:27 GMT -6
Need some advice. I have eleven rabbits in 6sq feet. Mom and ten kits at nearly 4 weeks. I can tell the kits are just a little too young to take from Mom, but they are dirty from the confinement after someone had a bought of diarrhea or something. Otherwise, they are doing well.
Should I go ahead and remove them to another cage?
Remove half to another cage and leave half?
Don't remove, but help them stay clean?
If I help them stay clean, there is still the air flow issue.
Should I just be patient for another week?
Thanks
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Post by macmex on Jan 25, 2021 13:11:16 GMT -6
I assume the kits are under 6 weeks of age? I've heard of weaning at 5 weeks, but personally, I wouldn't do it until 6. The main thing when weaning is that they become more prone to digestive disorders until they get adjusted to the absence of mother's milk. Avoid anything green for the first several days. Be sure not to give any carrots. Carrots will definitely give them the runs. I sometimes limit newly wean kits to dry hay for the first day and then dry hay and dry feed for a few more days. Anything green will need to be worked in gradually, after they've become stable on their own.
If it's still early for weaning I'd just try to clean things up and keep them with their mom until week 6. This is where an extra cage can really come in handy. One could move the whole batch to a new, clean cage; gaining some time.
I don't know what happened, but I think I missed seeing some of your earlier posts. Will have to go back and read them!
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Post by macmex on Jan 25, 2021 13:18:01 GMT -6
In the January 11 posting, was that the first time the new doe had kindled?
First time mothers are the ones which most often botch things and lose a litter. I give them one more try, two more at most. My black doe lost her first litter (of 9) around Thanksgiving. She currently has another litter. Yesterday that litter made it to their one week birthday and look good, so I have hope that she's going to do alright. She's very large, beautiful and docile.
Last week I sold two young does and a young buck. We bred the does before they went to their new home, as the young buck won't be really mature until April. I've never done this before. I don't know if they'll "hang onto their pregnancies" after such an upheaval. If they do, I'd say that's a sign of good stable character. I'm pretty confident they'll be receiving very good care in their new home.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2021 14:03:12 GMT -6
Good for you! I hope the new owners will help the pregnant does feel safe. Glad to hear that young doe is doing well with the next litter. Good to have large litters!
Your big black doe sounds like the one I just retired. A real TREASURE to have a big docile doe that's a good mom.
Thanks for the advice. I'll keep them clean and let them romp around in the empty cage for an hour at a time, let them become familiar so I can move them asap.
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