tarheel506
Well-known member
I wasn't sure if this would fit best here or under behavior issues...let me know if I should move it! Sorry, it's a little long...
I kept 2 does from a litter last year from a good doe that usually has good younguns. One is fine, the other has given me some trouble. She's always been pretty skittish, and with her first litter I had some issues. She had 8 healthy kits, in the box, but at the front and not covered by the actual nest. It was -9F that night, so I found 8 little icicles. I still can't believe I was able to warm them all up and bring them back around. Had it not been so cold it probably wouldn't have been an issue at all, and it was her first litter (and she took good care of them after that) so I thought she may do better with a second litter. Then, I had issues with her lunging at me when I would try to check the box, and had decided she was going to freezer camp once they were weaned. But then, she seemed to mellow after they were weaned, and I decided to try to breed her again and see if her behavior would improve. My first red flag was that she lunged at me after I placed her back in her cage after breeding.
She had her second litter very early this morning (in the nest, yay). She was still cleaning herself up when I was doing morning feeding, so I didn't bother the box. I did pull the box later in the afternoon, but she was lunging at me again. I finally got the box out, and found six great looking kits. Replaced the box, and let her be. When I returned for evening feeding, I noticed a small, dark blob just to the side of the box at the back of the cage. I *feel like* I would have noticed this earlier in the day when I pulled the box, but I suppose there is a chance I did not. I thought it was a tiny, underdeveloped stillborn, but when I retrieved it it was the head and mutilated upper body of a kit. It was hard to judge if the head appeared normal, or possibly from a stillborn that she may have chewed on while eating the afterbirth?
My gut is telling me that this is not the case, and she has eaten one of her kits. I honestly didn't have the time or the nerve to try to wrangle the box back out and see if there were still 6 kits in there, but I will in the morning. I've never dealt with this before, so I'm basically trying to decide...if I find 5 kits in the morning, how should I hedge my bets? Will the remaining 5 be best off with mom hoping she won't kill anymore of them, or should I pull them and try hand feeding (which I have never had much luck with unless they are still getting at least a little bit from mom). Regardless, this doe is done. I just want to try to have the best outcome for the kits.
I kept 2 does from a litter last year from a good doe that usually has good younguns. One is fine, the other has given me some trouble. She's always been pretty skittish, and with her first litter I had some issues. She had 8 healthy kits, in the box, but at the front and not covered by the actual nest. It was -9F that night, so I found 8 little icicles. I still can't believe I was able to warm them all up and bring them back around. Had it not been so cold it probably wouldn't have been an issue at all, and it was her first litter (and she took good care of them after that) so I thought she may do better with a second litter. Then, I had issues with her lunging at me when I would try to check the box, and had decided she was going to freezer camp once they were weaned. But then, she seemed to mellow after they were weaned, and I decided to try to breed her again and see if her behavior would improve. My first red flag was that she lunged at me after I placed her back in her cage after breeding.
She had her second litter very early this morning (in the nest, yay). She was still cleaning herself up when I was doing morning feeding, so I didn't bother the box. I did pull the box later in the afternoon, but she was lunging at me again. I finally got the box out, and found six great looking kits. Replaced the box, and let her be. When I returned for evening feeding, I noticed a small, dark blob just to the side of the box at the back of the cage. I *feel like* I would have noticed this earlier in the day when I pulled the box, but I suppose there is a chance I did not. I thought it was a tiny, underdeveloped stillborn, but when I retrieved it it was the head and mutilated upper body of a kit. It was hard to judge if the head appeared normal, or possibly from a stillborn that she may have chewed on while eating the afterbirth?
My gut is telling me that this is not the case, and she has eaten one of her kits. I honestly didn't have the time or the nerve to try to wrangle the box back out and see if there were still 6 kits in there, but I will in the morning. I've never dealt with this before, so I'm basically trying to decide...if I find 5 kits in the morning, how should I hedge my bets? Will the remaining 5 be best off with mom hoping she won't kill anymore of them, or should I pull them and try hand feeding (which I have never had much luck with unless they are still getting at least a little bit from mom). Regardless, this doe is done. I just want to try to have the best outcome for the kits.
so sad she isn't in my barn any more, but I know Heather will take good care of her.
