# Rabbits milk dried up?



## texastami (Sep 13, 2002)

We had a NZB have kits a week ago... four only... they were VERY large.... one died two days old... the other died yesterday... the other two kept getting thinner and thinner... I checked her for milk and she is completely DRY...

We went to KRM and they are doing great... but WHY did she go dry??


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## brandkelz (Apr 15, 2011)

Might not have been enough food. We had a doe that had a litter of 13 and we were giving her what we normally fed pregnant does and she wasnt producing near enough milk. I had to immediately put her on free fed and supplement with BOSS and it took a couple of days and 4 kits lost before she started producing enough milk. We also use 18% feed for everybody, but especially for nursing mothers.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

Nursing does should always be free fed, IMO.


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## Pat Lamar (Jun 19, 2002)

I once had a NZW doe who was a super milker and mom... except when bred to a specific buck? Her milk never came down and I lost the entire litter. I immediately rebred her to a different buck and she had a fine, healthy litter with lots of milk. So... then, I bred her BACK to the first buck... and again, she had no milk! Sure sounds weird, but I guess there's something fatally genetic about that combination. Go figure, eh?

Pat Lamar


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## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

is she an experienced doe? If for some reason they won't let the kits nurse, they will dry up rather fast.

Even my does that got preggo immediately didn't dry up until they are about to kindle (after 3 weeks). 

My rabbits have free choice food all the time, so the only feed related problems I have is TOO FAT!


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## brandkelz (Apr 15, 2011)

Our does go on free fed once they kindle and we never had any milk problems cept for that one doe and that one time. Sorry that I didnt state it like that earlier Maggie.


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## texastami (Sep 13, 2002)

Well, we are down to the one large kit... the smaller of the two passed about 20 minutes ago... full belly and was doing great this morning... but tonite acted like it had had a stroke... no one had touched them or did anything with them since noon feeding so I don't know... 

will do my best to keep the other alive... he's doing good... just sad he's the only one to survive...


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

Pat Lamar said:


> I once had a NZW doe who was a super milker and mom... except when bred to a specific buck? Her milk never came down and I lost the entire litter. I immediately rebred her to a different buck and she had a fine, healthy litter with lots of milk. So... then, I bred her BACK to the first buck... and again, she had no milk! Sure sounds weird, but I guess there's something fatally genetic about that combination. Go figure, eh?
> 
> Pat Lamar


This only makes sense if the kits just didn't nurse or physically couldn't nurse enough to stimulate milk productuion (or keep her from drying up). It wouldn't change momma's genetics, obviously, so would not effect her milk supply when you change who she's bred to.


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## Falls-Acre (May 13, 2009)

The one kit probably aspirated. It sounds to me as though she either didn't have milk to begin or simply refused to nurse the kits. I've had that happen before. Good luck with the remaining kit.


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## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

mygoat has a point though, around here some of the ranchers prefer to breed their calmer Angus cows to this Angus cross type that is a bit more high strung. They said the calves are way more active, get up faster and nurse more aggressively.

So breeding to a specific buck may result in problems, but it is with the kits produced by the cross.


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