Part 3: PalpatingPalpating is a tricky thing to do. It is not easy and is something that I recommend seeing in person first. I find YouTube videos can help, but having someone there who can accurately palpate a doe is very helpful. I palpate on day twelve, thirteen and fourteen of the pregnancy. Some people have matured palpating and can do it earlier but I find this way good. The babies are about the size of grapes and feel like grapes. A way to practice and feel the difference between babies and the organs is getting the organs of a processed rabbit and put them in a zip lock baggy with some grapes and feel around as if you were palpating. If you palpate earlier than two weeks, the babies will be smaller, like pea's. The problem is they then feel like poop. So if the doe hasn't released herself before hand, you could be feeling balls of poop and not babies. By palpating on the three consecutive days, I go by what answer I get two of the three days. I will also try multiple times during the day. There are different factors that can affect a negative palpating. Make sure the doe isn't tense when trying. I take the doe out and let her sniff the table a bit and then will hold her and massage her head. She needs to be calm and relaxed to get an accurate feeling. Trying multiple times also helps with if what you are feeling is actually poop... I do it differently than I was taught. I was taught the 4-H way and find it was useless... I heard about another way and it works really well I find. So far I've been right the majority of the time *knock on wood*. Palpating is when you feel around the abdominal area of the doe for the babies. I hold the doe lightly on a table, holding her up a bit. I let the feet stay lightly on the ground. I go from head to toe, so the doe's head and body is resting on my arm. I use my forefinger and thumb and massage the abdominal area while going back and forth a bit while pinching my fingers. Not too hard, but you can touch your fingers together while doing this and not hurt the doe. Lightly massaging the doe, you should after a minute or so start to feel babies as you pull them down. I just go until I feel at least two or three babies. I have found that unless the doe isn't pregnant, that I've been able to feel the babies doing it this way. Some breeders may say that by trying to breed the doe again will show if she is pregnant or not. In my personally opinion, this is completely false. Since rabbits have two uterus horns, a doe can be pregnant with two litters meaning that she may be pregnant and end up get pregnant again by this second breeding. Some people say that if the doe truly is pregnant she won't let the buck mount her but I believe this is false and will never recommend doing this. Palpating is the only way of truly knowing a rabbit is pregnant (that I can think/know of anyway). If you personally can't palpate then try and find someone who can. Though, remember it is OK to wait to find out. I know I myself hate waiting. I palpate and will re-breed if the doe turns up negative, which is a lot of breeders reasoning for not waiting the full month. Part 4: Kindling & WeaningKindling! The fun part! :D
Make sure you have nest boxes available for each doe that is pregnant. I put the nest box in about four or five days prior to the due date. Most doe's will kindle (give birth) on day thirty two. Some will go over, and some will go under. If by day thirty four or thirty five of the pregnancy, and the doe palpated positive and if you can still feel babies in the doe, I would try inducing pregnancy. The kits may be stuck or breached. Most doe's will have a peaceful kindling time, but not always. Things happen. During the winter I recommend bringing the doe in for her to kindle. I use shavings at the bottom of the nest box and hay to build a nest with. Some breeders use straw (I don't like the hardness of straw) and some use newspaper. It's up to you. If you have a doe pull a lot of fur, try bagging some of it for those times when a doe doesn't pull enough. Another thing you can use is that fluff stuff for hamsters. Weaning is easy. The doe will automatically start weaning the kits between three and four weeks old. I don't recommend weaning younger than six weeks old, but some do. I personally wean between eight and ten weeks. I will at seven depending on the litter and if I have to. I prefer leaving them with their mother a while longer, usually until the dam will let me know know that she wants them gone, which is usually ten to twelve weeks. After I wean I go through and decide which to grow out and which to cull. The keepers go into cages and get left alone for a few months while they go through the uglies and mature. Usually by four or five months old they will be done this stage of there life. I personally do not look at them during that time because they don't look to good type wise. Different lines mature at different rates. My lines will start around eight to ten weeks old and finish around four or five months. Some lines start later and finish later. Another reason why it is important to know the lines you are working with. Once the now juniors have come out of the uglies I go through them again and pick the keepers and the culls. Not all kits come out of the uglies nicely. Check out Parts 1 & 2 of Breeding Tips, and the BONUS part
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