We have califorinas and new zealand whites. We are trying to raise them for meat. The problem is that we can not get our mom's to take care of their young unless it is warm out. We're talking at least 60 degrees at night. We live in southeren Ohio and winters here are no where near 60 at night. They do not pull hair until after a day or two and if you try to put hair in from last time they will not take care of them at all.(even if it is their own hair) We raise them in cages and have recently thought about switching from that to an old shed and just letting them run. Kind of like that article in countryside. Does anybody out there do this? Does it really work? Am I doomed to have only babies in the summer? With 5 kids, we need them to produce all year.

-- Robin Frontz (frontzfarm@1st.net), January 16, 2000

Answers

I had this problem with some angoras I had bred. No matter what I did the mom kept on throwing them out of the nest. I brought them into the kitchen and put a heating pad under the box they were in. That seemed to make a difference, and the mom started taking care of them. I know this would be hard outside with many rabbits, but maybe you could use hot water bottles or warm bricks somehow under the nestbox. Or maybe hooking up heat lamps over the cages, except that might be hard on them due to the lights at night. Make sure there is a deep layer of newspaper on the bottom of the nestbox and lots of bedding. When you add fur to the nests put a dab of Vick's vapo rub on your finger and lightly dab the doe's nose with it. By the time it wears off, your scent will be gone. We have also tried letting them all run together in a run but, found that it attracted too many rodents with the burrows and food etc. It also seems that even rabbits learn from example. If you couldget just one mother to take care of her babies in cold weather maybe they all would. Or at least you'd be able to put orphans with the good mother. I hope some of this helps. Good luck, Chris in SO. Cal.

-- christine allen (cfallen00@hotmail.com), January 16, 2000.

Have you tried drop nest boxs? they fit in the floor of the cage and you can line them with cardboard for extra warmth.They are great becase if a baby gets pulled out it can crawl around and fall back into the nest. We use to make our own with baby saver wire [you have to cut part of floor in cage out] but the comercial onces are nice becase you have a door on front to check babys with out going in to moms area.Morton Jones at 800-443-5769 carrys them for 11.00 and they also carry nest linners to.

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), January 16, 2000.

I have not raised meat rabbits for many years, but did so in northern climes (Maine & Alaska) The one time I had trouble with mom not taking care of the young, it was corrected by providing salt to mom (in my learning years). If you don't have a readily available salt lick for mom - try providing one. It's cheap even if it doesn't work, and all the bunnies should have one anyway.

-- Brad Traver (homefixer@mix-net.net), January 18, 2000.

Thank you all for your help and wonderful suggestions! We are still not sure what we are going to do. My husband says just eat them all and start over.

-- Robin Frontz (frontzfarm@1st.net), January 18, 2000.

Robin: I too raised rabbits many years ago, and had one mother that wouldn't take care of her babies. I took them inside and bottle fed the little things for a month. I think I fed them canned milk, diluted with water. Can't remember for sure. Anyway, when I compared them to another litter being raised by the mother, and born about the same time, they weren't as large, so I got the bright idea of grinding some rabbit pellets and mixing that into the "formula". Bingo. Instant death for all of them, so don't do that.Their systems weren't ready for that. Sure was sad, as they were really cute, and I probably couldn't have eaten them after all that anyway! Good luck, and sounds like you have some really helpful answers from others. Jan

-- Janice Bullock (Janice12@aol.com), January 21, 2000.

Robin, I would pull the rabbit fur out of the doe and put it in the nestbox.. The fur loosens before kindling so it comes out easily. I do agree with your husband to get some new does from rabbits that pull fur to cover the babies. I never keep breeding stock from rebbits who are poor mothers but some people will sell you their culls. If you lived close to Kansas I would be happy to fix you up with some stock that take care of their young. karen

-- karen mauk (dairygoatmama@yahoo.com), February 15, 2000.

Hello. My rabbit won't take care of her young either. Some rabbits just aren't ment to be mothers. If that is the case then you should take the babies out as soon as she had them and care for them yourself. (

-- MB (bunyluvmb28@aol.com), March 06, 2001.

I have tried that too! They live for about a week or so and then die. I had one that's eyes were open and was moving along fine and the next day he was dead. How do you do it??? Thanks Robin

-- (frontzfarm@1st.net), March 06, 2001.

Hello. You should try putting hand warmers under alpha hay were the babys are in a nest. This worked for me it made the mother go in the nest (because it was warm) and take care of them.

-- Sara (foo@goo.com), March 10, 2001.

I cut a piece os foam insulation to fit the inside bottom of the nest box then put the plywood bottom over that. All my boxes have a lip at rhe bottom to keep this in place and can be easily be taken out to cleen,good luck.

-- jim ritter (reese@fuse.net), February 16, 2002.