So we have a CA doe that I left in our buck’s hutch for 3 days (I now it sounds unorthodox but given how unaggressive our does are I know from experience it works for us). Prior to this she weighed 8 lbs. 4 oz. One week after leaving the buck’s hutch she weighs about 9 lbs! Is she pregnant? I believe our scales are accurate but that seems like quite a large jump. Obviously I didn’t get to see any fall offs given I wasn’t watching them most of the time. I’ve never had much luck palpating but I can try putting in the kindling box at day 14. Some say that a dam can make a nest 2 weeks prior to kindling. I just don’t want her using it as a litter box although it would let me now if she is pregnant.
What does everything think?
I appreciate everyone’s input.
So whether or not she's pregnant, she would not have that kind of weight gain in one week from developing kits. The weight gain tends to be later in the pregnancy. Maybe she had just been generously helping herself to the buck's ration. Or maybe she was actually already pregnant from a previous attempt.
If it was me, I'd look back to the very first time she was in with a buck, whether or not I saw mating behavior, and put the box in 28 days after that date.
Like
@ladysown said, watch for signs she's nesting, like digging in the corner (even on bare wire) or "haystaching", which involves gathering up incredible amounts of hay or straw in her mouth, like this:
Incidentally, I've had does nest 2 weeks early and have successful litters, and others that were apparently false pregnancies.
I've had does that use the nest box as a potty before kindling. Some continue to do it while raising babies in it. In fact most or all does poop in the box at least a little bit; the babies nibble on the poops (not just the cecotropes) and in this way their gut is colonized by the beneficial microorganisms from the doe's gut.
If it gets nasty, just clean it out and give it back to her with fresh bedding; try not to place the box where she normally goes to the bathroom. You can also try giving her a different box, or even two boxes. Sometimes when a doe doesn't seem satisfied with the box I give her, pulling the hay out and making a nest in the cage corner, I pretty much fill her cage with boxes. She'll almost always choose one.
