06/15/2018
It's been a slow start to JBF's 2018 breeding season. In a lot of ways it's not a bad thing after the last two bumper crops of kits I've had.
I brought in 2 hobs this season to put with a couple of my girls. One of the boys was not interested and just wanted to be friends with my girls. The other hob was put with my two girls from Toastie and Rime born in 2016, Sia and Evi.
Evi falsed and Sia delivered after I gave her a lute shot on June 8th. She delivered 2 live kits and 3 stillborn kits. I probably should have luted her earlier but I do try to let nature take it's course.
At first everything was going well, Sia seemed attentive being a first time mom and she had milk. A couple days later things weren't going so well. Looked like she had retained something, a placenta or another kit. Anyway, she got a pyo and I had to start drastic measures. I immediately gave her an oxy shot to hopefully clean out whatever was left. Over the night it looked to work, but she was not out of the woods. She was put on an antibiotic for the infection and I had to force her to eat and drink. I was able to leave the kits with her, I really had no choice since after checking around no other breeders had young enough litters to take them in.
It's been a rough week. Sia hasn't wanted to eat or drink on her own and the kits were looking peaked. I had to be away for 12 hours on Thursday and I figured I would return home to find they had all passed away. I left some Stella & Chewy's rabbit and her regular kibble mix in her bowl before I left early Thursday for work. Well, I returned home and found she had drank almost the whole small bottle of water and ate the Stella & Chewy's plus some of her kibble mix. Also both kits were still with us. Friday morning she was much more alert and the kits looked to be much fatter. Hopefully we have turned the corner and hopefully it will continue to be good. She is back to trying to bite me when I go to check the kits - which for her is a great thing!
At this point I am not sure if I will try to have any more litters this season so I am sorry to say there will probably not be any JBF kits available this season.
