I think she got it figured out...

[alforddm]

My REW doe who I wasn't sure was bred has pulled fur and made a nest on the wire. Under the drip of her water none-the-less. I moved things around put the nest box where the waterer was and put the fur in the nest box. I'm hoping she will get the idea. This is day 29 for her. Does the fact that she is already pulling fur mean that kits are imminent or should I just let her build a few practice nests?

 

[Zass]

I think you already did everything right.

She may have them soon.

 

[alforddm]

Thank you Zass. I'll keep checking on her.

-- Sun Mar 01, 2015 5:07 pm --

I'm "fairly" sure she is going to have babies tonight. She is normally not a restless doe but she seems to have trouble sitting still and is grooming/licking her nether regions. Then again, she could just be faking me out. She still hasn't made a nest in the nest box but I have seen her jump in and out of it several times.

I'm probably more nervous than she is. My proven doe is way ahead of the curve. She has made her nest in the box like a good girl and is now ignoring it. She won't pull fur until right before the babies get here.

The other doe isn't doing anything lol. <br /><br /> -- Tue Mar 03, 2015 7:22 am -- <br /><br /> Well she did had babies this morning...on the wire. Thankfully she had made a nice nest and only 1 had crawled out and gotten chilled (That one is currently wrapped in a warm towel). She had peed in the nest box again after I had cleaned it out yesterday. So, I changed the liner again and moved the nest. She was not happy with me. While I was trying to move the nest and she was trying to stop me she may have stomped a couple of babies. I'll check them later. She does carry broken. One of the babies is defiantly a broken, one is a chin I think, and the rest are REW for a total of 6. 5 if the chilled one doesn't make it.

The other first time doe (the broken himi) made a nice nest in the nest box and she had 9 but I think 2 are doa. I'm warming them but I'm pretty sure they are gone. I didn't pay as much attention to her babies as I was just trying to get them checked and get the cold ones on the house to warm but I don't remember seeing a solid. They were either all broken or himi/REW.

The funny thing is the broken pups from both these does look Charlie. Any ideas on that?

 

[Dood]

The doe must have the modifiers for false charlies (instead of for regular broken or booted brokens)

 

[katiebear]

Not to butt in here..Alforddam the next time (not that I want there to be a next time ) try putting the cold ones in your bra, it will give them some warmth while you take care of the live ones.
I learned recently..on R.T. to look at the nails if there is no blood in the nail they will most likely come back, but if there is blood then they are gone.
Best wishes ...pulling for you and your little ones.

 

[alforddm]

Not to butt in here..Alforddam the next time (not that I want there to be a next time ) try putting the cold ones in your bra, it will give them some warmth while you take care of the live ones.
I learned recently..on R.T. to look at the nails if there is no blood in the nail they will most likely come back, but if there is blood then they are gone.
Best wishes ...pulling for you and your little ones.

Well, I wasn't wearing a bra :lol: I usually don't unless I'm going out in public. I'm not very ummm gifted and after nursing 4 kids it just seems like a exercise in futility. I know TMI right? :lol:

I did bring them in and put them in a warm towel in a warm dryer however they never came back. I even removed them several times to rewarm the dryer. The two I think were DOA, were already starting the get stiff, so probably wasn't much to be done there. The other one I noticed has some bruising around the back legs and abdomen. I'll have to remember the toe nail trick, although, I hope I don't' have to use it very often.

I'll check on the remaining kits this evening and may try to get some pics. I've got my fingers crossed that they actually feed them and I'm still hoping the white doe didn't hurt any of the kits when I was trying to get the nest out.

Mitka is due to have her kits tomorrow or the next day. She has had two litters and hasn't lot a kit yet. *fingers crossed* She would be perfect if she was twice as big. :lol:

 

[katiebear]

You have my sympathy, (on the loss not the "other" thing :lol: .)I have lost a few new born kits too...Mostly runts who didn't stand a chance anyway,but, it still hurts. I had one once that seemed to be stepped on too, You have to wonder how that happens but, I guess it just does.. :?: ...In my litter of eight that are three days old today I have one that I will probably loose. I lap fed him this morning so he got a tummy, but he is only half the size of his siblings.
Funny how that works huh..You can raise a litter to dispatch with no problem but loose one or two in the nest and it breaks your heart.

 

[alforddm]

I wasn't expecting anything from Mitka until tomorrow but she surprised me when I went out to feed a bit ago. There was fur in the nest! I got to digging and I think they're are 10 of them! From a 6lb doe! I'm so excited I can't stop smiling. She really out did herself this time. Her previous litters have been 5 and 7.

I checked the other does and the REW's babies are all still alive and kicking so I guess she didn't mash any like I had feared. I even found an extra one in the nest so that brings her live total to 6. The himi doe's are all still good as well.

Now the bad news...Both the REW doe and the Himi doe are vicious! I'm hoping they will calm down a bit but man don't put your hand in the cage without gloves! If I had more than the 3 does they would both be going in the freezer but I don't so I guess I'll put up with them at least for a while. I expected that from the himi doe but the white one surprised me.

 

[Susie570]

10 Kits!! :shock: Congrats!!

Hopefully the does will calm their butts down congrats on the slew of healthy popples!

 

[katiebear]

If that is new behavior it is probably just due to the babies..I have a doe who will eat you alive until the kits come out of the nest. Then she is back to her normal docile self. :shock: go figure..
Congratulations on the litters..ten is awesome!

 

[alforddm]

An update for this morning. The REW doe had not fed her kits. She had made another empty nest on the wire and pulled more hair for it but didn't seem to understand that is not where her kits were. I held her over the nestbox and at least one kit got a full belly. I'll keep doing this until I find them with full bellies on her own. Maybe she'll eventually get the idea.

The himi doe had two more dead ones in the nest. They were with the others and covered with fur but were cold and stiff. There was some blood so I think she must have stepped on them. On the bright side the other kits all had full bellies. I even found an extra one so, even with four dead ones she still has 6. That would have brought her total to 10 if they had all lived.

Mitka's babies all had full bellies.

I want to say how much I appreciate Rabbittalk and all of you. It's so nice to have good information before you actually need it!

This is one of the brokens. From the REW doe. <br /><br /> -- Wed Mar 04, 2015 6:01 pm -- <br /><br /> I went out just a few minutes ago (right before dark for me) with the intent of holding White (the REW doe) over the nest box again so the kits could nurse. I was pleasantly surprised to find them all with full bellies already. So, I guess she figured it out. So, both of the first time Mom's seem to be caring for their kits now. Each of them have 6 live kits (out of 7 and 10) and of course Mitka still has her 10.

This will be my last update on this thread. As soon as the weather clears and warms up again I'll try to get some pictures of the litters. We are under yet another winter storm warning. I mean really? STOP already. Usually by this time we have daffodils everywhere.