much anticipated litter coming :)

[huntress86]

As some of you may remember, it has been a little bit of a hard road for us as far as having our first litter. With two does we have been trying for a litter since October, and I think it's finally gonna happen tonight/morning.

I came home from work around 12:30 tonight and immediately checked on the buns, this is what i found

We are having crazy wind with the temps going from the 60's to the low teens again tonight with very high wind. They have plenty of straw, and I pray that these babies will be ok.

I will be going outside every hour on the hour to keep an eye on my doe.I am prepared to bring them in, in a box if need be, box is already made up.

Anyone have any tips just in case I need to bring them in???

 

[rawfeeder]

I'm in the same boat as you... awaiting much anticipated litters any day now! Except my does are inside so I don't have to worry about the weather.

You could consider putting a tarp over the exposed parts of the cage, to prevent any chilling winds getting inside. As long as she builds a good nest, I would imagine the babies would be okay!! If you have to bring them inside, just keep them warm and take them out to the doe to feed twice per day. I imagine you will only have to do that for the first little while until they have fur and/or until the weather has calmed down a little bit

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I hope all goes well with your doe!

It looks like she has a good idea of what to do, and Rawfeeder gave you good advice. If she is nesting in the enclosed area in back of her the kits should be fine.

Try not to blow away or freeze when you go out to check her!

 

[huntress86]

Thank you! I was facebooking for a while with Bad Habit so by the time I saw your post about the double post someone has fixed it, and I thank them very much!!!

I have a long plywood board that we screw over the front of the cages, and ive packed the bottom of the nest box with pine shavings and have given an ample amount of straw. I checked her almost and hour ago, there was fur all over the place with a huge amount in her mouth, she wouldnt budge off the nest and was breathing kinda heavy.,. Im due to check her in a few mins, the wind is hitting 40mph here. I just heard the trash can go flying up against the house.



Oh the excitement!! I hope your litters come as easy as pie,are big litters, and are very healthy I want to see pictures as soon as you can get them uploaded!!!<br /><br />__________ Thu Jan 31, 2013 4:08 am __________<br /><br />thank you MSD, it must've been you who fixed my mess up, thank you.lol

 

[MamaSheepdog]

thank you MSD, it must've been you who fixed my mess up, thank you.lol

Yep, I got it. The double posting may be related to the problems we had earlier today. There were quite a few double posts before we went offline.

I checked her almost and hour ago, there was fur all over the place with a huge amount in her mouth

It sounds like you'll have popples soon! How exciting!

Be careful out in the wind. We get fierce winds here sometimes and the things I've seen fly through the air are pretty scary. :x

 

[rawfeeder]

Thank you Same to you! I expect pictures right away (as long as it is safe to do so). Good luck to you and your doe Huntress! Keep us all posted!!!

 

[huntress86]

its not good.. i just found half of them cold and lifeless...im trying to save them..<br /><br />__________ Thu Jan 31, 2013 5:08 am __________<br /><br />i was able to save five out of 10..the lifeless ones could not be saved..

i will still feel blessed to have the 5 saved.

 

[rawfeeder]

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear about the losses . Glad you were able to save five... I hope they are well and flourish from here in out!

 

[huntress86]

thank you, now i cant get the mother to nurse, shes being really mean. and when i hold her down, i dont think she is producing milk. :/

 

[Bad Habit]

Flip her and try that way? I think I read somewhere that the babies trying to nurse help the doe to produce milk.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

thank you, now i cant get the mother to nurse, shes being really mean. and when i hold her down, i dont think she is producing milk. :/

It can take up to 24hrs for her milk to come in...just be patient.

Congrats on the litter, I am glad you were able to save some.

 

[huntress86]

i let the babies try to nurse, im just afraid they will get weak or she will not accept them or something before her milk comes in, i know im paranoid..lol

 

[Teddy2511]

i let the babies try to nurse, im just afraid they will get weak or she will not accept them or something before her milk comes in, i know im paranoid..lol

That's okay, all of us are at times, and it sounds like you've waited a long time for this litter.
It is most likely that she won't nurse them in the first 24 hrs, but as long as she is not being mean to the kits, just give her time and I'm sure she will get it done. If not, you can always do as was suggested and hold her for them while they nurse. I have had to do this before with a runty kit that wasn't getting enough to eat, and it did the trick for her.

I am so glad you were able to save five of them, and I can't wait to see pics of the new popples! Keep us posted!

 

[AnnClaire]

Huntress, stop! Take a breath! Let it out slowly ... now, everything is FINE with the ones you saved. The most important thing is to keep them warm overnight! Don't keep taking them out and trying to get her to nurse them. She isn't ready yet, and you don't need to worry unless she hasn't nursed them by this time tomorrow night. And even then, I wouldn't worry overmuch, just offer them to her again the next morning.

If this is her first litter, be prepared to lose them all. That is sad, but it is the way it goes sometimes. Breed her back and give her another chance to get it all in the right order at the right time.

You did mention that you had pine shavings in the nest area ... she might not like them, so you might consider something else for the next time.

 

[sashakaran]

My first time doe kindled last Saturday, when before, I had lost 2 whole litters from the other doe I have.. It's depressing, and I've been trying since October, like you Huntress! My momma is VERY protective of her babies, and I was only able to touch her once: right after she had the first kit on the wire, and about 5 hours before she had the rest of the litter in the next box. With the first kit, I flipped her over, to try to get the lonely one to nurse-- I tried expressing milk, and she didn't have any. That first kit died, even though I warmed it up and brought it with me throughout the day in a milk jug nest box... But, about 10 hours later, the nest box was writhing with fat, happy, fed newborns-- it was suggested to me, that having the kit nurse, even with nothing there, stimulated momma to release birthing hormones and let down her milk. Either way, I was ecstatic to have a living litter and a great (albeit crazy protective) mom.

I wish the same with you!!!!!

 

[huntress86]

well she hasnt fed them for going on 24 hours, they are starting to get all wrinkled and not move around as much. ive tried flipping her and nothing, her breasts still dont feel like there is any milk. So i took them back out to her, shes very jittery so flipping her is a huge hassle. I tried to hand feed them and they wont take it. sooo..its super cold out, i really didnt want to take them out but i feel i cant do anything for them. did i take them out too soon?

 

[rawfeeder]

I would leave the babies in with her for a couple of hours (unattended) to see if she feeds them. If you are watching her, and she is naturally quite jittery, she might not want to do it with you around. Here is a video I found that shows how to syringe feed newborn babies, it might be of help to you...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2uhtRhQ4mw

And a video how to flip the momma, but you will need someone to help you. You could try covering her head to calm her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AkH9M3RmvM

Sorry I am not more help... I'm yet to raise a litter myself. Only know what I do from doing lots of research! Best of luck, keep us posted!

 

[huntress86]

your more help than you know! i took them out at 12:45 sadly, and went out to check on them about 20 mins ago. She was sitting right over top of them. i pray she was feeding them, i will check again here soon in case she wasnt or has dragged one out of the box. i will be looking at everything you posted, thank you for going out of your way to find some info for me

 

[rawfeeder]

You are very welcome I hope it helps in some way! Fingers crossed momma is feeding them... sounds like she is on the right track now I've got everything crossed for you and these popples to succeed!! :mbounce:

 

[huntress86]

well, when i woke this morning they were all dead. she had them strung all over the cage....