Maybe Just maybe

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Ole Mule

Ole Mule

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The doe I was having such a hard time with trying to get her mated, well about a month ago I was successful to get the buck to mount her one time and fall off backwards. So she was schedule to delivery today Friday and I put the nest box in three days ago she threw every thing out of it and out of her pen so so I filled it back up and she did the same thing again so I leave it a lone. So I was thinking no go. But she was doing the same thing her mom does which is keep emptying her food hopper on the ground, ticks me off when they do that, but that is a sign her mom is pregnant so I was hoping Just maybe Just maybe. Well today is the day so I go out side and see her pulling fur and putting it in a corner of her cage so I put it in the nest box so now I see her in the nest box pulling fur. So Maybe Just Maybe she will have some little ones got my fingers cross. Hoping she stays in the box and not on the wire.
 
Hope you have a litter soon. Is this her first? Even if she has them on the wire, it must be getting warm where you are and if they're not left there too long, they should survive.
Will be watching for news--and photos.
 
Well it is a no go with the nest box she keeps removing the fur from it and trying to nest in a different corner so I took it out and put a low low cut cardboard box in there and it seems she is leaving the fur in it. She also had one baby and chewed it up founded it on the ground. It seems she is going to leave the fur in low cut cardboard box she is now stretched out comfortable looking in her cage so will leave her a lone for a little while, If she loses them she just loses them, nothing else I can think of to do. I have places to go an things to do so can't hang around much longer. But still keeping my fingers crossed.

This is her first litter she is a year old I have been trying to get her pregnant for a long time it has been a no go but got lucky just once. She has been on the verge for the FC but was hoping. Now I will save one from my last litter to replace her with. <br /><br /> __________ Fri Apr 10, 2015 10:33 am __________ <br /><br /> She had them and all I can find are bits and pieces so she must have ate them as she had them. She will definitely go to the freezer camp sometime next week.
 
Ole Mule":3bpofdyo said:
Well it is a no go with the nest box she keeps removing the fur from it and trying to nest in a different corner so I took it out and put a low low cut cardboard box in there and it seems she is leaving the fur in it. She also had one baby and chewed it up founded it on the ground. It seems she is going to leave the fur in low cut cardboard box she is now stretched out comfortable looking in her cage so will leave her a lone for a little while, If she loses them she just loses them, nothing else I can think of to do. I have places to go an things to do so can't hang around much longer. But still keeping my fingers crossed.

This is her first litter she is a year old I have been trying to get her pregnant for a long time it has been a no go but got lucky just once. She has been on the verge for the FC but was hoping. Now I will save one from my last litter to replace her with.

__________ Fri Apr 10, 2015 10:33 am __________

She had them and all I can find are bits and pieces so she must have ate them as she had them. She will definitely go to the freezer camp sometime next week.
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Most people will recommend not judging a doe by her first litter. Most people recommend using a 'three strikes you're out' rule. First time moms often 'blow it', they just don't understand what they're doing. I would suggest rebreeding her immediately and see how the next litter goes.
 
Syberchick70":r0niduzm said:
Most people will recommend not judging a doe by her first litter. Most people recommend using a 'three strikes you're out' rule. First time moms often 'blow it', they just don't understand what they're doing. I would suggest rebreeding her immediately and see how the next litter goes.
Click to expand...

Well then how soon to mate her because this will be her last chance I will go with a two strikes out rule. I am going to give her the rest of the day to see if anything else will happen. I have had high hopes for this doe but she been nothing but trouble. <br /><br /> __________ Fri Apr 10, 2015 11:12 am __________ <br /><br /> Got one that is still whole and alive so I will see what happens now.
 
Ole Mule":quehu4o2 said:
Syberchick70":quehu4o2 said:
Most people will recommend not judging a doe by her first litter. Most people recommend using a 'three strikes you're out' rule. First time moms often 'blow it', they just don't understand what they're doing. I would suggest rebreeding her immediately and see how the next litter goes.
Click to expand...

Well then how soon to mate her because this will be her last chance I will go with a two strikes out rule. I am going to give her the rest of the day to see if anything else will happen. I have had high hopes for this doe but she been nothing but trouble.

__________ Fri Apr 10, 2015 11:12 am __________

Got one that is still whole and alive so I will see what happens now.
Click to expand...

Most of the folks here tend to recommend breeding right after kindling, or as close to it as possible and I think that would be particularly true of a first time doe who had trouble with her litter. It probably wouldn't hurt to wait a day or so though. It's possible she had stuck kits since she chewed them up. Glad you got a live one, you'll have to pay extra attention to making sure it stays warm enough if it's a singleton.
 
They are now five and all appear to be OK. So it looks like she ate two of them the first two that were born. They are in the nest an covered up. The nest is a cardboard box with side about two inches high she would have nothing to do with a regular nest. I am going to try and fashion a nest with higher side and transfer them in a couple of days. Is this a good idea or a bad idea. I am scared they will get out of such a low nest will she abandon them if I put them in a better nest box one with out a top.
 
I don't do three strikes, simply because I've never had to. (My mutt line usually produces good mothers from the get-go.)

I've never ever had a doe abandon kits because I moved them or messed with them....and I mess a lot.
 
OK I built another nest box minus the top and took the babies out of the low cardboard container and put them in the new one total count 6 looking OK. Hope I didn't mess up but was worried about the low sides on the card board box. Now was thinking mama can jump in from anywhere and land on the babies, can't do nothing about that. So still keeping my fingers crossed. New box resembles actual nest box with out a top.

Does not look like I will have to do any strikes either at least I hope not. Thinking she was all confused when the babies started coming maybe that why she eat two of them. I will leave them alone now and check on them tomorrow morning. This was a father daughter mating of my mutt rabbits which are a cross of Dutch x Flemish Giant. It was a brother--- sister cross and I kept a doe so now its father daughter cross. I hope to keep a doe and make Grandfather granddaughter cross.
 
Once she is caring for them transferring them to a nestbox tends to work quite well. NOTE: if you rebreed her you may see her corner nesting again and will need to decide if that's the way you want her to go.
 
You might be able to cut a "dip" in the front of the box--just cut it the top edge a few inches lower so that she's able to peek in & jump in easier.

Wonder if the first two were not coming out easily, and she tried to "help" get them out of herself before she figured out what was going on....sure not a pleasant sight for you to find. :sick: Hope everything goes well from this point out!
 
I've found the does are normally very receptive emidiately after kindling although that also leaves the problem of what to do with the kids that are still in the cage when she is getting ready to kingle again. I normally try not to remove the kits till at least 4 weeks old.
 
Checked on the new arrivals she hasn't hurt anymore and 6 are still living covered up with fur. At least she is not as mean as her moma. So it looks like she is a keeper. Totals in the litter is not important to me 4 or 5 would be ideal not going to complain about 6. This been a hard doe to get pregnant she just don't like to cooperate. So maybe after this litter she will be more willing.
 
It's also possible that the first two were stillborn, and she was cleaning up (and didn't do a great job). And... they could have been stillborn because they were stuck.

Hopefully, this helps get her into the breeding rotation. Good luck! :)
 

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