Friday, November 09, 2007
Warm In The Nest Box
I have nine does due tomorrow. Since I have just one kit in the barn, you can bet that I am very excited about the possibility of new babies.
A number of breeders have been reporting poor nest box outcomes. My last breedings yielded just the one live baby and two dead ones. Everybunny else missed. (Belle was not my breeding - and I lost her baby on the wire - what a heartbreaker.) I'm hoping that things are looking up. You never know what Mother Nature has in mind.
Now that the weather is getting colder, I have not only nature's fickleness in nestbox production to contend with, but also the cold.
It's time to start putting paper in the bottom of my wire-bottomed nest boxes or to put hay under them. With the hay under, even if a dam gets too enthusiastic about digging down, I know that the bottom will be kept warm and drafts will be kept out since she can't dig beyond the wire. I also like the paper bottom. Few does dig it out, though I've had a few who seemed to be offended by it.
I also have two nest box warmers. I need to decide which litters I value the most and get those under the boxes. Once babies are born, I may switch them warmers to small litters or to does with poor milk. The warmers seem to increase her time in the nest box and improve the quantity of milk from the extra nursing.
I always regret it when I don't use the nest box warmers in cold weather. If I lose kits to the cold, it's like losing at "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" when you didn't use any of your lifelines.
If I need to raise any babies on the shelf, I will cover their nest boxes with hardware cloth when they are away from mom. I keep mine in the house. We keep our house much too cool for newborn kits. Most houses are, no matter how comfortable the temperature is to you. If the babies get hungry a half hour before you return to take them to mom, you could find them out of the box, off the shelf, and in the floor - dead or dying.
Babies in cold weather require a lot more checking than August babies. Being dragged even to the front of the nest box could mean death. Poor nest builders have to be checked on. Sometimes they can be very stubborn about wanting to take nest material out of the box.
I also being in borrowing from the rich and giving to the poor when it comes to fur pulling. Often the good pullers will replace what you take anyway. And the borrowed fur can make a big difference to another nest.
I've successfully raised babies in the barn even during the coldest part of winter, so I know it can be done. Of course, the dams do most of the work! But a little extra dilligence on my part can increase the number of bunnies who graduate the nest box. And that's what I want to see.
Laurie ¶ 10:39 AM
A number of breeders have been reporting poor nest box outcomes. My last breedings yielded just the one live baby and two dead ones. Everybunny else missed. (Belle was not my breeding - and I lost her baby on the wire - what a heartbreaker.) I'm hoping that things are looking up. You never know what Mother Nature has in mind.
Now that the weather is getting colder, I have not only nature's fickleness in nestbox production to contend with, but also the cold.
It's time to start putting paper in the bottom of my wire-bottomed nest boxes or to put hay under them. With the hay under, even if a dam gets too enthusiastic about digging down, I know that the bottom will be kept warm and drafts will be kept out since she can't dig beyond the wire. I also like the paper bottom. Few does dig it out, though I've had a few who seemed to be offended by it.
I also have two nest box warmers. I need to decide which litters I value the most and get those under the boxes. Once babies are born, I may switch them warmers to small litters or to does with poor milk. The warmers seem to increase her time in the nest box and improve the quantity of milk from the extra nursing.
I always regret it when I don't use the nest box warmers in cold weather. If I lose kits to the cold, it's like losing at "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" when you didn't use any of your lifelines.
If I need to raise any babies on the shelf, I will cover their nest boxes with hardware cloth when they are away from mom. I keep mine in the house. We keep our house much too cool for newborn kits. Most houses are, no matter how comfortable the temperature is to you. If the babies get hungry a half hour before you return to take them to mom, you could find them out of the box, off the shelf, and in the floor - dead or dying.
Babies in cold weather require a lot more checking than August babies. Being dragged even to the front of the nest box could mean death. Poor nest builders have to be checked on. Sometimes they can be very stubborn about wanting to take nest material out of the box.
I also being in borrowing from the rich and giving to the poor when it comes to fur pulling. Often the good pullers will replace what you take anyway. And the borrowed fur can make a big difference to another nest.
I've successfully raised babies in the barn even during the coldest part of winter, so I know it can be done. Of course, the dams do most of the work! But a little extra dilligence on my part can increase the number of bunnies who graduate the nest box. And that's what I want to see.
Laurie ¶ 10:39 AM
