Milk Supply of Rabbit Kits

In general, rabbit does nurse the kits once-a-day for 3-4 minutes. During this time the kits are able to consume their daily feed requirement, which is about equal to 1/6 of their body weight. The milk intake, body weight gain and survival of the kits depend on the milk production and their mother nursing willingness. However, the does are not able to cover the nutrient requirements of the suckling kits, especially on the 3rd week of lactation. The goal of this study is to examine the nutrient supplementation of nursing kits and to highlight the deficiencies of the nursing systems. The study summarizes the effect of using two nursing does per litter.