Its below zero and I've got babies, advice?!

Kimchilla · Feb 5, 2015

So heres a line that you've never heard... I thought that we had two does!

My bunnies are loose in a 40x60 fence shared with our hens and four milking goats + or - any goat kids. Also, run of the chicken coop or goat stall as they please.

These two have lived together for more than six months and no kits. (We've had one for 2 years, got "her" a buddy this summer) Breeders told me we had does, I looked up how to double check online. Unless a wild rabbit snuck in... someone is a buck.

This evening, I went into our kidding stall (separate room that I do not frequent) to see how much chicken poop needed to be cleaned out to get it ready for March kidding and stumbled across a nest with a lot of eggs, rabbit fur, one dead baby and a moving ball of fuzz!

I did not touch anything. The suspected momma (assuming, given the color of the fur that made the nest) is not a social rabbit, she pretty much steers clear of people while the other rabbit, NOW assuming it may be a male? Is VERY social.

Anyways... these babies have fur. I have read online that they're born without hair, but eyes aren't open yet. So my uneducated-never had a baby rabbit guess is that they're 5 days old?

It has been below zero for the past week. I am shocked that they are alive. I have done some quick reading and have mixed feelings on what to do. Knee jerk was to bring everyone in where it is warm. But I think that will freak momma bunny out. If I can catch her, that is!

Apparently, a chicken is laying eggs in her nest too. Insert more shock here that a chicken hasn't eaten them. Or that an egg hasn't landed on their poor bun heads.

What should I do? They've "made it this far" where they are at. Do I move them and risk mom disowning them or getting to stressed out? I can just shut the chicken sized hole so that keeps them out and her in the kidding room with them, then put a space heater in which might bring the temp in the room up to 40*F? (It is -10F right now!)

Thoughts? And how old would you guess them?

majorv · Feb 5, 2015

It would be best if you could keep the chickens away for now. If the nest is out of the wind and protected then I'd leave them. As long as there's plenty of hay and they're well covered with hair they should be okay. It looks like they have their first fur which helps.

whiskylollipop · Feb 5, 2015

I would stick a heater in there, on low at first and gradually up the temp over a few days. In case the babies start wandering away from the warm nest.

Don't bring them indoors or disturb mum, but you can handle the babies to tame them and also check to on their health and remove dead ones. Mature bunny testicles are fairly easy to see if the male doesn't retract them, so in a calm moment with your bunnies, gently lift them up and have a look.

squidpop · Feb 6, 2015

I can't believe a chicken laid eggs on them. Stupid chicken! lol!
I would leave them in the barn and put in the space heater (provided you thing it won't cause a fire)
The babies should stay warm as long as they don't crawl out of the nest, even if it is very cold. So if they are in a nest box with sides that are suitably high so they can't get out then they should be fine. If the nest box has low sides I would do what ever I could to prevent them from being able to crawl out.
I don't think you should do this but, I read a lot of forums and it seems like many people who have rabbitries outdoors in barns where its very cold, do a routine thing where they take the nest box indoors and then go outside in the morning and evening so the doe can feed them and then take nest box back inside. But I wouldn't do that unless you think they are in danger from chickens or rats being in a barn.

Kimchilla · Feb 6, 2015

Thank-you for the advice!

I will leave them. They are in the barn, inside the kidding room, in a hutch - luckily, she used the hutch! Like I said, they are free ranging rabbits.
I checked the live four kits over, and removed on dead one that the mother or a chicken had moved already.

Our American Chinchilla is confirmed a male. I hadn't looked since he was a baby. And the mother is the little Mini Satin. Am I correct to assume that she is likely already re-bred?
I guess... we'll have to look into getting "Kim" neutered...

How old are kits when they can breed each other or their mother?

majorv · Feb 6, 2015

Typically, you don't need to worry about separating the kits by sex until they're 10-12 weeks old. As soon as their eyes open they will start wandering so it's important to restrict where they can go until they're a little older. Yes, the doe could very well already be pregnant again.