jimmywalt":3b1ykxgl said:
That parsley trick is the BEST!!!!
We will never have a birth without some nearby.
It does do wonders, doesn't it?
Marinea":3b1ykxgl said:
I use the method learned here (MSD, I think?). I sit down and put a towel in my lap, letting it droop a little between my legs.
That wasn't me- someone else posted that method, which I immediately started recommending since flipping the doe resulted in kits flying across the room when I tried it. :x
The "parsley trick" is mine though.
It works by stimulating contractions of the uterus, which in turn lets down milk. It is my favorite "post-partum treat" to give a doe right after kindling, and they never fail to gobble it right up.
However, in the long term parsley can also dry up milk, and is one of the herbs used for that purpose when trying to end lactation. Just to be safe, I feed it only for the first few days when necessary to start a doe producing milk.
Another great plant for increasing milk (without the possible side effect of drying it up) is Borage. Most people don't have that readily available, nor is it sold in the produce section of any grocery store I have seen, so parsley is a great standby that most people have easy access to.
As with any "drug" natural or pharmaceutical, even Borage has risks. I think it may have contributed to a case of developing mastitis in one of my does by causing her to produce too much milk too early- so I then needed to offer mint and catnip to counterbalance the effects. Interestingly, none of my rabbits would ever eat catnip when I offered it, but that doe snatched it out of my hands and inhaled it because she needed it at the time.
