Needing advice

[II Arrows]

This morning I was delighted to find that my NZB doe (Kodo) and my cali mix mutt doe (elsa) had successfully delivered their kits. This is my first litter(s) so i could use some guidence. I peeked inside kodo's nest box and counted 7 from what I could see and Elsa had 3 from what I counted. All looked like they had full bellies and we're as active as the should be when I checked. Being that this is the first litter which I didn't find them all frozen to death I would like to keep as many alive as I possibly can. The weather here in NC has been mild. Day Temps have been warm and dipping into the mid to low 50s at night Give or tske A few degrees. should I leave the nest boxes in 24/7 or should I bring them in taking them out for feedings at sunrise and sunset? Should I take a few kits from the one nest box and put in the other? Kodo is a first time mom and I can honestly say I was impressed with her nesting skills. Elsa had 2 previous strikes against her but she did the right thing this go around but had 3 kits. I'm not putting the blame on her because the father was a virgin Rex buck lol. Any advice, tips, tricks, or info would be greatly appreciated. Also I didn't want to handle the kits to to much because I was afraid of injury or the mama rejecting them. They will be in there with the mama tonight until I figure out what my and their best chance of survival is. Thank you all again.

 

[ottersatin]

Hello Arrows,
I would leave the nestbox where it is and allow the Dam to take proper care as needed.
As long as there is enough bedding and Fur the kits should be fine.
There should be no problem with you handling the kits.
I handle mine soon after birth. The Dam should be quite used to your scent
and handling of her or her offspring. I would not mix the kits at this point,
A Dam can easily care for up to 10 kits. They take turns at the fountain.
Their best chance for survival is always with the Dam, unless she is a constant freakout!
Have trust in your charges, they will most often amaze you.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[Dood]

Otter satin has given terrific advice

You can even out the litters if you like but 7 should be easy for the doe to feed, if any seem to be falling behind you can foster them later

50' is nothing and as long as there is plenty of fur and they cannot get out of the nest and lost, they should all be fine

I've never had a doe reject a litter from handling and inspect my litters frequently - mainly because they are just so cute

 

[II Arrows]

Thank you Otter. Both of my does made fantastic nests i would say. I will make sure to really get in the nest boxes and thoroughly check out the kits tomorrow. I have read that many people take out the nest box and bring it out once or twice a day for feedings. like you said I'd rather leave the kits with the mama Instead of taking them in and out of the house for their feedings. When should I take the nest boxes out? I apologize for all the rookie questions I have. I heard you can take the nest boxes out around 14 to 18 days.

 

[Susie570]

I too mine out when the kits seemed to be spending more time out of the box than in it.

 

[II Arrows]

Thanx dood. The thing was, I was a little worried about elsa's litter. she only dropped 3 kits. Should they be ok, having each other to keep warm During the cooler night time temps? I really didn't want to foster any kits if I didn't have to. Thanks again

 

[MamaSheepdog]

10 kits between two does? I would foster two and even out the litters to five kits per doe. They will grow more evenly that way.

If you leave them as is, you will see a huge difference in size between the kits in the litters.

 

[II Arrows]

10 kits between two does? I would foster two and even out the litters to five kits per doe. They will grow more evenly that way.

If you leave them as is, you will see a huge difference in size between the kits in the litters.

Well I brought the two nest boxes inside to check the status of the kits. All seemed well and active. Kodo my black new Zealand doe had in fact 10 kits Not the original 7 like I thought. I noticed 2 were very small compared to the rest of the kits.
When I checked Elsa's nest box, the cali mix mutt, she did have 3. Just like mama said they were way, way bigger then any one of kodo's kits. So what I decided to do was to take the 2 smaller kits from kodo and let elsa foster the 2 smaller runt kits. Was this a smart or a poor choice? My logic behind it was that they would have less competition now meaning less kits to compete with for the milk. But as I sit here and think about it I'm doubting myself and wondering if they have enough fight and determination to get passed the much bigger kits. I guess time will tell.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Just like mama said they were way, way bigger then any one of kodo's kits.

Remarkable difference, isn't it? That's why you hear of some show breeders culling newborns down to litters of five or six. There is only so much milk to go around, after all.

So what I decided to do was to take the 2 smaller kits from kodo and let elsa foster the 2 smaller runt kits. Was this a smart or a poor choice?

I consider Ladysown to be the resident expert on fostering. From what she has said in the past, I would instead take the largest kits and foster them over, leaving the smallest all together.

Another thing you can do is remove Elsa's box for the day and then when you take it to her to nurse remove her three fatties and just let Kodi's fostered ones nurse. You could do the same thing tomorrow. Just make sure that Elsa's kits do get at least one feeding per day so they don't get dehydrated.