New litters this week-kits died, no milk

[skysthelimit]

Raven (jersey wooly) had 4 kits for her first litter, black to sable marten, one black, one silver marten, two REW.



Dotty had 8 black Silver Fox kits.




And finally Sealy, Seal to Cal Rex, had 9 Sable Rex kits, but two are deformed and will be culled. But seven is still good.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Shame about the two but that's still otherwise an awesome "haul!" Congrats!

 

[Marinea]

Congrats!

 

[AmysMacdog]

:congratulations:

 

[AnnClaire]

Hallelujia!!! :congratulations:

 

[pupraiser]

Congrats!! I've always wondered what other breeders do when they come across deformities in their lines. Is there any other course of action you will take after coming across this?

 

[skysthelimit]

Congrats!! I've always wondered what other breeders do when they come across deformities in their lines. Is there any other course of action you will take after coming across this?

She would have to produce this more than once to really be a problem, because there are two many factors that could contribute to deformities. Quite a few people in this region are experiencing problems with a particular feed, does have whole litters of dead, deformed kits, random deaths, kits not making weight. Then there was a sudden heat wave for several days, then a dramatic 40F temperature drop, and that could have caused a problem. Any one who consistently has any problems, small litters, etc, eventually gets culled.

 

[faiththequeen]

:congratulations:

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Congrats, Sky!

 

[skysthelimit]

Joy was short lived. Dam has no milk, it won't be long before they start dying.

As they say, better luck next time.<br /><br />__________ Sun May 26, 2013 4:40 pm __________<br /><br />dead. Waiting for the last two to die.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Oh no!

Raven, Dotty, or Sealy?

 

[skysthelimit]

Unfortunately, Sealy, the Seal Rex. I was sooo looking forward to having Sable Rex for Convention, it is my all time favorite color across all breeds.

The worst thing is she refuses to breed back. I am wondering if the deformed kits and the lack of milk have something to do with each other? Otherwise, she made a nest and pulled fur.

The SF litter will have to comfort me.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Aww. Poor Sky. I'm very sorry- what a disappointment.

The two issues could be related, I suppose. Maybe she was lacking something in her diet that caused it. :?

Why did you not try to foster a couple to the other does? Do you think the two that are dying might make it if you foster them now?

 

[skysthelimit]

I did try, their litters were days apart, Dotty's kits almost have there eyes open, 8 kits nearly twice as big as these ones, they just got jostled in the box.
The other does have 3-5 week olds, and poor Isis has 11 left, so she was no help.
They were born Thursday, looked fed then, look hungry Friday went I got home from work. I took them in at night, and tried to get the other does to feed them in the morning. I have never had any success with turning over does. I put each doe in the nest, and the kits didn't seem to get anything from any of those does. By this morning, they were cold,and looking too small for three day old kits. I left one in the nest with Raven, I found it dead this afternoon. The nest was cold when I checked it, only two still alive, after I warmed them up, they died as well. They went down pretty fast.

My does are not eager fosters either. Remember the Bai fiasco? Isis trampled two of her own kits to try to get Bai's out of her box, and the JW killed the foster I put in her nest. Only the holland was willing to feed, but she had seven of her own. I lost five kits before Isis was willing to feed her own and accept the fosters.