New mom didn't build a nest, litter is dead :(

[Truckinguy]

Mine stay outside in the colony all year round with a rare exception. I had a litter of two survive in -25F temperatures but the mamma built a very deep and well lined nest so I was lucky. I find the does usually build an appropriate nest for the weather. In the heat of the summer I have found new litters lying in a pile on top of the bedding doing fine. In the winter I've had to put my arm in the straw as deep as my elbow before I finally reached that furry little ball of heat...lol.

My does have been very good at getting litters in the box, even first timers. However, they are now in the colony and put their litters in the same nest boxes they were born in so I guess that helps.

 

[Zinnia]

This happened to me today, exactly all the same questions. First time mom. This is my 3rd litter. Learned a lot from the comments.

Bummer. You lost your kits?

 

[TriumphTriple]

Yeah lost all of them. Definate learning experiance.

 

[Zinnia]

Yeah lost all of them. Definate learning experiance.

Very sorry to hear this. I know the feeling. Ugh!

I'm still learning, and I hate for it ever to be at the expense of little lives.

Last night, I was sure I had everyone tucked in nicely, but two (of the nicest, fattest) little kits were strayed from the others and didn't make it. The only thing I can figure, is these are the ones that want to hang on when mom is done nursing, and they get carried off away from the warmth and safety of the nest. I really thought I had it figured out... The walls of the nest are now high enough to knock them off the teat and back into the box when mom jumps out. But, apparently, the box is still not good enough. These two didn't find their way to the center, where the others were. They were just off to the side, over a mound of hay. We actually went out every two hours last night to check on them, but two hours was plenty of time to miss this... I am going to slope the hay toward the middle so others will have a chance to "funnel" into nest, if this happens again. And, I still may decide to bring them in at night this coming week...

 

[Zass]

I've been bringing my litters inside between about 6 days and 2 weeks old, because if I do not, at least one will wander out or get pulled out and chill on the wire.

My boxes are just too low in the front. I'll be asking RT members for their best wooden nestbox dimensions in about a month to see if I can't make new ones this year that will hold them all in. Until then...I have three litters due in about a week..Hmmm... looks like I'll be carrying kits back and forth again.
Exercise is good for me, right?

 

[Zinnia]

I've been bringing my litters inside between about 6 days and 2 weeks old, because if I do not, at least one will wander out or get pulled out and chill on the wire.

My boxes are just too low in the front. I'll be asking RT members for their best wooden nestbox dimensions in about a month to see if I can't make new ones this year that will hold them all in. Until then...I have three litters due in about a week..Hmmm... looks like I'll be carrying kits back and forth again.
Exercise is good for me, right?

I'm guessing you don't need to do this earlier, because they're just starting to wander around a week. My trouble has been with newborns. More than once, I witnessed mom jumping out of the nest with a kit attached to the teat. Mom cleared the nest box wall and away the baby went... into the cold, vast run. So, I made the nest box walls higher. I think they are 9 or 10 inches high. Now, kits get knocked off Mom when she jumps, falling back into the box. But, as you can see, they still have trouble creeping back to the warm spot, since the nest is really big. The nest is 20"X20". I tried making smaller boxes, but the does would land hard on the kits, coming and going. The bigger boxes provide some landing space. My boxes are bottomless because they build a deep nest in the bedding wherever they choose and I come along and "box" their nest in, placing the frame right over her chosen area. I guess I came to this when I made beautiful wooden nest boxes, supposedly large enough for FA, only to have the does laugh at me. I, too will need to make new boxes someday. If I had boxes with bottoms, it would be easier to take kits inside and bring them back out, without rearranging everything.

 

[the reluctant farmer]

For now, put their nest in a cardboard box that fits inside the nesting box. You'll be able to bring them back & forth easier. I often bring my newborns in until their eyes begin to open. I do it when it's really cold, really hot, or extreme rains. (The way I see it, the doe can move if there is a leak. The kits will chill or drown in their nest. We've had some extreme downpours this past year.). I keep them in their box inside the spare bathroom and shut the door. No furry inside pets can bug them that way. Sometimes I'll leave them out during the day, but usually bring them in at night. I can get a good night's sleep then.

 

[Zinnia]

Just wanted to update on what has worked these past few COLD nights! I did funnel the hay in the nest boxes to dip toward the warm, wool-lined part. I had hoped that, if a kit was to find itself out of the nest (still in the box), that it would easily descend back into the nest. And, so far, it appears to be working. We haven't lost any more. This is 4 litters out under an open ended hoop barn (is subzero temps.).