Quaker Farm Home

Contact & Visitor Info


Free Range Eggs

Quaker Soaps

Wool & Fiber


Grass fed Lamb & Mutton


Buff Orpington
Chickens

Border Leicester & Cotswold
Sheep


AKC Collies

Quaker Pantry
Recipes & more!

Sustainable Living Workshops
Quaker Hill Farm
Harrisville, Michigan
QuakerFarm.com


How a Baby Bunny Grows
Watching a baby bunny grow from 1 day old to 6 weeks old

A story for children written by Quaker Anne
Photos by Bill
This might be a good resource for young home schoolers - pass it on!

At Quaker Farm, we raise rabbits. Our rabbits come in different colors and every one of them loves to eat carrots!

A female rabbit is called a doe and a male rabbit is called a buck. Male and female deer and goats are called bucks and does too.

When a mama rabbit feels that it is time to have her babies, she pulls a large amount of her hair out from around her tummy and makes a nest. She does this so that when her babies are born, they have a soft cuddly nest to grow in. When a doe rabbit gives birth to her babies, she is said to have "kindled".

God created baby rabbits to grow up very fast. Just 2 weeks after being born they will be hopping around and eating mostly on their own. Lets watch a nest of baby rabbits every week as they grow from day 1 day old to 6 weeks old and see how fast they grow, how much they change, what they look like and what they are doing.

Day One, Birth Day

newborn baby bunnies When a baby rabbit is born he is blind. He can not open his eyes because he is just too little to open them yet. When he gets a little bigger he will be able to open his eyes. He has no hair yet either, so he is naked. In a few days, their hair will grow in little by little.

The black colored bunnies will have black or grey hair and the bunnies with pink skin and black spots will have white hair with black spots.

Like most living things, God created baby rabbits to be totally dependant on their mama so they are very fragile. Their mother tenderly takes care of them so they will grow up big and strong.

In their birth group, baby rabbits are called a litter. Cats and dogs have litters too!


another look at the day old babies Here is another picture of the same litter. The babies move around a lot!

There are many, many different breeds or kinds of rabbits. There are very small rabbits and very big ones. These baby rabbits are called Checkered Giants. Checkered Giants are very large rabbits as adults so these babies will be big when they grow up. But for now, they are very little. When they are just a day old like these babies are, they are only as long as your mom or dad's middle finger.


one last look
Lets take a closer look at the baby bunnies on day one. Do you see how the black color forms a stripe down the back of the little black and pink baby? Oh, by the way, their mama's name is "Oreo" because she is black and white just like an oreo cookie!

It looks like two of these little babies are going to look just like their mama, don't you think?








Day Seven, 1 Week Old
bunnies 1 week old Look at how much the baby bunnies have grown in just one week. They all have hair now and some of them can open their eyes. They play in their nest now and each hop in quick little jumps around and over one another.









baby bunnies finally with hair They are still too little to leave their nest because they completely depend on their mama to feed and take care of them and protect them. She looks after all of their needs and keeps them company most of the time. A mama bunny only leaves her nest when she is hungry or thirsty and she always tells visitors to be very quiet and careful around her babies.







baby bunnies finally with hair Sometimes baby bunnies hop on top of each other. They try and wake up their brothers or sisters who are taking a nap and invite them to join in playtime! It probably wouldn't feel very nice to wake up and find your brother or sister standing on your head would it! But baby bunny brothers and sisters love each other very much and don't fight over things very often, even if they are being stood upon. Do you remember how Jesus said that we should love one another just as He loves us? We should love our brothers and sisters like baby bunnies do and the way Jesus asks us too!

baby bunnies Look at how little baby bunnies are. We put a one dollar bill next to them so you could see for yourself how little they are! By next week they will change a great deal and be even bigger!






Day fourteen, 2 Weeks Old
Oreo welcomes us for a visit We knocked on Oreo's door in the morning when the baby bunnies were 2 weeks old and asked her if we could visit with her babies. "Yes!", she said, "Please do come in. My babies are just having their breakfast." So, we took a look inside.












baby bunnies Sure enough, there were the baby bunnies enjoying a breakfast of grass and leaves. They pick up a single blade of grass at a time and chew it shorter and shorter all the way to the end. They really love eating fresh grass and vegetables!







baby bunnies eating breakfast Sometimes baby bunnies take a break from eating grass to eat their grain. Grain to a baby bunny is like cereal to you and me. But no matter how good the grain is, baby bunnies like fresh food much better...we should too! Remember, in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve did not have cereal. They ate the food God created for them, fresh fruits and vegetables!









baby bunnies eating breakfast The baby bunnies are 14 days old now and are able to play outside of their nest. But, their mama keeps a close watch over them because they are still too little to be away from her for long. Although they eat solid food, they are not weaned yet and still nurse. Can you see the little baby bunny who is cuddled there under mama Oreo - he is nursing! We thanked Oreo for letting us visit and told her we would be back for more pictures next week.





To be continued.....



New Words You Have Learned
Nest
Litter
Buck
Doe
kindle
Checkered Giant



Return to Quaker Anne's Children's Stories

Return to Quaker Hill Farm Homepage



We hope you enjoy our Internet site and we hope you will visit again.

"The Lord bless thee and keep thee...."
- Numbers 6:24