Frecs
Well-known member
I wanted to update ya'll on the progress for my two Silver Fox does, Jumpp and Country Mile. Jumpp kindled a week ago Monday; Country Mile kindled this past Saturday.
Jumpp had 8 kits, all live births. This is her second litter (she lost all the kits in her first litter). She is being an excellent mother this time around. The kits are growing like weeds! We did have one loss -- at last night's nestbox checks, one kit was missing. I searched and searched but could not find it. My guess is it got dragged out of the box, wiggled out of the cage and down into the straw and...well...I was not able to find it.
Country Mile is also on her second litter (she lost all but three of her first -- those were fostered out and two survived). She has pulled so much fur it is a wonder she isn't bald! She gave birth to 8 live kits. I was concerned last night that she might not be nursing or perhaps didn't have enough milk. A friend suggested she had to be nursing or they would be dead after 48 hours without milk. This morning's nestbox check found 5 looking nicely fed, 2 looking smaller and hungry, and 1 missing. I presume that the missing one died and she "cleaned up the nest". I held her over the two little ones so they could nurse more. I'll do that again this evening and see where things stand tomorrow morning.
opcorn: Oh, and a funny story. To add to my drama this morning, just as I was finishing up with nest checks, all :explode: :twisted: :explode: broke loose in the dogyard. I went to see what was going on, and I find one of my (huge) Muscovy drakes has gotten into the dogyard and my cocker spaniel and chi/basenji are both going after it. So, I'm yelling at them to leave my duck alone while I hurry over and into the dog yard. Tanner, the spaniel, stops when I tell him to (he was no more trying to hurt the duck than he tries to hurt the cat when he acts this way with her -- doesn't even get drool on them). BUT, not so Trixie, the chi/basenji! She is all about having some duck for breakfast! The drake lets me pick him up (a first -- but fear of death will do that to a duck) and take him out. The duck and I then have a little talk about not doing that in the future. I think he said something like "no @#*! lady" but I could have heard wrong. Animals...sigh... opcorn:
Jumpp had 8 kits, all live births. This is her second litter (she lost all the kits in her first litter). She is being an excellent mother this time around. The kits are growing like weeds! We did have one loss -- at last night's nestbox checks, one kit was missing. I searched and searched but could not find it. My guess is it got dragged out of the box, wiggled out of the cage and down into the straw and...well...I was not able to find it.
Country Mile is also on her second litter (she lost all but three of her first -- those were fostered out and two survived). She has pulled so much fur it is a wonder she isn't bald! She gave birth to 8 live kits. I was concerned last night that she might not be nursing or perhaps didn't have enough milk. A friend suggested she had to be nursing or they would be dead after 48 hours without milk. This morning's nestbox check found 5 looking nicely fed, 2 looking smaller and hungry, and 1 missing. I presume that the missing one died and she "cleaned up the nest". I held her over the two little ones so they could nurse more. I'll do that again this evening and see where things stand tomorrow morning.
opcorn: Oh, and a funny story. To add to my drama this morning, just as I was finishing up with nest checks, all :explode: :twisted: :explode: broke loose in the dogyard. I went to see what was going on, and I find one of my (huge) Muscovy drakes has gotten into the dogyard and my cocker spaniel and chi/basenji are both going after it. So, I'm yelling at them to leave my duck alone while I hurry over and into the dog yard. Tanner, the spaniel, stops when I tell him to (he was no more trying to hurt the duck than he tries to hurt the cat when he acts this way with her -- doesn't even get drool on them). BUT, not so Trixie, the chi/basenji! She is all about having some duck for breakfast! The drake lets me pick him up (a first -- but fear of death will do that to a duck) and take him out. The duck and I then have a little talk about not doing that in the future. I think he said something like "no @#*! lady" but I could have heard wrong. Animals...sigh... opcorn:
