Well, it was bound to happen. Things were just going too smoothly. This morning, David and I went down to feed and water and peek in on the two kits in the nest tunnel. As we went into the shed, Sage (the doe that lost her litter a few weeks ago when somebunny dug out her nest) came out of Alice's nest tunnel where the kits were. When we opened it up, we found one of the kits dead: limp and not quite cold and very flattened. 
I've come to the conclusion that our space (8 feet square) is too small for three does and a buck. Alice is a great doe but the other two are not productive and this is just not working. We had planned to let the situation ride until spring, but we have decided Rosemary and Sage need to be taken out or separated. We'll have to keep them long enough to make sure they are not pregnant, but then they will likely be headed for freezer camp. We will likely keep one of Alice's older kits as a replacement doe and hope that works better with it raised in the colony and knowing "its place" from the beginning.
We brought the remaining kit up to the house and put it in a cage. It seems quite frightened and has dug itself under the hay. It was born on January 18, so it is 18 days old today. Awfully young to be weaned, so we will try taking it to Alice for nursing once or twice a day for the time being. It should be nibbling hay already. Alice's last litter emerged from the tunnel at three weeks and were eating everything in sight almost immediately.
Any suggestions to help the little one along are welcome. I have only 2% cow's milk in the house and no way of getting to the store... The van is out of commission. I've given it water and some oatmeal as well as a mix of grass and alfalfa hay.
I've come to the conclusion that our space (8 feet square) is too small for three does and a buck. Alice is a great doe but the other two are not productive and this is just not working. We had planned to let the situation ride until spring, but we have decided Rosemary and Sage need to be taken out or separated. We'll have to keep them long enough to make sure they are not pregnant, but then they will likely be headed for freezer camp. We will likely keep one of Alice's older kits as a replacement doe and hope that works better with it raised in the colony and knowing "its place" from the beginning.
We brought the remaining kit up to the house and put it in a cage. It seems quite frightened and has dug itself under the hay. It was born on January 18, so it is 18 days old today. Awfully young to be weaned, so we will try taking it to Alice for nursing once or twice a day for the time being. It should be nibbling hay already. Alice's last litter emerged from the tunnel at three weeks and were eating everything in sight almost immediately.
Any suggestions to help the little one along are welcome. I have only 2% cow's milk in the house and no way of getting to the store... The van is out of commission. I've given it water and some oatmeal as well as a mix of grass and alfalfa hay.
