Is the doe pregnant?

[Br. Fidelis Ebeyer]

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.

 

[ladysown]

if you can't palpate then put the box in at day 28 OR when she asks for one (she'll be digging in a corner and carrying around food, or pulling fur to build a nest). If she asks for a box before day 14 she generally (not always) NOT be pregnant. Most does won't ask for a box before day 28 (at least given my experience in my herd) but the odd one will ask for a box 10 days before delivery and do a bit of nest building every day until they have babies.

I've learned in my herd if they poop in the box they aren't bred.

 

[Alaska Satin]

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.

 

[Br. Fidelis Ebeyer]

She definitely hasn’t been with a buck prior to this recent meeting. I too thought that was a large jump in weight for only one week. At what rate does a pregnant doe gain weight? I have noticed that her dewlap has grown quite a bit since being with the buck. I don’t think it just coming in through maturity given she is an older doe. Is there any way to tell if a doe has mated by assessing her parts? I know this works for some animals.

 

[Alaska Satin]

She definitely hasn’t been with a buck prior to this recent meeting. I too thought that was a large jump in weight for only one week. At what rate does a pregnant doe gain weight? I have noticed that her dewlap has grown quite a bit since being with the buck. I don’t think it just coming in through maturity given she is an older doe. Is there any way to tell if a doe has mated by assessing her parts? I know this works for some animals.

I've not noticed any consistent changes in early pregnancy other than changes in mood, e.g. uppity does sometimes get snuggly and snuggly does can get defensive, but even that's not 100%. Then again, I've not specifically attended to dewlap size, etc., and every animal is an individual, so I'd certainly entertain the possibility.

Sounds like a nest box would be in order, but you wouldn't necessarily have to give it early. Twenty-eight days after the first exposure to the buck would be fine.

 

[CedarRidge]

Our doe put on tremendous weight (visibly obvious) 2 weeks into her pregnancy. Her dewlap also noticeably grew. We put in her nest box at 28 days. At 32 days she built, lined, and kindled all in a matter of 4 hours. The only way we were sure she was pregnant was we could see the kits kicking in her around day 27.